Happy Halloween

Trick or Treat! Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat!

Happy Halloween!

A Messy Afternoon

What do toddlers + paint = ? You guessed it... a MESS! But what better afternoon activity to do than decorate our pumpkins from last week's pumpkin patch visit! The weather was perfect, the babies moods were wonderful and I was at peace with letting my little loves enjoy a messy afternoon with poster paint!!!

We all gathered around for pumpkin painting 101!

Could have predicted this... Wylie was very unsure of her hands getting "dirty" with paint!

Soon we were on a successful road to pumpkin painting! A little messy but very engaged!


Wylie was quite the artist this afternoon! Very into her masterpiece!

This is what my dear, sweet little boy did instead!

And why paint pumpkins when you can paint your toy cars?

Again, Wylie worked very dilligently and hard on her work of art!

And when she was "ah dun" (all done) she grabbed the dish towel to wipe her hands off!

LOVE IT!!!

My sweet little man, more was on him than on his pumpkin!

These beautiful pumpkin now sit on our front porch for everyone in our neighborhood to admire as they drive by the house!

Can't wait until next year when Baby Bess can join in on the pumpkin painting fun!

Never A Dull Moment

Calling all WWF fans! Look no further! No longer is there a need to travel long distances and sit in pointless traffic jams just to see you favorite wrestler! 709 is clearly the upcoming hotspot for all your wrestling entertainment desires!

It was just a normal night after a busy weekend. The plan was to settle back into routine and prepare for Monday to begin. However, I should have seen the writing on the wall when I walked into Bess' room and saw this... Invasion of the Toddlers! Beware Baby Bess!

Clearly, this is not what I had in mind for "settling down time" before bed! Gotta love how toddlers have plans of their own in store!

Actually, despite the Spiderman moves demonstrated by my little loves, the Invasion of the Crib was mild. Because, climbing into a crib, developed (somehow) into this...

Again, it is probably evident Wylie was only slightly upset by her brother's energetic nature on this particular evening! Like a move from Monday Night Raw , Wylie Girl did a full reversal!

This is probably where I should have stepped in BUT I couldn't help but stand back and giggle. Not to mention the fact, these two were gut laughing as well. Just when I thought we might need a wrestling break, Wylie (who quite possibly might possibly just maybe have a slight weight advantage) made a peace offering!

But like everything with toddlers, that was short lived!

Finally, Charlie had had enough! The madness of his sister beating up on him had to come to an end! He chose the perfect spot. A spot to really showcase his agility! He knows he is a pro when it comes to climbing the playroom chairs! And what better way to tame your sister than by putting her in a head lock!

He may have lost round one but Charlie came back with a vengence in Round 2!

Quickly Wylie ran to seek protection and shelter as well as protect those she loves- Baby Bess and Bunny Foo Foo! Just look at those eyes! She was "hiding" from "Char-we"!

So, it appears as though Bubs and I might not get an A on the Parent Report card for appropriate settling down before bedtime activities! Folks, this is real life. An ordinary evening with real life happening ... in pictures!

Oh How Happy You Have Made Me!

Almost 5 months ago, this little blessing entered our lives! A true miracle, a true gift and a baby of pure happiness! A chunky little lovebug full of smiles for anyone and everyone! Her coos melt my heart, her sweet smiles brighten my day and her snuggles as she is rocked to sleep are treasures I can never have replaced. In a house already filled with such love and joy for children, Bess was the perfect addition to our family. A go-with-the-flow kindof baby. Rarely, if ever, is she phased by noise, distraction or energetic toddlers! The precious chunky child is just happy to be involved, have her passy, be covered up with Froggy Foo Foo and be rocked to sleep. That is just about all she requires! That and a few bowls of cereal to maintain her slender figure! My heart is overjoyed with love for my sweet Baby Bess!

Although we were a few weeks behind, today Baby Bess had her 4 month check up.

I quote " Your child is thriving under your care. A robust child she is! " Have you seen Bess' cheeks lately? The child doesn't miss a meal. Today, Bess weighed in at 17 1/2 pounds and was 27 inches long! I quote again "She has really kicked it into high gear here lately!" I suppose you could say that!

So just what is Baby Bess into these days? The answer is simple: feet!

Bess loves Otis! She giggles so loudly when he licks her hands or sniffs her. Otis is so gentle with her and lays beside her. I think he realizes she is safe company compared to Charlie! What is it about a big ol' dog and a chunky baby laughing! I could stare at this picture for days!

Bess is trying so hard to roll over! She is working hard but not quite there yet!

Guess what she is looking at here?

