The Biggest Pumpkin

This is the biggest pumpkin not pictures before. Gillian insisted we carve it (we always get the pumpkins, but never get around to carving them). Gillian however, is too independent. If we say "not today" or "in a minute" too many times, we will turn around and realize that she has taken matters into her own hand.

Picking Pumpkins

Tim took the kids to the pumpkin patch along with a co-resident, Rowena, and her family. (I got to stay home and enjoy the entire house to myself for a few hours).

Gillian spent about an hour Tim said finding the absolute biggest pumpkin (not pictured) which she then bought. I mean, why else to do we work hard all day long if not to allow our daughter to buy a ridiculously expensive (by-the-pound) pumpkin just to give her the pleasure of knowing it was The Biggest Pumpkin.

(I am erring on the side of inclusion in the amount of pictures I am posting of this).

Haunted Halloween Ginger Bread Houses

The Butler Did It

Tim and I actually got a sitter this year to attend his Residencies Annual Halloween Murder Mystery Party. Tim was the butler and I was a lab tech (a lab tech who refused to not wear a dress since she sprang for a babysitter and everything, but made a concession to wearing a lab coat).

Jesse is Home

Jesse, Tim's brother, finished his mission this past fall and came to visit us for a few days. It was really nice to visit with him. Tim took the day off to tour Jesse all around Harvard and I managed to have a few good conversations with him (which wasn't easy given that I had lost my voice at the amusement park the day before). So all in all a successful trip and we hope he comes again soon.

Trip to NC

In September the kids and I took a week and a half off of life and drove down to NC. We spent 16 hours in the car on the way down. I say that, because it makes it sound like a huge deal, but in reality, it was actually quite pleasant. The kids were great and we listened to Harry Potter all the way down and had a good time together.

It was a last minute trip that I had been planning since August. I couldn't quite work up the nerve to commit to such a long drive by myself. In the end, I had to just make the decision on day and go without thinking overly much about it.

It was a great trip and the kids LOVED seeing their cousins.

Melanie actually lets Katie paint her own nails much to my chagrin. Now Gillian has to pain her own too.

Mel has this amazing giant dirt pile on the empty lots behind her cul-de-sac. It was quite the adventure.

And we fed ducks. I don't think I have ever visit NC without a duck feeding outing.

I love this picture of Katie.

Fun with the Cousins

Melanie has an amazing yard for kids. Lots of fun toys, on a cul-de-sac, and a swimming pool. The pool of course was the biggest hit. In under a week, my kids turned from the most tentative fledglings into true swimmers.

James learned how to jump off the diving board and was doing an actual crawl stroke along the length of the pool by the end.

Gillian, who at first insisted that Mel keep up the rope to mark off the deep end, was doggy paddling accross the entire pool.

I even added midnight skinny dipping to my list of swimming skills (I'm sorry, but it was my first time with a private pool and I just had to try it out).

I love the evolution of Eleanor's expression in these next three pictures.

Holy Cute Picture Batman!

Gillian LOVED the pool. She stayed out there 6 hours one day.

Splish, Splash!

James jumped off the diving board for the first time this trip. Mel got it on video tape for us (I was treading water to pull him up in case he didn't come up on his own--you never know).

I captured a few fantastic pictures of the boys jumping in and here they are in all their glory.

First Big Girl Hair Cut

We spent a few days in South Carolina as well, visiting Tim's sister Sara. While there, we finally conceded to Gillian's year long pleading to let her cut her hair short. We gave El a short trim too while we were at it.

Poor Tim was almost crying on the phone when we told him. But he put on a brave face (voice?) for Gillian.

I didn't take a picture of Gillian's short hair, so you will just need to take notice of it in the more recent pictures.

So Cute

A friend of James and Gillian's had a clown at his birthday party this summer and the kids had so much fun. Gillian promptly fell in love with her and carried her business card around with her for the next two weeks. I am hoping she forgets about her prior to her next birthday.