Katie rolls over

Now that Katie has figured out how to roll over she is so much happier.

This was the first time & although she was very frustrated she was able to get it done. Can someone say DETERMINED! Between her & Payton, I'm in for trouble!

She thinks she is hot stuff now.

But this is by far the cutest result. She loves to roll over & sleep on her tummy. That was all she needed to help her sleep thru the night. Yes, THRU THE NIGHT! Hello Sanity! Goodbye Diet Coke, okay well maybe not yet.

More apples...

Yes you can say that we are all appled out. We did get smart, waggons make it so much easier. Maybe not for Payton but definitely for me.

I'm so glad I grabbed this picture because when we went back for pumpkins with Donald neither of the girls were in a cooperative mood.

Here are some pics of Payton having fun in the leaves.

She is 'developing' a very unique style. She asked me to do her hair in 2 piggy tail balls.

Would Julia Approve??

Payton loves to help me bake. She has her own apron w/ pockets & in those pockets is her cooking necklace. Before we start she has to put on her apron & then her necklace. It makes me think of the movie Julie & Julia about Julia Child... This particular day sometime during the baking process Payton's pants came off & I couldn't resist the picture below.

We are working with Payton on being modest &... well sometimes... okay it's not working yet. But I figure that eventually she will have the urge to stay clothed while inside.

I asked Payton why she liked to help me & she said it's because she's good at measuring & licking.
She is good at it so there is no arguing with that.

(Her curls were adorable this day!)

When it rains....

One thing I wasn't quite prepared for was the rain. It rains A LOT!

What is the only thing to do in the rain... Jump in puddles!

One day it had been pouring all day & it was almost time for Donald to come home on the bus. SO I put Katie in the baby carrier & we went out in the rain to play. I figured we'd meet Donald at the bus then I would have help getting them in the bath while I finished dinner. Unfortunately Donald missed the bus. Payton still talks about the day that she got to get soaking wet & I didn't make her put on a jacket. I am not totally irresponsible, she is wearing rain boots I just didn't tuck them in good enough & couldn't bend over to fix them with Katie strapped to my front.

I'm glad she had so much fun!

I Love(d) Fall

I absolutely loved Fall. Everything was so pretty. My favorite were the trees that turned bright & deep red. We have several around our house that were huge & amazing

I don't know why buy I am in LOVE with Donald's building! If I had a mansion it would look like this!

Donald saw I was taking pictures & struck a pose. Not sure what he was thinking. Payton thought he was so silly & we laughed about it for a few days.

If you ever get the chance come to the East coast in the Fall. Wow!

Lessons learned...

The local Dr.'s office finally received the girls' medical records so 1st I took Katie & the next day was Payton's turn. Katie's appointment was during school so it was just Katie & I. She was so good. She got a shot but was over it very quickly & then slept the rest of the day & even slept as usual that night.

The next day was not the same! Lesson Learned - never take the younger when the older is getting shots.

After Payton got her flu shot she was upset, which made Katie REALLY upset.

One thing I thought was cute, after the fact, is that both of my girls cry with their fingers in their mouths.

Needless to say I will never take Katie when I know that Payton will have a hard time.

You can tell from the video that Katie truly is sad for her sister. She only reacted when Payton did. So maybe it's not so bad, they have empathy for each other.

Delaware

Don't you hate it when you get in your car to leave & you find the camera you thought you forgot to bring in the first place...

After my mom left us she went down to Delaware to my bro JD's so that she could be there to help with their baby, who was born 3 days after she arrived (In our family boys are just more obedient than the girls.)

We were powered by M&M's & Diet Coke... Payton the M&M's & the Coke was mine. While in Delaware we went to Costco so we had the back of the car filled with the essentials; TP, Paper Towels, Tuna, Can Chicken, Diaper Wipes, etc.

The drive was so pretty. All of the trees were changing & I was able to get a couple of pics that weren't blurry.

Payton was a very big help with Katie! She intertained Katie for a solid hour before she fell asleep. In several trips since Payton has gotten majorly car sick so I know that I was MAJORLY blessed during this trip. She didn't get sick ONCE!!! I didn't know how incredibly lucky I was until recently... that story will come later (if I ever get caught up to Thanksgiving!). Hey I'm trying!

Sarah's Visit

I have to admit one thing right here, right now. I suck at being a long distance friend & pretty much everyone I know is long distance. I don't call & I don't write. Having said that, one thing I love about my friendship with Sarah is that she doesn't care! So it doesn't mater how long it's been, we jump right back into the swing of things as if we were never apart.
And the 2nd best thing is, so do our girls!
I love that they love each other. They were thick as thieves for pretty much the whole trip.
I also made a new friend! I hadn't seen Abby since she was 2 1/2 months old & I was so glad that not only did she tolerate my presence she actually interacted with me. And for her that is huge.

We tried to do as much as we could while they were here.
And how could we not go to the U-Pick.
We had to make Apple Pie! Thanks Paula Deen, that was the easiest, yummiest apple pie I have ever had.
Sarah had moved to Boston a little over a year before we moved out here. I never thought we would be this close (5 hour drive) so as soon as we were accepted I called Sarah & told her the good news. Actually we were waiting to tell everyone because we needed our health insurance & a job but I called her the day we found out.
It was a great visit & very little sleep was had but I can't wait to do it again!
Thanks for making the trip all by yourself. You are so brave!!!

Let's go to the U-Pick

If you asked Payton what it is she wanted to do she would say "let's go to the U-Pick!" We picked Apples...

& Raspberries...

And have a freezer full of freezer jam & a pantry full of Applesauce & Apple Pie filling to prove it!

Grandma Came...

About 2 months after we moved here my mom came to visit. Payton got to show off her favorite spots. We went to 2 local waterfalls & just had a lot of fun.

We were able to have her for a whole week. She was here for the first few days of Payton's school year & Payton loved sharing that with her.

It was so good to have her & can't wait for her to come again.

Ithaca is not nearly as pretty as it was when she came & a whole lot colder so we'll have to see when she will be able to come again. Hey Mom, Hey Dad, your room is ready for you anytime!