The Hat

In May, watching for THE HAT on a awards show (I can't remember which one it was that time)

In August, my cousin Denisse and her new husband Dennis came out from Nashville to visit so we could all meet her new husband.
We were all excited to meet the newest addition to the family...and the boys wanted to see his HAT!!

Here is Joshua trying on THE HAT

Joshua, THE HAT and Dennis

Nathaniel and THE HAT (he wouldn't sit by Dennis for a picture...he decided to be shy that afternoon)

Now, you might wonder what is so exciting about a HAT.  Well, Dennis plays bass for a well-known country music group and he almost always wears a HAT.  Since the background is often shadowy, and we hadn't met him in person yet, just pictures, the kids (especially Nathaniel) learned to look for THE HAT.  And when we'd watch all the different music awards shows, or taped shows where they performed and the singers were interviewed, we'd always look for Dennis, and THE HAT helped us find him (Brian could tell by the guitar...to me, all guitars look like, well, guitars so that didn't help). The kids were happy to meet him in person and see one of THE HATS he wears in person, but also thought he was pretty cool because he played with them. Little Miss Shyness, even let him pick her up and hold her when they were outside playing!

Grace is TWO!!!

I was going to give her the scarf at Christmas, but she's been on a shoes, scarf and purse kick lately, so I finished knitting it in time for her birthday.

She has decided lately that she doesn't like cake (crazy child) and only likes ice cream.  So I made her an ice cream cake...she was very happy and liked to tell people she was having an ice cream cake.

She likes chocolate a little bit...don't know where she gets that from!

We found a bunch of the bags leftover from her baby shower in the sewing room...and a few had Pooh on them (she's been on a Winnie the Pooh kick lately too) so it was perfect timing...especially since they have handles which make them into purses which are one of her true loves right now...so I wrapped everything and then put them in the leftover bags...heaven for this little girl!

I made her a quilted baby cradle for her babies...one of these days I'll get my old doll cradle redone for her, but this one she can't flip over and use to climb up onto higher things :)

The boys didn't care that she'd gotten doll stuff...they were happy to play with her :)

It's only been a couple of weeks since her birthday, so I'm not too far behind :)

Pumpkin Patch!

i know it is blurry - i was too far away - but i liked her cute expression

sun in my eyes mommy

Yes! There's a local pumpkin patch this year :)  Grace has never been to one, and I don't think Nathaniel really remembers going to one (other than by seen pictures).  After soccer pictures Saturday morning, we stopped on our way home.  Joshua's teacher and her husband are the ones that operate & own it.  Gorgeous pumpkins!  I'd taken sweaters for all three kids to wear in hopes that I'd get a good picture to put in Christmas cards in a couple of months.  We'll see if I get a better one later since Grace did not want her picture taken and Nathaniel has a habit of not looking anywhere near the photographer.  It was almost too warm for sweaters (all knit by great-grandma Darlene), but they looked cute.  The weather was clear and warm.  (Unlike today where it has poured, we were without power for about 4 hours and the kids came home from school half an hour after it started and it's still cool and cloudy).  Nathaniel got to play with his friend/teammate/classmate Lucy again (they'd just seen each other at soccer pictures, but you'd have thought they hadn't seen each other in ages).  I should've taken a picture of Joshua with his teacher...duh.  Oh well, maybe next time.

Wickedly Cute

Her shirt says it all...she has been exhibiting a little bit of an attitude lately (okay, more than a little bit).  Last week she decided she was going to wear my shoes...and she actually let me take pictures (not the case the next day as you can see by the last picture!)  She is obsessed with stickers...and loves to stick them EVERYWHERE!!!  I call her my sticker artist :)

Soccer begins...

Nathaniel is playing soccer for the first time this year.  He is one of two boys on his team (there are three girls on his team as well).  They're team name is BLUE JETS.  He's had two games so far - both in Fort Jones.  Yesterday's game here in Etna was cancelled due to rain (but he'd have missed it anyway since he has a cold).  He seems to like it, but doesn't always pay attention to where the ball is going. 

This is Joshua's third year playing soccer - his team is the Lions. He is playing really well this year - a huge improvement over last year (he's finally paying attention to where the ball is!)
He's not the smallest on the team for once!
He likes to play goalie.
He's had three games so far...and his is in Etna tomorrow night as well!  The one and only time all season (ie the month of October) that both boys have games in the same place.  Luckily their schedules only overlap on Thursdays so we can divide and conquer and have a parent at each game.  Tuesdays Brian is on afternoon/evening rotation for class but only Nathaniel has games on Tuesdays.  Joshua's other games are on Friday.

No, she's not playing soccer.  But had to include a picture of Grace as well.  She is two now...hopefully in the next few days I'll get some birthday pictures up.  This was taken a couple of weeks ago at Great Grandma Darlene's wearing what they call "The Turkey Hat". Grace insists on wearing this hat of Grandma's when they go throw out corn for the turkeys on the hillside.  She looks so cute in it :)