Pumpkin carving

Here is the Smith family pumpkin. I thought it would be fun to try carving a pattern this year. It ended up with me carving the pumpkin for much of the morning while the kids watched TV. It was a near catastrophy because so little of the cat is left connected to the remaining pumpkin. Matt reinforced it later with toothpicks. We carved it yesterday, and it's already shriveled quite a bit since the photo was taken.

Lily wasn't sure about putting her hand in the pumpkin at first but quickly became an enthusiastic participant, as you can see by the motion I couldn't avoid in the 4th picture. Don't worry--the knife Lily has in the last photo is a safety knife.

Potty fun

Last Wednesday I got out the kids potty seat for Lily to start playing around with. She thought it was wonderful and even peed in it twice. After the first small time, she was so excited to get an M&M reward that she quickly cranked out some more. Unfortunately that was all she's managed so far. She's not really interested in sitting now, and that makes it hard. She wants the candy, but hasn't figured it out yet. She can hold it a long time. So this weekend she would go whenever I had to put a diaper on her (highchair, naptime...). Camille is very enthusiastic because I told her that she could have an M&M whenever Lily gets one for using the potty. Camille is Lily's cheering section and constant encourager. It's funny. The bottom picture doesn't capture the excitement of the two of them dancing what Camille calls the "Tee Tee dance."

"Fuzzy"

Fuzzy is a rabbit who has adopted our grass beside the driveway as his bed. He only likes to stay there when the crabgrass weed gets high. Sometimes when we get home late we'll see him already there for the evening, and then he'll still be there when we leave for school/work in the morning. Both girls, especially Lily, are thrilled by this. I don't let them go on the grass toward him, but they can get a pretty close look and he doesn't run off. He's hard to see in the second picture, but he's between their heads. Camille named him Fuzzy after I discouraged naming him after kids in her class.

Another Camille funny: Last week the preschool kids had a mock presidental election and the results were posted on the classroom door. When I asked Camille about McCain and Obama, she said "Both of these men really want to be pregnant!" (She means president.)

Baylor football!

It's even fun for the grown-ups to go to the Baylor football games when they win! Camille and Lily had a great time, as usual, though Lily was fussy from taking a very abbreviated nap. I was surprised that Lily was interested in sitting in Bruiser's lap. They watched him coming with excitement, and he was really good with the kids (waving from a distance and flirting with them).

Lily and Camille had fun playing dress-up at Gigi's house and then admiring themselves in her full-length mirror.

From Camille's birthday

Look at those brown eyes!
Here are 2 more pictures from Camille's brithday celebration with the Alstons/Phillips, also celebrating her great grandparent's anniversary.

Lettuce prayer

Matt is out of town tonight. As usual at supper the girls and I said our "God is Great..." prayer. At the end Camille asked why "lettuce" is in our prayer:)

Camille's 5th birthday!

Camille really felt like a princess at her 5th birthday party. She held her hands high in the air while everyone sang Happy Birthday. Excitement was practically squirting out her ears! That wild face in the third picture was really how she looked. Everyone thought it was too funny!

Camille's birthday

Camille's 5th birthday was Sept 19th. She had a party with many of her school friends at The Little Gym, and everyone had a blast! It couldn't have gone better.

Baylor football

Camille thinks that the reason to attend a Baylor football game is to dress in her cheerleader dress and eat popcorn. Lily tried popcorn and decided it was delicious. We may need an extra box next time.

Yes, we're still here!

It's been so long since I've posted pictures that I'm ashamed to say these pictures are from August.

My girls love olives and they love to put them on their fingers. Strange that kids who are such picky eaters love spinach and olives!

Papa bought this trailer to go behind the bike. They love to ride over to the park!
Camille and Lily have become sweet playmates. They do some imaginative play, including building beds and putting each other to sleep. Lily loves her tall chair to sit at the kitchen table but we can still only bring it out on a limited basis because she nearly tips it over if I'm not watching.