I set a goal for myself to take more interesting, photographically complex, technically strong iPhone photos, since those are all things I’m working on in my real photography. I failed. Maybe next week.

Sunday:

Waiting in line is boring. Thank goodness there are benches for lounging.

The Carle <3

Practicing their cheers

Monday:

The ticket cashier printed extra “tickets” for the kids and the ticket puncher punched their “tickets” for them. We love Metro-North.

You’ve seen this one, but my phone died in NY so I didn’t get many more.

Donut the size of his head.

Tuesday:

She’s obsessed with my glasses

Winter is coming. So is the bus.

Modeling her awesome hat and sweater.

Wednesday:

I have no idea what we did on Wednesday. Teeth brushing might have been the only thing.

Their new favorite bedtime book

Thursday:

Not very excited to be outside in the cold

Ignoring me.

Matching Christmas jams (just a little early)

Friday:

We are totally going back to do this again

My new favorite spot for evening pictures

Playground time before it gets too cold

Saturday:

DO I LOOK CUTE MOMMY?

First pony tail requires two pictures.

Bounce house birthday = kids who slept really great

I cannot even believe how fast November is going. I have less than a month until Caroline’s 3rd birthday party (princess themed this year!) and I’ve done almost nothing. THAT IS SO UNLIKE ME. I don’t even have invitations yet. If anyone has this work-life balance thing figured out let me know, because so far I suck at it – and I can do 75% of my work from my couch.

This should really be another installment of Pictures I Forgot About but I have words to say about Chowder Days. I LOVE CHOWDER DAYS. It’s one of the few things we’ve actually managed to do as a family for several years in a row now, so I’m calling it an official tradition. The weather this year was amazing and Caroline magically got over her fear of boats so we got to ride the water taxi and I got to take some pictures. It was surprisingly un-crowded for an event – not at all like the one time we tried to go to the wooden boat show and couldn’t find parking within 2 miles – so the kids could run around and try the old fashioned games and play on the boats. There was a minor meltdown involving whether or not Evan was going to participate in pumpkin painting, but he got over it pretty fast and made a “sea monster” gourd. It’s still sitting on my window sill.

Apple fritters

Spicy crab and corn chowder. It was delicious. E had the lobster bisque, which is the only kind of soup he likes.

Shipyard beer at the shipyard!

These things crack me up.

I bought that dress at the consignment store in Mystic – it was $12, which was half price, which was probably 1/4 of the original price. It’s designer toddler-wear.

For a kid who is refusing to go into the building and participate in craft time he looks surprisingly cheerful.

Change of heart, he DOES like painting!

The gingers attempt croquet on the great lawn

I say old chap, nice swing!

It’s been a full month since Chowder Days and these pictures are actually bumming me out. We’re well past the go-out-on-the-water-without-coats stage of fall and into the brown-brown-and-more-brown stage. I’m cold and I don’t like it.

I’ve already posted these pictures in other places so apologies if you’ve already seen them. Feel free to roll your eyes at me for showing off my adorable kid all over the place. STFU Parents, amirite?

p.s. How excited am I that he wore this costume again this year? (Last year’s photos here) It makes spending way to many dollars on that Max suit hurt a lot less.

She is a mermaid princess, in case that was unclear by the random blue dress.

The light-up sneakers are a nice addition to the costumes, don’t you think?

It really might as well be week one million. It feels like week one million.

Sunday:

I hung out with the cutest, chillest baby ever at the Community Baby Shower

My teeny little table showing off my work

Don’t worry, I pulled over before I took this picture out the car window of the regatta in the river

Monday:

I took this picture AND threw that ball. Impressed????

School makes him tired.

Princess Sadface was sad, so we had lots of extra cuddles

Tuesday:

I bought ALL THE GROCERIES. I also broke my crock pot (the second one!) so I can’t make half the stuff I planned.

I like this spot.

Evan likes this spot too.

Wednesday:

Saying good morning to Fred, the giant fake Halloween spider

Face painting at school. She meowed all afternoon.

Reading on the front porch

Thursday:

All the RescueBots HAVE to come outside to wait for the bus with Evan.

Mr. Incredible from Enterprise. They’re office of superheroes was the best part of my day.

Trick or treating at the fancy houses

They actually liked handing out candy more than collecting it

Friday:

It wasn’t actually raining, but the gingers do not care. Umbrellas make them look jaunty.

WTF Target, it’s only NOVEMBER FIRST.

I wasted fancy hair and spanx on a lousy event for E’s work.

Saturday:

My assistant at the morning photo shoot got a liiiiitle dirty

We have too many couches right now, but at least it means they can watch iPad OVER THERE and leave me alone.

Yes, she is wearing her costume AGAIN. At least it was at a costume party.

E’s submarine was commission on Saturday, which means they’re one step closer to being a fully functioning boat that goes to sea. That is both good news (no more shipyard!) and bad news (deployments) but it also means he’s going to be working even more over the next couple of weeks. Since this is still the busy season for pictures too, I suspect there will be a lot of late nights for the next month. Although it hardly matters now, since it’s 4:55 pm and PITCH BLACK outside. Thanks for nothing, daylight savings time.

In blog news: I’m about 3 meals into a brand new round of What’s For Dinner – which I haven’t done in a crazy long time – and it’s nice to be cooking new stuff again. I can only handle taco salad and spaghetti so many times before I give up and let my family eat pop tarts and grapes for dinner. So watch for that sometime next week!