Halloween and beginning of November

My friend Genevieve this adorable dress. She sells them and this one came from two different pieces of the fabric and the color is ever so slightly different on the top and the skirt plus a sleeve. So she just gave it to Genevieve, and she couldn't be happier. It's really adorable.

 I've put in a jillion hours already painting this Christmas paint-by-number. It's by far the most detailed one I've ever done and it's turning out so cool.

 Aaron got hit with the sick this week. I first sent a picture to Bill of him like this but uncovered. His first question? But did you cover him up??? I went back and did and sent it to make him feel better, lol.

 Genevieve loves lego story builders. This is her creation from this week. Fuzzy, but they have really cool miniature pieces.

 I spent many hours this week cutting and sanding these blocks for a Relief Society craft. I didn't mind the work at all, but my hand did get really sore and tingly after spending big chunks of time sanding. The activity is tomorrow and the craft is going to be super cute.

 This was our annual trip to downtown Clemson for trick or treating. Genevieve switched out her Moana costume for a mermaid, and we have a bumblebee, Superman, and Maui. Bill traced those tattoos on that shirt. We had planned to do the arms and shoulders too, but stuck with just the front and back. It's super detailed and really cool looking up close. That's a leaf skirt too, though it's all scrunched back in this shot.

 Chloe and Aaron styled it up one of the chiller days this week.

Last Week of October

We painted pumpkins last night instead of carving them. The oldest two went on field trips this month and picked their own pumpkins, and they were really too small to carve. They had a fabulous time, I felt like a rock star parent, and it actually wasn't a big mess. Spencer and Genevieve both did tons of painting in preschool, so they were pros at it and Aaron had no problems either. It was a fun night.

 I found this Christmas ornament idea awhile back on Pinterest. It's pony beads melted in the toaster oven in cookie cutter molds. These are all the metal ones I own, and they turned out really nice! The first I did single layer and it worked but not for the points of the stars. So the second round I did a double layer and I like that even better. I need to round off the corners. Hopefully I can sand them down and have them look good. It was a fun little project. I like to get a new ornament every year for Christmas and this year these will be it. I'll drill holes in them for a string too.

 I ran my half marathon Saturday morning. It went remarkably well. I really enjoyed it! This particular training cycle I discovered the joy of audio books. I listen while I run and it has changed exercising into not only an enjoyable experience from the endorphins and feeling of being in shape, but also because it's now combined with listening to books, which is phenomenal. I love to read but I never have time to. I've listened to probably four or five books the last month. It's really pleasant and I finished one book during my race. The time goes by so much faster when I'm just listening and zoning into the run.

 I got this little guy from my kids' school fundraiser. It came white and I painted it one very productive day with the included colors. It lights up. This year is a Christmas on the mind super early sort of year. No complaining. :)

 Poor Chloe was sick on Friday and she is still sick. She's mostly just had a fever, which makes for very sad evenings and early mornings. Poor kiddo. I hope she kicks it soon.

Vignettes from the week

 We did family pictures last Friday. I sent probably 20 pictures to Bill that morning deciding on clothing to wear.

 Here's a sneak peek of our picture session. it was so beautiful out and the kids rocked it on pictures for the first time ever. We even got Chloe to smile. I'm so excited to see the rest of the photos.

 Chloe is such a climber. She stands up in her high chair any chance she gets. I took this to show off her cute outfit she just grew into, and then strapped her in. If she follows in Aaron's footsteps, she'll learn to stand up even when clipped in and then we'll be out of luck on the high chair, but for now she still will sit and eat thankfully.

 I picked paint for my snowflake. Despite the grain being really pretty, I want this snowflake to be more festive, so I'm going with white and then silver glitter. We'll see how it turns out.

 Instead of sleeping one afternoon last week Chloe was doing acrobatics. She had her feet above her head pushed against the mesh of her crib before I grabbed this picture.

 She was obviously sleeping. Obviously. Lol. I think she fell asleep later in the car, but definitely didn't take the opportunity to sleep during this nap time.

I made a couple of Christmas trees too with scraps I had. I'm going to put bases on them and paint them green, but even unsanded and raw I love how they turned out. The silhouette look is really appealing to me this year.

A few pictures from this week

 A little black frosting lipstick for the day. A friend and I hosted a baby shower for another friend. It was fun.

