Ben loves playing hide and seek. 
He hasn't quite mastered hiding yet. Even Mollie can find him. I say, "Mollie where is Ben?" She looks at me like I'm crazy because I can't see him and walks over to him.
He had a pillow over his face until I snapped this pic. Mollie found him anyway.
Since it's cooled off some, we've been enjoying our snacks outside on the picnic table. Ben is showing off the grape in his mouth. We've also been spending a lot of time in the sandpile you can see behind them.
Mollie knows a few more words than I thought. Here are five more I've heard her say today: ball, shoe, baby (her doll), cheese (for the camera) and bow (right before she pulls it out of her hair).
Ben is hauling dirt from one work site to another.
We are really enjoying the cooler temps. They dug in the dirt, swung, and visited with our neighbor Mrs. Judy this afternoon. They were both filthy after two hours playing hard in the back yard.
Ben turned his head every time I tried to take a picture of him, but I finally caught him looking at me.
Mollie had her 15-month well baby check up on Friday. It doesn't seem like either of them are ever well for their well check ups. Both Ben and Mollie have runny noses and coughs. The pediatrician also found that Mollie has had an ear infection. She is taking antibiotics. She weighed 20 lbs 6 oz, is 30 1/2 inches tall, and her head measured 18 1/2 inches. 
At 15-months, Mollie says about 10 words -- DaDa, Mama, no, juice, see, hi, bye, Hal, thank you, and up. She loves playing peek-a-boo, blows kisses at bedtime, covers herself with dirt, and watches Sesame Street. Belbo (Elmo) is her favorite monster.
Ben the builder has had fun gluing popcicle sticks for the past couple of days.
Yes, I am insane. I handed a three-year-old a box of 1000 popcicle sticks. Why didn't I expect him to dump them all on the floor? The 950 left after working on his projects today did all go back into the box fairly easily.
Mollie wanted to help, of course.
Ben used popcicle sticks for flooring and roofing tiles (he did not glue them) along with his wooden blocks to build this polar bear house. He painted the pictures that are hanging on the wall behind the polar bear house. They are pictures of the planets and have been hanging there for a while. He specifically requested that they be included in the picture of the polar bear house.
On Saturday afternoon when the rain refused to stop, we made cookies. We got lots of rain from Tropical Storm Lee during the long weekend. Sunday morning, a tornado warning was issued during Sunday School. All the children and adults working with them (I was in the nursery) got to hang out in the area by the elevator for most of Sunday School. As we were leaving church, Ben asked for the 25th time why there was a tropical storm. I told him that God was sending the rain and we needed to be thankful for it. He responded, "I say no thanks." 
In the last few weeks, Mollie seems to have gone from baby to little girl. I think this picture of her in the backyard trying to kick the soccer ball really shows that.
Mollie made her first trip to the zoo where she got to walk around.
She really saw the animals for the first time. There are peacocks that roam free. She is saying, "See, see, see."
Trying to get a better look at the alpacas.
Ben the jaguar.
Watching nature in action as the alpaca pees in the water.
Today was our monthly trip to the zoo. The theme today was autumn. The children painted fall leaves.
Mollie roamed around the room WAY away from the paint.
Petting the chinchillas.
Tuesday night after supper we had a "card making party" (Ben's words). Mary Varner broke her leg last Saturday so we all made get well cards for her . . .
even Mollie.
After Mollie screamed through every meal for more than a month, we decided to try something new. Last weekend we moved her from the high chair to the booster seat at the table. She seems much happier at the table with us. Our meals have been much more peaceful this week.
