October evenings...

I love fall evenings. I love the colors and the smell and the cool air on your face. We went for a short walk one evening this week at a park near our home and it was so pretty. Fall colors aren't even at their peak yet and I still thought it was beautiful.

Crazy, lazy, happy, busy, tired...

I feel like all of those words describe life these days...sometimes we're lazy, sometimes we're busy...sometimes we're happy and tired and crazy all in the same moment...but I wouldn't have it any other way. I've never been happier than I am right now. :) Life feels full and I feel blessed.

Just as a warning...since I'm home all day, every day, with my munchkins I take an obsessive amount of pictures (like you hadn't figured this out yet). I pretty much just carry my camera around with me all day. Anyway, this post is just another example of my addiction to documenting life with kiddos. I will never wonder, later in life, how we spent our days!

Doesn't she look so innocent and sweet loving on her little brother? Well, she is a sweetie one minute and a little devil the next...but that's what makes her so cute (and funny)...in my humble opinion.

In case you didn't get enough of Andy's smile in my last post...here's some more! This morning (at the crack of dawn before Nattie even woke up!) his big brother was making him giggle out loud. Andy was making some cooing sounds and Ben got so excited because he SWORE Andy's first word was "Ben!" :)

These next few pictures are for my sweet friend from work, Lynne . She made each of my kiddos these warm fleece blankets. We love them and we love her too!

I promise Andy likes his blanket...but, alas, the stars did not align and allow me to capture three kids smiling and looking at the same time...oh well.

We stayed in our jammies most of the day today and played in the basement. Doesn't cowboy Ben look tough with his gun and hat and doggie pj's?? :) Then there is cowgirl...who preferred the Mickey hat over the cowboy hat. :)

Ben decided to line up all of the doggie stuffed animals we own (insane!). If you are someone who frequently brings my children gifts (hint, hint...great-grandmas)...please notice that we DO NOT need anymore dog stuffed animals...or any type of stuffed animal, for that matter...ever again...ever. Your love is all we need...for real...I'm serious. :)

Nattie (and Ben) have a new love for Nutella and the top left picture if proof all over Nat's face. We had never tried it before but saw it by the peanut butter when we were grocery shopping. I had read that it was a healthy treat that kids like, so we gave it a whirl. All this week Ben has been asking for the chocolate peanut butter sandwiches...if it tastes like candy and it's healthy...I'm all for it!

Have I mentioned that I love him? He is the calm during my day (except for when I'm trying to get ready...then he decides to scream bloody murder...go figure?!).

I know this is ridiculous...pigtails on my little girl when she still barely has any hair. It is FINALLY starting to grow though and she is all about looking pretty, so I convinced her to sit still long enough for me to try this. I don't think she'll be wearing this look out yet...but it made me smile and she thought she was hot stuff. She walked up to Ben and said "pretty"...like, check me out! :) (By the way, she isn't naked in this picture...she has on a diaper...it just doesn't look like it!)

Only as a joke...I saw this devil mask (see below) in the $1 bins at Target and had to get it (and a Frankenstein mask for Ben). Like I said, she is a sweetie pie one minute and a little devil baby the next. Just a few examples of her crazy devilish behavior over the last day....

- As I was writing an email to friends yesterday, Ben yelled from the kitchen. Nattie was standing on the kitchen table swinging the light fixture and simultaneously dumping her milk all over his plate full of food.

- When I was on the phone yesterday afternoon, for literally two minutes, I heard Nattie doing something in the laundry room. I found her squirting Windex all over herself (including her face!). She smelled like a shiny, clean, window. Wonderful parenting, Ali!

I realize most of this stuff is normal toddler behavior (hitting Ben, getting in the crib with Andy, and the shenanigans above)...but Ben was SO different...so I feel like I'm experiencing and dealing with this stuff for the FIRST time! Oh...and her favorite word....you guessed it...NO! I bet she says it at a minimum...100 times a day.

Finally, just wanted to share a few of Ben's recent funnies/accomplishments. Yesterday, we were talking about his Halloween costume and I told him I thought he should wear the hat that went with the costume. He disagreed and replied by saying, "Mom, I am not wearing that helmet. If you make me wear it, I will personately remove it from my head!" Yes, you read that right, PERSONATELY (he meant personally). I love when he tries to talk like an adult and gets it wrong.

Oh..and in terms of Ben's most recent and severely delayed accomplishment...he's finally wiping his own rear (sometimes). He, apparently, has had a phobia of getting poo on his hands...even his own. I'm glad we are slowly but surely overcoming this fear because the yelling from the bathroom ("MOM, COME WIPE MY BUTT!") was really getting old.

Wow..this was long and probably a bit boring...but it's my life and I love it. :)

Say "cheese"!

Ok, so he didn't say "cheese"...but he definitely smiled and I finally caught it on camera! I love this little boy...a whole lot.

An apple a day...

This morning we took a little trip to Bauman Orchards to pick apples. It cooled off a lot in the last day, so it's perfect fall weather. I loved spending the morning outside with my little family.

On the hayride out to the orchard...

Nattie girl picking some apples...it's hard to believe how old she seems (and is!) when I look at pictures from our trip to the orchard last year.

Just because I thought this was cute... :) (Thanks for the cutest socks ever, Ann!)

My big boy...

