Just For You, Kate...

even though you are going to see these little monkeys in less than a week!

I know it has been a long time since you got some pictures of the dynamic duo. Here's an update in less than five minutes...

Kieran got his first big boy hair. His curls are mostly gone, although his hair is very wavy at times. Here are some front, back, and very smiley photos.
David celebrated his 30th birthday, and we had a great party. David's good friend, Abe, and his wife, Anna, traveled all the way out to IL to celebrate with us, which was a real treat. (They also happened to be on their way home from the Democratic National Convention, and we got to hear firsthand how awesome it was. So very cool! But I digress...) I will perhaps post some pictures of the party sometime in the near future (or on Flickr), but for now I'll leave you with a picture of David's birthday cake. The party was a football themed soiree--we played two-hand touch and then (since it was David's birthday) we watched the Illinois/Missouri game, and earlier in the day David and Abe watched the VT game.
This cake was made by my amazing friend, Kris. Isn't she talented??? And not only did it look pretty, but it tasted AMAZING, too. It was a vegan vanilla coconut cake, and I am getting a huge craving for some just looking at this picture. It was soooooo good.

The weather was really pretty beautiful until early November, so we spent a lot of time outside this fall.
Here are some pictures from one of our trips to the Great Pumpkin Patch in Arthur for Kieran and Teagan's friend Kharma's birthday party and for our local La Leche League chapter's World Breastfeeding Week potluck. (Coincidentally, Kharma's little sister Kismet was born on the same day as Teagan, in the same hospital, and our postpartum rooms were right around the corner from each other!)

Yes, Teagan is upset. She WANTS SOME OF THAT CAKE!

Once she got it everything got a LOT better in her little world. Yes, that is chocolate cake (vegan) in her hands and around her mouth. What can I say--she is her mother's daughter.

As you can see, Teagan really wants to eat these days (and none of that babyfood crap--she wants whatever we are eating). So we finally got her her own chair, and it is AWESOME! She loves to sit in it and eat to her little heart's content.
Halloween was a blast around here. The kids were dressed as jungle animals, which was so cute. Kieran really got into going trick-or-treating this year. He now thinks that every holiday means you get candy. You ask him what happens at Christmas, and he will tell you he gets candy in his candy bag. I guess that would be a lot cheaper, though...

Teagan has six teeth (and I think is working on more right now), but her top teeth came in unusually--she got her eye teeth before the middle ones on the top, so we joked that she looked like a little vampress...See what I mean? It was an adorable smile, though!

Teagan now has SO much hair, and it's always getting in her eyes, so I have started putting it up, which is absolutely adorable. She has started scooting on her bottom to get places, and she is FAST! I doubt she'll ever crawl because scooting works just fine for her, thank you very much. But, she is desperate to walk like the big kids do, and I would bet money that she will be walking before she's one. She cruises around the furniture and is getting pretty daring and trying to go one-handed. Case in point: That's all for today folks. Maybe it'll be another two months before I post again, maybe it'll be in two weeks. Who knows! Either way, there should be enough pictures here to tide you over...so no more complaining, Kate!

Sometimes I Think My Heart Might Just Burst

I just went back to go to bed for the evening, and this is what I found waiting for me:

Too precious. I just want to gobble them up.

Apparently the flash on the camera was sleep-interrupting for Kieran. Who knew?

And, yes, he did get a haircut. And no, it does not (usually) make him look like John Mayer. It's just a bad angle here. I will post better pictures of my non-curly boy (SO sad!) after I've caught up on my sleep. Which means most of you will see him in person before then. Until then, here's hoping these will tide you over.

I Got Tagged!

Quigs tagged me for this meme (my first!) so here goes:

1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read the player's blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?
I had just recently moved into my first apartment without roommates (unless you count David who lived there when he wasn't in Illinois for grad school) and was working full-time as a Community Relations Manager at Barnes & Noble. It was also just about five years ago to the day that David and I got engaged.

What are five things on your to-do list for today? (Disclaimer: I started this post yesterday, so here was my list from then.)
1. Go to the Farmer's Market as soon as Teagan wakes up. (Have I mentioned that she sleeps until 9:30/10 a.m. most days? If only I could convince her brother to do the same. At least on the weekends.)
2. Check out the local Co-op, which is opening in its new location which just so happens to be just a few mere steps from the Farmer's Market.
3. Head out to the Sweetcorn Festival, most likely after naptime.
4. Try to get the kids to nap AT THE SAME TIME so I can work on some of the eight (EIGHT!) lesson plans I have to write for this upcoming week.
5. Do laundry if it looks like the rain is going to stay away.

