Fall Party and LP's Ladybug Debut!

Since the costume debacle was such a long post, we'll keep this one short and sweet. Ryan's class had their fall party (still not sure why they can't just call it a Halloween party, but whatever) today. Ryan was a killer Spiderman and his friends rocked out some awesome costumes as well - a princess, Mario and Luigi, Minnie and Mickey mouse just to name a few. But my favorite part of the party? The coolest (and healthiest!)halloween-inspired snack I'd ever seen. Human fingers made from string cheese, a little bit of cream cheese and pepper pieces. Seriously. So cool!

LP stopped by (she's not one to turn down some good party food!), but had already had enough of her costume for the day, so the suspense of the LP Ladybug lives on for one more second...

OK - enough suspense. Here she is! Our very own, very unamused, LindseyBug Bachman.

I had to add this picture because I'm convinced it's the best "smile" picture of Ryan to date, despite the goofy Spiderman hat and the unamused LindseyBug in the background.

And finally, the wonderful Ms. Heather, who lives down the street from my parents, brought Ryan and Lindsey a bunch of cool Halloween gifts, including these awesome shirts! Who's the unamused Bachman child now? Sigh...

The costume debacle

So Ryan is an opinionated 2 year old (we have no idea where it came from). As such, we've learned some great child psychology techniques that help avoid tantrums and meltdowns, while resulting in the outcome we were originally hoping for. Trust me, they don't teach you this stuff in a book.

With this in mind, we've been treading lightly on the topic of what he'll be for Halloween this year. If we try and pick something for him, we know it won't end well and we'll be holding him down trying to force a costume on him (not a fun way to start the trick-or-treat adventure). So we decided to let him pick a costume. Luckily, he knows exactly what he wants to be the first time we ask him.

Super hero? Nope. Beloved movie character? Try again. Farm animal? You guessed it! Well, that's easy, you say. There are plenty of cow and sheep costume's out there.

No, my friend. He doesn't want to be a cow or a sheep or a pig or any other animal that is readily available at your nearest party supply store.

Ryan wants to be a goat. So I scan the vast pages of the World Wide Web wishing and hoping that somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight (oops - Fivel reference, my bad) there is a goat costume, size 2T, that doesn't cost me a day care payment small fortune. Let me save you the suspense. It doesn't exist.

So we try a new approach - I call it the "tweens guide to getting what they want" approach. We just keep asking him the same question until we get the desired answer. It's just a matter of willpower.

Finally, after a couple weeks of hearing nothing but "goat," the answer changes. Spiderman, he says!! Consider it done. Until we realize that, here we are, a week before Halloween, trying to get one of the top-selling costumes EVER.

Well, five stores and countless more hours online and we finally got Ryan his Spiderman costume. And he loved it. Wore it for two straight days. And might I add, he was one awesome Spiderman.

Ingenuity

OK, so I've done posts on adaptability and compromise. Today's word of the day? Ingenuity. Defined as cleverness or skillfulness of design, ingenuity seems to be a trait that toddlers acquire quite rapidly. They reach a point in their development when they want to do everything on their own (me do it, is what Ryan says). Problem is, just because they have the will to do things, doesn't always mean they have the ability. Which is where the ingeniousness comes into play. Ryan's go-to object of choice? His red "thinking chair." It's usually in the hallway near his bedroom and is used for timeout purposes - or for when he isn't necessarily in trouble, but needs to "think" about his behavior or actions. I heart the thinking chair.

Luckily, it hasn't had any negative impact on Ryan as far as its usability. So lately Ryan has been using the thinking chair for multiple applications. Most recently? He wanted to help Lindsey eat her breakfast in the morning. So while I'm in the bathroom getting ready for work, Ryan hauled the thinking chair down the hail way and positioned it at just the right spot to climb up and help LP eat some cereal.

Ingenious.

Pumpkin Carving Time!!

I need to start this post off with a story-ending spoiler - I have no pictures of the finished product. Tragic, isn't it? But there were still a few cute pictures of the "during" stage, so I figured we'd move forward with a post.

Ryan is getting better and better at the whole pumpkin carving production each year. Year one, he didn't want anything to do with it, last year he was so curious I don't think he could help but stick his hand in the slimy goo and this year - well, this year he has a little sister to impress and a daddy to idolize. Combine the two and you've got one enthusiastic two-year-old ready to go elbow-deep in pumpkin guts. Love it.

Sibling Similarities

When Ryan was born, he very quickly adopted the nickname "peanut" for one simple reason - he was TINY. I don't think he was any smaller than any other baby. At 7lb 6 oz., he was a fairly normal weight. But to us, he just looked so small. And he had his daddy's chicken legs. These skinny little legs that had spent countless nights kicking me in various locations before he was born.

Then there was Lindsey, who at 7 lb. 12 oz., was only slightly larger than her brother when she was born. But she just looked like such a chunky monkey. She inherited her daddy's chubby cheeks and seemed to be a little ball of baby love.

Despite these difference, I could see a ton of similarities right away. Sometimes it wasn't even the physical features as much as it was the mannerisms. But I don't think I fully realized the extent of their similarities until I took this picture.

Not only are they making the same goofy face with the bit-lip look, they have the same eyes, same nose and same aura of "yes, she's taking our picture again" attitude. For the record - I fully encourage my kids not to eat on the floor, but if it promotes sharing and quality bonding time between siblings, who am I to hold them to a dining room table and chair?



Do you believe in magic in a young girl's heart?

Nine months ago today, we brought home Lindsey from the hospital and Ryan began his official duties as "big brother." Things were slow-going at first. He had good days, where he'd jump at any chance to be our big helper. And he had bad days, where he'd throw himself on the floor screaming - a combination of frustration and irritation that he was no longer the only show in town.

But in the days, weeks and months since he has come to realize, as we have, that his little sister worships the ground he walks runs on and that he has magical powers to make her smile with even just a passing glance. Lindsey loves her brother.

We've been doing a monthly photo shoot with Lindsey to chart her growth in picture format (I can't WAIT to publish them all in a few short months). After today's shoot, Ryan decided he wanted in on the action. And what follows is a small fraction of the magical bond we get to witness everyday.

Pumpkins, apples and hayrides - oh my!

I love fall. I especially love fall-scented candles - cinnamon spice, pumpkin pie, cranberry orange -you name a fall scent and I've probably got it in Yankee Candle tartlet form. It's my favorite time of year.

Another reason I love fall? Pumpkin carving, apple picking and hayrides are all expected forms of entertainment during this time frame. So you know what that means - field trip to Milburn Orchards! Last year when we went, it was super special because it was Ryebread's first field trip.

This year it's special because LP got to join in the fun! So, without further ado - some photos to highlight our trip.

Family photo shoot on the hayride!

Ryan was listening very intently as he learned about sorting apples while sporting a sly grin cause he knew I was taking his picture.

 Lindsey was sorting through the gourds, trying to find the dirtiest one she could to stick in her mouth.

Ryan found a nice, nubby pumpkin that was heavy enough to make him feel big and strong, but not so heavy that he couldn't hoist it over his head and say, "look mom, a hat!"

Yes - Lindsey isn't wearing any pants. No, she's not an exhibitionist. She was wearing fleece-lined jeans and it was just too stinking hot out.