 She said she wasn't sick, but then she fell asleep in the car. Very telling.

 Finished drawer. I got my last piece of wood I need to do the other drawer on her bed hopefully today.

Another view of what the bed looks like without the mattress. I cut grooves into the drawer front with my router so it would match the planking on the ends and it really looks cool. It probably would help if I took a picture with something besides my phone camera, but no time for that.

Dirt

I let my kids play outside the other day while I was folding laundry and watching them from inside. They beelined it for the flower bed we cleared out this summer but didn't fill up yet and started digging. And apparently Aaron dumped a shovel full of clay dirt on Chloe's head and it was hilarious. She wasn't even remotely bothered. I had to bathe her to get it off. It wouldn't brush off even at all. Good times. 

Pictures from this week.

 Three of four drawers done for my kids' beds.

 Spencer got comfy during conference this weekend.

 These mini recliners moved onto a new owner this weekend. They were so much fun to have the last few years. The kids don't really use them anymore so we're going to do something different, but I had a moment of sadness when they left.

 Chloe climbs up to look out the window these days.

 She has a little mischievous streak that is so cute. I can just see the thoughts going on in her head of what funny thing she can do.

 I cut Aaron's hair a few days ago. He's looking so big these days.

 She wears these shoes all day long every day. True love.

I always love it when my kids put themselves to sleep. That blanket is down with soft minky on the inside. It's a napping blanket for sure.

The most photographed person this week

Here's how my blogging goes these days. I open up Blogger, click on the add photos button, and see what pictures are from my phone this week since that's virtually the only place I take pictures these days. I wrote a post about Chloe last week but lo and behold, all my pictures I've taken this week are of her. Go figure. 

 Bill and I trade off having her during the second two hours of church. He teaches a Sunday school class and I play the piano in primary, so it's a little awkward for her until she goes to nursery in a few months, but it mostly works. This Sunday though we did singing time the entire primary sharing time instead of just half, so Chloe was in the primary room with me rather than the two of us wandering the halls for most of it while sharing time is going on. She did not do well. And when my sweet primary president took her out so the rest of the kids could sing without her crying, she was even less happy. Shout out to my primary president for taking care of her anyway until Bill finished his class, despite her crankiness. This is when she had been reunited with daddy and was playing in the empty nursery room. We have two in our building and the kids switch back and forth. She loved this sit and spin.

 Chloe is jealous of our laps. Anytime either of us sits on the floor she backs her way in and plops right down. Aaron came over soon after this shot and Chloe got so mad. I think she considers Bill and me, but especially Bill, her personal property. Haha! She's really starting to like looking at books, which is super cute. Don't take it from her lest you suffer the wrath of Chloe. She's a great screamer when she wants something.

 This is how my living room looks basically anytime she's awake. She seems determined to take all the books off that particular shelf every single day. It's my shelf of chapter books of all things!

Chloe the hoarder. She is happy as long as she's holding things at the grocery store. She won't put them down to buy them either. It has to be a quick, grab them, scan them, and give them back number or else more wrath of Chloe emerges. It's amazing how after four kids that wrath is funny as much as anything. Sorry child, but I've been screamed at a lot in the last almost seven years and you're screaming is more cute than making me do what you want. lololol.

She really is such a fun kid. She's cuddly and cute and feisty and a total love bug. She has such personality. She screams and then she laughs and she shares her food with us and alternately loves on her siblings and wacks them. Basically she's the iconic youngest kid, loved excessively, pestered, the one who pesters everyone back. She's not remotely interested in talking yet and yet we all know exactly what she wants and she often gets it. The bald head and huge blue eyes only help her cause. Ha!

Chloe at 15 months

Chloe will be 15 months in a few days and so I thought I'd write a few details about her. She's done some cool things the last week or two. 

As a baby Chloe would go to absolutely anybody. That all came to a screeching halt at about eight months old when she wouldn't go to anybody but mom and dad. Lately she's willing to let her siblings pick her up too, and it's fabulous that Spencer is big enough to get her out of her crib now, but otherwise she won't let anyone touch her. She also stuck super close to me all the time. We went to events at the library or elsewhere and she'd happily sit on my lap with no inclination to move a muscle. It's totally fine if she wants to be like that, but it is vastly different than my other three. She's always been super happy to curl up and cuddle with us and never fights it like we're forcing her to sleep or something like so many babies do. She's ultra cute. But also a bit shy it appeared and that was a new experience for me. 

