Imagine this stereotypical husband and wife conversation regarding family pictures (it could happen anywhere in the world . . . even Kenmore, WA!).Wife: Honey, don't forget we have family pictures this weekend.
Hubby: (grumbling) Family pictures . . . we have plenty of pictures of the family.
Wife: It will be nice to have ones that are a little more formal, you'll see.
Hubby: (almost pleading) We'll never get the 4 year old to hold still, when we ask her to smile she'll purposely look away.
Wife: She'll be fine, it will be quick.
Hubby: (Thoughtfully) I think it's supposed to rain on Saturday.
Wife: It's not going to rain, and trust me, you will appreciate the pictures later in life.
These are the little conversations that remind me why I love my wife so much. She's almost always way ahead of me on creating "life's little moments", especially with the kids. Not that family pictures is some sort of revelation, but I gaurantee it wouldn't have happened if it was left up to me. Below are a few of the 200+ photos we now have that were taken by someone who actually knows what they are doing.
Sam if finally over his irrational fear of swings! Actually, his fear isn't that irrational. I think he was around 9 months when Audrey decided to help push him. He was midway on his return swing when she (unintentionally) gave him the whiplash push back forward. Trying to stuff his chubby little legs through the bucket swing after that just wasn't going to happen.
Nothing confirms fall is here like roasted corn on the cob at Country Village. Our kids (as I'm sure most) absolutely love the roasted corn, dipped in a huge pot of melted butter, and sprinkled with salt.
Our "pumpkin patch" adventure this year entailed us simply going down to the Yakima Fruit Market on Bothell Way. We felt a bit guilty, but it had absolutely poured for 3 days leading up to it and we knew the local patches would be a mud bath (do I sound like I'm still making excuses?). Oh well, Sam and his buddy don't seem to mind.
Sam is definitely on-task here while Audrey is goofing around. I'm 100% convinced this is a sign of things to come. Audrey's pre-K teacher told Lisa yesterday that Audrey is the little social coordinator in class. I'm also 100% convinced it wasn't a compliment. 
Audrey has been learning the basics of a calendar. You can imagine what the month of October looks like to a 4 year old. You flip the page to a 31 day month, and way at the bottom, on the very last square, is the little pumpkin that signifies possibly the best night of a child's life. Waiting and counting the days was a true test of patience for her. The day is finally here and she is even willing to put an arm around her brother if it speeds up the candy-getting-process. We love her choice of uni-sex costumes (that's a spider if you can't tell). Sam, guess what you're going to be next year? Sorry kiddo, hand-me-downs are a fact of life for the second born.
