Happy Halloween!

Since it was Lyvi's first Halloween I made sure I got pictures of her, but I definitely fell down on the job of getting pictures of the other three. Jonathan was a rock star, Lindsay was Tinkerbell and Dylan finally conceded to being a cowboy when he realized he absolutely had to dress up to get candy.

A happy roar!

We trick or treated with 15 kids -- we were like a wild herd hitting the streets. We were at a friend's house and group chaos had already set in so the kids could hardly sit for this picture. It always gives me a laugh when the picture looks so much calmer than the circus that went on to get it taken.

Bathtime!

She takes a lot of baths in the sink, but the kids also still love taking baths together in the evening -- all four kids. Fortunately she loves her baths. Unfortunately she needs them all! I didn't crop this pic because I love the mound of clothes on the couch -- laundry is really overwhelming and there are always clothes that need to be put away.

Back to fun bath pics!

Camping, too!

We were crazy enough to take everyone camping on the Adventure Guide camping trip -- the poor Schells -- they were warned, but they camped next to us anyway. Lyvi is not afraid of the dirt and when we grew tired of holding her, she enjoyed her walker and the good earth. I feel like these travels work well for everyone because we end up holding Lyvi a lot and probably spend more time focused on the kids rather than the state of the house (which isn't pretty lately). It rained a bit during the weekend and the kids got incredibly filthy. They ran around the camp with the other kids in our group and had a lot of imaginative and laid back fun.

How I love these kids!

Lyvi's apple eating contest with brother Dylan

One Tough Texan - overdue post

This girl is game for anything! We visited the ranch in San Saba to see how things developed while we were gone. We stuck Lyvi on the low water crossing, which was pretty chilly, and she happily hung out catching leaves and sticks as they floated past. All that activity made for a busy day and later she conked out. I'd love to know what she dreams about...

Staying awake -- overdue post

When friends asked how they could help after we got home, my number 1 request was to just hang out with me during the afternoon and keep me from falling over asleep. Eating dinner out with friends was imperative to us making it until a decent bedtime. Thank goodness our neighbors also had mercy on me and invited us over after school for Lyvia's first dip in the pool. All the kids (and dog) wanted to be a part of Lyvi's pool adventure! She only slipped under a couple of times and wasn't phased at all.