What are five snacks you enjoy?
1. Strawberries
2. Veggie Booty
3. Carrots and Peanut Butter
4. Tropical Fruit Salad
5. Veggie Eggrolls

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1. Set some aside for retirement and the kids' college/grad school.
2. Buy a house in Blacksburg and lifetime season football tickets for VT games.
3. Set up scholarship funds at VT, EIU, and the University of Namibia for students who are studying Women's Studies or whose work focuses on issues pertaining to gender.
4. Make sizable donations to the Rape Crisis centers and Planned Parenthoods in the communities I have lived (and will live) in.
5. Travel, travel, travel. Maybe go on a world tour with the kids and David. On this note, I'd also make sure David could go on his "trek," but I still would not join him on it.

What are five of your bad habits?
1. Procrastinating. On just about everything.
2. Getting all worked up about my house not being orderly. I mean, I do have two babies for Pete's sake! My house is not going to be orderly and clean all the time.
3. Occasionally skipping breakfast when I'm running late. Which happens more than I like to admit.
4. Being late. I think this sometimes ties into the whole procrastinating thing.
5. Reading an email and not replying right away.

What are five places where you have lived?
1. Rosedale, NY
2. Staunton, VA
3. Blacksburg, VA
4. Oshakati, Namibia
5. Champaign, IL

What are five jobs you've had?
1. Bookseller
2. Community Relations Manager
3. Literacy Corps Coordinator
4. Primary School Teacher
5. Composition Instructor

Five people I tag:
I have no idea who to tag since pretty much everyone I know who blogs has been tagged... If you're reading this and want to do this, leave a comment letting me know you're doing it and "Tag," you're it!

Mama's Got a Brand New...

Job.

I am once again gainfully employed outside of La Maison Ullrich-Ferguson. I'm going to be teaching three different courses this semester: Composition 101 and 102 and, what I am sure will be my favorite class, an introductory Women's Studies class entitled Women, Men, and Gender.

I am psyched. I'm also scared out of my brain. Three lesson preps, three classes worth of papers, quizzes, etc. to grade, three classes and office hours during which I need to find childcare. I'm sure I'll be able to do it. It might just be *interesting* for a bit while I try to figure out how to make it all run smoothly.

Wish me luck...

We All Live in A Yellow Submarine

This is currently Kieran's favorite song. We (and by "we" I truly mean both he and I!) sing it no less than 20 times a day. My little man knows all the words. Seriously. I am not even kidding you.

I am so proud. :)

Maybe I Should Rename This Blog...

Because it is less a blog than a website I periodically update and overload with tons of pictures of my kids. Ah well, that's what the masses (aka the fam and friends, most of whom are back east) demand. So I guess I'll just give you what you want.First off, let's see some teeth! Yes, TEETH! Teagan got her second tooth a few days after her first, and she's been happily exploring all the new tricks she can do with those chompers. There's a part of me that's excited but there's also a part that's really sad that my baby has lost her gummy little newborn smile. There are days when I look at her and think, "When on earth did you become such a big big girl? What happened to my teensy tiny babe who nuzzled up on my chest, smelling like that scent that only newborns have?" But Teagan is seriously such a fun little girl. She loves her big brother with a ferocity that is apparent every time he enters her line of vision. She loves to get down on the floor and play, rolling around to get to the toys she's aiming for. I sometimes forget that she wants, that she NEEDS to get down and play. I'll hold her in my lap, snuggling or taking care of my own business, and she certainly reminds me that she wants to be down, that she needs her busy play time.Here are a few more gratuitous Teagan shots just because she's so adorable. I just want to gobble up those little cheeks...i kiss them manymanymany times each day. (I think she looks like a little elf in the previous picture. Agree?)

Not to be left out, here are some pictures of Kieran and Dada harvesting the first item from our tiny little garden in our back yard.I think Kieran was more excited about getting to use the scissors than he was to actually get the zucchini, which he quickly decided he does not like to eat.This picture was just too cute to pass up. What a cute kid, huh?

Here he is, in his element at my parents' house during our visit in July. Kieran LOVES their cats, especially Socksie, who is about as good of a cat as you could wish for when it comes to being patient with a two-year old who is learning not to pull tails...The East Coast sojourn in July was primarily so David and I could attend Maria and Oswaldo's wedding, and it was truly lovely. It was so very wonderful to see so many of my dearest friends, some of whom I haven't seen in such a long time. My sister, Aggie Becky, was wonderful enough to drive all the way up to Baltimore with the kids and I to babysit so David and I could actually go to the reception and be grown-ups. She even put BOTH kids to bed by herself without any crying. Seriously, there are nights I can't do that. I am just so lucky to have a sister who's awesome like that.
It was the first time in months since we'd been able to go out by ourselves, let alone get to hang out with our friends together. As you can see, it was clearly good for us.

These last two pictures are of me and my college roommate, Evelyn, whom I love dearly and miss so very much. Love you, roommate! Thank you, Becks, for making that lovely evening of fun and reminiscing possible. And all my wonderful Hokie women, I love you and miss you so very much. Here's to hoping we'll be much closer in the future.