No Rocks Here

Clark just went to bed after an exciting night of trick-or-treating. Right before he went upstairs to his room he asked if we could go trick-or-treating again tomorrow night. This was his first Halloween that he could really get into the hype.

We've been watching "Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin" and he goes around all the time saying, "I got a rock." Before we hit the streets tonight he informed me, "I not want rocks." I think someone should market Charlie Brown Halloween candy that looks like rocks. He was not disappointed. The bowl in the kitchen is definitely not filled with rocks. Thank goodness we work with teenagers that we can share this candy with!

Checking out her Halloween card from Grandma & PaPa - thanks for the Halloween package!

You can't see the jack-o-lanterns that Adam carved in this shot, but you can see Clark's pumpkin he carved with Ruth. He is very proud of it. He wants to make sure "everybody see it" sitting on the front porch.

Clark thinks he's picking out his one piece of candy to eat after trick-or-treating. What's really happening: Dad is surveying the loot to see what he wants to eat as soon as Clark goes to bed.

Trunk-or-Treat & Hair Club for Babies

She loves her wig!

Showing off his fangs from the party he attended with Ruth. He is still talking about being a mummy. I guess they played a game where he was wrapped up in paper towels. He likes to tell about busting out of the paper towels.

The two dolls. Camryn & Clementine have started their own business: Hair Club for Babies.

Our own Justice League.

Wonder Woman. The costume has armbands, too, but they were too tantalizing to Clementine's lips!


Last night was Trunk-or-Treat at Alum Creek. This was Clark's first year to really be excited about wearing a costume that he picked out. Appropriately and not to anyone's surprise, he decided to be Superman. Believe it or not we already had a Superman costume - shocking, right? Clark also decided that Clementine would be Wonder Woman. What an adorable Wonder Woman she was!

Don't you love the wig? She actually wore it all night long without a fuss. Clementine's wig inspired her friend Camryn's mommy to go get her a wig, too. They look like two little dolls with their wigs on. It was kind of creepy at first to see Clementine with that much hair on her head! Adam & I went as Clark Kent & Lois lane, but the kids were so cute who wants to see pictures of us? Our costumes were nothing special. I wore a suit with my "Lois Lane" press pass from the Daily Planet and Adam just wore a suit and tie over his Superman t-shirt.

Thanks to Grandma Metz for coming through on the Wonder Woman costume. We were so relieved when it finally arrived yesterday - 3 hours before Trunk-or-Treat. Without that package she would have just been a baby Linda Carter with only her red tank top and wig on!

We'll put more pictures up later this week after we go trick-or-treating. Hopefully Clark will be more cooperative for the camera and let us catch his Superman pose!

Imagination

Here are some highlights from our day at the zoo yesterday. This was a special outing because it was the first time that I (MB) took the kids to the zoo by myself. Clark was so tired when we left that he didn't complain about leaving the zoo (a first). His exact words as we were walking to the car were, "My knees tired. My foot start to hurt." Needless to say, he took a great nap yesterday as did Clementine - both of them asleep at the same time=my dream come true.

The picture above is what I saw when I turned around ready to say, "Come on, Clark, stay with Mommy," as we walked from one side of the zoo to the other. His imagination is going crazy right now. When I asked what he was doing he informed me that he was a cat in a tone that suggested I should have known that. Then he experienced a metamorphosis from cat to frog instantaneously. It took a lot longer to get to the other side of the zoo this way, but it was so much more fun than just walking. If Clementine didn't need me to push her stroller I probably would have pretended with him. O.K., so I probably wouldn't have got down on all fours and crawled around the Columbus Zoo, but I like to think that I would have been the kind of mom who does that with her kids!

Clementine was fascinated by the penguins and the aquarium - things she could see from her stroller.

At each exhibit, Clark had to find it on his map. He found the map on the ground and being very litter conscious picked it up and carried it around the rest of the day. He was especially cute while visiting "Chicken Nugget" and telling her where she was on the map. I couldn't believe he remembered this chicken from our last trip. He was eager to visit her and stood there talking to this chicken. Not only did he point out her location on the map, he also informed her, "You say bok."

It so much easier to take pictures of the two of them now that she can sit up! There was a perfect sized dip in this statue for her to nestle into. Mind you, she can still be a bit unsturdy so I am only an arm's length away (I can't believe my outstretched hand is not in the picture!) and this was a quick photo-op.

And I thought Adam took care of the kids while I was away. The cat's out of the bag now - Clark does all the work. What a grown up!

THE ALUM CREEK PUMPKIN PATCH IS BACK!

I'll take........that pumpkin!

Clark had just awakened from a nap, so he wasn't feeling very photogenic.

More of his imagination coming to life...he and Adam built Jacob's Field last night while I made dinner. Speaking of dinner last night...I made squash. Not only did I make it, but I also ate it. Not only did I eat it, but I also liked it! For those of you who know me, this is a big deal! What has come over me - eating vegetables?

At least our kids make us happy!

Clark was intrigued by mixing colors! Making purple was fascinating to him! I love watching those wheels turn and those eyes light up when he thinks he has discovered something that no one else has ever known.


