Family Update

We've been having a great time as the leaves turn and the temperatures get a little cooler. I really can't believe it's mid October and little Isabel is growing up so fast. This is a picture of Isabel's first bath with sister and brother.

I put Stella to work raking leaves while we waited for Abram to get home from pre-school.

We've been trying to teach Isabel how to do the 'so big' game. She was a little confused at first.

Stella tried to help explain the concept.

Papa also helped by showing Isabel a picture of his dinner from our date night last week.

That did it! She totally got what 'so big' meant after seeing that giant sword of food papa was about to consume.

We look so cute when we bundle up to go outside.

We headed to a local apple orchard and pumpkin patch one nice day last week. Abram really enjoys picking apples and inspecting each one for quality.

Isabel had a great time too.

We picked up some pumpkins at the patch for carving. I didn't get many good pictures of the actual carving but here is a shot of Abram and Stella providing sacrificial pumpkin gut offerings to our squirrels. Last year the squirrels ate at our pumpkins until they looked like they had some type of flesh eating bacteria. So far the offering seems to have worked because they have stayed away from our carved pumpkins.

Here are the finished products. Stella requested a happy pumpkin and Abram insisted on a pumpkin with 'jaggy' teeth.

They seemed pretty happy with the final product.

In other updates:

Abram:

• Loving preschool in the 4's room
• Went on his first class field trip to the ND Hockey Rink and then last week went to the apple orchard
• If you watched the pre-game broadcast before the ND - USC game, On Notre Dame, you might have seen some of Abram's classmates. They came and filmed the 4's class for part of the special.
• Abram loves playing with his sisters and does a great job helping out around the house.
• He really enjoys pretending and make-believe.
• He is very into the thought of having a dog. We have never talked about getting a dog. He will occasionally ask why we don't have one. A few weeks ago we were watching cartoons and a commercial came on for Blue Buffalo dog food. He didn't say anything at the time but a few days later he asked Josh if we could buy Blue Buffalo for his dog. Josh told him we don't have a dog. Abram said, "I know, but when we do have a dog we should feed it Blue Buffalo, those other dog food companies try to trick you into buying their food." Score 1 for the Blue Buffalo's PR firm.
• Another dog story. Josh was explaining to Abram that sometimes Abram is just going to have to do what Josh says because he's the Papa (you can imagine the events that led up to this conversation). Josh asked Abram if he understood. "Yes - and when I'm a Papa, I can tell my dog what to do." Yes - Abram - Yes you can :)
• One more Abram story. We were on a long car trip so I tried to teach Abram and Stella about knock-knock jokes. I am a horrible joke teller and messed up even the most basics jokes in the car. They totally didn't get it, so I started over and said, "knock knock," and I swear that they both broke out in the most hysterical laughter they have ever heard. Maybe they thought if they just laughed at whatever I said next I would stop trying to teach them how to tell jokes.

Stella

• Stella goes 2 days a week to the same pre-school Abram does and I was very worried about her since she has always stayed home and can sometimes be shy out in public. I had nothing to worry about because she loves it! Josh does drop off and he says she is so excited when they arrive she starts hopping with excitement. She has a friend named Carla and she loves her teachers. We are very excited she enjoys school so much.
• Josh was at a job interview a few weeks ago so I had the kids for a few nights by myself. Of course Stella decides to re-learn to crawl out of her crib the night he left so we've started again with Stella in a toddler bed. She is doing much better this time and has only pulled the dresser over on herself one time (don't worry she is okay - her parents who heard the enormous crash are still recovering)
• She loves to bake and will drop anything to cook with me, which is really fun.
• At night we've started going around the table saying a 'high, low, and a funny' for each person's day. Abram really enjoys this and loves telling us about his day. Stella doesn't really understand so it turns into her telling us which items of her dinner are her high, low and funny which is pretty funny in itself.
• Stella loves shopping and will pretend she is shopping around the house.

Isabel

• Has learned to crawl and chases Kitty Cat around the house trying to pet her. Unfortunately for Kitty Cat, Isabel has a very aggressive kind of love.
• Is starting to eat the same food we do in small bites.
• Loves to laugh.
• Can clap and do 'so big'
• Is one of the happiest babies I've ever met.
• Loves anything her sister and brother are doing. 
• Has started to pull herself up onto her knees trying to pull herself up onto furniture.
• Her hair is so long we have to put it in a little hair tie or it gets in her face.

Josh

• Is in full job application mode. He has applications out to many universities for faculty positions and a few industry positions. We are trying to be patient since the process for faculty positions usually lasts well into spring. 

Sara

• I accepted a new part-time position with the Nebraska Cancer Coalition that I can do from a distance and I'll be able to stay with my mom or Aunt Vicki in Omaha when I go back for meetings. It's nice to have a balance between time home with the kids and still keeping my foot in the work door with this position.

Cats

• Are begging everyone to just leave them alone, except to feed us...please, please remember to feed us!