A Nursery Rhyme Halloween

Ever since I saw this on Pinterest, I knew Lucy and Michael were going to be Little Bo Peep and a Sheep for Halloween.

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Lucy's costume got done early, because she attended a Toy Story Costume Party but I didn't get Michael's done until his afternoon nap on October 31st! (Cutting it close? I know.....)

(I LOVE Instagram!) Her dress was a hand-me-down from a friend at church and I made her little mop cap to match. :)

 Lucy was really excited about getting dressed up and "practiced" saying trick or treat many times leading up to the "Big day."

 I realized after her nap on the 31st that Lucy didn't have a bag or bucket to collect her candy in - so we worked with what we had and covered an old ice-cream bucket in orange paper and "decorated" it with stickers. 

 She did great! Stickers have been a favorite lately. :)

Presenting! Little Bo Peep and her little Sheep! :) 

 Aren't they adorable? 

 I made Michael's hat out of an old t-shirt of Brad's and some felt (for the ears). The body is just an old stained onesie of Lucy's with cotton balls glued on - I knew it didn't need to last more than a few hours, so I didn't sew the cotton balls on. It was a FREE costume! Acctually, both of the kids costumes were free, I made Lu's hat with stuff I had on hand. Love it when that happens!

 This is what we do a lot lately.... we are working on saying words and not spitting - slowly and surely. I think we are getting better. 

Lucy did really well knocking on doors and saying "Trick or Treat!" She then told people to put the candy "In my bucket" and, after I reminded her, said "Thank you!" :) 

  We had our Community Group over for Hamburgers and then a bunch of us went trick or treating on our street. We had extra food for any adults who wanted a burger and of course lots of candy for the kiddos. :) 

 My little sheep

80% of the time, when we get in the car and drive down the street, Lucy says - "I knock on doors and say trick or treat! And get candy on Halloween. I was little Bo Peep and Michael was a Sheep!" She is determined that next year she is going to be a flower (one of her friends was a pretty pink flower) but we will see. :) 

What is your favorite costume from when you were a kid? I was a smore one year! No joke - fluffy white vest and graham cracker hat..... haha! Can you beat that?

Photo Journal: Michael's First Spaghetti

Kidder Kid Conversations

This is the first in a new series that we will be doing here on the blog, featuring funny* things our kids say. I got this idea from my cousin Kim and her family and thought it was a great idea to keep track of what the kids say and record them for others to enjoy.

*Funny, defined by what makes us laugh. We hope it does the same for you. :) 

So without further ado, here are some funny Kidder Kid Conversations: 

Sarah: "Lu, how many ears does Grandpa have? Can you count them?"
Lucy: "One... Other one!"

Lucy: "I need help putting on my shoe"
Sarah: "Do you want to be Cindarella and see if your shoe fits?" (We tried her shoe on and it fit perfectly, I told her she could be a princess and marry the prince!)
Lucy: "I need a dress!" (Said in a very matter-of-fact way)

Grandpa: "Michael you're a genius!" 
Lucy: "I want to be a genie!"

(Getting out of the car at a hotel on one of our road-trips)
Lucy: "Yeah! Hey it's my birthday!"
Brad: "No it isn't your birthday."
Lucy:  "It sure is my birthday."

Aunt Amy: "Lucy please apologize to Michael for kicking him."
Lucy: "Michael I'm sorry you were in my way."

I had told Lucy that she was a distraction to Michael while I was nursing him and she needed to go into the living room to play. A few minutes later she peaks her head around the corner and says "I am a distraction!"

Lucy, looking at the moon: "The moon is full of candy! Silly moon."

Sarah: "Well aren't you little miss picky!"
Lucy: "I'm not miss Piggy, I'm Lucy and I'm 2 years old."

Brad: (responding to Lucy's sassy attitude) "I was correcting your grammar Lu"
Lucy: "I want a graham cracker right now."

Lucy: "Oranges are tasty and orangey and juicy!"

Brad: "Sar, where did you get that a.p.p.l.e j.u.i.c.e?"
Lucy: "Pee pee? Ellie? She sits on her toilet."

Lucy: "Amy texted me"
Brad: "Oh really?"
Lucy:"Ya, and I text her to bring me some kiss-pex" (crispex) 

(Lucy came over to the sewing machine while I was working on a project)
Sarah: "Lucy, please do not touch the buttons on Mommy's sewing machine - this is not a toy for you and you are not to touch it okay?"
Lucy: "Yeah, and I'll get one when I get married?"

Our 4th 2012 Trip Up North

All of our friends decided to get married in 2012, this has lead to many many road trips up north - this trip was our 4th and last scheduled trip for Andrew and Kaleigh's wedding.  

 Lucy, looking at a picture of her daddy "When he was a little boy!"

 We were able to watch a few of the Tiger's Games while in Michigan - Dad Kidder shared a few of his hats so we could all show some team spirit! :) 

Lucy had her nails painted by Aunt Amy, a very special first. (The most difficult part was getting Lucy to sit still while her nails dried!)

 We've loaded up one of our old phones with games and videos for Lucy - she calls it "my Phone" - it was SO helpful while we drove up to Michigan and back home. 

