Fall Backward

Once upon a time, I loved this night of the year. For people who are not mothers of young children (or members of the unfortunate staff who got stuck working night shift tonight at a hospital - those were the worst!), this is a great night. It's a night where a precious, wonderful, coveted, EXTRA hour of sleep can be gotten. For me, though, it's a night that wreaks havoc on my children's sleep schedules (which haven't been so wonderful lately, anyway, so maybe this is just what we need to re-set things). It's also a night that starts the sun setting way too early, preventing me from enjoying the outdoors in the evenings with my kids and making the nights seem painfully long. Do we really need Daylight Savings Time anymore?? I'm not getting the point. And wouldn't you know that tonight, of all nights, the ONE night of the year I would like my kids to stay up late, they are both sound asleep at 8pm (er... 7 pm). (I usually do not have this success until 10pm on a good night)! Nonetheless, I refuse to get upset that both of my children are happily sleeping at the same time, even if it isn't the schedule I would have picked. So I'm taking advantage and updating this blog!! (I figure I can do the dishes, fold the laundry, and pick up the toys at whatever horribly wrong hour we are awake in the morning.... not dwelling on that right now, however).

We have had lots and lots of Fall Fun this year!! More than usual it seems, and, in fact, I am feeling a little "Fall Funned Out." The weather in October was beautiful, and we soaked in every pumpkin patch, craft show, and Halloween activity we could. It was a blast, but I'm hoping for a little reprieve before Thanksgiving and Christmas activities begin! Enjoy some pictures of our October!

One of the several pumpkin patches we went to. The girls loved them all!

The girls love this 50s diner! Even Abby Kate plays with it as a favorite, and it is so cute to watch them acting like little adults.

We carved a pumpkin for the first time this year (to the left). Carving a pumpkin is hard work, so we stuck with a basic triangle/smile jack-o-lantern. Christa insisted on having her picture taken with her pumpkin and her Uga (to the right). She played with that cement dog like it was real, putting it in her lap and saying, "you are a fat little boy. Do you want to pet him, Mommy? Be careful; don't drop him." It was very entertaining.

We celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday at a pumpkin farm in Adairsville this year. The girls and I had a blast going through the petting zoo, riding the hay ride, and eating cake outside!

Christa mustered enough courage to pet the goat after Abby Kate did it and remained unharmed!

Abby Kate - my fearless child.

Christa was 3 different things for Halloween this year, and I didn't have to buy a single costume!! For her character parade at school, she wanted to be Cinderella. The outfit is a much-loved Christmas present from last year.

For the Fall Festival and MOPS Halloween Party, Christa wanted to be a 50s poodle girl. Abby Kate and I had costumes to match, so this worked out perfectly!

Cline actually picked out and ordered these outfits for my surprise 30th birthday party in September! Abby Kate is covering my big belly nicely, but apparently, I am an obviously knocked-up 50s poodle girl!

On Halloween night, Christa wanted to be a GA cheerleader! This worked out well, since that was all I packed. We spent the weekend in Jekyll Island for the GA/FL game, and improvised a little Trick-or-Treating in the hotel we stayed at.

Abby Kate is doing so many cute things right now! It's hard to remember what Christa was doing at 14 months, but Abby Kate is exceeding my expectations. I'm a little surprised, because I haven't read to her and actively tried to teach her things nearly as much as I did with Christa. (Not that I did a ton of educational things with Christa. We mostly just play and try to remember to eat at regular intervals at our house, and my standards are getting lower with each child we add to the family!) I guess she picks up a lot from her older sister.... or maybe she is proof that unlimited access to the television has it's benefits :) She can say several words, including dog, horse (orshe), Mommy (clear as day - it sounds like a 3 year old), Daddy, La-La, Mi-Mi, and Go Dawgs (doesn't quite sound like that, but I know what she's trying to say :). She tries to repeat almost anything. Lately she has been saying "Ba-Bi-Ba-Boo." (Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo). It's hilarious! She thinks she's a five-year-old. Whenever I leave her in a nursery, she's usually a class or two ahead when I pick her up, because that's where she was happy, according to the nursery staff. When I took her to Christa's school to have pictures made a couple of weeks ago, she joined in playing with the older kids like it was something she did every day. She will snuggle with me at night and take a bottle while I rock her to sleep, and that is precious time that I enjoy holding my baby and praying for my children and for wisdom as a mom. (By the way, I hope I'm not sounding like I'm bragging here. I know several other babies who are her age and doing just as many cute and clever things. I just want to remember forever what my babies were like when they were little, so I write as much as I can when I get the time to blog.)

Baby # 3 is doing great! I had my 20 week ultrasound on Wednesday, and we did not find out the gender. Cline and I are so backwards on this idea - he loves surprises, and I can't wait to know things in general. But in this case, Cline is dying to know before the delivery, and I am having to put my foot down to not find out. I do have the gender pictures (labeled, so there would be no confusion) in a sealed envelope in case we (I) change our (my) minds. Cline has hinted that opening this envelope would make an excellent Christmas present. It's tempting, but I keep thinking about the delivery day, and how much fun it would be to not know beforehand. The super-organized side of me, the one who has been working like crazy to have my house clean and in order so that all I have to do after March 22 is keep 3 young children alive and reasonably happy, and the side that loves my husband and wants him to enjoy this time, too, is considering this compromise.

Well, I've officially been working on this blog for over an hour, so I'd better go do something else so I can get to sleep pretty soon. If you read this blog tonight, please remember the Newsome family in your prayers. Five years ago today, their precious baby girl went to heaven at age 8 after battling cancer. I was so honored and privileged to know Victoria during her illness, and as much as I still miss her, I can't imagine what her parents go through on these days (or any day, for that matter). Love you, Margaret Anne!