Photo Shoot 2011

So, shock of all shocks after that "fun" photo shoot, we actually have some keepers!

Those little arms are fabulous =)

Family Photo Shoot Outtakes

Anyone seen this pose on Pinterest. It wasn't as easy as that other family made it look =) Although if your children enjoy swinging upside-down, it would be easier.

Grandma took some family photos today. By the end, I was about to lose it and thinking we'll never have decent family shots until the kids are 18, and then they're not as cute as now! Pictured above was candy-man grandpa who miraculously made possible a couple keepers! But this post is about the soon-to-be-deleted shots =)

Avery ventured to a nice place to pose, but decided to lick the log first. She really did, but it wasn't caught on camera.

the one that got away

Whatever you do, don't look at the camera!

But if you must look, don't smile!

Tate's highlight of the day was creating footprints in the first snow of the season.

Avery wanted to swing the entire time.

This is how I felt. Nice outhouse, eh?

We just kept trying. Thanks grandma for the pep-talks.

Look! A possible keeper.

Avery just decided she was so tired, she would just take a nap in the wet cold grass.

We were a mess by the end. The park was recently aerated and thus, muddy. So my muddy shoes plus the wet slide didn't make a pretty sight.

Out of nowhere, Tate decided that the slide was scary and we forced him down.

He wasn't happy, and none of these slide pictures make the cut =)

Do you like how Eric and I just keep smiling? We're just willing one of these pictures to work out!

Can anyone else relate to a photoshoot like this???

Swimming in Winter-woo hoo!

We joined a court club and now can swim whenever we want. So, it snowed yesterday and we were swimming today. It's the best =) By the way, I also did my first Zumba dance class last night and had a blast. I was lost, looking like a fool, but moving, loving the Latin and Indian music and couldn't stop smiling!

Anyway, back to swimming. I was dunking Avery after she jumped in. She looked concerned, but kept doing it. Then, I would dunk my head for her to see and she would laugh and try to wipe the water off my face. It was just one of the sweet moments I'd like to remember =)

Health Nut

Does anyone remember the Seinfeld episode where George was posing on the couch in his skivies? Skivvies means underwear, not in the nude, right? Anyway, this reminds me of that, if Tate were reaching towards the camera.
These poses make me laugh. I don't think he was even trying to pose in any particular way and I didn't notice how funny they were until I pulled them up on the compy.

I came out of the shower today to find Tate running up to hand me his chocolate frosting with the giant spoon in it that he dug out of the back of the fridge. With his chocolate-smeared face he pronounced, "frosting not make me healthy!". Interesting how the assurance of being caught gave him a sudden change of heart about his food choices =)

Makes me giggle

I didn't pay attention to how I was holding the camera when I shot this. Nor can I figure out how to flip it. So, turn your head, be warned of motion sickness with my mad camera skills, and you, too, might find this a little funny =) Nothing big. Don't get your hopes up. But, I do enjoy it when Avery pulls a little serious face followed by a laugh!

Spelling Practice

Tate told Eric last night, "S-T-O no!"

Eric and I looked at each other and laughed when we realized he was trying to emphasize "no" by spelling it.

So we explained to him it's n-o. Then, he kept saying, "N-O yes!"

Never a dull moment =)

Tate's taken to listening to my i-pod lately. He likes to listen while he chills in his chair trying to look cool.

As I'm eating, Tate is asking me questions about what my name is and dad's name is. I think it's funny to hear him say "Shelly". Anyway, as he's walking away he stops and says "Tank you. Tank you having da talk."

He also spilled some chips on the floor tonight and said, "Oh no! You already cleaned floor!" I can't imagine where's he's heard that before =)

This morning we had a conversation that went something like this:

Me: "Come run errands with me, Tate."
Tate: "We go running?!"
Me: "Well, it's just a figure of speech. We aren't really going fast. Just getting some stuff done." (I struggle with simplifying definitions of stuff. I'm sure I went on and on trying to explain this.)
Tate: "Oh, we go slow to Aaron's." (He has a friend named Aaron.)
Me: "No, I'm not talking about Aaron..."

You get the point, it was confusing. My friend has had a similar conversation with her son. Don't even bring up running errands if your child knows an actual Aaron.

Now something sweet...

I held Avery at Tate's door and instructed her to say, "Good night, Tate. I love you."

To which she replied, "No!" (remember how she's two? =)

Then Tate said quietly from his bed, "Good night Avery, I love you."

AND another one...

"That's dirt." Tate tell Avery matter-of-factly while I put brown sugar into the crock-pot.

No wonder he won't eat my food if that's what he thinks my ingredients are.

One more quote...

Tate: "What's this?"

(Takes a drink.) "It's delicious!"

"Is it water?" (In his pleased but shocked voice=)

(Yes, it is.)

Tate has been up to his usual funny talking lately, and I've remembered to write his quotes down from time to time on our white board. It's almost full, so I best get recording!

First of all, I love it when he gets specific with his gratitude. For example, he dropped some food he said he didn't want into the garbage. Then, he decided he wanted it and threw such a stink that I dug it out for him since the garbage was empty and clean anyway. Then, he dramatically looks up at me with his teary blue eyes and says, "Thanks mom. Thanks get out my garbage."

Last week, Avery and Tate were playing in her room and she left. I heard Tate call out, "See you later Avery. Come back soon!"

Saturday morning, Eric reported to me that Tate kept insisting that he is a woman. I had taught Tate that he's a gentleman and he must have gotten confused =) (That came about because he always pushes Avery to be first out the door, or into the car, or wherever. So I've been enforcing "ladies first" every once in a while.)

After brushing his teeth one day, I reminded Tate to hop in the car so we could leave. He said,
"I better breathe first." Then, he did a big sigh before taking off.

After eating, Tate said, "I think my hungy is over."

When asked what he wants for Christmas, Tate thought a moment and replied,
"I want a....present!"
When asked what he is getting Eric for Christmas, he said,
"A.....birthday card!"

Tate's a fun kid. His speech has really improved and I'm loving understanding more of what he's saying. He's really growing up.

2011 Halloween

I love November 1st blog posts because I get to see everybody's costumes! Here's a taste of our Halloween weekend =)

First, I unintentionally dressed them up in matching fall colors. Note how Tate is a big boy and dressing himself =)Oops, this picture should go last. There was much candy consumption!
We had a fun trunk-or-treat and chili feed gathering at the church Friday night. It was the first time that Tate's been old enough to have little friends to run around with and he was totally entertained without me. He is growing up.

This is my favorite picture. Trying out Tate's costume was her idea.

Here's Halloween night waiting to roam the neighborhood.

They enjoy each other (most of the time).

Attempting some fighter poses.

Donning the mask.

I didn't know this costume came with LASER-BEAM EYES!

How'd the chicken get the laser-beam eyes?

If I had some photo-shop smarts, I'd put a little egg under Avery in the above picture =)

I forgot my camera for the pumpkin patch preschool outing on Halloween this year, but it was very fun. Avery was enamored with the pigs and they were pretty darn cute. We all had a lot of fun this Halloween weekend and I topped it off today with a visit to the dentist and a filling filled =)