Just a couple of my littlest man sleeping in the carrier...he liked it.

The view we have of these two crazies most of the time...

Now the two littlest are napping, Benny is watching the movie Nightmare Before Christmas (gearing up for Halloween...he's pumped because he got his costume last night!), and Daddy is lounging on the couch in the basement watching the Ohio State football game. The sky is cloudy and it looks like it might storm...definitely a cozy, fall day in Ohio and I love it!

Walsh Farms!

Today, the kiddos and I headed over to Walsh Farms for some fall fun! It's not even October yet, but I am really getting the fall itch and wanted to do something outdoors for a change! I LOVE FALL!

Andy slept the entire time we were there...made it much easier to manage three kids! :)

We checked out some farm animals...

Played in the dried corn "sandbox"...

When we got home, I took off Nattie's shoes (see below!)....she walked around the farm for several hours like this! :)

Went on a hayride...it was SO bumpy...poor Andy looked like he was getting whiplash! Nattie and Ben had fun, but I had a hard time taking clear pictures it was so rough! The farm dog came for the ride with us!

What a fun afternoon!

Wild woman...

I need help! What do I do with this crazy girl of mine? You know that poem about a girl with a curl and how when she's good, she's very good and when she's bad, she's horrid. I think that's Nattie. I have one big fear in life...that something bad would happen to one of my three kids...or even worse than that, that something bad would happen to one of my three kids and I COULD have prevented it. Well, today, I feel like I came a little too close to realizing this fear...and I bet you can guess who was involved in this drama...yes...Nattie!

Andy's crib is in our room (since we don't have a fourth bedroom)...I fed him and laid him down for a nap this morning and I snuggled Nattie in our bed (and locked our bedroom door). I put on an Elmo movie for her, since I was planning to take a quick shower before Ben got out of pre-K (this routine has taken place many times over the last four weeks...by the way). I jumped in the shower and figured everything would be fine, as always (aside from the fact that Nattie usually gets down off the bed and empties a few of my dresser drawers for fun). :) Uh...not today! I got out of the shower and opened the bathroom door to make sure everything was ok. I didn't see or hear Nattie....weird. I looked around for a second and THEN I SAW HER...she was sitting quietly next to Andy IN THE CRIB. She had somehow managed to climb up into the crib and had even pulled in several extra blankets along with her. I panicked and ran across the room hoping Andy was not buried under blankets and praying that he was still breathing!! I have NO IDEA if she stepped/jumped/landed on him or what, but he was sound asleep, looked perfectly fine, and didn't even seem to notice that she was there. She was gently rubbing his head and smiling at me like it was a good idea or something. She loves him so much, but, as you can imagine, she is still learning what it means to be gentle. I am so lucky she didn't put blankets over his head or break one of his bones or try to pick him up out of the crib (the list of possibilities could go on and on!). Thank the Lord that nothing terrible happened because I would NEVER forgive myself...ever!

Anyway, after everything seemed to be ok, I had to do what every mother would do...snap a photo (ok...maybe not EVERY mother, but the camera just happened to be in my bedroom!). I then promptly removed Natalie and raised the crib rail! What am I going to do with her? (P.S. Please don't report me to child protective services...I promise Andy doesn't sleep in a crib filled with children and blankets...at least not intentionally and I won't be taking anymore showers...ever.)

On a much lighter note...I thought this picture was REALLY cute. A rare moment when Ben actaully smiles normal and is willing to sit still long enough to hold Andy. :)

Trying to put on Ben's football jersey tonight. Crazy woman...

Ben took these pictures of me and Andy this afternoon. Andy is getting so BIG already. He will be a month this week...whoa! He is such a good boy and has given us his first smiles the last few days. I am definitely in love with my littlest man.

Another 26.2...

My hubby did it again...he finished his fifth marathon yesterday! This was his third year to do the Akron Road Runner Marathon. He set the bar kind of low for himself this time around, since he didn't feel like he took his training as seriously as he had in the past, but his finish time sure didn't show it. He finished in under four hours! There were 12,000 people running in the race, so it took him three minutes just to get to the starting line once the marathon actually began. I don't know if all marathons do this, but Mike had it set up so that my cell phone would get text messages at different points in the race, so I would know how he was doing. It's really neat and very convenient for me...I simply showed up (with all three kids and Nana in tow) about 25-30 minutes before he was set to cross the finish line...perfect timing. :) Poor guy gets very nauseous and sick after almost every marathon he runs. Luckily, after a few hours, he is back to normal. He's tried everything under the sun to figure out why this happens, but it just seems to be what his body does. Way to go, Mick...you rock! Benny is excited to have yet another race medal to claim as his own. :)

Papa ran on a marathon relay team and caught up with Mike at the end of the race to help him finish strong (moral support!). :)

Oh...and here's just a few pictures that were on my camera from the last few days.

These are a few from after church today...this little girl took a short nap and then decided to get out of bed and terrorize her room. She pretty much emptied every drawer out onto the floor...lovely. Plus, upon entering her room, I was hit in the face with the wonderful scent of poopy diaper...awesome! She's something else...luckily, she's cute. :)

Speaking of my little lady, today Mike burped and Nattie looked at him and said "pig." :) I guess she's heard me call Daddy a "pig" one too many times when he decides to burp or toot (can you tell I have kids?). Oops! :)