Is It October Already?!

Days are going by faster and faster it seems, so I’ll try and do a monthly wrapup before we hit November! Dylan has two soccer games and one-two practices a week, Ava has dance on the weekends, and between parties, activities and good ole family fun stuff, we have been super busy! Did I mention that I went back to work already?! So, there’s been little time and big adjustments in the McDanal household. And the biggest adjustment (and blessing) has been little Miss Harper!


Harper has been such a happy little baby and such a joy. Her proud big brother and big sister dote on her, and when they do it just melts my heart to pieces! Michael and I were really blessed to have smiley happy little babies when Dylan and Ava were born, and Harper is no different. She usually goes to bed around 10:45 at night, and either sleeps through until 7:00 or wakes up for an early snack at 4:00. Can’t ask for much more than that at six weeks old. She’s starting to coo and make little noises…but don’t keep that wet diaper on for more than a minute or else she will give you a piece of her mind!

Dylan is such an athletic little boy, and I’m thinking he has a tad of his mommy and daddy’s competiveness as well :-) He is playing fall soccer and has caught on so well, that the last game he scored over seven goals! I’ll post a blog with a video from the game. Ava Grace is amazing me with the phrases she says and how gentle she is with Harper. I didn’t even know she knew any sign language until she showed me at least half a dozen signs! Don’t get me wrong, the terrible 2s are among us and her hitting, yelling and tantrums come often. One transition that has been sweet and easy for her has been potty training. I haven’t really tried to push it on her, but now she is asking to go potty on her own.

Now on to the fun pictures!! October is the time of many Texas festivals – Octoberfest, West Fest, Butterfly Flutterby, and the biggest of all – State Fair! We took the children who had an absolute blast – and wanted to ride all the rides and eat all the foods just like their parents. Dylan could not wait to ride the ferris wheel, which of course Ava wouldn’t let him go without her.

We are huge Halloween fans in the McDanal household, so we could not miss going to the Dallas Arboretum and Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch to get our fill of all things orange! We were fortunate to go with Aunt Diane to the arboretum during her Texas visit, and it was a beautiful day to go. The pumpkin patch is always a little crazy, but we waited for the crowds to die down in the late afternoon.

I plan to blog more frequently beginning in November so our adventures aren’t crammed into a quick update, but don’t keep me to my word!