Pumpkin Patch!

That's right, it's that time of year when I drag my family to the local pumpkin patch and force them to sit for pictures before any fun is allowed to be had.  Here's the proof!

First, I dressed Valerie up in this adorable outfit and hat.  Nice, fall, colors!

OK, Mom, seriously, could you cut it out with the pictures, now.

Our 3 little pumpkins

Henri is ready to spread terror through the pumpkin patch.

Well, at least 2/3 are smiling.

Well, all three are looking at the camera, sort of.

Henri loves any excuse to be outside, esp in his boots.

Valerie still can't walk at 3 months, so Erin carried her.

Carter picked this one out for Valerie, since she obviously will not be picking her own out this year.

The boys take a break for a minute.

Paul helps Henri who stumbles several times.

Henri was determined to take these two pumpkins with him.  Frankly, we're not even sure where they came from... the patch or the part where they are all piled up at the front.  But he carried them and carried them.

He had to stop to rest periodicly, but he still won't put them down.

He's got his mom's perserverence.

Valerie finally decided she'd had enough.

Here's some videos of Henri and his carrying these little pumpkins.

Getting ready for Halloween

Carter's ready!

Then and Now

OK, so I realized this morning as I woke up with a splitting headache how different my life has become over the last 10-15 years.

Then:  A splitting headache would have been the result of a few glasses of wine (probably red since the tannin, you know...).  There's a girl next to me who woke me up with her crying and I stumble downtairs to find something in the fridge to eat and swallow a couple Excedrin and figure there must have been people over last night from the dirty dishes and crumbs everywhere.

Now: A splitting headache the result of being up once for the middle one's cough and once to feed the baby, who is that girl crying next to me and I stumble downstairs for some tea (I haven't had time to go shopping this week and get more coffee-could also explain some of the headache) and some Tylenol (since I've only got that in the house since I've been pregnant or breastfeeding for pretty much the last 2.5 years) and eat some oatmeal to increase milk supply and help my blood pressure and realize the crumbs and dirty dishes are from the two little boys downstairs.

Haircuts! And a grandparent visit!

First, a cute picture of Henri and Valerie:

 My grandparents came to visit yesterday...

 Haircuts today:

Gingerbread Houses

So my friend, Kristina came through and sent me photos of our Haunted house making over the weekend.  She made the awesome houses and I brought candy to decorate them.

Henri playing piano while singing on the microphone...

Busy Weekend (as usual)

Since Paul was up north, we tried to keep busy this weekend.  Saturday we started at our friend's house-the boys played while us Mom's scrapbooked. Then we went to another friend's and the kids decorated gingerbread houses that she had made with frosting and candies.  (Hopefully I'll have a picture up soon).   Then to dinner at my parents' house and Carter spent the night with his cousin that was up this weekend staying with them.

Sunday morning was the usual.  Henri and I for swimming lesson 9am, then church at 10, then met my parents and nephew with Carter at the pool for his noon lesson, then we headed home as Paul and his dad were headed back home after a disappointing loss in his curling tournament Sunday morning.  They brought home Tim Horton's and we splurged on Pagliacci Pizza for dinner while Paul went to... you guessed it... curling. 

This morning I was finally able to talk to Children's Hospital.  Neurosurgery transferred the referral to plastic surgery and they want her to have an unsedated CT scan at 3:30 next Monday, then talk to a plastics doctor about the bump on her head.