Wow! Is this kid a Hasting or what?


Who is that kid looking at me?


Adam & I took a last minute trip to Cleveland last night to see the disappointing Tribe loss to the Red Sox in Game 5 of the ALCS. Adam is now on ebay restriction by the way unless he finds something valuable to sell on ebay to recoup some of the ridiculous amount of money we have spent on baseball this week. He has already been berated on how this goes against our attempts at a more simplistic lifestyle. Despite the cost & the outcome, we had a lot of fun just the two of us on a roadtrip to Cleveland to see a baseball game without a diaper bag or children to carry. I liked being able to see the entire game instead of having to listen to parts of it in the bathroom while changing a diaper or feeding a baby. Thanks to the Damrons for keeping the kids for us!

Oh, well, there is a lot more to life than a baseball team for us. Our kids remind us of that on a very regular basis! Earlier this week, Clark & I enjoyed painting his pumpkin from Gabby, our neighbor. He is a very meticulous artist and was eager to put the finished project on the porch for "everybody to see." Very proud he is of his masterpiece.


Clementine is able to sit up by herself a little longer every day! She has had a couple of topples, but she still keeps trying! That's our girl!

It's Tribe Time!

We were at Jacobs Field last night for Game 3 of the ALCS! What a perfect night for baseball! The weather was amazing, and the game was thrilling! The Tribe took a 2-1 series lead over the Red Sox with a 4-2 victory! What a great memory - taking our kids to the ALCS. Fortunately we have plenty of pictures for them to see since they're too young to remember being there.

Clark loved it all of course, except the fireworks. I didn't post it, but I snapped a cute photo of his fingers in his ears during the final fireworks display. Clementine slept through part of the game and giggled and played through the rest. Both of them were reall troopers last night; the game ended around 10:30, and we didn't make it home until 1:30 a.m.. Clementine slept most of the day today which is a huge improvement after a week of being sick & cranky!

Clark loves Grady Sizemore. He really does. He has said on several occasions with the most sincere look and tone of voice, "Mom, I love Grady Sizemore." He really pays attention to what #24 does. He loved it every time he saw Grady on the scoreboard.

Well, the Indians are only a few outs away from being one victory away from the World Series! It truly is Tribe Time!

Clark's Sick Day

Yep, we were ten seconds away from the church parking lot, when Clark lost his breakfast. I won't go into the disgusting details, but it was everywhere. He was mostly concerned about his Superman jacket and his Dinoco car. After clean-up, we headed back home where Clark fell asleep on the couch.

The other pic is from last night. Both kids were rather giggly. It just makes me smile to see my kids so happy.

Ladybug

Clementine's new nickname is "Ladybug" due to her obsession with this book. If she whines, give her the ladybug, and her mood instantly changes. It makes me think of my college roommate, Debbie, who was obsessed with ladybugs as well. In fact, this book came from Debbie when I was pregnant with Clark. It was great to talk to you a couple of weeks ago, Roomie!!

Clementine is working on her next milestone - sitting up. She does pretty well for a while with Boppy assistance, but then the ladybug gets out of reach causing her to topple as she stretches for that precious item.

Five Months

I will get this sock off!!

Clementine was five months old last week! She is so full of personality! She "talks" and giggles all the time along with rolling and squirming all over the place. We are preparing Clark for the day coming soon that the gate at the stairs will have to actually be latched. He goes back and forth through it to get to his play room easily now, but we will feel the wrath of his anger when he will need help opening it.

Tennessee

Adam & I were blessed to participate in the ZOE Conference in Nashville last week while grandparents spent much desired time with Clark & Clementine. It was my first overnight away from Clementine! We both did great with the separation, and Adam & I loved the "vacation" from the kids. Thanks, Mom & Dad for helping us out!

On the way down to Lewisburg, we stopped off in Madison to meet our new cousin, Avery!! Avery was born several weeks premature, but she is doing great!! It was so much fun to play with her to see everyone else there. My cousin Amy & I hope that Clementine & Avery will be able to be good friends despite the distance.

My grandparents were also excited about seeing two of their 6 great-grandchildren. With Avery's addition to the family, the great-grandkids now outnumber the grandkids. I love Clementine's face in this picture with Granny & PaPa. Sometimes I wish I could read her thoughts.

The fam all enjoyed the game!

It was a great weekend, but the busyness took a big toll on the little guy. He absolutey crashed in the car . . . we moved him to the couch with little effect.

GO BROWNS!

Clark knew what to do right away . . . he jumped to his feet and started clapping as soon as we got there. He is being raised right.

We only feed our children food made from the finest natural ingredients.

Dad and Clark taking in some hot September rays.

They spare no expense in their give aways here. This is a high quality rag given away from Chevy.

Cedar Point

Clark went on and on before we got to Cedar Point about how he was "excited to got to Cedar Point." When he finally got there, he loved to go on the rides. We got there after 5:00 and grandma and his great grandpa took him around to see some of Snoopy's world. He even got to play a couple of games. Mom and Dad had fun with him for awhile, and then they went to ride some of the big rides. Cedar Point really is the best amusement park in the world!