Ada jumps

Ada is quickly developing a fondness for her Jolly jumper.  She often jumps in it for an entire hour at a time.  The older kids have a tough time not grabbing the jumper and making her bounce.  She objects loudly if they try and also if anyone tries to take her out before she is ready.  We snapped a quick video (not sure how to rotate it...).

Halloween 2015

Another Happy Halloween in photos

The kids in costume at Friday night's Halloween party.

These next three pictures really amuse me.  Max, who typically shows no concern over getting his hands dirty, was absolutely disgusted by cleaning out the pumpkin.  This may have been because we sold it to him as "pumpkin brains".We have a million pictures of him making very disgusted expressions.  It was tough to choose only three!

Ada's pastime while we carved pumpkins.

Darwyn was not as disgusted by the pumpkin brains, but she also put on a good show:

To continue last years tradition, we used the hole cutter to help with the pumpkin faces.  Here is Max and dad fitting the male stereotype as they get excited about power tools.  Note for next year: the hole cutting set flings pumpkin everywhere.  Put away the clean laundry before you begin using the power tools.

Dar saw dad securing eyeballs to our pumpkin with toothpicks.
She spent another 20 minutes jabbing her pumpkin all over with toothpicks.

The finished pumpkins.  Max's is on the left, Dar's is in the middle
and Mom and dad's is on the right.  See the lit up versions below.

Our home made front Door Skeleton (courtesy of our new aupair, Jose).
Darwyn wanted to name her 'Fancy Nancy'.  Max wanted 'Max the masher'.
The compromise:  'Nancy the Masher'.

Finally, the video tradition:

The power of a hug

Max was upset.  I can't remember why now, but as I recall it had something to do with "natural consequences".  I was sympathetic and offered him a hug (but not a change in the consequences).

Max stared angrily at me and declared "A hug WILL NOT make it better!"

I shrugged my shoulders.  Max paused then added in a small quiet voice "...but you can give me one anyway."

Max is learning reading, arithmetic, and yahtzee

We have noticed a significant improvement in Max's reading and mathematics abilities in recent weeks.

1. He can now read new words by sounding them out all by himself.  Greta watched him painstakingly read an entire children's book to Darwyn when he thought no one was looking.
2. Max was in the bathroom for a long time.  Greta went to check on him.  He was sitting on the toilet, staring at his hands like a pothead.  "Mom: four and four make eight!"
3. I taught him how to play Yahtzee on my smartphone a few weeks ago.  It was a gong show.  He had no idea what he was doing and I had to instruct him constantly.  More recently, we gave him my phone to keep him busy on a long car trip.  From the back seat we heard constant updates: "I got two sixes!", "I'm under water now!" (That means you're behind on your upper bonus), "I got a full house!"
   I'm so proud of him.  His Yahtzee progress is astounding.  Behold:

** Greta's addition: As a side note, Dar is also absorbing reading at an alarming rate.  She is only three so no one has been trying to teach her, but she's been watching Max and now knows half her letters and sounds out of nowhere.  

Ada rolled over today

Oh yeah.  We have another baby.  She rolled over for the first time today.  Somehow we're not waiting with bated breath for Ada to achieve milestones like we perhaps were with previous children.  We still love her though.