All of October

AJ at the pumpkin patch in 2007, 1.5 years old.




AJ and Dexter at the pumpkin patch in 2008, 2.5 years old, and 9 months old.













The Pumpkin Patch
The first thing I wanted to talk about was our day at the pumpkin patch. Well, actually, our first day at the pumpkin patch. On Tuesday, October 22rd, I took AJ and Dexter to the pumpkin patch with the goal of taking some pumpkin patchy pics and getting two pumpkins. We went to The Apple Barn. I just love it there. Pumpkin patch, hay ride, playground, jumping pillow, three crazy slides, a petting zoo, horse swings, and one more slide. Here's some of the many pics from that day.


AJ is in the middle of the pumpkin patch here.











AJ having his pumpkin weighed to find out the price.











AJ on the jumping pillow.











AJ and Dexter in the pumpkin patch.












AJ jumping off the bottom of the 'slow slide'.











This is AJ feeding the goats on a second trip to the pumpkin patch that weekend with Daddy, The Hodson-Maloneys, and The Tjarts.











This is the first set of pics I took of the boys on a wagon when I got there. Yes, you're right, hand over the 'worst mom of the year award', that's Dexter falling off the wagon. I stopped his fall.










Dexter deciding which piece of dirt to eat.












Dexter showing off his climbing and standing skills.











This is the big crazy fast slide. AJ sounds like he is literally tumbling down it. Nonetheless, he thought it was fun and wanted to go again and again and again.










The horse swing!












AJ running away because the Mommy-goat was going to 'get him'.












Two boys in baby swings.














Happy Dexy in the pumpkins!











The very long and very slooooowwww slide. That's AJ way at the top!













I told AJ he could only pick a pumpkin that he could carry to the stroller. He chose this one and is proving his abilities.







At the end of the pumpkin patch day, we were wiped. AJ had cereal for dinner and some raw veggies and fruit. We kept it simple.



Mill Lake Park
We had a day in the last couple weeks where we went to Mill Lake park and spent something like 3 hours there!!
Here's AJ and Dexter in the swings there.













My Day With Two Toddlers,Two Babies, and Four Car Seats in One Car
I am so behind that I'm going to be forgetting half the things I wanted to write and some things will be way out of date.

The bonus for 'my readers'? You don't get as much detail.

For example.
On the 24th of October, I watched Jack and Rya along with AJ and Dexter for the day. Had I written this that day, you'd now be reading a 1000 word diatribe on all the cute things they did, and how suprisingly enjoyable it was to be with the 4 kids all day. But now, you get a few things that stand out in my mind from that day.
*Jack arrived at my house with a sesame snap glued to his leg of his corduroys, also known at my house as 'lint-and-cat-hair-picker-uppers'.That was funny. I was picturing him at home eating the sesame snap, resting it down while playing, and kneeling on it forgetting it was there. It was just cute.
*Rya did some impressive waving and was her usual cute, sweet self.
*I put 4 car seats, yes, 4 car seats into my car. Dexter, Rya, and Jack in the back, and AJ in the front middle beside me. We headed to Auntie Jen's house to go for a walk to the the local creek and park with her, Makenna, Emerson, Jaxon, and her neighbor, Candace, with her son, Josiah, and her daughter, Madison. Rya and Dexter alternated sleeping in the stroller. AJ walked. All the kids were great. I started feeding lunch at the playground and finished up at home.
*Rya, as suspected, was a little weirded out by the idea of napping at my house (having never done that before), so I eventually just put her in my sling and she slept on me for an hour and 20 minutes! It was sweet.
*All the kids were great all day.













This is AJ and Jack having lunch watching a movie, and Rya having her lunch and looking so cute. Dexter was in the exersaucer, having finished his lunch already.



Family Picture at the Pumpkin Patch on Sunday, October 26th
Here's our 'family picture' from the boys' second trip to the pumpkin patch with Daddy and some of our friends.














Some Funny AJ Sayings and Such
Before the kiss goodnight...
AJ - "I want to get a tricycle with no wheels."
Me - "You mean a bike?"
AJ - "Yah, a bike."

Before receiving his chocolate milk...
AJ - "...and put some chocolate in it!"
Me - "Uh... manners?"
AJ - "Please."
Me - "Please what?"
AJ - "Please put some chocolate in it this time."
(We had gone to Starbucks earlier where he got a half sweet chocolate milk, and when we're at home, I either don't put any chocolate in his chocolate milk, or I only put in two drops. I guess he's onto me after tasting 'the good stuff'.)

In the car while listening to his CD from music class...
AJ - "Can you turn this off and turn on Mommy dancing music?"
Me - "The radio."
AJ - "Yah."
Me - "This?" (I turn on 94.5, and it's talk instead of music at this time)
AJ - "Where's the music?"
Me - "Sometimes there's commercials. I have a better idea." (I proceed to put in my Paul McCartney CD.
AJ - "Yah, this is music from when Daddy was in the car with us. Last time ago."
Me - "Oh yeah, yes it is. When Daddy was in the car with us last weekend, we listened to this CD."

When playing with his little Tonka vehicles and Disney Cars and is looking puzzled at one of them...
AJ - "This one has no mouth!?"

I've been working on the playroom downstairs. AJ is quite stoked. He knows that Dexter is not allowed in his section, and each day I'm adding something new to do in his section. I picked up an easel last week, and AJ's super excited about the painting. Today we broke out the stamps and ink pads and he was ecstatic. He has a reading tent and couch up high, his kichen, his tools, felts, playdough, painting, stamps, and soon, Lego!!

AJ has finally passed 24.5lbs. When I weighed him the other day, he was 26lbs. YAY!



Dexter
Dexter's been crawling for a month now and he's all over the place. It's exciting and annoying too. I find myself saying, "Where did Dexter go?" much more often than I'd like. We're in need of more baby gates. I need swinging ones, I think for the bedrooms. AJ's room and our room. And one for Dexter's room too, so I can pen him in there for safety while I run some laundry downstairs.
It's so neat that sometimes the boys are each playing in their own rooms. I'll be folding some laundry in my room and Dexter's in his room and AJ's in his room. It's just a sign of changing times in our family.
He's trying to climb up on things too, like the couch, and AJ's bed. I think he'd be going up stairs too if we had that kind of house.
When I've missed his 'sleep window' on occasion and he doesn't want to go to sleep, he'll throw his dinosaur and paci out of the crib. He knows I need to come in to give those back.
Have I mentioned that he's cruising everywhere? He loves coasters, specifically glass ones. He let's go to grab something else. He can push his walking toy and walk behind it. He can wave good-bye, but not too often.
He's saying 'mama' to me now, and he says 'dada' sometimes too. Richard thinks that Dexter looked right at him the other day and said, "Hi Dada". Maybe!?

Dexter is just slightly shy of 23lbs.



I need to update more, but I can't remember what else I wanted to say.









Dexter's 9 Month Portrait
I also decided to take Dexter's 9 month pictures myself instead of going to a potrait studio. Here's some faves.


























Feel free to tell me your fave.
































In these ones, he's super happy because he's enjoying his squeaky shoes!