Insta-October

- we visited the apple orchard as part of our unit study, and had a blast with some sweet friends. we also got lots of apples for some baking! -

- elli and cara's biggest soccer fan - our neighbors' halloween decorations inspired the girls to make our own (since mommy wouldn't buy them any) these are ghosts on sticks - loving the beginnings of fall colors - it's baby month! the waiting begins -

- choosing a buddy for baby girl. they decided on a soft, purple hippo - i adore this sweet picture of my caroline faye - charlie loves her bath times - an evening walk to try to encourage baby to join us! - 

- making the crust for apple pie - running out of clothes that cover the bump means borrowing daniel's flannels - charlie says "ray-bow!" - the little house at botanica, which elli completely reorganized -

- charlie's legs are looking so long! - due date... not that that meant anything - reading books with my charlie girl - sister snugs -

- "look, mom, I'm a moose!" - another week at botanica, another of daniel's flannels - my version of nesting: pumpkin donut holes - cara brings me a fresh bouquet of autumn beauties every day -

- she's here!!! thea faye - first time in her daddy's arms - my little women - daniel and his girlies -

- taking her in - i don't love hospitals in general, but i love the uninterrupted snuggles while we were there - thea will not be lacking on kisses and snuggles and attention of all kinds - mia and thea -

- nonna, grandma r and three of the girls (charlie was napping) - cara's pure joy as she held thea those first few times was radiant in her face and made me tear up - thea is proving to be a fan of the paci - the start of something very good -

- our first ride with all four in the "mini-man" - one of thea's first outings was her daddy's office open house... she and I crashed on the couch as soon as we got home - my sweet caroline - charlie has amazed us with how well she has adjusted to big-sisterhood. on this saturday morning, we told her she could hold thea after I was done nursing her, and she said, "okay" and snuggled up to her daddy while she waited -

- carving pumpkins... charlie looks super unimpressed, but she kept saying, "hey, punkin!" - we let the girls choose their costumes from our dress-up clothes this year. elli was a ballerina, cara was a "cooker," and charlie was a princess. charlie very quickly mastered saying, "trick or treat!" -