November 4

Caleb went back to school today, but it was a late start day, so we got to have a slow morning. Chris even stayed home a bit later than normal because OUR NEW FRONT DOOR WAS DELIVERED!

I mean, it still needs to be installed and all. But we have it and it's here! And the guy forgot to order our storm door. And we still don't have an installation date set. 

BUT WE HAVE A NEW FRONT DOOR (wrapped in cardboard, sitting in our garage)!!!!

I'm stoked. Can you tell?

After we got Caleb on the bus, the little ones and I enjoyed some time out on the deck. It was in the 60s and gray, which is actually kind of lovely.

I am seriously falling in love with my 50mm lens all over again. That said, I got the email today with a repair estimate for my big lens. I authorized it, and hopefully they will begin fixing it tomorrow. If magic happens, I could have it back as early as Saturday! More likely, it will be mid-next week. Still, that's really fast, and it's a good thing. I finally got the nerve to create a Facebook page for my new photography business and share it with my friends, and I suddenly have a whole lot of interest. Unfortunately, as much as I love my 50mm lens, I really need my big lens to do family photo shoots. I'm on hold until the big guy returns to me.

And Eli... he is so squishy and looks so stationary there, but he is absolutely mobile. Kid army crawls down the hall, out of a room, into another room, peeks his head around corners when I call his name. It is really hilarious and fun, and I am in love with this stage.

Also, his language has exploded in the past week. One week ago at his nine-month checkup, he was not babbling or repeating sounds; now he is "ba ba ba ba"-ing and making all kinds of noises. It is wonderful and reassuring and I am so thankful.

He is curious and busy and I love it!

And this girl. She is such a stinker. She is currently walking that fine line between Adorable Snuggly Little Thing and Miss SassyPants Terrible Twos. She has also turned a corner in the past week or two, and we are getting more and more tantrums and whining as she begins to assert her independence. Thankfully, she is adorable and sweet 90% of the time and only whiny and awful about 10% of the time. I can handle that.

She is seriously hilarious. I am toying with the idea of beginning potty training, but she still doesn't seem interested. She spent about an hour with no diaper on today, and she had so much fun hiking her pants up above her belly button. She totally gets that from her father.

As for Daisy... 

Well, she is clearly going to be a challenging teenager, because she is the moodiest four (and a half!) year old I've ever met. Look at her glowering at me!

Pout pout pout.

And then... 

All smiles. Luckily, I'm learning not to take her moods personally. It's just funny how different she is from Caleb, who is usually so even.

At least this guy is happy most of the time.

Oh my goodness. Can you see the little curls above his ear? I so hope he has curly hair!

And then this happened:

She says, "Hey! Watch this, Mom!" and it is totally my new favorite thing that she says. I love it, and I love how she is experimenting with calling me "Mom" instead of "Mommy". I also love when she slides down backwards and immediately says, "I'm okay!" 

That is so Lily's personality. When I fell and broke my leg, I dropped her. She hit the ground, rolled, and popped right back up. She's just that kind of kid, and I am so thankful for that. (Especially with her drama queen big sister to deal with!)

I know that my kids and their personalities all go through seasons, and they are all trying and challenging at different points. Right now, sweet Lulu is our sunshine. She is easy and sweet, especially when the others can sometimes be not so easy and decidedly un-sweet. I sure am thankful for her.