Happy Halloween!

Today is Evelyn's first Halloween and tonight will be Lane's first time trick or treating.  We are all very excited for tonight's events.  Lane is going as a Racecar Driver and Evelyn as an Angel. Both costumes suit each child well.  Lane chose his own costume this year and we were not surprised his costume was car related.  He has a mild obsession with cars, trucks and motorcycles.

Yesterday I did a photo shoot with Evelyn dressed in her costume.  It was a beautiful day and we both enjoyed being outside.  As you can see from the photos, she was a dream to photograph.  As a natural angel she had no problem pulling off that costume.

I hope everyone has a spooky fun Halloween.  More Halloween photos and adventures to come.

To see more photographs from this shoot please visit;  http://www.flickr.com/photos/ewhitaker/

10 Amazing Things About Evelyn Ann

Ten things that are amazing about Evelyn Ann.  Well, there are way more than ten, but to keep this posting fairly short I'm focusing on ten things.

1.  She has smiled since the day she was born.

2.  Her eyes are two different colors, one blue, one brown.

3.  She can keep a drum beat.

4.  She thinks her big brother is hilarious.

5.  She has a sophisticated palette for being only 9 months old.  The other night she ate chicken fajitas.

6.  She has the world's most kissable cheeks.

7.  She has a special little strawberry colored birth mark on her sweet little belly.

8.  She is smiling every time I get her up from her crib after she's been sleeping.  Seriously, every time.  She could be crying and as soon as I go in there to get her she is all smiles.

9.  She can dance!

10.  She is absolutely perfect in every way possible and amazes me everyday!

Carving Pumpkins

We carved our pumpkins on Sunday!  We decided to try our hand at patterns this year.  Justin and Lane picked up a pumpkin carving kit that came with a book of carving patterns.  Lane chose the scary face and Justin chose the haunted house.  As we started, Lane was very interested in all the sharp tools and eagerly watched as Justin carved out the top.  Then it was time to remove all the mushy gushy pumpkin insides.  Lane was concerned about getting messy so he opted out of this part.  I helped Lane tape the pattern on the front of the pumpkin and then began the transferring.  Justin did the same for his pumpkin and then the intense carving began!  Once we finished we patiently waited until dark and then lit the pumpkins up to examine our handy work. We were all thrilled and some of us were impressed with the results.  Next year we may have to carve more than two pumpkins.

So Long Saxon

Today Justin sold his motorcycle, which is bitter sweet.  Justin and I have a few very fond memories with this bike.  My favorite memory is when he picked me up for our first date, riding up on this motorcycle.  I was very impressed, excited and a little nervous because my seat was a small cushion suctioned cupped to the back fender.  When Justin handed me a helmet I noticed it had a sticker on the back, which read: "gas, grass or ass, nobody rides for free" and Justin said that didn't apply to me, that I could ride for free.  We got on and I held on for dear life and we rode off.  We rode that bike everywhere that summer and enjoyed the ride together. 

This bike is a beauty and so much fun, but it doesn't fit into our family orientated lifestyle so we had to let it go.  So long dear Saxon your adventures on the open road will continue with your new owner.

Room Full of Rainbows

There is a certain time of day when the staircase and surrounding areas fill with rainbows. Sunlight shines through a decorative window above the staircase at just the right angle and creates tons of little rainbows.  We just happen to be walking up the stairs when the rainbows came out.  We ended up hanging out on the staircase for about 30 minutes just enjoying the show and chasing the rainbows.

Banana Muffins

Lane baked banana muffins today.  They were simply delicious!  The recipe is from Tori's collection, which came from Mawmaw.  The recipe is very simple and very delicious. 

Makes 12 Servings

Ingredients:

3 large ripe bananas

1 c sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 c flour

1 ts baking soda

1 ts baking powder

3/4 ts salt

1/3 c vegetable oil

1/2 c walnuts; optional

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place cupcake papers in tin.  Mash bananas in large bowl.  Mix in sugar and egg.  Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add to banana mixture alternately with oil.  Stir in walnuts.  Fill tins 2/3 full.  Bake until golden and tester comes out clean...approx 25-30 minutes.

We love these muffins around here and they don't last long.  I don't add the walnuts and I usually put in a 1/4 cup of vanilla yogurt or applesauce into the mixture, but recipe still delicious as is.  Hope everyone is having a great day.

Pool Side in October

Today during Evie's nap, Lane and I decided to hang out by the pool.  It was a beautiful day that was nice and warm in the sun.  There was not a cloud in the sky and many beautiful fall colors surrounded us.  As I relaxed by the pool with my trusty baby monitor, Lane made a "cake" and had much fun with the umbrella.  At one point in time he was using the umbrella as a water pen of sorts.  He was dipping the pole into the water and drawing circles on the cement.  Such a resourceful child.

Lane has been very busy this past week, his imagination is really taking off, which I love and totally encourage.  He pretends that a plastic bin is a car and the lid to his blocks is a steering wheel.  He has also built a garage for all his "big" cars and trucks.  He is also very into making tents and getting rides on blankets or in laundry baskets.  And just yesterday he said that his bear had "poopies" and he asked for my help to change his bear's diaper.  What a sweet little care taker.

Evelyn has been busy too.  She is now mobile, she has her own version of crawling.  She seems to combine scooting, with reaching, rolling, creeping and sitting to get to where she wants to go.  All this new found mobile freedom has increased her appetite.  I bought a food mill a few months back and she loves pretty much anything that I grind up for her.  She has never been into eating the normal baby cereals or even baby food, so this little food mill has come in handy.  It's so nice that she can eat what we eat.

"Leaves are falling all around"

Earlier last week Evelyn, Lane and I were outside enjoying the perfect temperature, Georgia fall weather.   While we were outside I couldn't help but notice all the beautiful leaves around us.  I had brought my camera out to take some shots of the kids and I found myself photographing the leaves that surrounded us.  

Fall has always been my favorite season.  The air gets a little crisper and the leaves are consistently changing color and falling.  It's also a time to wear sweaters and make a special trip to the cider mill, two things I love to do.  Unfortunately Georgia doesn't have many cider mills, so this year I settled for a gallon of cider from Costco.  Doesn't nearly compare to the cider mill, next year I'll have to think of something better. Autumn in Georgia is a little different than in Michigan.  The leaves hang on a little bit longer here, just this week they have really started to fall.  I must admit one difference that I'm enjoying is the warmer weather, just this weekend it's dipped below 70.  I've come to realize that no matter what state I live in the fall always makes me feel warm and cozy.

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderfully breathtaking season!

Ahoy, Treasure!

A few days ago Lane and I made a special trip to the thrift store.  This was Lane's first thrifting experience.  We found a couple hats, a helmet and a vest suitable for dress-up attire.  As we made our way towards the isle with all the little statues, lamps and other treasures, Lane spotted an elephant.  As we came up to the elephant we discovered it was a unique little lamp.  Lane was pointing, saying "eltint" (elephant) and doing his impression of an elephant, which involves a loud screeching sound.  He was very excited to have found this treasure!  The elephant is one of Lane's favorite animals, so naturally he had to have this lamp.  

Yesterday Lane was helping Justin in the attic.  They were just re-arranging storage items to make more space.  During this process Lane discovered a light cover and some goggles.  I was very proud to see Lane immediately put the light cover on his head to wear as a hat.  Such an innovative child.  I love that he used his imagination and found a purpose for such a random object.  And before we knew it, daddy was sporting the look too!  You never know what kind of treasures are to be found in an attic.