October happenings

October seemed to fly by. We stayed pretty busy, especially with Andrew having 2 different weekend classes and out of town about 7 days (2 business trips and 1 trip to the BYU law fair to recruit for Akron).

I started the month throwing a baby shower for my friend Emily. We had a great turnout and some good fun girl time. She had her baby 6 weeks early so I just wanted to keep the shower low key. We were able to just chat and not play any silly games



We didn't play any games, but I typed these up and had everyone fill one out. My sister gave me the idea and I think it is really sweet and a great keepsake.

I didn't remember to take pictures until the very end, so that's why the food is all gone :) I saved the decorations for Eleanor's birthday and she was so excited to see the little pom poms still hanging up every morning until her birthday.


Next up was Akron's homecoming. We did some tailgating with Zippy and then went over to the football game. The weather was awesome and the girls had a great time!



Go Zips!





Next: Penelope got sick, then Eleanor got sick (so sick she didn't even want her ice cream cone).

Of course this happened while Andrew was out of town. My kids rarely get sick, but it seems like every time they do Andrew is out of town.

Next: Penelope's been brushing up on her math skills. (She gets it from her mama)


Next: I finally convinced Eleanor to wear pants. Even if it was just jammies, I consider it a huge victory. She has insisted on wearing just skirts (and was even reluctant to wear tights underneath). She says she's hot all the time and still won't wear long sleeve shirts or socks. She'll put on a jacket/hoodie when we go places but it comes off the minute we get inside. And sometimes she'll even pull it off in the car claiming she's too hot! After she got sick I told her she needed to wear pants to keep her legs warm and keep germs away, so I think she's slowly coming to terms with it.
On our way to the church for young women's...


Next: Enjoying the last few weeks we'll be able to play at the park. Let's hope the snow will stay away a little bit longer.


Next: Eleanor's birthday party, I think I'll post about that later. But here's a glimpse at all the girly bugs.


Next: We met up with Andrew for lunch on campus and discovered that he's famous. (This is a new mural they just put up on the wall when you walk into the business building)
Where's Waldo?



Next: Trunk or treat. I had to help with a game/booth and Andrew had class that night so I didn't get a chance to take any pictures of the girls. Eleanor was, of course, a princess and Penelope wore some skeleton jammies. I think it goes without saying that the girls loved all the sugar! At one point I noticed Penelope had a dum dum stuck in her hair and I found myself wondering, "how long has that been there?" haha It is so fun to watch them have fun!
(I stole this picture from my friend. These are Eleanor's buddies, Brenden and Kyleigh, who live down the street.)


Next: Law School Halloween Party. Just in case everyone didn't get enough sugar at Trunk or Treat, we headed over to the Law school for a fun little family Halloween party. You can't go wrong with a spacewalk (aka bounce house/jump house), cupcakes, candy, popcorn, pizza, cotton candy, games and prizes. Here's Penelope enjoying her cotton candy...

Taking a break with some cupcakes...


So that's how our October unfolded. And now it's November and that means my sister Laura is coming to visit tomorrow!! We are so excited!

Luckily I have a camera on my phone!

So I'm embarrassed to admit that the pictures from Penelope's birthday were the last pictures I took on my camera. But I have been taking pictures using my phone as we're out and about or even just hanging around the house. So just ignore the bad quality of these pictures if you're interested in seeing what we've been up to for the past couple of months :)

For starters, on Penelope's actual birthday we went to a train festival/rib cook-off. We each paid a dollar or two for a train ride (it was like a real passenger train) that consisted of 10 minutes loading and unloading and about 5 minutes of actually riding on the tracks at about 5 MPH. So Andrew and I weren't very impressed, but Eleanor and Penelope were loving it!


Penelope is 1!



After de-training we headed over for some ribs and corn.

They also had a cute little old train for the kids to play on. I think Eleanor could have spent the whole day playing on it.

And of course Penelope wanted in on the fun

On a side note, here's Penelope giving her baby hugs. She is such a sweetie!

A balloon and some cotton candy for the ride home and we are good to go!

Next up: the zoo. Before summer ended we headed to the zoo with our friend Katherine before she had to go back to school. She is a great helper and so good with the girls (kind of makes me wish I had a 10-year-old sometimes!) They just love her!

