Happy early Halloween!!!!!!!!

I couldn't wait any longer to showcase one of my cute daughters and her halloween costume.

Presenting Sophie as......

Strawberry Shortcake!!!

Even Strawberry Shortcake gets tired of picture taking!

Evan the fireman and Strawberry Shortcake at school on Thursday. The kids got to dress up for a fall party!

Carving pumpkins with Daddy last night

You'll have to wait until after Halloween to see Elsie in her cute costume, but she still sported some cute Halloween attire today!

Elsie and her best friend, Emma

I watched Emma for a little bit today, and I decided to attempt a walk with all 3 girls and Rascal. It was pretty cold, especially because of the wind. Sophie started out by walking next to me, but I soon had to pile her into the wagon with the other girls!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Monday!

Here are just a few random pictures from the last couple of weeks. Enjoy!

Sophie loves her princess chair. She had to sit on it while eating a cereal snack before bed...

and stand on it while she brushed her teeth. She probably would have slept in it if we had let her!

More fishing pictures. I love this one because Sophie's hand is on her daddy's leg. She is still such a daddy's girl!

She copies everything her daddy does! It looks like they are reeling in some really big fish, but as you'll see from the next picture, they were catching really little ones!

Showing Elsie the fish

Sophie's favorite thing to do while fishing is play with the worms! I can't believe that she likes to pick them up! She must take after her Grammy! (she always used to have to put Mike's worm on his hook when he was a little boy!)

Copying her daddy again!

Here's a video of our little trouble maker! Elsie gets into everything!!!

Fishing with Sophie!

I finally took Sophie fishing this afternoon before Susanne went to work. I got her a Disney Princess fishing pole earlier in the week, and it must attract the fish because she caught two fish all by herself! Of course, I had to put the worm on the hook, so I think we all really know who caught the fish.

She was so excited in the car ride over to the fishing pond.

This was the first fish that she caught. On the whole drive over, she kept saying that she only wanted to catch a little fish. I wasn't worried until we got to the parking lot because people had been catching 3-5 lb catfish all day. I don't know if the Disney fishing pole can handle a fish that big! And I didn't want to scare her with a trophy-sized fish; the kind that I usually catch.



Here is her second fish. She was almost more interested in the worms than the fish. Now I have a great excuse to go fishing!

Be prepared...LOTS of pictures and videos!

Isn't this a cute way to start this posting? I agree!

My friend Lynn and I met each other when we were both pregnant with our little girls. I'm so glad that we have become such great friends! Anyway, Elsie and Emma were born 12 days apart, and we were finally able to get together for a joint 1st birthday party for the girls (I know, it was a little late, but better than never!)

The mommies and their kids (we forgot to take one with the daddies. Sorry, Mike and Jim!)

Getting a little help from big sister and big brother!

Elsie in cake coma...again!

Elsie has been taking a few steps on her own!!! She gets so excited!!

Sophie and Evan...how cute!

Our new house is moving along. They just started laying the brick! We can't wait for it to be finished!

My mom flew out for a visit last weekend. We had to make sure to take a trip to the zoo, since it's one of Sophie and Grandma's favorite places!

Yes, my daughter has her finger up her nose again. Not quite sure how to break her of this habit!

So cute in their matching dresses. Thanks, Grammy!

Go Uncle Reed!!!! Maybe Elsie is a future Redskins cheerleader (although she'll have to wear considerably more clothing if her father is going to approve!) We went to Buffalo Wild Wings after church to cheer on Uncle Reed!

This is what we in the Rabus household call "shirt hair."

Thanks for visiting, Grandma! We had so much fun!

Sophie, always a daddy's girl, has taken up her father's love of fishing. They go outside to practice casting and reeling (are those the right terms?) Now Sophie bugs me all day with questions of "when are we going fishing?" and "where is the fishing pool?" (that's what she calls a fishing pole).

Elsie is getting really good at walking next to us while holding our hand! Now we just need to work with her on walking all by herself! She's getting so big!

Elsie has started rubbing her food in her hair during meal times. It makes for a cute picture but also a sticky baby!

Sophie and her "besties," Emma and Hannah

Hmmmm....maybe we'll wait until Sophie is 18 before we let her get her driver's license.

Mike threw me the most fabulous suprise birthday party for my 28th birthday (ok, it was my 30th, but I'm still in denial!)

The abbreviated version of the tiny turtle song!

Elsie's favorite word is "no," as you'll see from this video!

Last one....Elsie walking!! She was a little distracted at first by Sophie's guitar playing (such beautiful background music!)