Buses, dinosaurs and markers

The girls are loving having Christopher, Aunt Barbara and Uncle Bo in town for Thanksgiving.   The cousins are getting their fair share of playing in and thanks to Christopher and his affinity for all things vehicular, his toy buses have been quite the hit.
the little tush in the air kills me...
Jack has a permanent stash of dinosaurs over at Grandma and Grandpa's so when he's not looking, the others dig in...
And then some genius decided a dinosaur that squirted water would be a fun toy for kids....and yes, Reese is in yet another stage of undress.
Markers and pouty lips....I like to call Christopher 'mini Chris Martin' because gosh darn it, doesn't he look like he's about to bust out a version of 'Clocks' or 'Yellow'?

Hugs

Of many different varieties:
genuine (at least on Papa's behalf)
incestuous
painful
coerced/bribed/forced for the camera but that pretty much sums up families anyways, right?

And, yes, we put up Grandma and Grandpa's Christmas tree for our Cleveland visitors and, yes, Reese is very fond of taking off her clothes.

Eckerts....revisited

This place is just a little slice of heaven for a nice fall day. We went back to Eckerts farm, but this time the Millstadt location which, simply put, is like crack for kids. And adorable crack at that. Grandma, Grandpa and Jack joined in the fun. Straight out of the gate we stumbled upon the giant pumpkin launch - which is good, clean fun as the farmer loads pumpkins in a giant cannon-type thingy (that's a word) and blasts them out a hundred plus yards into the orchard. Of course he needs volunteers. Of course Ryan had her hand a waving away to be called up on stage. Of course he eventually called her up. And be still my beating heart when he asked her to speak into the microphone and tell everyone her name and she said "Ryan Stiff", only it was at warp speed and one word "ryanstiff" - the poor farmer had not a clue what she had uttered, but he went with it anyway....
Farmer, cannon launch thingy, Ryan with a little hay on her tush soaking in her 15 minutes of fame
Picking our her pumpkin to be launched, doing so with a little sass in her step
Reese was jealous. In case you were wondering.  She kept trying to run up on stage to join her sister so we let her run wild with Jack for a bit:
Petting zoo --- well hello there Reese
I will poke every crevice of your face and you will not attack. Deal?
Apple time
Wagon ride
Getting down to business
Dad gave Reese a little lift so she could get hers...
Then we moved onto the 'jumping pillow' and talk about striking gold - Jack and Ryan were in heaven
Just when it can't get any better, well....why the hell not throw in a camel ride?
These two had perma-grins the entire ride
A little love before we head home....
And that, my friends, is a kick-ass fall Saturday!

Spring Fever!

Spring has sprung, for the time being anyway....You know what that means: playing outside, barbecues, Reesey in shoes and dresses. My little tomboy Ryan has turned the corner and be still my heart is enjoying dressing up these days. Anything 'princess' oriented passes the test, so thankfully her wardrobe can expand to include dresses and skirts. Don't be fooled though, the girl is still extremely picky about her fashion and only an amateur parent would think you could simply lay out clothes and have that be the end of it. She has a preference for black pants, her princess dress, purple shirts (of which, she only has one) and her new sparkly shoes. Rest assured this will all change next week.
Is there anything cuter in life than little girl's bloomers?
Lovin' Pa-Pa
Somebody tied my baby up.....let a lesson be learned (Uncle John), the girl has abs of steel and can break through even the toughest of painters tape.
Ryan and Jack

Sunday Funday!

Aunt Barbara & Uncle Bo are in town for Thanksgiving and the girls couldn't be happier, two more people to aid in their endless quest for treats and playmates.  Ryan and Reese spent this 60 degree Sunday playing with their cousins Anisten, Nolan & Jack.   Now if we can just teach them all how to rake and bag leaves, then it'd really be a 'Sunday Funday' for the Stiffs'.  

Happy Birthday Jacques!

So this precious little bud is 3 years old today!

Jack - November 2007

Jack and his cousin - November 2010

When Ryan calls out for Jack it has a French flair and sounds more like "Jacques" so in honor of this special occasion, Reesey busted out the beret:

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY to our beloved godson, nephew and cousin!