Next: Penelope got Hand Foot Mouth Disease. This picture is at the doctor's office and I think it is so indicative of my kids personalities. First, Eleanor is wearing a crown, she can't leave home without some type of princess paraphernalia; Second, Eleanor's "dog" Cookie is with us (you should see her "walking" him down the hall), she has such a vivid imagination; And third, Eleanor is exploring/probably about to do something she's not supposed to be doing and Penelope watches with great curiosity.

Next: Papi (my dad) sent a birthday package for Penelope and my girls were absolutely delighted.

Next: Time for a beverage.

Next: A visit to Toys R Us. I'd like to think that by taking my kids to Toys R Us and letting them play with the toys and leaving empty handed I'm allowing them to learn discipline and delayed gratification. Haha. I should probably try to be more consistent though, because somehow we ended up leaving Hobby Lobby yesterday with a magic wand and a Dora coloring book that we didn't need!

Doesn't she make a lovely Strawberry Shortcake?

All tuckered out


Next: Story time/music time/art time at the library.


Next: Meeting Dad for lunch at work. Kind of sad that the only picture I have of Andrew from the past 2 months and his eyes are closed. In an attempt to get done with school faster he's going full-time this semester and working. Needless to say, we don't see much of him these days so we try to meet up for lunch at least once a week.


Next: Hanging around the house. This is usually what both of these girls can be found doing. Penelope playing with dolls and/or purses. And Eleanor gathering stuff from all over the house in her shopping cart (kind of like a homeless person, now that I think about it haha).


Next: Dress up. I don't think a day goes by without Eleanor dressing up as something or someone. Here she is as a doctor. I think she's spot on. She's got a clipboard (back of a picture frame she disassembled), stethoscope (cable chord), doctor coat (hooded towel), and dress shoes (mom's shoes).

Luckily we have some good friends down the street and Eleanor is quick to make her self at home there. I think she loves using her imagination with new toys and things at their house. Not sure what she's dressing up as here, maybe an underwater firefighter? And notice her plastic grocery bag filled with things from all over their house. I told you, this is her thing, she's a gatherer!


Next: Apple orchard. For playgroup we went to an apple orchard and they had a fun little hay maze that the girls loved. Even Penelope got in on the fun and actually found her way out before Eleanor did. I think Eleanor was just having too much fun running up and down the aisles screaming and giggling with her friends.

Then we went and picked some apples.

And you guessed it, Penelope didn't waste any time getting her hands on an apple!

Next: Coloring time. I'd say Eleanor's art is a little abstract with a touch of minimalism. She'll use each color and draw just a little squiggle with each one. It is so neat to see how her little brain works. And Penelope is happy to just bite the tips off of the markers when I'm not looking.

So, do you feel like you've relived our last couple of months? It's a lot of work and super exhausting being with these two girly bugs all day everyday but I think we have a pretty good time together!

Birthday Girl!

Obviously I have a lot of catching up to do. But I decided Penelope deserves her own post for her birthday (which was over a month ago)!

It is so fun to see Eleanor and Penelope play together








I cannot believe it has been a year since we brought her home from the hospital. She has brought so much joy into our family. She is beautiful in so many ways! She has the cutest little face and the most beautiful eyes. Everywhere we go people let me know that her eyes are huge. Her smile can light up any room. She has a huge capacity to love. She forgives Eleanor all day and is so quick to give her hugs when she is crying or mad. Most times Eleanor thinks Penelope is coming in for an attack and tries to run away, but it's just Penelope being such a sweetheart and wanting to give her hugs and kisses. It seems like Eleanor needs a lot of my attention these days and Penelope is so patient, she just watches and waits her turn as I help Eleanor.

She loves food and when she sees food and wants to eat it she makes the funniest little noise. Turns out she's lactose intolerant so we've had to give her soy milk and she loves it. She is so proud to finish her bottle and hold it out to me and say her version of "all done".

She loves dogs. She loves shoes and wanders around the house most of the day looking for different shoes to try on. She likes Mickey and Minnie, and especially Dora. Dora is definitely not my favorite kids show, but when I hear Penelope say D-D-D-Dora, I'm happy to put it on for her!

She also loves her baby. It is so cute to watch her give her baby hugs, she is so sweet to her little baby doll. I can't wait to see her be a big sister one day, I think she will be so excited and be so sweet.

One of my favorite things about Penelope is that she is a little cuddle-bug. She loves for me to hold her and she just clings right on and gives me big hugs. I'm so grateful that she is mine! We really love having her in our family!