You guess it. Otis had moved and Bess needed her side kick back!

Just look at her sweet hand! I melted!

Dear Baby Bess, Your smile is a gift from God. I pray that you use your smile to brighten the day of others. I pray your spirit is always happy and joyous. May you remember always how loved and special you are to your daddy and me! What a blessing you are. How lucky we are to love you each day! I love you beyond words!

Rub A Dub Dub, 3 Baileys in a Tub!

Call it structured chaos if you will. 3 babies under 2 in 1 bathtub. Lots of laughter, lots of water sloshing over the side, lots of tidbits of songs being sung and lots of Charlie "dives" into the "pool"! Yes, the Bailey's love bathtime! It all starts calm! 2 dirty but adorable toddlers and a baby in a Bumbo!

But never ever, I repeat, never ever try to liven up bathtime with bubbles! The result is detrimental!! For neat freak Wylie, bubbles don't belong in a tub! What was I even thinking ?

Now, as if there isn't enough chaos with these 3 precious little ones, add an extra large, gigantic bouncy balloon to the mix with Charlie! Oh my! This "small" tub toy is not a nuisance at all ! And bless Baby Bess, I can only imagine what she was thinking about these strange people around her!

But, all good things come to an end!

After calming down from the bubble attack, Wylie always takes time to have small talk with her sister! I am sure the conversation is riveting since Bess find these talks highly entertaining! Her giggles say it all!

We may begin every bathtub experience a little dirty and create an even bigger mess in the process. Despite the sloshed water in the floor, the bubble freak outs and crazy confused stares from Baby Bess, in the end, we sure do leave spick and span! And isn't that all a momma really wants? Clean, healthy, happy babies!

I know there may come a day where bathtime is a more of a chore. I hope that never happens but if it does I hope I always look back and can remember days like this. Days of little hineys and chunky baby fat rolls. Days of Johnson & Johnson and bedtime baby lotion. Days of animal hooded bath towels draped on little heads. I love bathtime and pray I always see it as a treasured piece of a momma's nightly routine.

What's not to love about a chunky baby in a bathtub

or...

my little man drinking "juice" from the faucet!

Pumpkin Picking!

This time last year, the pumpkin patch was simple. Children were not mobile which in hindsight made the success of pumpkin patch pictures KEY!!! This year was a different ballgame. Bailey Babies going every which a way, momma and daddy chasing after any child that belonged to us and poor Baby Bess being tossed back and forth between pumpkins on the ground and a responsible adult! It was a little chaotic you could say but hey... it's what you do at Pumpkin Patch Time isn't it?! Our day was only that much better because 2 of our glorious children were in perhaps the BEST moods they have ever been in. (Did you sense the hint of sarcasm in that line because boy... this adventure was rough on the parentals! ) However, for the sake of 2009 and Pumpkin Patch pictures we forged on! Braving the storm!

Charlie was literally ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! From one batch of pumpkins to the next, this kid was like a speed racer! I am not exactly sure just what all the jibber jabber he said meant, but, I think he probably said "Balls! Balls! Balls and more balls!" That is what they were to him anyways! After the "balls" had been enough, Charlie noticed a group of children playing in the hay! Do we even need to ponder where Charlie spent his pumpkin patch time! By the end of his adventure, he resorted to using the pumpkins as conveniently placed seats for his tired little self! He also took a small liking to the taste of gourd today! At least I guess we are proud he likes his veggies!

Now, my dear sweet Wylie, was really rather chipper! (Again, total sarcasm!) A little testy so we just kind of didn't touch her. We just let her be! She insisted on Bunny Foo Foo and Blanky coming along for the fun which wasn't something else we had to keep up with during the mix of kid watching, picture taking and gourd eating going on! She was quite irritated that her hands kept getting dirty when she tried to pick up the pumpkins! This was very upsetting to our little friend! She soon said forget the big pumpkins and find the little ones with the long stems! No messy hands this way! She was also very interested, as usual, in reorganizing the small pumpkins into her "own" piles and I learned to refrain from rearranging them after she had completed this process because this was highly upsetting to her! In the end, she found herself some pumpkin loot and was slightly more happy than before!

Lucky for Bubba and I at least this year 1 child was a stationary critter! Bess just soaked in the scenery as usual! We didn't hear much from little one! She was content hanging out with the pumpkins. Being her normal cheerful and content self, Baby Bess survived her 1st pumpkin patch experience!

Despite it all, The Bailey's had a successful pumpkin picking afternoon! I suppose, regardless of our attitudes, it was a memory! We can't all be happy all the time now can we!

Happy Pumpkin Patch Day!