It's Pinterest's Fault!

The last couple weeks have been busy what with our September birthdays, Lizzie starting third grade, Lainey starting Joy School, me finally volunteering at Lizzie's school, me finally getting involved in Lizzie's extracurricular activities, tagging items for local consignment sale, and preparations for Lizzie's upcoming baptism.

Still, the main reason I haven't been blogging is Pinterest. I recently joined and I LOVE it. I already have numerous idea files with downloaded images, now I can do that online instead (and have already run across a lot of ideas from the files I already have). That said, Nana needs an update (and I want a family record). Here are some of the things we've been up to this last little while:

Ellie's cut a another tooth. She has her right front one and two more are breaking through (left front and a molar). She's a climber. I regularly find her on top of the table (like, several times a day). Still throws her food and sippy to the floor when she's done with it (which is beyond frustrating--we need to work on that). We have been playing with sheets of bubble wrap. I still have a large box of this. I swear it will last us through the winter--unless of course I find a way to incorporate it into Joy School next week (or summon the energy to repack all my Christmas ornaments).In preparation for colder temperatures and this weekend's consignment sale, I sorted through the girls clothing bins (stuff they've grown out of, stuff for them to grow into, and of course, the Halloween costumes). Lainey's convinced that this dragon costume fits her. I originally planned to have all the girls dressed as insects for Halloween (butterfly, bee, and ladybug) and Drew dressed as a flower. But, seeing as Ellie already has a pile of non-bug costumes to choose from and Andrew is about as excited about being a flower as he was about being a fairy last year I think we'll skip the family costume yet again. Incidently last year I told Drew he could be a "bad a##" fairy and bought tattoo sleeves to go with his wings, but he pointed out that rose tattoos weren't "bad a##." This year I tried to entice him with big thorns for stem. No dice.I went to the Sound of Music Sing-a-Long at Wolf Trap. So fun! I loved it! Next time I'll bring Liz. I dressed up as "whiskers on kittens." Of course there were lots of Austrian and nun costumes, but I also saw "brown paper packages tied up with string" and "tea with jam and bread." We went to Silver Diner. Again. I don't love their food, but it's cheap and the kids LOVE the family night activities. I almost wish we could go weekly, but tomorrow Lizzie's soccer practices start (ugh, practices twice a week and games nearly ever weekend, what have I gotten us into?). . . . Lainey got an angel (she has yet to have anything painted on her face.Knowing they'd have to wash off any face paint before school the next day, Lizzie and her friend, Jordan, had fire-breathing dragons painted on their upper arms (and Lizzie's lingered for days, even after a bath). I told them to give me tough faces (to go with their tough-looking arms tatts) and this is what I got.The little girls and I have done some short "field trips." We've gone to Mt. Vernon and the bounce house in Woodbridge. Still on our list: the airplane park, zoo, Hidden Pond, a Smithsonian, a playground, Barnes and Noble (for the train table) and maybe even a fall festival.We spent almost all of our Mt. Vernon time in the kid's playroom where Lainey alternated between trying on dresses and playing with the dollhouse (a replica of George's place). Ellie was all over the place, but she did enjoy a little tea party.Ellie especially loved this fake ham. She kept licking it and tried to run out the door with it at least once.