One Month Old

We wanted to get some one-month pictures for sweet baby Eleanor, so we showed up bright and early this morning at the local picture studio.  Besides the folly of going for pictures on Easter weekend, we got some great shots.  Of course, Eleanor was just waking up from a long morning nap, so the first pictures looked like this....

 Then she woke up and we got a couple of pictures that look like this...

 Charlotte and Grey were incredibly well-behaved given all the chaos.

 We have a picture of Charlotte at this age in almost this exact same pose.  Its remarkable how much they look alike.

Eleanor Ariel Laughton

After a long absence from the blog, I thought I would get back into posting by announcing the biggest news of all: that our second baby girl made her big debut on February 24, 2013.  After 3 1/2 hours of labor, Eleanor Ariel Laughton slid into the world with a single push by her mama, perfect and pretty as a rose.  The last week and a half have been filled with laughter and tears as Adam and I adjust to being parents of three, but we are so glad to have this sweet and spirited little girl in our family.  Enjoy some pictures from her first 12 days of life!

Charlotte, Grey, and Mimi meet Baby Eleanor

First family picture.  (Notice my complete lack of vanity in posting this.)

And ... one of Grey just because he's so handsome!

Halloween Fun 2012

Dear World, Halloween is over and I survived it.  You see, when you have a toddler and a preschooler, it goes on for a whole week.  Well, a whole month really, if you count our two visits to pumpkin patches.  (I don't mean to sound like the Scrooge of Halloween.  I am just still exhausted whenever I think about it.)  It was a really fun year to celebrate because Charlotte, at four years old, was especially aware of the holiday and excited about everything about it.  And boy did we celebrate the heck out of Halloween around here!

Halloween semi-officially started for us on Saturday, October 27.  We took the kids to the annual Fall Creek Festival.  This year was the first time that it was celebrated on the new Fields at Fall Creek in our community and it was great to have so much more space than we have in the past.

The airplanes are a perennial favorite of our kids.  They went straight at them as soon as we got there.

The Life Flight helicopter landed in the soccer fields and they let the kids climb around in it.  I told the kids I hoped this would be the last time I would ever be in the Life Flight helicopter with them!

Buckle up, Grey!  He was disappointed when he figured out he wasn't really going to get a helicopter ride.

"Petting" the animals.  Every year, all our kids want to do is stand outside of the petting zoo and look at the animals.  (They get that from their mama.)

PONY RIDES? Yippeeeeee!

The princess aboard her noble steed

Enjoying the bouncy house

Checking out the fire truck

Aunt Ashley and Uncle Michael got all dressed up just so that they could impress the kids at our ward Trunk or Treat.  It worked.  The little girls were especially excited to meet "Snow White."

"Ahoy thar, matey!"

Trick or treat!

Passing out the goodies later on

Mimi was with us to enjoy the Fall Creek Festival and the Trunk or Treat again this year.

The next night, for Family Home Evening, we "carved" pumpkins Mr. Potato Head-style.

Charlotte's preschool Halloween party on Monday morning.  I was so grateful to not be the room mom this year, especially when I saw how all-out the room moms went for this party.  It was darling!

Charlotte and two of the million princesses at the preschool that day.

Decorating a carmel apple

Stopping to give Grey-Grey some love.

Little Man entertained himself at the preschool party by reading books and stealing snacks in the corner.