Happy Halloween!

The girls are more excited about Halloween this year than I have seen them yet. We've tried on costumes about a zillion times. Yesterday they got to dress up for music, which they were pretty thrilled about- an extra time to dress up!

Then we carved pumpkins. Thanks to Auntie Jen for helping get all the gunk out over the weekend, because that is definitely the worst part!

Today the girls eagerly awaited evening so we could get ready to go trick or treating! First came the face paint...

And finally it was time to get dressed and go!

This year we skipped our street in favor of the "square" part of the neighborhood so we could hit both sides of the street without doubling back. Even BabySlimJim was excited and did his fair share of running up to doors to Trick-Or-Treat with the girls. He didn't really get it, and tried to give people his candy instead, but he still seemed to have a good time. The girls loved it and couldn't get enough and we almost had to drag them home at 7:45! What a Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday Party!

Today we celebrated the girls' birthday one more time with a giant blow up Elsa, Auntie Jen, and a big backyard party.

 There was cake:

Donut eating:

A pinata:

And presents, for the friends that hung around long enough to see some opening...

Everything a good party needs. We were worried because it was such a cold day, but everyone seemed to have a great time. Thanks to Auntie Jen and Dan and Gram and Grumpy for helping to get it set up and to everyone who came out to celebrate! Happy Birthday one last time, girls!

Auntie Jen Is Visiting!

We have been looking forward to seeing Auntie Jen again since our trip down to see her in Virginia. We met her Thursday at the airport (which is always a fun field trip) and are so excited she is here! Lots of playing and catching up.

Today, as a birthday present, Auntie Jen took the girls to get their nails done at the Glitter Nail Bar downtown. They've never been to a nail salon and while MiniM.E. was super excited, LittleL.G. was nervous at first. But they did great and had such a good time with Auntie Jen.

The Last Carousel Ride of the Season

Most of the time when MiniM.E. has Tae Kwon Do, we drop her off. It's a twice a week activity, and while LittleL.G. doesn't mind sitting and watching, BabySlimJim has recently decided he would also like to participate in Tae Kwon Do. Since I just can't keep him off the mats, we drop and Daddy picks up... most of the time. Today, we needed to pick up too. Our original plan was to hit up the library play room, but as we were driving downtown we noticed that the carousel was running.

So... we took a very chilly walk from the library parking lot over to the park to ride the carousel. We were lucky enough to know the operator, so we got a two for one ride. 

Then we played at the stump of the old big tree.

It was really chilly and I was suprised the kids wanted to stay and play so long- I practically had to drag them away from the park to be back to pick MiniM.E. up on time!

A Weekend With Uncle Billy and Aunt Donya

This weekend was cool, especially for Uncle Billy and Aunt Donya who live way down in tropical NYC, but we tried to make the best of the sun and spend a lot of time outside.

We spent the afternoon Saturday at Bowman Orchard picking apples and doing their fun fall activities.

The highlight (and by far the most expensive and shortest) activity of the day were the horse and pony rides.

We ended the weekend Sunday with a childrens' choir performance and lunch at Five Points Deli.

Thanks for visiting Uncle Billy and Aunt Donya!

Swimming, A Tae Kwon Do Halloween and A Playground

Swimming is still happening and both the girls are making great progress.

MiniM.E. had her first Halloween event at Tae Kwon Do on tonight, and was thrilled to dress up for class and the Halloween Party afterwards!

While she kicked and punched, these little guys played at the playground for a while.

 Tonight, Uncle Billy and Aunt Donya arrive for the weekend!

Happy Birthday MiniM.E.!

Today MiniM.E. turned seven!

Happy Birthday MiniM.E.! You are my sensitive, caring seven-going-on-thirty year old. You take on so many grown up tasks like caring for your brother and sister. You are smart and determined and throw your whole self into things you love, like Tae Kwon Do. I love your mix-of-teeth smile and laugh at how much you hate having loose teeth but love having them fall out and showing off the empty space. You have grown so much this year. I love the conversations we have and I am so proud to watch you grow into a responsible young lady.

A birthday isn't a birthday without presents...

 We spent the morning at the Tree Paad so MiniM.E. would have some fun activity on her birthday.

MiniM.E. and Daddy share a birthday so they went out for a special birthday dinner while LittleL.G. had dance class. Then after MiniM.E.'s dance class ended at 7:15, we went to Friendly's for special birthday ice cream and singing instead of birthday cake!

Happy Birthday MiniM.E.!