A long anticipated photo shoot...

We put off taking family pictures for way too long, so then we had to deal with October's unpredictable weather.  This was our 3rd attempt against the weather and while it was a fairly nice day, a cold breeze started blowing as soon as we started pictures.    The big kids tolerated it pretty well, but Noah could not be enticed to smile. We went to the old Sugar Beet Factory by our house, it has some really cool backgrounds.

I couldn't resist getting some of Erin with her daddy.

I love the one above just because it shows the kids' personalities so well.

Here's Ben being goofy, Erin loving every minute of Ben's antics, and Noah looking for more of the food I had been sneaking him.

Our last spot was in front of the smokestack.  It was an awesome scene, but with the sun going down and the wind picking up, the kids were officially DONE!

So, we warmed the kids in the car and then took them out one at a time for a few more pictures.  They were troopers, but you can tell they're cold!  At least now I have individual pics for an update!

Ben- I love this kid's imagination!  He'll pretend play anything, anytime.  He's getting the hang of reading, but my new favorite thing is his notes.  He'll make big signs to help bring me into whatever he is pretending at the moment.  Last week he put up one that said, "Nobudes Hom" (nobody's home) on the monster's house, so I would know it was safe to go in.  Five is such a fun age!

Erin- I often forget that this lively girl is still only 2!  She wants to do everything Ben does, wants to do it all by herself, and insists on at least helping with anything she's not allowed to do alone. (Like make dinner.)  She's finally lost the 2-year-old temper, for the most part, and is becoming such a fun girl.

Noah- A 9-month-old in 18 month clothing!  His growth is slowing however.  He's in the 

70th percentile for height and down to the 60th percentile for weight.  He just barely cut his first tooth and can officially do a real crawl, but still prefers the army scoot for speed.  His favorite word is "Hi!"  He loves to hear it, say it, and wave for it.  After these pictures I finally gave him a big boy hair cut.  Since his hair is the same color as his scalp, however, it's really hard to tell how thick his hair actually is!  You can't tell from these pictures, but he really is a smiley, happy baby who is adored by his family.