Samantha Joy

We welcomed Samantha Joy on Thursday, October 25, at 10:23am, after about 12 hours of labor. She was our biggest girl yet - 7 lbs 10 oz! I think most of it must be in her cheeks.
The girls visited us in the hospital. Lucy was very interested in Samantha, but Anna Kate was put off by the hospital itself. Once we arrived home, Anna Kate embraced Samantha completely. Lucy continues to be very gentle and interested in "baby."



Look at her dark hair!

Lucy is always on the go these days . . . Anna Kate is sitting on Mommy's lap reading - she is doing a great job, and one of her favorite books to read is Madeline.

What A Warm Fall Day

Here's a peak at our Sunday afternoon, enjoying the incredibly warm weather. Anna Kate is wearing pink cowboy boots with her skirt (love it!) . . .

A Dressed Up Bear

We had a lovely baby shower on Sunday at our church. Everyone was so very generous, and even Anna Kate and Lucy received a couple of presents. Each was given a "big sister bear," which have quickly become dear to them. Today Anna Kate was playing quietly and then showed off her bear - all dressed up. I don't know if you can tell, but those are socks on the bears' paws, a beautiful slip Grandma made for another doll, and, yes, even panty covers underneath, which I know you can't see. Where was bear going? I don't know, but she looked great!

Lucy likes chocolate milk

Lucy has decided she likes chocolate milk. I drink a lot more milk (almost always chocolate) when I'm pregnant, and Lucy tried it off of my spoon. For a while, that was the way she wanted to drink it. Now, she wants it with a straw, which is not necessarily neat and tidy for her. The straw goes in and out of the cup - full of chocolate milk. In the mornings, the girls like to sit on the kitchen counter while I make breakfast. On this morning, Lucy enjoyed her chocolate milk there, too, and, as you can see, made a bit of a mess. Oops. Good thing everything washes.

A Fashion Statement

I dearly love Anna Kate and her ever-increasing desire for independence. One battle is for climate appropriate clothes. This summer, I had to put anything warm - pants, long sleeves, sweates - out of reach to avoid the debate about why it's not good to wear such clothes on hot days. Most days she insists on choosing her own clothes, and most days you wouldn't think twice about it. But the other day, I had to capture it in a picture to share. It was chilly here. She chose a sundress, which is a favorite of ours - red, white, and blue - with leggings (at least one size too small) and a multi-colored sweater. Then, when we went outside, printed socks and her "Short Strawberry Shortcake" shoes! Priceless!

Apple Picking - kind of

We went "apple picking." But the farm was only picking red delicious and who wants to pick a half bushel of red delicious apples? Not me. So, we didn't actually pick any apples. Instead we poked around the farm. Here are the girls sitting on peachy pumpkins, seriously, that's what they are called.

At the end of our time there, we indulged in famous apple cider donuts, which we all loved, except I am always disappointed that they don't actually taste like apple cider. We had to bundle up for a real fall day! And we were able to walk around the farm and see chickens, turkeys, goats, sheep, a pot-bellied pig, sheep, bunnies, geese . . .

The girls climbed on an old tractor parked in the sand box. (Dave thinks the sand box is actually a toy graveyard, but the girls had a great time!)
This was my favorite part of the day. Have you ever seen anything like it? She is a Scottish Highlander Cow. According to the sign, they are actually really smart and mild-mannered (though the sign posted said to stay back from the fence because of the horns . . . mild-mannered?). Her name is Rosie.

Ice Cream and Cupcakes

How do you eat a cupcake? Anna Kate eats hers quickly. Lucy starts by licking the frosting first, then eating the cupcake. Sometimes she even gives Anna Kate an extra bite from her cupcake because Lucy eats so much more slowly.
Dave decided one night that the girls could share a bowl of ice cream. What an entertaining few minutes . . . everyone seems fine with it
but then Anna Kate swipes the bowl.
Dave intervened and decided to hold the bowl, so they really could share. It did all work out in the end.