11 months and 3 1/2 years

Sniff*sniff.  Where does the time go?  I can't believe that in a few short weeks Ansley will be one year old.  At eleven months she does not quite seem ready to walk.  She has been a proficient crawler for months now.  She cruises furniture all the time.  And she can climb just about anything.  We have had to make sure that our toy bins and cabinets are never in a position where she can climb them. But it is like she has no actual interest in walking.

We love to ask: "How big is Ansley?"  And she responds by raising her arms in the air!

She and Liam have been butting heads much more these days.  They have decided that it is necessary to want the same toys at the exact same time.  It doesn't even need to be an actual toy.  A discarded box from a recent Costco run?  Instant fight.  A wooden pants hanger? Can't get enough of it.  A glossy mailer showing produce deals at the local grocery store.  Bitter tears of jealousy.  A small bargaining chip we have been using with Liam lately is telling him that it would be so sad if Ansley didn't share her birthday cupcakes with him in a few weeks.  This usually buys us four minutes of uninterrupted goodwill and over the top sharing on Liam's part.

Ansley's hair is starting to fill in.  I sometimes think that she might get a few curls, but it is still hard to say.

She still only has two bottom teeth.  Lately she has been doing this over the top goofy gummy smile.  Love it!  And I swear on a weekly basis that her top two teeth are coming in. 

Proud and weepy Mama.

Daddy's little girl.

Love those chubby cheeks.

Liam is now three and a half years old.  He is such a little man! He loves to play outside and has started getting into playing soccer with his dad.  Anything to help burn off some of his energy.  Both he and Ansley have been having a difficult time adjusting to me going back to work.  When I have evening events, which happened a lot around the campaign, they have a long day at school and then don't get to bed until late.  Still, I think now that they are settling in, they are starting to enjoy the structure of their classes like music time, art, and stretch and grow. 

Liam has started getting ear infections again and it looks like his tubes are starting to fall out.  We are meeting with a new ENT soon to see whether he needs to get tubes again.  In what may be an unrelated matter, he has really been fighting bed time lately.  We used to read him a book, say his prayers and sing him a song and he would go straight to bed.  But ever since Florida he has developed a fear of the dark and it takes lots of crying, arguing and bargaining to get him off to sleep at night.  I have heard that this is common at this age since kids start to develop an imagination and have trouble falling and staying asleep at night. We hope that this is just a phase, but time will tell.

Overall, Liam is active, happy, and spirited.  We sometimes struggle with having a preschooler and everything that comes with it.  He can be intentional in his disobedience, but we also know that he craves approval and thrives when he feels like he can contribute to our family.

Fearless

He is happiest outdoors.

We love our two kids and each new phase is exciting, scary and a true learning experience! 

Halloween

So I am now just getting around to downloading our Halloween pictures.  This year Grandma Pate bought Ansley a sweet little elephant costume while we were in Albuquerque.  Fitting for our family and the time of year! This was the first year that Liam decided what he wanted to be on his own. In years past we have just dressed him the way that we wanted to.  But this year he had definite ideas about his costume.  And because he is three years old, he changed his mind...a lot.  He kept oscillating between Spiderman and Buzz Lightyear.  Let me now mention that he has never even seen Spiderman.  And it will probably be a few years until he does.  But he understands enough to know that older boys like Spiderman.  And so it begins!  Before long he will probably be asking for Justin Bieber hair or his own ipad.  Yikes. However, since I am the parent, I ultimately decided that Buzz Lightyear would be the way to go.

If you look closely, Liam is trying to push the "buttons"on his costume.  I think he was pretty bummed that there were no noises, lights, etc.

This year we went to a Fall carnival at one of the nearby churches. It was a perfect Fall afternoon.  I use the word Fall loosely.  I think the temperature was somewhere in the 80s, the grass was green, the trees were full...you get the idea.  This carnival had a ton of bounce houses, handmade games, a cake walk, a firetruck, a petting zoo and the coup de grace, pony rides.  Liam, given his recent obsession for the movie Tangled, was beyond thrilled to ride a pony.  He even kissed the pony after the ride.  Ansley was perfectly happy being pushed around in her stroller and people watching, as was her mommy.  All in all, it was a lovely afternoon.

Taking it all in.

Liam's balloon....gun?

Watching the animals from a distance.

A spaceman and his noble steed.

Because I don't have nearly enough pictures of bounce houses and inflatable slides.

Finally, the big night was upon us!  I have been working some crazy hours with my new job, but fortunately I did not have to work Halloween night.  Eric and I both got home early, fed the kids and got them into costume.  We hit up the same streets as last year, but oddly enough it was easier to walk the hills without 30 extra pounds of baby!  Ansley actually did pretty well, even though I think she was confused by the whole process.  Liam had a great time and totally got into it this year.  The best part was that after 30 minutes of trick-or-treating, they were both tuckered out.  We got away with giving Liam only one sucker and putting him to bed.  We had a great time and look forward to future years of trick-or-treating.  Maybe one day the kids will even give into my fantasy to have a family themed costume!

To infinity and beyooooooond!

What the heck is going on?  And why do you keep dressing me like this? 

Liam's love of doorbells meets his love of candy.

Pleased as punch to be eating his one sucker!