Happy Halloween!!!

The girls started the day pretty smiley in their new Halloween outfits. (Thanks, Jodee!!!) They enjoyed a pre-breakfast romp with the little pumpkins- nibbling on the stems and licking the dirt. Yikes!


Sugar cookies were a big hit. The girls downed two each faster than I could decorate them. I should admit, they didn't eat frosted ones...We planned to take our dragon and lion around to visit friends and deliver cookies, but we only managed to get to two houses. I'm afraid the thrill of Halloween faded throughout the day and come costume time, they would probably have preferred going to bed. Not even their auntie could entice smiles from them at this point. I'll be excited to take two walking monsters around the neighborhood next year! Happy Halloween to you all!

Mia stands!!!

Last Thursday I was busy getting ready for school while the girls played in their room. When I peeked in on them, Mia was standing! I had to do a quick pajama check to be sure I was really looking at an upright Mia. Seeing her on two feet is such a relief! Alli first stood almost a month ago and as each day passed, I'd been growing more an more concerned that Mia hadn't. I guess she is just a bit more cautious and wanted some time to visualize an exit strategy other than a sharp drop back to her tailbone. Now we have two kiddos teetering around- a dishwasher double threat! (The poor door can barely hold Allison!)

What we're dealing with...

Mia and Allison have been miserable for the last couple of days. Their coughing and sneezing carries on all day long while at night their congestion makes it sound like they are purring kittens as they sleep. They've been very clingy/snuggley and whiny, which I both LOVE and don't love. Hopefully they'll be able to weather this bug quickly and get back to being their otherwise cheery-selves. I was doing my best to avoid getting sick myself, but Mia put her snotty fingers in my mouth when I wasn't looking and I progressed downhill from there... Shawn fell victim to their germs yesterday. Cross your fingers for a speedy return to health and an endless supply of Kleenex!

Northbound...

Henry saw the Halloween costumes laying on the bed and wanted to model them. It was kind of like putting Mufasa in a Simba suit, but we got them on. Bryn, who has a case of 'mascot-phobia' had to keep reminding herself, "I know it's Henry. I know it's Henry. I can see his face..."

Sunday morning we all got together for breakfast at Pasquale's. It's a southwestern restaurant, which explains the cactus puzzle that Henry so proudly put together!
Once again, Mia and Allison LOVED spending time with their cousins, grandparents, and auntie and uncle. (I think Allison in the above picture is thinking 'I can't believe I ate the whole thing..." She polished off a huge pile of blue corn pancake, pear and banana!) It is always so hard to leave Madison, but we were all excited to get home to Daddy! I was nervous about making the long trip during the day, but the girls cooperated very well. We made it all the way to Eau Claire before stopping at a Holiday Inn for a carpet picnic and some crawl time.

You can tell Shawn wasn't present when I dressed the girls for two reasons... He still doesn't fully embrace the Packers and he feels we should dress them as athletes, not cheerleaders! I think they looked pretty cute though. Alli may share her father's opinion of the green and gold. Just before Hudson, WI she puked all over her outfit.

A chilly trip to the Farmer's Market!

I had the girls so bundled up for the market that I kept picturing Ralphie's little brother from "A Christmas Story". (Later in the day Mom and I went shopping for some weather appropriate clothing.) The market trip was a success. We picked up all the essentials; jam from the insulting yet lovable Jam Man, spun honey (a recent addition to the essentials list), spicy cheese bread, and a yard sign!

Madison's own - Henry Vilas Zoo!

Over the long weekend, I took the girls with me to Madison to visit family, friends, and some of my favorite Madison spots. 'Grandma and Grandpa' were spending the day with Bryn and Henry on Friday so we all rallied at the Henry Vilas Zoo! I hadn't been there since I was young. It was so fun to be there with Mia, Allison, and their cousins! Bryn and Henry get so excited about the animals, especially the swimming polar bear. I can't wait for the girls to be able to talk about the animals too! They mostly wore a puzzled look on their faces like, "what the heck is that!?

Because we aren't quite outfitted for the cold, the girls had to wear the only really warm thing I brought for them to wear... their Halloween costumes. I guess you can get away with cruising around as a lion and dragon when you're at the zoo.

Here Bryn and Henry are pointing out the big giraffes- Henry's favorite!

We took Bryn and Henry on the carousel and then afterwards, we all took a ride on Mr. Frank's train. Grandpa, Henry and Alli rode in the giraffe car. Bryn, Mia, Grandma and I brought up the rear in the caboose!
Then we went to the playground! I tried to get a picture of B and H in the kangaroo pouch, but Henry would climb in, look up at the kangaroo's face and rush back out. He said, "I afraid of the mouth part!" I can see how a ten foot tall kangaroo could be intimidating to a three year old!

The girls had their first slide ride of their life, and I had my first as a 3o+ year old! It's still fun!

After a little more climbing around and watching their cousins brave tall towers and steep slides, we rushed home for nap time. I'm sure we'll be back to the zoo again!!!

Day Family Self-Serve...

Lately Shawn and I have got to be very quick as we go in and out of the fridge. If we leave the door open too long you can bet we'll have company, and not just Rudy... Mia and Alli have developed a fascination with the big appliance. When I try to shut the door, I'll move one girlie out of the way and then quickly move the second, but by the time I turn back around to close the door, 'daughter one' will have snuck back in! Our poor fridge is working overtime to keep cool.

The Pumpkin Patch!

This weekend brought us back to the Collegeville Orchards, and more specifically, the pumpkin patch! Mia and Allison got to hunt for pumpkins with their friends Elliot and Alex (who just snuck out of the picture above...)
I think the girls were a little intimidated by the big pumpkins, and probably by the tall grasses and dirt that we kept setting them in... When Allison found a pumpkin a little more her size, she dealt with it the only way she knew how... Mia and Alli also got up close and personal with this llama and its goat, pig, and duck friends. There was even a pony that liked to nibble Mia's toes! Doctor Daddy wouldn't let them pet the animals (too germy- never mind that they were sucking on dirty pumpkins just moments before...), but I don't think they were too disappointed by that. It was all in all another great day at the orchard!

A big thank you to Grandpa Day for watching Mia and Allison tonight so Shawn and I could go see our favorite band, Storyhill! If you aren't familiar with them, they come highly recommended!http://www.storyhill.com/flash_site/index.html