Halloween 2013

Annie was a baby pumpkin for Halloween.  

 Ben decided that since Annie was posing as a pumpkin, they should be flowers.

 Ben finally decided to hold Annie today.  He often sits beside her and talks to her, but he hasn't wanted to hold her.  Mollie wants to hold her two or three times a day.

 Cinderella and Kyle Busch ready to trick-or-treat.  There have been severe weather warnings for our area all afternoon so they were worried that they wouldn't get to trick-or-treat.

Getting the candy ready for our trick-or-treaters.

 Ben asked John to bring him a Coke when he came home from work.  He needed it for a prop to go along with his Kyle Busch costume.  Coke is a major sponsor of Nascar and the race winner always takes a drink from a Coke first thing after he exits the car.  Ben is pretending that he's standing on top of a car taking a drink of Coke after winning a race.

 Trick or treating next door.

 The rain did not hold off as long as we hoped.  As John, Ben, and Mollie reached the back of the next neighborhood, the rain began to fall.  It didn't sprinkle or drizzle, but blew sideways drenching them (and all the other trick or treaters).  When they got home, I immediately stripped them down and put them in a hot bath.

Their candy on a towel to dry.  There was water standing in the bottom of their pumpkins.

Tooth 2

We thought Ben was sick at lunch today.  He was being very quiet and he didn't want chips or a brownie.  When we were getting up from the table, I noticed that there was a hole in his gums where his other loose tooth used to be.  He had pulled his tooth during lunch but didn't tell us for some reason.  

 Excited about having another tooth to put under his pillow for the tooth fairy.

I kept pulling Mollie out from in front of Ben while I was taking his picture with his tooth.  She posed for this silly picture after Ben got his picture taken.

Outings

 Yesterday Nana and Grandaddy spent the day with Annie while Ben, Mollie, and I went to school.  We tried to get Mollie to stay home and play with Nana and Grandaddy but she really wanted to go with me.  She's been very attached to me since I came home from the hospital.  It was hard for her not to see me for three nights.

They began learning to play a tin whistle at school yesterday.  The music teacher let them all give a couple of good blows before they had to put their whistles in their laps and listen to how to read the rhythm and hold their fingers over the holes correctly.

 For presentation this week, they had to choose something they had been learning about in geography.  Ben chose Rome.

 One little girl did her presentation on France and her mom made crepes to share with the class.  Ben tried his but didn't like it.

 My friend Rachel offered to come get Ben and Mollie and take them to her house to play this morning.  However, since Mollie has not wanted to leave me, we all just went to their house to play.  Mollie helped me carry Annie to the car.

 Our first trip with all three kids in the car.  The Saturday that we brought Annie home from the hospital, John and I moved carseats and tried different arrangements until we figured out how to get all three seats across the middle row.  It's tight, but it works.  I really didn't want to put kids in the third row because it would take away most of my cargo space.

 Playing in the hammock with Sam and Allie Bug.

Snack time.

The Rest of the Week

Mollie feeding "Special Baby" while I fed Annie.  Special Baby got her name because she talks.  Since Mollie's favorite dolls are named Cow Baby, Other Baby, and Special Baby, it's not surprising that she mainly calls Annie "New Baby."

 On Thursday John came and got Ben at lunch and took him to look at the #11 FedEx Freight car.  The FedEx car was here a couple of months ago but because of bad weather they left early and said they would be back in October.  Ben used money PawPaw gave him to buy a #20 Matt Kenseth car.

 Our neighbor Vicki brought Ben and Mollie "push up cookies" with black, black icing.

 Being silly with their push up cookies.

 Annie looking at Daddy.

 Mollie holding Annie for the first time.  Ben hasn't chosen to hold her yet, but likes to talk to her and touch her.

 Ben took this picture of Mollie in the backyard.

First Day

Today was our first full day with just me, Ben, Mollie, and Annie at home.  It went really well.  

Ben came running into my room this morning to show me the dollar the tooth fairy left for him.

Ben took this picture of himself to show what he thought of Annie's dirty diaper.

Annie took her first real bath in the bathtub although we didn't use much water since her belly button isn't healed yet.  She doesn't even like her diaper changed so she really didn't like taking a bath.

Got to take the baby towel picture.

We took Annie out for a walk down our street.  Ben pushed Annie and Mollie pushed Cow Baby in her stroller.

Mollie wanted to push Annie.  Ben was ahead of us doing burn outs with Mollie's stroller and driving it on one wheel.

MawMaw Wilma Blanket

While Annie has been quarantined, I haven't taken many pictures.  Mama requested a new picture of Annie on the blog.  She is laying on the quilt that MawMaw Wilma made for her.  One side is chevron and the other side has bright colored flowers with pinks and greens.

Pumpkins

 We were planning to go with friends to a pumpkin patch last Thursday but since Annie was born early that morning, we obviously did not make that trip.  Before MawMaw left today, she took Ben and Mollie to get pumpkins at a pumpkin patch set up by a church right down the road from our house.

 Ben with the pumpkin that he chose.  The pumpkins each came with a sheet of face stickers for decorating the pumpkins.  Ben and Mollie each chose their own pumpkin face.  Mama and I didn't even realize what they were doing.  Ben said that he's pretending to be a pumpkin.  Mama brought us the mums.

Since Ben pretended to be a pumpkin in his picture, Mollie had to do the same thing.  She chose a smaller pumpkin.

Sick Boy

I took this picture because the counter was so representative of what was going on at our house. We brought Annie home after lunch on Saturday.  Saturday night we realized that Ben was running fever.  I was sitting on the couch feeding Annie sometime in the middle of the night when Ben came stumbling out of his bedroom coughing.  I panicked thinking he was going to come near Annie and get her sick. I started yelling for Mama to come and get him. I took Annie to my room and truly did not bring her out again until tonight when John got home from work.  John took Ben to the after-hours clinic Sunday and he was diagnosed with bronchitis.  He ran fever for two days and lost his voice.  He was really miserable.  

I found Mama in bed with Ben Sunday morning.  Mama has probably had a harder week than anyone. She came planning to spend a night and ended up spending a week, caring for two sick kids, preparing meals, cleaning, etc.  She even spent two nights at the hospital with me so that John could be home with Ben and Mollie.  She finally got to go home today.  Hopefully, she will be able to get some rest.

Lost Tooth

 Ben has been wiggling on his two bottom front teeth for a few weeks.  His permanent teeth are already coming in behind them.  One of them has been VERY loose for a couple of days, but since Ben's been sick no one wanted to reach in his mouth and pull it out.  Tonight John used a floss stick to pull it out.  Ben was very brave.  Mollie and I didn't even know they were pulling his tooth until they came out to show it to us.  John said the other tooth wasn't quite as loose but will probably come out later in the week.

 You can barely see where the tooth came out because the other one is already coming in.

Putting his tooth under his pillow for the tooth fairy.

Home

We left the hospital about 1 p.m. today.

 Annie dressed in her best clothes to go home.  She is wrapped in the same blanket that me, Will, Zac, Ben and Mollie all came home from the hospital in.

 Ready to get in the car.  Mama, Ben, and Mollie were waiting at home for us.

 First time in the car seat.

 Mama, Ben, and Mollie were all standing outside waiting for us when we drove up.

 Family pic by the car.  Can you tell that Mollie has missed me?

 Another family pic by the pink bow on the mailbox.

Ben filmed Mollie's first interaction with Annie.