More Pumpkin Heads

We now have a whole family of pumpkin heads on the table - it's actually a little cumbersome to try and find a place to eat! Grandma and Grandpa took Catherine and Mary to the pumpkin patch before they left. Catherine apparently went in, saw the painted pumpkins, said "I want this one," and was ready to leave. She's very efficient about this kind of thing.


But I'm sure she got distracted with rides on the cart and helping Grandpa pick out a big big big pumpkin.



Does anyone have any suggestions for ways to tell a toddler when it's time to throw away her pumpkin head family?

Once Upon a Beach

We made a quick stop by the beach the other evening while Grandma and Grandpa were running a couple errands. Michael collected a few bags of seaweed to dump in the garden, and the girls occupied themselves with shovels of sand, bird watching, and running away from the tide.




I was impressed with the number of seashells on this particular beach. Look, here's one.


And another. This one is looking at you.


And another.


(By this time Michael has surely stopped reading due to the inappropriate number of pictures without people in them).

Then the sun went down and we got cold and went home.


Wasn't that a lovely story?

I promise a couple more posts as soon as I steal all Grandma's pictures from her computer!

Twirl Dancing!

Grandma's here! I don't think the girls have managed to tire her out yet, but if they keep this up, they might:



Mary had her 15 month check-up Friday morning and she is healthy and smart and perfect like we all knew. She's now almost 32 inches tall and just over 22 pounds. She said "hi" to the doctor and showed off her twirl dancing for him, and didn't even start to cry until her third shot. Catherine insisted that she did not need any "pokes" but still did a very good job getting her flu shot without throwing a fit or even crying during the shot. She did give the nurse a good glare and told her afterwards "I said I don't need any pokes!" but that was the extent of her objection.

It looks like a cool and cloudy weekend, but with a new tent/tunnel and a lovely recorder, among other things, I think the girls and grandma will find a way to keep busy.

Picnic Hats

These little contraptions came in the mail yesterday from Gigi, and honestly I had no idea at first glance what they were. After a few minutes I decided they are buckets for Halloween candy, and I still think that's probably correct.


Of course, the girls took one look at them and immediately knew they were hats.


They've been referred to as Picnic Hats, Bucket Hats, Basket Hats, and Bob Hats, but whatever the occasion they have been the headwear of choice since the mailman stepped off the porch yesterday.


They also work really well for peek-a-boo.



And if you're feeling really crazy, you can pull them down over your eyes and spin in circles until you get dizzy and fall down. It's a hard life, that of a toddler.

I think the girls are starting to think of our mailman as a bit of a saint. The day before the hats, he delivered these Dora stickers (thanks again Gigi):

Pumpkin Heads

No pictures of kids playing in the sand this week - today was cold, wet, windy, rainy, blustery, foggy and damp (we didn't get any of the snow seen in the Patriots' game, but it is definitely a nice night to have a warm bed and a new roof that doesn't leak).

So after churches we mostly occupied ourselves inside today with laundry, a couple little basement projects, and Pumpkin Heads.

Did you know you can get spare Potato Head parts at a craft store for about 20 cents a piece? And that doing so enables toddlers to "decorate" pumpkins with no knives, or paint?! Genius.

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkin Head. Actually, if you ask Catherine, this is Catherine Pumpkin and Daddy Pumpkin.


Catherine chose all the accessories, decided she was making a girl and Mary was making a boy, and helped me make the holes for all the pieces. Mary picked out the hat for her man and actually agreed to let Mr Pumpkin Head look normal, not like her average Picasso Potato.

Neither of the girls would under any circumstances let the Pumpkin Couple reside on the front porch - they have to stay on the table and Catherine turns them to look at her and Mary while they are eating.

Speaking of pumpkins, can anyone get canned pumpkin where you live? Because our stores don't have any yet and I'm getting a little annoyed. It's the middle of October and I don't have any pumpkin bread. This is not a test - this is an emergency.

Halloween?

Baby checkup yesterday went well - they pretty much just take my blood pressure and listen to the baby's heartbeat at this point. The 18 week ultrasound will be in a couple weeks, and then the next checkup is at the halfway point!

Catherine found this outfit that a friend gave us in the back of her pj drawer. At first she really wanted to wear it but it is way too small for her so she was content to put it on Mary. Surprisingly, Mary was pretty pleased with it as well, even the hood, which she usually doesn't like. It's like early Halloween!








Sorry, it was another case of "I can't decide which picture I like best so I'll let you choose for yourself."

More Outside Pics & A Praying Blanket

The girls love to grab these "spinny things" out of the yard and march around with them. It's highly dangerous.


Catherine also likes to sing Happy Birthday really loudly while holding one and then give it to someone as a present. Mary has started to catch on to that game, without the singing yet.


I know you've seen about 84 pictures of Mary with this ball but I think it is hilarious and adorable every time.



And this is what Catherine calls her "praying blanket." Everybody needs one.

Deja Vous

I love when I get to pull out old clothes of Catherine's for Mary, especially when it's an outfit like this one.


So cute, but Catherine wore it maybe once or twice before outgrowing it. Isn't Mary looking all grown up?

I'm starting to feel like I've read this post before...more pictures of us playing on the beach at church.



And this I've definitely seen before. It's what happens when you try to sit the girls down to take a picture together.

First you get the cheese face.


Then confusion when you ask for not the cheese face.


"I want to sit on the other side of Mary."


Bored.


Finally a good face out of one...what's the little one doing?


Uh-oh...Mary sees a rock. Time's running out. Catherine wants to go back to the water.


An unexpected contribution from Catherine. Too bad Mary's eyes kind of look like a gremlin.


Hmmm...this is probably as good as we're going to get.


Oh dear - this time she's sees a bug.


It's over - she's out.

Granny Dance

There has been a lot of dancing in the house lately. Actually, also out of the house. Here is Mary dancing with an umbrella. The elbow pads were her idea, and probably not a bad one. (And I know she is in the middle of the street - it's a slow street, and I was watching and listening for cars the whole time.)



And Catherine claims that her grandma taught her to dance like this. I'll let you be the judge.



Wasn't that good? I think Grandma should post her own dancing video and we'll compare.

Oh wow, this is one of those pictures Catherine is going to resent later. She decided that her swimming suit could actually double as a snow suit (after watching a Dora video where Dora's bottomless backpack coughs up snowsuits for her and Boots when it inexplicably starts to snow in the jungle). Catherine was wearing a skirt and shirt, and managed to get this swim suit (and hat) on over those by herself. She claims this kept her warm.


And then there's Mary. Sitting in a basket. Why not?

Outside Pics

Here are a bunch of pictures from a few minutes playing outside yesterday. Most of them are...technically challenged, at best, but they're still pictures. :~)

"I'll keep you out of the rain Mary Neeper Bug. Don't worry."


"I saw you thinking about taking my ball."


Working together to fix their car (the base of the basketball hoop):



Catherine is explaining to me what her tool (the stick) is called, and what she is doing with it.


I didn't understand any of it, and she knows it.


95% of the good pictures I get of the kids end up blurry. See?


And even the non-blurry ones are a little...odd-colored?


Here Mary is annoyed because she can't pick the umbrella up. She's standing on it.


Look, another picture of eyelashes (and a car).


I tried to get a picture while playing peek-a-boo through a bush. Ehh.


By this time Catherine had asked 482 times to go see how Daddy was doing with getting his new TV set up, so we went in. Catherine was very impressed with the TV (she would be incredibly jealous to know he was up until 2am watching it).