the first holiday party of the season

i don't know about you, but for us halloween marks the beginning of the holiday season. everyone knows i LOVE holidays, especially now that we have added a few kids into the mix. on friday we were invited to our first holiday party of the season. it was so fun, the kids had a blast and ada especially was so excited to get into her costume. she takes these things so seriously! lias was dressed like a frog for about the first 10 minutes of the party, then stripped himself naked.

ada insisted on wearing eye-shadow, and seeing that i don't own any, we thought face paint would do. eye shadow? how does she even know about these things? ada proceeded to ask me how old she will need to be to wear make-up and guaranteed me that we would be fancier than me when she was a grown-up. i can't wait until she is 14...
ps- doesn't ada look like a little athlete? too bad she is wildly disinterested in anything the least bit "sporty".

eat the peep off the string without using your hands!

li did not like the peep. he caught (read-shoved it into his mouth with both hands) it, promptly spit it out, turned to me and asked for a lollipop! ada had her first lollipop when she was 2. elias ate two at this party. have i mentioned that i am not going to be nominated for any parent-of-the-year awards? monday i am making dentist appointments for both of the kiddos!

sack race!
ada being made into a mummy!

li's prized possession was a brand new bottle of water i gave him. his clothes were gone, his shoes were gone, but he never let go of the bottle. "just like mommy's drink" he kept saying to me! ah, to be young...

approaching 30 weeks!

on friday the kids and i took a little adventure to the museum of life and science. it was so super fun! they have a spectacular playground, farmyard, mini-zoo, butterfly house, train, not to mention indoor museum. the kids loved it. luckily we got tickets to ride on the train first since elias was obsessed with it. he kept yelling "ALL ABOARD" for about 15 minutes until we finally departed! ada loved the butterfly house. she dressed herslf that morning in a beautiful outfit just to attract the butterflies. check out that headband she made! i have to give her credit- she really does love fashion!

holding a butterfly she caught! i'm pretty sure you are not supposed to capture the butterflies, but ada's patience was wearing thin and i certainly was not going to deal with a crying ada the rest of the day (the butterflies were not so attracted to her beautiful tunic!)
digging in the sand.
dancing. check out that stance!

and alas, here is me at almost 30 weeks! HUGE, no MAMMOTH! i swear reza must have taken this from a very kind angle! a woman came up to me the other day and told me that it looks painful. someone else told met that i look "healthy". i wasn't quite so sure how to take that! all is good though and we are so super excited to have a tiny bundle again!

ps-- congrats anna and jay on baby lea! we love her so much already and can't stop looking at her beautiful pictures! ada is dying to come and meet her (as am i!)

pps-- happy belated 31st auntie m! we can't wait to celebrate with you on the 30th! xoxo

a little jaunt.

last weekend we packed up the troops, including mr. dagger, and took a little jaunt to asheville for the weekend. reza and i used to go to asheville all the time, esp. in fall. our weekends typically included primitive camping, hiking, and loads of beer drinking, coffee drinking and food consumption at various asheville establishments. *sigh* those were the days...

although this trip was NOTHING like that, we did have a great time! we visiting with great friends who have a beautiful house in the most fantastic location that asheville has to offer. the kids were wonderfully behaved and loved the freedom to run and roam. we mostly played around the lake but did take a short trip into downtown to indulge in some cupcakes (have i mentioned that i am pregnant and will gladly eat cupcakes whenever they are available?) and browse a few shops. it was a wonderful little trip.

ada exploring her cupcake. she ONLY eats icing, leaving delicious cake to be eaten by ME!

yummy!
my little man. he is such a little guy, not much of a baby anymore! good thing since we will have another little baby in just a couple months!

cheeeeeese!

li loved the boats.

and ada loved the spiderwebs. she begged me to take numerous pictures of her with webs in front of her face.

lias will do anything ada does. ada does NOT always approve of his copying!

could i ask for them to be any more handsome? i am so lucky!

this picture is totally unrelated, but one of ada's classmates gave elias a frog costume. could a cuter frog exist? i don't think so! he is way too cute, and luckily he is just as sweet as he is adorable! btw-- this is my dining room. we have some major work to do, seeing that we are hosting both thanksgiving and christmas at our house!! anyone have a dining room table they are looking to sell?

a festive fall weekend

before i had children, i always loved springtime. the flowers bloomed, the weather warmed, and hibernating animals (and people) came out of their holes. it was my favorite season. however, after having children, i would have to say that fall is my favorite season of all. i love it! apple picking, pumpkin patches, crisp air, chilly mornings, all make me so excited for halloween and thanksgiving (and of course my little lias' birthday!)

this weekend we had a fabulous weekend surrounded by family and fall activities. it reminded reza and i of why we decided to move back to north carolina and be close to the people we love! the kids had so much fun visiting, first with their uncle kareem, then their nande and poppi, and then their auntie shannon and uncle brendon. pumpkin picking, tractor riding, hay stacks, fast slides, cotton picking, farm animals, corn pits, and cook outs. it couldn't have been better!