The Fall Finale

Oh, lucky you. You are about to get the biggest dose ever of Darby kid photos. Grab a cup of coffee . . . never mind -- make it a glass of wine . . . because this is going to take a while. This is the sort of thing that happens when the days get a little too crazy for me to sit still long enough to download photos and type up a blog post. And, boy, has November been a crazy month around here. Clint and I had to have a bit of a come-to-Jesus talk last night because I've had a problem of stopping to sit and relax and smell the roses. So this is the product of my sitting . . . and relaxing . . . and smelling the Christmas tree . . .

Just a little bit of Darby love . . .

Sure, they fight and fuss and steal toys from each other, but they do love each other so.

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First I must go back . . .

. . . to Halloween and wrap up Fall before moving on to my favorite time of year -- the celebration of baby Jesus. Yes, I too think that the baby Jesus is my favorite Jesus. But I'll get to that later. Now for a little more of a Chicago Autumn . . .

Let's go waaayyyy back to the fun Pumpkin Fest at our neighborhood school -- possibly the school my kiddos will attend (I mean, it's only a block away. Fingers crossed the tour is amazing).

Linus waiting on the Great Pumpkin . . .

So Mimi wanted to be a cowgirl riding a plush purple and pink unicorn, but then she broke up with the unicorn and became a cowgirl with no horsey. Whatevs. Either way I needed to finally find a way to make her sit still long enough for Jessie-style French braids. Voila!!!!

Our neighborhood also has a perfect toddler Halloween parade, which basically consists of the neighborhood high school marching band (It's the most beautiful high school ever. I must take a photo one day) and then the families march behind. How simple is that? Why in the world doesn't every town do that? Then all the stores pass out candy to the kiddos and everyone has a fantastic sugar high and takes a good nap.

Yes, I know I'm repeating the Halloween blog, and I've already talked about some of the festivities surrounding this fun holiday, BUT I finally figured out where the photos from my phone were hiding on my computer. I couldn't just let them stay in the folder. So we went trick-or-treating on our street, which is the best trick-or-treating experience ever. Almost every house is decorated and some play spooky music and even offer spiked cider to the parents! Woo hoo! And when every house is only a couple of feet apart, the candy bag gets full in only a few blocks. Mimi went trick-or-treating with her new buddies Paige and Kara and our sweet little neighbor William. Kara is a very serious 4-year-old, so I couldn't stop giggling when she broke out into Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" several times on our walk.

Awwwwwww . . . .

Three lollipops at a time. That's how she rolls.

This Fall was much milder than last year's, so the Darby family spent a lot of time at the park, which is so much more fun now that Mack is walking. And climbing. And going down the super-fast slide head-first.

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A couple of weeks ago we went to Memphis . . .

. . . and were able to play with some sweet friends one morning. And this is what Libby and I found Mack and Ellis doing . . .
Boys, boys boys. T-R-O-U-B-L-E. I love talking with friends who have a daughter first and then a son. EVERYONE seems to make the same comments -- the daughter is more independent and the sons are a little more clingy . . . but the boys are very destructive and wild.

But don't they look so sweet??

Dressed in their Sunday best in a church pew. And we were at this church for a very, very special occasion -- the rehearsal for the wedding of my brother-in-law Tyler and my sweet (like, beyond words sweet) new sister-in-law Beth. I love, love, love her. And I love, love, love them together. Tyler has always been more reserved and laid back (much more so than his brother who I happened to marry), but when he met Beth some spark was ignited -- in a very good way. After meeting her for the first time, I had no doubt that he would never bring home another girl. They are both incredibly awesome, and I'm excited to see how their relationship is going to grow over the years.

Clint and I were so honored that our children were asked to be a part of the wedding, but a little panic arose in me when I realized what this meant for me. Mimi was a part of a very small wedding a couple of years ago, but this was a whole new ballgame. My children plus their fun cousins was going to be, well, maybe a little more fun than I could handle. But it was fine and my parents came to help out (whew), and they truly did have a blast.

Little Mimi just couldn't understand why she wasn't the one getting married. She kept repeating, "But, Mommy, I want to get married. J.R., why won't you marry me?? We can stand up there with Beth and Tyler and then dance!! Pleeeeease!!" Like, to the point of tears. I have a video. One of Tyler's friends heard this and commented, "Wow, it really does start early in the girls."
The wedding was gorgeous -- like, brought me to tears several times gorgeous. The children performed their walking down the aisle duties beautifully, but of course the best part for them was the reception.

