And followig the red was the short...

DCP_1205
Originally uploaded by briannetc

This pic is when we were in TX for a bit to visit Brian's family. We had dinner out with some old friends of Brian's and it was a great time. But, the point of posting this pic is two-fold. One, I wanted to show off my short, and I mean really short, hair. This is what happened AFTER my red-hair phase... since waiting for the red to fade out was taking so long, I had the stylist dye it back, which of course you can imagine really over-processed my hair and it was nothing but fuzzy frizz for about two weeks before I gave up and had them cut it all off. I couldn't stand it and thought it would be better to let it all grow back out naturally than try to slick it down and make it "look" nice until it grew back. So, thus began the beginning of the pixie cut. (Although I never quite got the hang of the styling or volume I was hoping for...)

The second reason for posting this pic is to show off the fact that *sometimes* Brian really does wear things that I buy him! Although, I have to admit that when I got him this shirt, it was kind of a gag since I never thought he'd actually wear it outside the house! But, he's more self-assured than I gave him credit for, or maybe he's just proud to show off that I think he's "Mr. Wonderful!"

My red hair - 2003

My red hair - 2003
Originally uploaded by briannetc

Since I can't seem to ever remember to get these photos off of my old Mac that's gathering dust in the basement, I thought I'd use the "blog this" feature from Flickr since it was already posted there. I wanted to post the pic for those of you who hadn't seen me with the red hair and didn't believe I actually did it! And not only did I go red, but I went short and styled too!

It was fun for a while, and I may do it again someday (MAY being the key word there), but for now it's nice to not have the expense of the upkeep!

Loving this fall weather

I took the kids outside to play a little today and immediately felt guilty that we hadn't been outside more this year. But somehow, being outside with an infant just doesn't seem like a lot of fun to me. Pair that with Seth wanting and sometimes needing me to be with him while he plays makes it hard. But today, I put some shoes on Kara, grabbed our walking-toy and headed for the yard. Okay, more like the driveway, but it was beside the yard!

It was the perfect weather - we all had on long sleeve shirts and pants, but the sun was out, the breeze was just right, and the temperature was perfect. Kara enjoyed "standing" up in the walker, and Seth (once he got over his disappointment that I wouldn't let HIM in the walker) played on his tricycle and little play 4-wheeler. He especially liked riding them off the edge of the driveway into the leaves that have accumulated beside the house.

As I watched him play, it made me miss being little. He played in those leaves and had a blast - not even thinking about what bugs might be lurking underneath. When he sat down in them, he was interested in the leaves for the sounds they made and how they looked, not caring about dirt. He wasn't too keen on the bugs that buzzed by occasionally, but I have to say I agree - more because they were mostly all stinkbugs, and I've had more than my fill of those little nuisances this year!

I do hope we have more days like today that we can enjoy before winter really sets in. It sometimes seemed like we spent the summer in a damp kind of haze. (I'm sure it didn't help matters that Seth spent a little over a month of summer in a cast - which obviously limited our outdoor recreation!) So bring on the fall! Leaves, pumpkins, apple cider - here we come!

Seth's "work"

We went to the dollar store the other day and while we were there, Seth saw a bag of pompoms. I had previously bought him a kit from the craft store AC Moore that was a "make your own spider" thing where the body was a big, black, glittery pompom, and you glued on the pipe-cleaner legs and google eyes. He enjoyed that so much (even though daddy did all the glueing) that he just had to have the pompoms from the dollar store.



Being the bad mommy that I am, we haven't actually done anything with them yet, but he's opened the bag and takes them out several times a day to play with them. I think he especially likes the fact that we tell him not to let Kara have them! But soon, I'll have to break down and get the glue out so he can do his "work." Yep, that's what he's been saying - those pompoms are his "work!"

He's stopped several strangers to tell them all about it - and some family members and friends too! Although when he says it, it comes out more like "mom moms" instead of "pom poms" - just in case you get to hear him talk about them!

Oh, and grandparents, don't be surprised if you get a Christmas gift made with lots of glue and "mom moms!"

Check out this gorgeous girl!

Love that hair!

They're a talkative bunch!

My kids just crack me up. I can't wait to hear what little Kara is thinking once she starts to talk. So far she seems to be a big talker - she babbles all the time. She's started saying "da da" a lot, which you can imagine thrills Brian to pieces! Not really any big "ma ma's" yet. I'm still waiting though! One of my favorite "Kara-isms" is when she gets talking and starts saying "diddle diddle diddle." It's just too funny!



Seth is most definitely a talker - I have to say that at least for now he takes after his mommy - he can talk a mile a minute. Except for this new annoying habit he's developed, a kind of stutter (but not really), he can talk up a storm! His new thing seems to be that his brain is going faster than his mouth can keep up, so he throws in a few "zuz a zuz a's" in the middle of his words. Sometimes he'll even tell me "mommy, I don't know the right word!" which is adorable and sad at the same time.

He was talking to various adults tonight at our Mom2Mom's dinner, which was funny. Sometimes he can be so sociable - like he's never met a stranger. The sad part is that between his toddler-voice and the "zuz-a-zuz-a's" it can be really hard for other people (sometimes even US!) to understand him. You kind of just have to pick up on any word you can and try to expand on that!



He says the funniest things though. Just this morning, he said, "Mommy, please can I have candy? Don't say no." He was sure to cover all his bases! And as most parents can relate to, he's also a little parrot. Brian has a saying that drives me nuts - no reason really, except that he says it all the time. Seth copied him the other night, and it just cracked me up to hear this little guy mimicking his daddy's favorite response, "No doubt!" I did have to warn Brian not to teach that one to him though. I don't think I could handle both of them saying it all the time!

Veggie Tales movie event!

This Saturday, October 3rd, Family Christian Stores is hosting a Veggie Tales event! To correspond with the release of the new Veggie Tales movie, they are having a family fun day complete with several showings of the new movie, Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving.

According to the email I got, here's the info:
Saturday, Oct. 3 | one day only
Watch the entire feature at 10 AM, 12 PM and 2 PM at your local store
• A poster and balloon for the first 20 children
• Learn a lesson in giving
• Stickers and coloring pages for all (while supplies last)

If you heard about the new movie, check out the clip below: