It's the Great Pumpkin(s)

Since Halloween is this weekend, we figured it was time to carve the pumpkins. Personally, I like an uncarved pumpkin, but Brandon wonders where the fun is in that. The man takes his pumpkin carving seriously...



M&E got in on the action this year too. Actually, they're not much for having goop on their hands. For example, their entire class painted their hands to make spider pictures at school and Madeline absolutely refused to have hers painted. So, these pictures caught the one and only time M&E stuck their hands in the pumpkins.





The final products:

UGA Cheerleader in Training

Pumpkins and Playgrounds

We went to Johnny and Susan's farm last weekend to check out Johnny's pumpkins and ride the tractor. Eli talks about Uncle Johnny's tractor ("Gunka dadoo") every day, so he was in heaven out there at the farm. He and Madeline are very adamant that Mommy is not allowed to ride the tractor, only Daddy, Madeline and Eli. Apparently a tractor is not the place for a mommy - I belong in the house. Let's hope the ACLU doesn't come after these two little cuties for gender discrimination. Personally, I have to agree with M&E and didn't mind at all being left behind to eat with Susan in the cabin.

I was recently introduced to a new playground near our house and it is our new favorite hangout post-naptime. It's so close to home and it's always empty. So, have I mentioned that M&E are big kids now? They swing on big kid swings and climb up big kid pole things that scare Mommy when I turn around to see my child at the top of them...

Addition Completion

Brandon and I have been living in our new master suite for over a month now and we love it. It's nice to be on the opposite side of the house from the kiddos now. We can actually watch TV in bed without waking up anyone. We also love having our own bathroom now (even though it houses two frog potties at the moment). Here are some pictures of our new living quarters...

Late Night Fun

The other night, I put M&E down to bed and sat there listening to Eli play for the longest time. I heard power tools going off and the flute being played, etc. Finally at around 9:00, I asked Brandon to go back there and check on him. He came out crying he was laughing so hard and told me I had to grab the camera and go see for myself.

Eli had loaded almost every toy in his room up onto his bed. You can't see the amount of toys because most are blocked by the big airport that he even managed to lug up there. You can see in the picture that Eli also thought this all was very funny. What a nut!

August in Review

I've been MIA for a while, but I have a good excuse: I'm really stinking tired. In a nutshell, here is what the Rooks family has been up to the past few weeks. Ready? Here we go...

A few weeks ago, Brandon, M&E and I made the 12 hour drive up to Virginia to attend my 10-year high school reunion and visit my dad. Here we are reuniting with friends Megan and Lolly and their significant others.



The next day, we headed up to DC where we visited with more friends at the Air & Space Museum. M&E really enjoyed meeting Harper and Roman and totally ignoring the barriers set up around the exhibits. Madeline decided she needed no formal NASA training for an up close and personal view of the space shuttle.



We left the museum and headed to Dulles, where we dropped off Brandon to catch a flight home. The kiddos and I stayed in Culpeper for another day to visit with Granddaddy, which included a bike ride. That's a skort, not a skirt I'm wearing, people, and no, I did not plan to participate in this ride. It was really hot and my impression was that G'daddy would take M&E for a ride without my help. No such luck.



The next day, I hopped in the car with M&E for the long car ride home - alone. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was and it only took us 11 hours to get home. Praise God!

We had to get home because M&E started school 2 weeks ago. The adjustment has been wonderful. In fact, I don't think there has been an adjustment. I walk them into their classroom and they dissapear without so much as a "Bye bye, Mommy" and that's just how I like it. Here they are on their first day. (That black front door that I have despised since we moved in is gone now - more on that later.)



Another big hurdle that we are leaping, well, creeping over is potty training. I'm happy to report that M&E no longer wear diapers while at home except while sleeping. We've also gone out several times sans-diapers. Eli is proving to be quite the boy and has an accident every day, but Madeline is impressing me with her control. My hope is that soon we will be able to pay for school with the money we will save on diapers. A few people have asked me for pointers on potty-training. Here's what I have to say:



Naked time! I'm telling you, it works.

So, in my spare time between emptying potties and cleaning up after failed potty attempts, we've been trying to wrap up the work on our house. Brandon and I are all moved into the new master suite and as you saw in the last post, M&E are settled into their big girl-boy rooms. We have a few odds and ends to wrap up (paint) and we'll finally be finished. Pictures to come shortly!

New Cribs (or lack there of)

Madeline and Eli are babies no longer, and they have the beds to prove it. Last night was the big night - we moved M&E into their big girl/boy rooms. While they are still works in progress, they are ready for their new inhabitants, and these kiddos are ready to inhabit. Brandon and I had a little visitor at 4:00 on Sunday morning. I rolled over to a sweet "Hi Mommy!" from Eli. The little boy had been escaping his crib lately so we decided it was time to abandon it all together. I have been pleasantly surprised with how easy the transition has been. Eli has gotten a few spankings for climbing out of bed, but after a couple each time, he gives up and stays put. Madeline seems to have some invisible force field around her bed because she will not climb into or out of it on her own. So far, one night down and M&E are currently snoozing away at naptime. I think we can call this a success!