Even my mom joined in the fun. :)

When Tyler and Beth asked J.R. to be a part of the wedding, he immediately told them he wanted to wear a tuxedo and a mustache. He was dashing in the tuxedo . . . and I'm a little disappointed the mustache didn't come out until the reception.

Ahhh, the sweet first dance. But, wait, who are those two little party crashers??

I felt so bad that Mimi was trying her best to steal the spotlight during their first dance, but she caused much more of a scene whenever Clint and I tried to remove her. And all these ladies yelled at us to leave her alone, so whatever. And I did get to snap a few cute shots. :)

Mimi was so excited to see that her friend Emerson made it to the reception. They danced their little feet off and turned and twirled . . . and slept like angels that night for sure.

Mack lasted for a while, but when this little guy is ready to go to bed enough is enough.

Clint and I were so lucky to have my parents there to take the kids home to bed (well, my dad was the one who was ready to go to bed, honestly), so we were able to stay and have more fun than we should have had. The DJ was awesome, and I could kick myself for not getting a shot of Clint with the guitar. No, I'm not kidding. Their friends were too fun, and both families spent most of the night on the dance floor. What a joyous occasion!

And this photo has absolutely nothing to do with anything.

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There are things you do because they feel right and they may make no sense and they may make no money and it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other and to eat each other's cooking and say it was good.

-Brian Andreas

And one week later was Thanksgiving.

At my house.

With most of my family.

Yes, it was a lot of pressure on the youngest child to be able to unpack and clean and cook, but wasn't it about time? For years I've had everyone else waiting on me and helping out with my children, and I needed to repay. It started with my sister's family planning a weekend trip for her birthday . . . and then we hoped my brother in Ohio would be able to come . . . and then we couldn't all be here without my parents coming . . . and so it turned into a full-on Thanksgiving celebration. And it was awesome.

I attempted to make some new dishes -- Shrimp and Grits Dressing, Turkey with Bearnaise Butter, and Bacon, Pecan, Apple and Gorgonzola Salad with Cranberry Dressing -- along with a few staples -- Squash Casserole, Sweet Potato Crunch, and Green Beans.

Having most of my family at my home and being able to cook for them was a bit of a dream come true. I love the chaos of cramming too many people in a small space with a fire going and the smell of sauteed onions. One of the greatest parts of getting the family together is the children . . .

Mimi and Oriana . . . two peas :)

These two girls are only a few weeks apart in age but have been separated by many, many miles for the past couple of years, which has made getting together very difficult. I love how little ones don't seem to be concerned about the awkwardness of not knowing each other well, and they just jump right in and play.

"Oh, you like My Little Pony? So do I! And you like to dance to Katy Perry? Me, too!!" See, it's just too easy for them to love each other.

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And then everyone had to go home . . .

. . . so it's just Daddy and Mommy and Mimi and Mack once again.

Even though the snow hasn't arrived yet (where the heck is the white stuff anyway???), we are still looking for warm places to play. We finally visited Pickles Playroom, which is my FAVE without a doubt. We love the coziness of Family Grounds, and while Little Beans is amazing, it's just way too big for me to watch both of mine without losing one (or both) of them. But Pickles is just right for my little Goldilocks -- not too big and not too small. And my Pandora stations couldn't have played a better mix than what they had coming through the speakers. Coffee and Coldplay and Mat Kearney and the Killers and Counting Crows . . . oh my. AND a toddler-sized rock-climbing wall?? Seriously??

For those of you who have absolutely no clue what I'm talking about, this is an indoor playground/coffee house/cafe. Why are there none of these in the mid-south?? I mean, it is too hot to breathe in the summer and too cold and yuck in the winter to go to the playground. If you want to start a new business, fly to Chicago and check these places out and please, please, please invest in one in the south. Pickles even has a salon on one side with really cool chairs and small flat-screens playing Dora or Diego or whatever makes your little ones chill. Just put in a soft floor, buy an espresso machine, and stock up on a bunch of toys at Ikea. Seriously. Best idea. Ever.

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And this post just keeps on going and going . . .

. . . and this is where the pictures will have to stop (because they must). The beginning of the Christmas season for the Darby family starts with this . . .

A trip to our local Menard's and we came home this little green friend of ours. She's a little small, but I love her just the same . . . and so do my silly children who play with her lower branches just as much as they do their Fisher-Price Little People. But more of this later. Hopefully not much later :)