What??  NOVEMBER??  

We've been having so much fun this month, and it is time we caught you up on it!

Emma shows off her green polish- She LOVES Fingernail Fridays.

Emma gives Shorty a reassuring pat before we set off on our D.C. trip

Tom and Emma smile on Gen. Hard's porch

TOM!!!  No tossing the baby!

Bjorn magic: no baby can resist

Emma, Isabel, and J.V. do some reading before the Vargas Family tricked us into wearing our O Fest outfits to an "Oktoberfest party" in a nearby town.  The joke was on us, as we were the only ones wearing hosen and there was no party.  

Emma and Isabel brought us back to HAPPY as they rocked out to the kid-karaoke machine.

Emma/Wonder Womannnnnn!!!!







Emma holds up a sign for Mc Queen and the gang at Disney on Ice

Emma holds up a lovely pumpkin at our local pumpkin patch.  

We can't choose who/what our children love, can we...

Hay Ride!  Yee Haw!

What in the world is on that car?  Surely not a huge playhouse strapped to a car.

As a matter of fact, it is a playhouse strapped to the roof of a car. 

Quick, go in for the dunk!!

Boy do we ever love The South.

Busch Gardens Big Day

Y'all (trying to sound like the locals) may remember our mis-adventures to Everland in Korea. Everland is FAR from being the happiest place on earth (Disney reserved/copyright). Between the Koreans thinking Emma is an attraction, the sweltering heat/humidity, and the rides...Everland was a traumatic place for the Paganos. 

BEFORE:

The "Unmerry-Go-round"

AFTER:

Happy Day at Busch Gardens!

Jen asked Emma if she wanted to go on the "spinning" teacups...amazingly she answered ZZZZYEAH!!!!

Roulette wheel ride only added to the addiction

The Hang-glider ride was a hit...but Emma was ready to ride by herself.

Emma displays how a low-level is flown.

"You have to focus when you're so close to the ground daddy..."

Intermission: Not sure she needs any more cake. Does she have wrists?

Emma couldn't get enough of the airplane ride...

...and her bumper car skills are awesome.

Emma totally tagged this kids car...he left the ride crying with a damaged ego. Serves him right with all his trash talking before the ride began.

These bugs were Jurassic HUGE!!!!!

We treated Emma to a little rice krispy treat at the end of the day...although we were worried cake lady would try and steal it.

Sugar rush wearing off....

Slightly worn out

Smart Jen

As many of you may know, we have been on a mission to get little Mia to take a bottle.  After trying all different kinds of bottles and various nipples, we believe we finally have a winner!  Mia has taken a bottle 5 days in a row now, a major victory for us after more than  2 months of trying.
Here's Tom proudly giving Mia a bottle.  

Seeing how perfectly capable of holding and feeding the baby he was, I got to thinking!!!

What else can these people do around the house?  I have been working far too hard for far too long.Here's little Emma holding Mia, as well.  Between her and Tom they should have no problem keeping the little gal happy while my arms get a rest.
Now that the baby is happy,  

Tom, get into the kitchen and make us some dinner!

Tom threatens a violent revolt to the new regime, but it is all talk and he is soon back to work.
Now for the one who's been eating for free for the past 3 years!

Get to scrubbin'!
Don't feel sorry for her.  They are surprisingly hardy little creatures.
"If you ran the vacuum like you run your mouth, you'd be done by now."
Keep at it while I go enjoy a nice bath.

Now get out- the two of you!  And take out the trash while you are at it.
Once done with my bath (and bottle of wine), I will take the two little fat ones with me and find a quiet place.  
This one gets to come with me on account of her still being small enough to cuddle and not yet of any use cooking or cleaning.
That added to the fact that she smiles a lot and is not yet capable of asking "why?".
This little fat one gets to join us as she is also useless when it comes to housework, and has the skill of listening quietly.

Ahhh yes, now this is how it's supposed to be.

DOG DAYS O' Summer

Sweet Mia sports her new shades~

At 3 months old she is close to outgrowing the infant car seat and is now wearing 6-12 month clothing.  Our Little Beefcake!!!

Both girls wore themselves out at the park and are racked out in their car seats.

Emma's ready to load her bag with colorful veggies at a farmer's market in nearby Yorktown.  Check out the cool white eggplant!  This is quite a departure from the past 2 years of sad sad produce selection at Osan.

The Ben and Jerry's ice cream store is Emma's very favorite part of Yorktown's Market Day

Shorty tolerates Mia's fist-full of skin and hair like a pro!

Tom shares his Lego collection with Emma in an attempt to slow down the Little Why Machine.  Emma wants to know about everything!  See if you can help us answer some of her latest questions:

What noise do reindeer make?

Do birds burp?

Why do our fingernails keep growing and growing?

Mia smiles alongside Emma's twin babies, "Suzanas (plural) Don't Cry For Me."  

Not ever to be shortened to Suzanas, always to be called by their full names "Suzanas Don't Cry For Me."

Shorty enjoys some off-the-leash time on our hike on a local trail.

Emma poses beside the infamous "Wythe Creek" for which our delightful dirt path aka Wythe Creek Trail was named.

Sweet Mia rests her peepers while Mommy reads stories to Emma before bed.  While awake, she usually insists on practicing sitting up.

Nothin' beats napping with a baby.

"And then I was like, 'are you serious?' and she was like, 'totally!!!' "

"Okay I gotta go now, Bye!" 

"Totally".