But last week I took her to library storytime with her older siblings and it was like something clicked and she happily ran in and basically ignored me the whole time. I was in shock. Pleasant shock. Haha! And the trend has continued. She seems to be breaking out of her stranger danger shell a bit more each day. She's started throwing this ultra cheesy grin around at everyone where she scrunches up her eyes and nose. It's adorable. 

 Chloe loves, loves, loves being outside. She flips out every morning if her dad and siblings close the door on her leaving to school. She wants to follow regardless of what she's wearing. We've gotten into a routine where she and Aaron and I watch the older kids leave and wave at them through the window and she seems okay with that. This photo is me and her enjoying some Sunday afternoon sunshine on the front steps.

 She's addicted to markers. And by that I mean she finds all the markers that get dropped on the floor, opens them, and bites off their tips. So the above picture is not chocolate or some other strange substance on her face. It's brown marker. And that one got thrown away. One day Spencer and Genevieve will learn that she's a marker destroyer and keep them up out of reach, but not so far.

 This is that library time story day I told about above. She saw the kids line up on the wall and decided she needed to be a part of that. She has hit the I want to do everything my older siblings are doing all the time stage despite that fact that I'm half their size.

 Fruit snacks. She's a lover of all foods. She eats everything.

 She's a climber. And sometimes a crasher.

 We watched my friend's little girl the other day and they played so well together.

 Oh, that belly. I have a lot of pride over that. She was an itty bitty baby to start and she has the best tummy now. Plus, eating on the kitchen table when your friend is in your high chair is always exciting.

She still loves smoothies and drinks through a straw like a pro. And then she pulls the straw out and shakes smoothie on the floor. and then puts the straw back in and drinks some more. and then hucks the smoothie on the floor when she's done. That's a common occurrence, hucking food on the floor, lol. She does that so much more than my older three ever did.

She's been walking for five months now so she's progressed more to running than walking, but she's still this little half pint size, so it's a sight to behold. She says four or five words is all and doesn't really seem interested in talking more yet. Mama, dada, water, blankie, and oh. She says oh all day long about everything.

And one last thing. She obviously has hardly any hair, but she has some wispies in the back and they're curling into ringlets! First child to get Bill's hair. The middle two have waves like mine but no ringlets. So whenever she gets around to really growing some hair, it's going to be tons of fun.

We survived Irma

My kids' school got cancelled yesterday and I kind of thought it was overkill. It was cold and rainy and a bit windy all morning and early afternoon, but nothing crazy at all. After all the over the top doomsday coverage for Irma I felt let down a bit. Ridiculous I know and kind of reverse psychology. Another disaster that didn't really end up being a disaster.

But then mid afternoon came and things started picking up. And picking up. And picking up. It got super windy and the rain ramped up. The power started to flicker a bit. Bill came home from work and had the trash cans on the Jeep trailer hitch thing from emptying them at the dump and he had lost one of the lids. I headed out about dinnertime to see if I could find it. I did find it but it was beat up quite a bit and pieces broken off of it. When I got out to get it off the side of the road I got blown around quite a bit. There weren't any downed trees in my neighborhood but so many limbs and just tree debris.

The evening got pretty exciting. I asked Bill to tether our trampoline to the nearby tree because it really looked like it might take flight and the van was too close to it for comfort. Watching the trees was nerve wracking. We have a few trees in my front yard that are alive now but I expect to die soon because I think they have beetles. We had one taken out just last week, which I'm very grateful the timing worked out so well on that. Anyway, those trees aren't in the best health so I worried they would come down, but they ended up weathering the storm well and only dropped small branches, pine cones, and loads of needles. The power turned off and then on again after about ten seconds each time all throughout the evening, but never went all the way out.

Really, it went about as well as I could imagine. We woke up this morning with power and no real damage and I no longer feel jipped missing the storm, lol. 😜

Enjoying the cooler weather Sunday at the Botanical Garden before the storm came.

Milestones

This year has been such a slog as far as Bill's grad school goes. I've never met a PhD student that feels any different. That final push to get done is long and tedious and feels like you'll never finish. It's rough on everyone. But Bill hit a big milestone this weekend. He got his last model completed and in the wind tunnel. That's pretty huge as now he can gather his last round of data and hammer the writing. December graduation just might happen.