 Lucy also got her hair curled for the first time while we were visiting! Aunt Amy has the coolest hot-rollers!

 Waiting for them to cool off. 

 Taking them out!

 She had such volume!!!

 The curl stayed for maybe 30 minutes, the girl has her mom's hair! But it was really special while it lasted. 

We stopped in Cleveland Ohio on the way home to see our friends Miriam and Bogdan. Miriam asked me if I would speak to the ladies at their church so we left Michigan bright and early on Sunday morning, arrived at their church in time for service and spent the afternoon and evening with them. It was wonderful to see their ministry, their home and have a glimpse of their life. :) Even though our visit was quick, it was wonderful to catch up! 

Ten Months

10 Month Accomplishments

• Sitting up from "army crawl" position, this has been such a fun transition! It still catches me off guard to walk into a room and see him sitting in a different location than when I left!
• Pulling himself up - Michael has begun pulling himself up onto his knees using baskets of toys, Lucy's play kitchen and the toy bike to help. 
• Brushing his teeth, we have begun a dental care routine with Michael - he has 6 teeth! He is a bit cautious about the tooth brush but lets me brush his little teeth.
• No more thumb sucking, I don't remember when this happened - but Michael stopped sucking his thumb! He still loves his "lovie" and sleeps on his tummy, covered by his quilt. He has been sleeping SO much better and I feel that he finally has a predictable routine! Phew! It took a long time to get to this point with our boy. He has phased out of his third late afternoon nap, but is taking two good naps a day.
• Eating more table food, Michael has gotten to the point that he can eat pretty much anything that Lucy does - so helpful! The only thing we are staying away from is peanuts, but he loves ground beef, deli meat, cheese, bread, apples, green beans, carrots, mac and cheese and chicken. 
• Taking a Bottle again! Horray! Mom and dad can go on dates and not worry about Michael eating well.  
• Nursing 5-6 times a day, even through he is eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at the table - Michael is still nursing a ton. At this stage with Lucy, she was down to 2 or 3 times a day. I don't know if it's because Michael is a boy or what, but he's a hungry little human! 
• Copying his sister - This can be adorable or annoying. If Lucy squeals, Michael does the same. If Lucy blows strawberries (aka spits), Michael does the same. If Lucy claps, Michael claps. If Lucy laughs, Michael laughs. (Do you get the picture?) There have been a few times that it has seemed like they were ganging up on me... oh boy. :) 
• Dancing, Michael loves music and often dances when he hears it. His dancing is a whole body wobble and is just about the cutest thing. 

To see Lucy at 10 Months, click here.

Uncle Sam's Visit

My brother, Samuel, came to visit us at the beginning of October - it was such a fun visit! In addition to spending time with the kids (he's so good with them!) he also helped out at our church and another church in town with renovations!

 Uncle Sam and Lucy enjoyed time in forts.

 Lucy was supposed to be pretending to sleep... I'm pretty sure she was "snoring" when I took this pic. We will work on the closed eye thing... :)

 Lucy and Ellie showed Uncle Sam how to do puzzles...

...and Michael joined in to show him one of their favorite shows. (Any of the LeapFrog movies on Netflix, Lucy calls them her "Purple Puppy Shows")

 (Instagram Pic) Duplos were a big hit too. :)

Samuel helped Lucy name all of her baby dolls, their names were very creative "Polly" (the doll whose tag says she's 100% Polyester) and "Blondie" (the doll with blond hair) are just two examples of his genius. :) 

 Uncle Sam with his favorite niece and nephew (they are the only ones right now!) :)

 There is a special place in Samuel's heart for Michael boy - it makes me really happy. :) 

Sam's in South Carolina doing his Basic Training for the Army. Would you be praying for him that he would be a light for Jesus during these difficult weeks? 

Thanks for visiting us Sam! Our house is your house! Come visit any time. :) We love you.

Making Memories: Fall Fire Pit

We got a fire pit! It's something we've wanted for awhile, so when we saw a sale at Wal-Mart - we jumped on it! We brought it home and then Lucy and her daddy assembled it and gathered the wood.

 (Notice the ballerina slippers - they are a favorite of Lucy's these days!)

 Waiting for the fire to get started. 

 My sweet kiddos - they make me so happy! 

 Our doggies, I don't think we've introduced Belle yet - but here she is. Baxter has LOVED having a friend again, they have fun playing together. 

 As my Mother's Day gift, Brad fenced in part of our back yard so that the dogs could be contained in their side and the kids and I can have the other side. :) It has been SO nice!

 Lucy named our puppy, "Belle" and it stuck. :) She's a Lab mix and is growing into a beautiful dog!

 My teething little bud - He is so quietly observant of the world around him. 

 Brad was pointing out the lights to Lucy, but what I love about this picture is that she has her legs crossed. :) 

 No fire-pit is official unless it has been used to make SMORES!

 Lucy enjoyed her first roasted marshmallows - but wasn't too interested in the chocolate or graham crackers - she missed out! They were yummy!

 It was such a fun evening - Brad and I brought out some wine and sat and watched the fire after the kids went to bed, a great way to sit and chat about the day. :)

An Instagram pic, proving that I was there! ;)

Do you have any fun fall memories?