Shoebox Greetings

Yep, that's a shoebox Ephraim is sitting in. At 15 1/2 months old, he's a real bruiser, huh?

Princess Ephraim

These are the pictures we threaten to reveal to Ephraim's first girlfriend! I've got to find him some gender appropriate dress-up clothes! And no, Ephraim didn't get a haircut. For some reason, his hair just decided to lay down.

The Weekend

This weekend we went to the lake and finished grouting the bathroom. It looks good and wasn't as hard as we imagined. We just have to wait for it to set up, and all that is left is to mop off the dusty film. Then we can install the new toilet and sink and have a working toilet on the main floor again! It will be so nice to not have to run down to the basement.

Other than that, we had a nice, laid-back weekend. We got to the lake late on Friday because we had to hang around town to take Riley to a Boy Scout advancement camp out. Saturday morning, we finished the grouting while the girls played outside making leaf forts, then we drove over to Hopkinsville to buy some groceries, rent a family movie and pick up some Little Caesar's pizza. That evening we had a bonfire, burned up some downed limbs and leaves and roasted marshmallows. Then all the girls got on their pajamas, and we settled down to a movie.

At home we've been working on getting the kids' playroom more comfy and baby friendly. So far I found a great suede and leather sofa at Salvation Army and a bright red lounge chair and tweed rug on Craigslist. I talked Ben into getting ceramic logs for the fireplace since we never get around to hauling wood up the stairs. We bought some ventless logs, so we can just flip a switch and not have to open the flue, knowing we'd be facing a cold, drafty room the next morning. We still have to install the logs, hang some pictures and drapes, refinish the coffee table, and get another lounge chair or love seat, and we'll be set for a chilly winter! Last night Bailey, Thomas, Ben and I watched a movie in the playroom, and the room already felt warmer with the new sofa and rug.

He Walks!

Cute Pictures

Ephraim doesn't usually take his naps on the floor! He was happily playing and suddenly he was asleep.



The girls were having a puppet show. After they quit Ephraim decided to have a puppet show of his own. He's turned into such a copycat!

Ephraim had two milestones today. He's been taking a few steps, but today things just really clicked. He can walk the length of the room now, looking like either Frankenstein's monster or a drunken sailor. Also, he's been waving a little and saying, "bye bye" when we prompted him (a lot), but today he did it for the first time on his own. We went to the store this morning to buy a rug for the playroom, and when we were leaving Ephraim said, "bye bye" very clearly without being asked.

Science Lesson

This was the coolest praying mantis ever! I don't think I've seen one this big before, and I swear it was tame! The kids all sat in a circle, and I set the praying mantis down in the middle of the circle onto the floor. Instead of trying to run away, it would hop over to one of the kids and climb into his or her hand. It climbed all over all the kids and touched their hair and faces with its amazing, little hands. Riley stood in the circle instead of sitting down, so the praying mantis hopped over to Riley, climbed his pants leg, went up his shirt, and sat on his shoulder rubbing on Riley's long hair. It was just amazing to watch! The twins are usually cautious around animals and creatures of all sorts, but this guy (actually probably a girl) was so friendly, they warmed right up to it. Ephraim was fascinated, although I didn't let him touch it. I was afraid he might love on it just a bit too hard. I had a hard time getting pictures of it because each time I would squat down to take a picture, it would run towards me, and once it saw the flash, it wanted to investigate the camera. The kids all played with it for over an hour before we took it back outside, and not once during that time did the mantis ever try to run away!

BUSY Halloween weekend

Whew! What a busy few days! To start the long holiday weekend off, the girls went to a Halloween party at the library during their regular story hour and craft time. On Halloween evening they went to the trunk-or-treat and carnival at the church just down the road from us. We go every year, and the kids always enjoy it. They have carnival games, hayrides, hot dogs, and Go Jump equipment. Saturday during the day, the kids went to a carnival sponsored by the fire department. They had Go Jump equipment, face painting, clowns making balloon animals, hot dogs and drinks, and the kids got to tour a fire truck and ambulance. That evening Bailey and Thomas went into Nashville to watch (and participate in) The Rocky Horror Picture Show. That was Bailey's first experience, but she read up ahead of time and was prepared with hot dogs, rice, newspaper, toilet paper, and the rest of the props. It's been almost 30 years since Ben and I saw Rocky Horror while we were in college!

Sunday was Reid's birthday. It's still amazing to me that she's such a grown-up, little lady after starting out as a 2 pound, 15 ouncer six years ago. Bailey and Thomas took the crew to Chucky Cheese's while Ben and I wrapped presents, made a cake and chili for her birthday party. We were just not up to Chucky Cheese's after three Halloween parties in as many days. Her party was just immediate family, but I think she had fun. When your birthday is just two days after Halloween, it's easy to get cheated, I guess!

When we were in Birmingham for Ben's high school reunion, Brooke and I hit the jackpot at Goodwill and found a pile of great costumes for $5.00 each. I stocked up because I thought they would make great dress-up clothes. As you can tell from the pictures, some of the kids found a favorite costume and stuck with it for all the parties. Others couldn't make up their minds and dressed up as a different character each time. For everyone who thought Ephraim's ladybug costume was too girly, you'll be glad to know that he trick-or-treated as a dragon instead. And in case you can't figure out the older kids' costumes, Riley was a mad scientist, Jensen was a rock star fairy and Thomas was a brown crayon.