Pumpkin Carving Fun...







Yeah Eleanor, you didn't 'mind cleaning out your pumpkin this year! 

Madelaine, getting your hands dirty has never been an issue for you my dear!

 Theodore, surprisingly you wouldn't stick your hands into the pumpkin and only came this close with a spoon!

Harrison, you were the supervisor until Theodore decided to come join you...

note your facial expression above as he comes close to your face! 

 The man in charge of completing all the clean-up inside the pumpkins and overseeing the carving requests!

The final products!

Happy 18-months to Teddy!

These pictures were taken on my exact 18-mo birthday, 10/11, which is also the last day as the littlest man in the household being my brother is scheduled to arrive tomorrow!  I'm guessing next month I will all of the sudden look like a little boy versus a baby to those around me...not so sure I'm ready for losing some of those perks!



This month I have exploded in the vocabulary department and have mastered my sisters names...and now don't stop saying them.  You can frequently find me calling for them around the house, often requesting (a.k.a demanding) them to come with me somewhere, and if they don't respond to my request you will see me get right in their face and continue to call their name...escalating in volume...then screaming...I am relentless!

 



I have a few obsessions.  One is a love of washing my hands in the bathroom on the main floor, much because I can step up onto the bench and now turn the water on by myself.  I continue to love "treats" and will begin my request for one immediately after breakfast, going to the drawer to get a bowl and then pointing at the cupboard.  I love putting all things on my head, to see if they can be a hat.  This includes bowls, plates, books, but of most fun is putting Papa's hats on and demanding he put one on as well (I enjoy this with Grandpa Ken too).  I have a favorite music video with favorite songs being Wheels on the Bus and Where is Thumbkin.  My favorite books are a truck picture book and a farm book which has a collection of stories (my sisters like this one too).

 I am quite the ham around our household, bringing many smiles and giggles to all my family members.  I also still am a super-duper good hugger and kisser and will run into your arms and give you a big squeeze and place a wet smooch on your mouth. 







 Get ready to call me a big brother!!!

Love, Teddy

Harrison's newest fan club...his big sisters and brother!

This post needs few words being the pictures do most of the talking...

 

Mama, I can't wait to get my hands on him...



Showering him with hugs and kisses...

 Even the hospital has chicken fingers and french fries for us to enjoy...

 

 We are now old pros at this big sister/baby thing...

 I like to show my cheesy smile for the camera...

 Are you serious Papa?

 This is a piece of cake...

 

Mama, are they gone for the night now?

 

Those big sisters and brother wear me out!!!

Harrison James Gore

Welcome Harrison James Gore! 7 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches...all healthy! Stay posted for more pictures to come!
Love,

Cristofer, Stephanie, Madelaine, Eleanor, Theodore and Harrison

"Fall"ing into the season early...

Because we knew the plan was for baby G4 to arrive in mid-October, we decided we best get a jump start on fall/pre-halloween activities so that is just what we did!  What we didn't plan on, though, was having such amazing weather in late September allowing us to wear shorts!

 

We made three trips to apple orchards/pumpkin patches, put decorations up in the house, and also did some fall baking to include making caramel apples and apple crisp in addition to fall crafts.

 

There were a ton of pictures and Mama was having a hard time picking her favorites, which is why there are a quite a few included in this post.

 

The one thing we haven't gotten accomplished, is figuring out what we want to be for Halloween being we basically change our minds with the wind!

 

Enjoy what appears to Papa and Mama are 3 kiddos growing up way too fast!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Fall all!

Love,

M, E, and T

Say it isn't so...

ME started preschool this fall!!!  Where in the world did time go being it seems like just yesterday we were welcoming you little peanuts into this world?!?!  Thank heavens our school is at our local church, only 5 minutes away, being Mama isn't sure we'd make it there by 8:15 am if we had to travel much further!

 

The tradition of the first day of school photos has started with a photo together...

 Our individual pictures...

 A photo with our little brother of course...

 A photo before entering the building (note the smiles still)...

Finding our cubes...



And then what you don't see (or hear) as Mama and Theodore gave us hugs and kisses and left the room...the crying and calling for Mama which started.  Ugh, Mama's stomach sank and tears started for her as well.  Mama says she and Theodore walked quickly to the entryway, went around the corner, stood for a bit and it took all she had to exit those doors and leave us, but she knew we would be fine.  So that is exactly what she did and when she returned 3 hours later we all welcomed each other again with tears, but very happy ones this time! 

Note:  It did take about 2 weeks of semi-tearful drop offs before we got into our 2-mornings a week routine.  While we have slowly begun to intermingle with our 7 other classmates, we still prefer to stick closely to our teacher and to each other.  Papa and Mama thoroughly enjoy hearing about all the things we are learning about from bible verses, stories and songs, as well as all the fun artwork we bring home.  Papa and Mama are extremely proud of you two girls!!!

Happy 17-months to Teddy!

Crazy to think this is the last month I will be considered the true "baby" around this household.  Seems like just yesterday I was the new kid on the block and look at me now!  I have been enjoying the mild fall we have had thus far which means a lot of outdoor time still.  

I transitioned quite easily to Mama going back to work part-time for a bit before the arrival of my baby brother being it means extra time out at Grandpa and Grandma's house...and more specifically time with Grandpa outdoors.  I have a very specific routine of Grandpa taking me for a ride in his pick-up when I arrive at their house.  I also enjoy rides on the four-wheeler, watering trees, sitting on the tractor, and pretty much anything else I can do with him.  Another change for me is having my big sisters away at preschool two mornings a week...also an easy transition being it gives me some alone time with Mama and more time to engage in books by myself which I really enjoy.

My big sisters, though, are still my fav to look up to and do as they do...which includes insisting I have a caramel apple on a stick as well (they were trying to sneak this snack in while I was napping but I woke up early, haha)! I was closely supervised and enjoyed it tremendously. 

 

My vocabulary is also continuing to expand and there are no worries in this household that I won't reach the 18 month marker of approximate number of words.  In addition to saying foods I like such as banana, apple, pretzel, "treat" (used too much); animals such as cow, sheep, kitty; vehicles such as truck and tractor; I am also tackling my sisters names which are a wee bit tricky.  There also are many others Mama is forgetting to list at the moment...so no worries I am not at all a quiet boy.  

Look out 1 1/2 years old, here I come!

Love, Theodore