And the winner is............

Kinsley Jane! I am honoring her with a blue ribbon for her exhibition of the most dramatic tantrums in the history of the world. She has been equipped with the physical and emotional strength to withstand any disciplinary tactic. She continues to perfect her giftedness with multiple daily episodes. Her passion is unrivaled. She also has the remarkable ability to snap out of such behavior in the blink of an eye and begin acting as if nothing out of the ordinary has occurred. She is able to describe an exact recap of the offensive behavior yet she has no recollection of the emotional drama that was inflicted. I am so proud.

100 acres of pumpkins!

I am pretty adamant that when we go to a pumpkin patch it better be the real deal. I learned the hard way last year that if we stay local the "patches" are more like a glorified grocery store collection. I knew we found what I was looking for when we were given our own pruning shears upon entering the farm. Granted, Kinsley fell into the prickly thorns about twentish times when her feet would get tangled in the vines. Thus, we got to carry giant pumpkins in one arm and kids in the other.

Go Bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S

Hallie has been quite the resistant eater. She has wanted nothing to do with solids. I persevered through the battles with big smiles and encouraging words like, YUMMY and UMMM as though I was enjoying mashed bananas being splattered in every direction. After a couple weeks of torture, she is finally eating like a champ!

She will be singing her ABC's by next month

After 5 months and 44 showings, we have officially taken our home off the market. While difficult, I have total peace about the decision and trust that we will make the best of living in this home for awhile longer. When the For Sale sign came out of the lawn, I decided that I need to move forward with making this house our haven. Many ideas are floating in my head but I began with making a precious addition to Hallie's room.

Nothing beats campfire songs and s'mores

We had a great time up in Winter Park on a church retreat. I had been looking forward to it for months and it did not disappoint! Kinsley woke every morning asking to play with her friends---she had an awesome time running around with all her buddies----so did Ben and I

The Naked Chef

This week has been one of tears and triumphs. Kinsley has been potty training and I am thrilled to report she proudly wears princess panties and no more diapers! It was an exhausting week but so rewarding! Since we stayed home to be near the potty, we painted, played with Play-Doh and did lots of baking. From the front, it looks like any other day helping in the kitchen but from the back there is a more accurate view of how she spent her week.

Odds and Ends

Kinsley had a tumble at the park. Judging by all the drama that followed, I wondered if she would ever walk again. She continues to walk with a limp and constantly reminds us of her ailing knee. Help me.

The best medicine for the injury has been coloring. The girl can color. She will put on her serious face and let the creative juices flow far longer than the average 2 year old.

Hallie's biggest accomplishment has been her sheer strength. She is rolling, sitting up with crazy ab muscles and lifting herself with her biceps. Based on Kinsley's princess-like response to her wound, we are expecting Hallie to be the athlete.

Hallie also continues to fall asleep in the most precious way. Not a nap goes by without her covering her little eyes. i love it.