A Lovey for Mommy and Daddy???

Being one of the few Saturdays that I didn't have to work, we tried to convince the kids to snuggle in bed with us this morning. But John Caden would have nothing of it---he had already come and gone from our room by 6am and left one of his "puppies" that he had brought in behind in our bed. Anna came in right after John Caden, and not realizing that John Caden had already been in to see us, saw the puppy dimly in the dark and in an excited voice asked, "Mommy!!! Did you and Daddy get a lovey to sleep with just like me and John Caden???" How funny first of all to see her so excited about the idea of Mommy and Daddy now having a "lovey" to sleep with, but then also how cute of her to think we shared it!

Sweet Anna

Wish I knew what thoughts were behind this mischievous smile!

Occasionally, when we're heading out of Anna's bedroom after putting her down at night, she'll say in a quick, sweet, chipper little voice, "Wanna sleep with me for a little bit?" Sometimes she gives the invite to Daddy and sometimes to Mommy. But because she's always been "Miss Independent" and has never been the snugly type, her offer is always irresistible. So last night when she asked, "Daddy, wanna sleep with me for a little bit?," a very tired Tim eagerly agreed. We usually only lie down with her for a few minutes, so realizing that her Daddy was staying longer than usual last night, I overheard her say, "Daddy, why are you sleeping with me so long tonight?" There was no response from Tim. So again she asked, louder this time, "Daddy, why are you sleeping with me so long?" Realizing that her Daddy was sound asleep and evidently feeling that he had outstayed his welcome, she then said, "But Mommy will be sad---Mommy wants you to sleep with her."

A Hike Up the Mountain

Kennesaw Mountain is another one of our family's favorite places to visit. The weather was perfect today for a hike!

One day a picture of me and the kids all smiling, sitting still, looking at the camera WILL be captured, but today was another day that it wasn't!

An Afternoon in the Park

Swift-Cantrell Park in Kennesaw is one of our family's most frequently visited places. We actually call it "the Puppy Park" because the kids love seeing and petting all the dogs there just as much if not more than playing on the playsets.

Anna Talk

Car rides are Anna's favorite time to talk. On the way to dance today she informed me of these things with her serious, matter of fact Anna voice:
"Mommy, when I'm a mommy I won't be able to stay with you anymore. You'll be OK though, won't you?.....But on my wedding day, I'll come and pick you up and take you to my wedding. I'll pick up Daddy and John Caden too and Granna and Poppa. And Gramma and Grampa. Because I'll drive a big van when I'm older."

Overdue Haircut

Having a sensory processing disorder, haircuts are John Caden's absolute least favorite thing to do. I used to try to tackle it myself but when the neighbors began coming out to see what John Caden's screams were about, I realized that it was time for me let a professional attempt it. We tried a children's salon close by, but even the airplane chair, "Cars" movie, and lollipops did not prevent it from turning into a wrestling match. As my last hope, we ventured up to Towne Lake to let "Ms. Allison" have a try. She has been cutting my hair for 10 years and has her own private salon in her basement. Prepared with bubbles, brushes, a ticking timer and a quick steady hand, she was absolutely wonderful with him! Needless to say the drive was worth it! You definitely have yourself a new "client" Ms. Allison! :)

Christmas PJ's in October?

Saturdays usually mean work days for me. (I actually laughingly sometimes call them my "off days" because being a nurse at a hospital often ends up being easier than being a full time mommy to two little munchkins all day at home--of course I wouldn't trade my mommy job for anything in the world). :) After being gone all day though, I never know what I'll find when I return home. Tonight, after stopping at the grocery store on the way home from work, I arrived to two freshly bathed kids in their Christmas pajamas who must have been very hungry! They (along with their Daddy) were devouring the food before I could even get it out of the bags and into the pantry. I, in a similar manner, wanted to eat little John Caden up---he looked so cute in those red pajamas!!! I'm actually glad Tim let him start wearing them in October because now I get to see him in them for two whole months!

Fall is...

Cute orange shirts on my sweet girl.

Fun decorations on the front porch.

Relaxing dinners on the back deck.

"Most Favorite Place"

Taking after her mom, Anna loves going to Lost Mountain Nursery. When we drove up today she squealed and said, "Mom, this is my most favorite place to go!" The owner, Teena, always does a great job of making sure my little ones feel enjoy our visit. Glad I finally remembered to put my camera in to get a picture of "Ms. Teena" and Anna today!

Fun Filled Fall Day

We started our Saturday morning at Barry Patch Farms in Woodstock, GA for a hayride to a pumpkin patch or "poo poo patch" as John Caden called it. :)

Anna, of course, loved every minute of it...

John Caden, on the other hand, was a little more uncertain...

...and kept trying to run away.

Nevertheless, we picked out our favorite pumpkin and brought it home for our front door step decoration.

Later in the day we went to Amber and Mitch's (friends from church) farm home for more fall adventures.

Enjoying Fall

We love fall at the Falkins' house! One of our favorite fall traditions every year is to make pumpkin bread. This year after helping in the kitchen, as the pumpkin breads were baking in the oven Anna and John Caden took off to their own little kitchen in the playroom. John Caden's latest and favorite new word is "What?" (Which, when he says it sounds more like "Whaaa--atttt??" like a combination of an old man who can't hear and a bird squawking). Anyway, I overheard Anna saying to John Caden in the playroom, "We have to turn our oven down so the pumpkin bread doesn't burn." To which John Caden of course responded with one of his "Whaaa-attt's?" So Anna again stated, "We have to turn our oven down so the pumpkin bread doesn't burn!" John Caden again asked "Whaaa--atttt?" Several rounds of this continued, each time with Anna's voice escalating with frustration, "WE HAVE TO TURN OUR OVEN DOWN SO THE PUMPKIN BREAD DOESN'T BURN!!!!" Finally, realizing that it was much too complicated of a sentence for John Caden to ever understand, Anna gave up and stated simply and sweetly, "I love you John Caden, that's all I said, I love you." John Caden must have been satisfied with her answer this time---no more "Whaaa--attt's?" were asked.