"This is really rad!"...can you tell "Full House" is new favorite show?
And this little man slept almost the whole way home...he woke up briefly so we stopped to feed him (and take another potty break)...then he fell right back to sleep...on all our car trips he is a terrible rider on the "going there" part but sleeps all the way home...crazy boy...but I am not about to complain!
Our chauffeur...at least for the first half of the trip home...the second half Jon and Elsie were in Jon's car and James and I were in the van...I prefer to have my chauffeur drive...even if his crazy driving sometimes about makes me scream! 
One of our stops along the way...a huge pumpkin patch...there were rows and rows and pumpkins to choose from...it took a little time to find just the right one...
So many pumpkins...I love decorating for Fall and could have loaded up on lots of Pumpkins...but our van was already quite full of coolers, clothes, toys...you name it!
We tried and tried to talk Elsie into picking out a HUGE pumpkin...but she wanted noting to do with the huge ones...then she suddenly saw this cute little pumpkin that was just her size...Love at first sight...
A smile like that about such a cute pumpkin...how we possibly say no to a tiny $4.00 pumpkin!? She is happy and that is all that matters...
We did find a huge pumpkin for James...and after we got the van thought "darn where is that thing going to fit?" We squeezed it in somewhere...and Elsie's tiny pumpkin fit perfectly right on her lap. Now we need to wait a few more week before we carve them...and I think Mommy and Daddy might need to get a pumpkin also because we can't let the kids have all the fun!
She totally fits the part of Taylor with her cowboy boots on...the crazy part is Elsie loves this wig and is more than happy to put it on and walk around...as she was strutting around in the motel wearing the wig people some teenage girls were whispering about her hair and motioning for more people to come and look. I think they thought it was really her hair! And just for the record she is not working on growing a mustache...it is from some grape flavored water her brilliant mother bought for her...duh purple stains mouths...who knew!?
Down the hall with $ bills in hand...
Checking to see if just maybe someone forgot to take their soda pop...
Trying to decide what to get...it seems that Oliver felt clothes were optional only on that day...at least he has his socks on!
The almost 3 year old in charge of the room key...for some reason having to unlock the motel room door every time you want in is a fun and magical thing for kids...but a pain in the butt for adults...why is that?
Everyone contentedly eating their vending machine snacks...gotta have those snacks...
When you come from a large family it is always someones birthday...and while we were away it was Laura's birthday...17! Now we are done with the birthday season until Elsie's birthday...then it is 3 birthdays in 2 weeks! We celebrate a lot...
Every Birthday requires the traditional "family birthday picture"...however my mom is *never* in the pictures...I even bought her a tri-pod for her birthday so she could be in some pictures...but it sits un-used! As you can tell getting a good group photo is impossible...
James is missing from the family picture...because as soon as we got to Ana's house the little man (who did not sleep very much at all in the car) fell right to sleep and slept in Oliver's crib for most of the evening...I think all that fussing in the car made him sleepy...the little stinker!
He still managed to sleep all night at the motel also...all cuddled in between mommy, daddy and Elsie...if a motel has such a thing as a "super sized queen bed" I would be willing to spend lots of extra money for one...4 in a bed gets a little crowded!
The next morning we all went to the city wide garage sales...then back to the motel. Ana's house was being taken over by the guys who were painting and doing lots of little things to get it ready to sell. So we all had some quality girl time...with James and Oliver,too...
And because this was a laid back kind of trip...lunch was made by the wonderful workers at McDonalds...(and some GF sandwiches for those who cannot eat burgers!) The kids were just happy to be able to their lunches in front of the TV! After lunch it was on to the swimming pool...and we somehow managed to not take a single picture!
In one motel room: Jon, Elsie, James, Mom, Dad, Emma, Marissa and myself...count em' up...8 people in one room with 2 queen beds...we managed to smuggle 2 sleeping bags in for the kiddos though. While in a motel it seem all rules and organization is forgotten...to put it lightly we had a rather messy room!
For Elsie the highlight of the trip was the little notepad and pen...she carried it around with her and did her "homework"...she covered the notebook with stick people and little "o" shapes...her 2 favorite things to draw...
Little Oliver had quite a thing for the phone...he would dial "0" for the front desk and Ana would quickly smack the receiver down before anyone answered...that boy is just like his mama...a button pusher!
And little James slept through all the chaos...and woke up a very happy boy all full of smiles! This boy is not going to know what quite it!
He is getting to the really fun rolly-poly age...he smiles at everyone...and is starting to laugh at funny sounds...he loves to watch Elsie dance and sing in front of him...and he loves his aunties and uncle!
James has always been a good sleeper...he takes a couple of really long naps during the day and is usually awake only 1 time at night...for some reason when James is tired nothing wakes this boy up...today he was sleeping in the living room as Elsie and the aunties played very loudly in the same room and he just slept right through it! I hope that continues...in hopes that it will I never tell Elsie to be quite while the little man is sleeping... What a perfect little man...and I can say that because I am his mama!
Now that she has her boots she rarely wears anything else...in fact one night I had to wait until she was sleeping to carefully take her boots off! My favorite is when she wears the boots with her pink tutu...or a party dress...this girl has got fashion!
Elsie was my good helpin' girl...she tried her best to peal and slice the pears with her little knife...don't worry it was just a little plastic knife...but still made her feel important! After she got tired of trying to cut she was happy to pick up the slices I cut and drop them into the lemon water...
This photo is more of a before picture...the kitchen looks so cleaned up...by the time I finished we had pear juice dripping off the edge of the counter...2 cups of sugar water spilled all over the stove top and the floor...In the end I was thinking to myself " maybe gerber baby food isn't so bad..."
After awhile Elsie got tired of helping me all together...and she sat on the floor eating pears and looking through old picture books...
After James woke up it was Elsie's job to give James a bottle while I finished before the pears got brown...thankfully my dad showed up and was willing to feed James while I finished slicing...and my sister Lisa was willing to come over and entertain the kiddos while I packed the jars...then it was over to my parents house to boil the jars. We have a smooth top electric stove and cannot can on it...but my mom is a bit like a perfectionist and usually takes over the boiling part for me...and I am not about to complain! (thanks mom...and dad and Lisa!) It feels good to know that I have at least a little bit of fresh food stored up for winter...
Last week Elsie was busy playing in the tub with her foam letters...so we used the foam letters to write Daddy a message to email to him...
A very happy girl...who loves her daily soak in the tub...just don't wash the hair!
Love this picture...you can really feel the love! My favorite thing is at night...James and Elsie hold hands while they sleep...and when James wakes up Elsie reaches out and strokes his cheek and he goes back to sleep...so special! I have a funny feeling that these two are going to be best buddies...
She tried to talk me into letting her use the bright pink polish...but I think we better stick with the clear sparkles for a while...
I grew up with a swing or a trapeze hanging in the living room...so it is perfectly natural for me to want a swing hanging in my house...I think it is totally natural...but one day we had a repair man here and every time he walked past it he looked at it as the craziest thing ever...some people just don't get childhood fun!!