Oktoberfest

In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines

Lived twelve little girls in two straight lines

In two straight lines they broke their bread

And brushed their teeth and went to bed.

They left the house at half past nine

In two straight lines in rain or shine-

The smallest one was ...

The instant I saw this picture on Pinterest I knew Esther positively had to be Madeleine for Halloween.  My mom and sister helped me figure out how to create the costume, which I made for around $5.

  Even better, my friend Sammy had a perfect nun's habit which made it possible for me to dress up as Miss Clavel (the nun who runs Madeleine's school).  

If only I could have found a golden retriever costume so Chris could have dressed up as Genevieve... 

 Sometimes picture taking can be a challenge, hence the tiny box of candy in Esther's fist.Even then, it's no guarantee.

As you can see, Esther was anxious to get out the door with her cousins so we could go trick-or-treating together.  Trick-or-treating with Esther was an absolute delight.  At first, she was nervous of all the strangers at the door and I had to hold her bag an get the candy for her.  But as she came to understand  that these strangers were giving her treats, her attitude about the whole business quickly improved.  She clutched her bag in an iron grip, shouted "TREAT" along with the other trick-or-treaters, carefully chose her prize from the offering bowl, said "thank-you" often, and ran as fast as she could after her cousins to the next house.  Her bag was getting so heavy it was dragging on the floor, but if Chris or I ever offered to help carry it for her, we were firmly rebuffed. 

1 tiny box of pink nerds

+

1 late night trick-or-treating

+

3 whoppers (malt balls)

+

1 blue m&m peanut

= 

Time for bed!

But it was so worth it. 

Another fun event was our church's annual Halloween carnival complete with games, cider, face painting, and even a photo booth. The secret to a successful night=individual bag of popcorn.  Esther munched mostly happily all night without crying (even though it was late) and without eating the candy.  Brilliant.

A bit hesitant about this face painting business.

 Tricycle races

Those who hadn't read Madeleine were rather shocked that I dressed up as a pregnant nun.  Keeps them guessing I suppose... 

 Our friends Holly and Jason invited us to their 7th annual Halloween organ concert.  Holly graduated from BYU in organ performance and played a fun mix of music ranging from Schubert's Earlking to Pirates of the Caribbean. Moreover, she played in a spectacular Frankenstein costume which made it that much more spooky.

 Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!  

I celebrated November 1st by listening to Christmas music all day and didn't feel the least bit guilty. 

Autumn

If I were to have a favorite season, I would choose autumn.  Just look at this picture my little camera took just a few minutes from where we live - 

...isn't it glorious?   I love autumn because it is my time to restart life, get organized, and live more purposefully.  During autumn I am happy in the moment, but I'm surrounded by happiness on all sides--the excitement of Thanksgiving and Christmas is around the corner, but summer bliss isn't forgotten.  I love the fall wardrobe that is cool enough for cozy sweaters like Esther's red cable knit 

but it isn't so cold as to require thermals and puffy coats. 

Perhaps most of all, I love fall food and have been taking full advantage of the season.  You'll notice that my Yumprint timeline...

  ...has a disproportionate amount of pumpkin, cinnamon, apple, and nutmeg. 

Here are some recent favorites.

 Pumpkin Pie Millet Porridge, 

Baked Spiced Butternut Squash (don't have a photo, but it's a joyous combination of squash, apple and maple syrup. More of a dessert really.)

 

Pumpkin Muffins

and what is fall without Libby's Pumpkin Pie?

 

 Mine had a GLUTEN FREE crust that actually tasted and looked respectable. Thanks to my mother-in-law for the recipe suggestion!

I love fall adventures like the one we had a couple weeks ago at Craven Farm.  It's a fairly elaborate pumpkin patch complete with corn maze, scenic vistas, and all sorts of figurines made out of pumpkins and corn stalks.  Darling.

Finally, Esther proudly presents her first fall craft: leaf painting using bubble wrap on butcher paper.  Somehow she managed to get the paint up her arms, on her face, and in her hair (you'll notice in the pictures she's still wet from the bath).  But it was a success and the leaves are really quite festive.

 I couldn't resist taking/sharing this picture.  Just another morning routine of kissing daddy goodbye on his way to work, but the heels add a nice touch, don't you think?

Utah Visit

My parents were in Utah for General Conference and other meetings, which means Esther and I positively had to visit.  I loved seeing Esther warm right up to Grandpa and Grandma (aka "graw-graw"), play with cousins Claire, Isaac, William, and John John.   It was so lovely spending time with two ladies I dearly love--my mom and sister Mindy--planning Christmas, going to fabric stores, taking walks, and lots of talking.  We were lucky to meet my sister-in-law Colleen for lunch at Gourmandise (yummy French cafe in Salt Lake), and later that night she and Rob came over to visit.  I even got to see my Aunt Ilona and a dear friend since 8th grade, Adrianne.  It was gorgeous weather and the flight was short.  All in all, a successful visit!

September

September has been a happy month.  It began with the birth of our adorable niece, Cora Mae Dyer, the 5th little one for the amazing Amber and Wes. We loved being here to help welcome this sweet little lady. Esther is especially taken with her new cousin and is very sweet and mostly gentle with baby Cora.  She gives her sweet kisses and pats her head while repeatedly saying, "it's a baby!"  I think this bodes well for baby brother's future.

The other fun part about a new baby is that it meant we got a visit from Grandma Crittenden for 2 whole weeks and a week long visit from aunt Julie (Chris's little sister), cousin Bristol, and baby Nate.  Sadly I don't have pictures to document our fun chats, games, yummy-food-eating, crochet/knitting fest, and loving with 8 little kids (5 of which were under 4).   Can't wait to see you all again at Christmas!

Our other updates are not nearly so exciting, but here they are:

• Coming up on pregnancy week 23 and doing well. Love feeling baby brother move and kick!
• Esther thinks she is big.  She talks up a storm (I lost count at 50 words), says things like "no! and "mine!" open the fridge and get some cheese, and go down the slide backwards or head first.
• Esther's measurements are in the 97% for her weight (no surprises here) and a shockingly low 78% for height.  This explains why my 1 1/2 year old has to wear size 5 diapers,  2T or 3T tops and why her 2T pants have to be cuffed several times so they don't drag on the ground. 
• Esther wakes up hungry, but rather than ask for food like she used to, she now asks specifically for cheese...hence the size 5 diapers, etc.  

• Esther LOVES stuffed animals (aka. "babies") and requests them every night before she goes to bed.  

Daddy's daily send-off to work.

1. Give kisses through the glass door.

  2. Watch dad get on his bike.

3. Blow kisses and say "bye daddy" while watching him ride away.

• I am starting to knit.  Really, I should say re-starting because I did knit a scarf for my brother when I was in 7th grade but it wasn't much to look at.  Anyway, I began with a grey wool hat for Esther.  It was both fun and frustrating to make, but I'm learning lots and I especially love that knitting is very mobile and repetitive enough that I can knit while watching Esther, talking, etc.