September 24

Have you noticed that I haven't posted for a while? 

Here's what happened:

Way back in June, I bought a new camera. Remember that? I bought a refurbished Canon 60D. Love it. Only it didn't work right. My focus points weren't showing up in my viewfinder, and I saw way too many ERR01 screens. Luckily, there's a 90-day warranty. But since I couldn't stand the thought of being without my camera, I waited.

But finally, when we were safely home from our Florida excursion, I called Canon's customer service. They were great, and on September 21st, I sent my camera in to be repaired. No other camera is up to my standards now, so I just didn't take any pictures for a few days. But finally, my addiction overcame me. Between my phone and my point-and-shoot, I'm back to taking pictures again. And the good news is that my camera should be safely home in just a week or two!

So here's what I've got:

Big news on the car seat front. Caleb is now forward-facing! Though the new guidelines are to keep a child rear-facing until they are two years old, I have kept Caleb rear-facing much longer. It's just so much safer for him. But while we were installing and uninstalling his seat for our travels, I took some time to read the fine print. It's OK for rear-facing up to 35 pounds. And that got me thinking - the last time I weighed Caleb, he was just over 30 pounds. So when we got home, I weighed him, and he clocked in at 33 pounds. It was close enough to make me nervous, so I decided to make the switch.

Now he can see Daisy (and the road) from his seat. Pardon the blurry cell phone pic, but here he's holding her hand. They like to hold hands. 

Also, we're still adjusting to the cool weather back home. In Florida, it was consistently 85 degrees. Here, it's been in the 60s!

Riding his "motorcycle" and pretending to be our neighbor.

Hey, handsome! You match your bike!

This girl's outfit was so funny, I had to photograph it.

Also, notice the glimmer by her nose? She came down with a cold Sunday afternoon. I find it crazy that she handled two airplane rides without getting sick, but catches a cold once we get home.

Also, the tube in her mouth is a Saxoflute, courtesy of Auntie Grace. The kids have been fighting over it like crazy lately. Really, they've been pretty crabby since we returned from our vacation. It seems like every other word I hear is "MINE!" My new policy is that every time I hear "mine", the toy AND the child gets a time-out. We'll see if it works.