October 14

Have I ever mentioned how much I love bank holidays?

Because I totally love bank holidays.

(Can you tell that my husband is a banker?)

I especially love bank holidays that have no *real* holiday attached to them. 4th of July, Christmas, Thanksgiving - they all require events with extended family. But Columbus Day? That's just the gift of family time, wrapped up with a big bow! So we celebrated today by going to the pumpkin patch.

It's the same one we went to when Daisy was a baby and when we were pregnant with Daisy. It's also the same one whose fields Chris hoed as a summer job in high school. Needless to say, this pumpkin patch is a part of our family history!

Caleb and Daisy have had some really challenging behavior the past few days, but today they were the delightful children we know they can be. Daisy even allowed Caleb to hold her hand in the parking lot. That has never happened before.

Daisy was so excited to have her picture taken with the creepy pretend Ernie.

Doesn't she look so grown up in her little jacket?

She and Caleb had their arms around each other. First, he gave her a kiss.

Then she gave him one back!

As much as they bicker, these two really do love each other.

How cute are they in the wheel of the tractor?

Caleb and I have been talking about gas and brake pedals a lot lately. I love how he's stretching to reach them here! (I also love his new suede boots, which I found - brand new - at Goodwill for $4.99. Score!)

Steering the tractor together.

Happy to be in a field of pumpkins!

Lest you think we left Lily at home: 

This would have been a really fantastic picture if Daisy had cooperated and agreed to be in the shot. But she's two, so it didn't happen. Caleb, however, was delighted to hold his baby sister for a picture!

My three kiddos. Apparently being in a picture with me is painful for them? That's the only explanation I can come up with for their facial expressions.

These grins were a result of Daddy's knock-knock jokes (found in a book that Grandma got us). The current favorite? 

"Knock-knock. 

Who's there?

 Fire engine.

 Fire engine who?

 Fire engine one and prepare for blast off!"

That one's a winner.

Also a winner? This photo: 

Caleb and Daisy are each holding the pumpkins they chose. Daisy's is white and looks like a ghost; Caleb chose his because it was the closest to red he could find.

Not the best, but it has all of us in it!

And here's Daisy being a typical two-year-old. She's shouting "NO!" because I tried to take her picture. Love her and her spunk!

Later, I was making dinner when I remembered it was our turn to make Play-doh for Caleb's preschool class. Caleb, Daisy, and I started to make it together, but I realized that I didn't have enough Cream of Tartar. So I asked Chris to run to the store for me, and he ended up taking all three kids.

They were about to get in the car when I realized that it was a milestone: Chris' first time taking all three kids somewhere by himself! Of course I had to take a picture. 

Aren't they cute? I love how Daisy is holding Lily's hand.

They had a successful trip, and came back with the ingredients I needed. Caleb and I got to work making the Play-doh. 

(Don't worry - the stove was off!)

Caleb insisted that the Play-doh be red (his favorite color). We used a whole jar of gel food coloring to get the Play-doh the right shade of red!

One last photo: 

We ran out of size one diapers today, so we have officially begun cloth diapering  Lily! We like to start our babies in disposable for convenience sake, then switch to cloth after a few months.

Here's Caleb the day we bought our first cloth diapers:

We hadn't even unwrapped or washed them yet, and he was already excited.

Daisy in her first cloth diaper at just under one month:

See how happy she was?

And now it's Lily's turn!

She's clearly delighted!

 I bought 6 new diapers for Lily, but other than that we'll be using the 12 we bought for Caleb four years ago, and the 12 we bought for Daisy two years ago. I love knowing that we're saving tons of money by cloth diapering, and I love knowing that we're not filling landfills with poopy diapers. And the babies? They just love their diapers. We all win!