Halloween

I suppose most of you have gathered that Stella would be some sort of ladybug creature for Halloween. She's been wearing her wings for weeks now, and it was quite a treat to pull out all the stops with her full costume. For months now, Stella has been dreaming of being Ladybug Girl, her absolute favorite character. She has all her books, loves pouring over the pictures and pretty much demands that we call her Lulu on a regular basis. And I speak for Brian and I when I say we couldn't be more thrilled that Stella has such a bold, smart and confident alter ego. So bring on the Bug Squad. We're in.

Halloween was pretty low key around here. Stella pretty much understood the holiday to mean that she got to dress up in her costume for about a month beforehand. So the day was just another bit of dress up. We met up with the usual suspects - Isaac (and now Eddy!), Scarlet (and now Evy!) and Nali. The kids had a blast running around in Fairhaven as half the town showed up in full costume.

Phoebe was supposed to be a little ladybug sidekick, but it was sadly too cold. Her little sack of a costume didn't really accommodate the necessary layers of fleece and wool. So we improvised and fortunately had a little dragon snow suit (Thank you, Aunt Ann!) that the wee Phoebster rocked. (And, as you'll see, so did every other baby in town. What is it with dragons and babies?)

The expanding crew.

(Little Evy was too comfy on her Mama to disturb for a photo op.)

Carving

This shot kills me. For yet another Halloween, Stella is totally grossed out by the whole pumpkin carving tradition. She's into the picking, designing and lighting of the pumpkin. But the carving? Ewww. Double grody, super ick ewww. Look at her. It's as if Brian is gutting a moose rather than scooping out a gourd.

But a hollowed out pumpkin is a bit easier to handle. So the artist starts dreaming of her vision...

... and comes up with this. She wanted a happy pumpkin.

And a happy pumpkin she got.

And Phoebe gabbed my ear off the whole time. What a little jabber booty.

Blurry Love

It's the ordinary nights that blow my mind lately. As Stella and I say, "I feel like my heart is going to explode" at times, watching the girls dance around the kitchen, talking and squawking, as Brian and I clean up after dinner. No matter what kind of day we've had - and we've had some stellar days lately - our nights have a groove and a rhythm that is so predictable and so comforting. Sure, we have our rituals and routines during the day, but the fact that it's all four of us at night is just so lovely.

Brian shot these pictures the other night after we had finished up cleaning and were just hanging out on the floor of the kitchen. As I've mentioned before, I so rarely see myself as a Mama since I'm so in it. And I'm often the one behind the camera. So seeing these truly candid moments where the girls are loving on me is so sweet and so tender.

I love how Stella is so her own person at this point. She's Stella Scout, and she's ready to conquer the world. But yeah, a squeeze from Mama is always a good thing. And all the emotional stretching and growing we experienced over the summer is really paying off. She's demonstrating such a mature sense of clarity when it comes to expressing her emotions. We couldn't be more proud.

And Phoebe? This kid is a lover, I tell ya. She adores most everyone she meets and charms the socks off the grumpiest of the grumps. But she and I? We've got a love thing going on that could move mountains. Launch ships. Create world peace. So I love these blurry, impromptu shots of my girls grabbing me, loving me and giving me the privilege of loving them.

So Lovely

Oh, Stella. You are growing so quickly, turning into quite the young lady. So curious. So bright. So thoughtful. So sensitive. So hilarious. So wise. I could stare at you and those lovely hazel eyes for centuries.

We've Got a Mover!

Yup. We've got a mover on our hands. And watch out. Phoebe is taking full advantage of our circuilar floor plan, scooting, sliding and crawling all over the place. She's just starting to pull up on furniture and is pretty darn proud of all she can do. And, just like her sister, she's thoroughly frustrated that she can't just get up and run. Oh, but all in time, Little One. All in time.

Teething

Lest you think we don't have teething rings, let me just say Phoebe is an equal opportunity teether. Everything and anything is free game as far as this little teether goes. At nearly nine months, Phoebe finally has two bottom teeth. She's a tight lipped little critter, so we've only had a handful of true sightings, but she (and we) are quite relieved the first bout of teething is over.

To The Patch

Who doesn't love a good pumpkin patch? It's bizarre. It's beautiful. It's ridiculously fun. Add kids to the mix? A total blast. We have a great patch in the county that has quickly become one of our favorite spots and events all year. We gathered with dear friends this year for hayrides, pumpkin hunting, corn mazing, apple picking and pie. And the weather here has been downright glorious which only added to the fun.

Eddie and Phoebe hit the pumpkin wagon with great awe and wonder. (It's still such a trip to watch these little humans experience these things for the first time. I mean, if you really think about it, a pumpkin is kind of strange. Huge. Wonky. Orange. They were totally enthralled.)

Papa Love

Stella and her posse - Isaac and Nali. It's such a pleasure watching these kids grow together. Thanks to inherently lovely dispositions and fabulous parents, they compliment one another beautifully.

For the camera.

For us.

I think Stella would have spent hours picking apples had we let her. Is there anything more wholesome than wandering an apple orchard with kids?