five!

 this is what this morning looked like at approximately 6:30am.

this little boy turned five on me.

he doesn't like to smile for pictures.

and that is ok, because i know there will be a day that he will.

he is the toughest kid i know.

not that i am proud of that,

but i sure am proud of him.

so, five things about elias at five:

 he almost never wears a shirt

 he is a hopeless romantic and is already engaged and has practiced "wedding kissing" with said lady

 he loves telephones, even when made of cardboard and tape

 he poops naked

and he has more charisma than any kid, ever.

i sure do love you elias!

happy birthday my boy!

october.

october was busy.

and it didn't stop there.

our weekends have been filled with obligations

both wonderful 

and daunting.

fortunately i am typing this one-handed

and exhausted.

so, 

for the memory books i will mostly include just these pictures. 

without many words, we will all remember these hectic days with fondness.

 this guy is three months.

i adore him more than words could describe.

if only he would sleep...

 these guys love halloween.

ada carved her pumpkin all by herself.

when was seven so grown up?

 elias and i used the drill on the pumpkin.

i got major brownie points with him.

 the wrath of saul finally ended in sleep.

 they all chose their own costumes.

they weren't easy.

i spent alot of time sewing with one hand while nursing a baby

(a skill i am not good at!)

 then we headed to charlottesville, va for beautiful wedding.

it was soooooooo much work.

but so worth it.

 this girl is seriously part monkey.  

 we rented a little house downtown.

seriously, what could be better than getting to jump on the bed without getting disciplined.

 the sky was gorgeous.

 and the kids' table was pretty darn awesome.

 the kids disappeared and we found them on the roof of the garage.

seriously, couldn't they just keep jumping on the bed.

november is proving to be just as full at october.

wish me luck

and sanity

and sleep.