Mother Load of Candy

Here are my bunny and kitten - or "hop hop" and "neow" as Madeline called them. The first house we went to in our neighborhood, the dad was dressed in a full gorilla outfit and TERRIFIED Madeline. (Scared me to be honest!) She recovered pretty well. We hit a few houses in our neighborhood, then we went to Trunk or Treat at our church. It was a fun night.

We returned home - gave the girls their second bath of the day. Let them dump out, sort, and eat a little of their candy. Then Brian read them two Halloween books before bed. It was a good day. (And I am loaded up with a chocolate supply for a long time!)

Happenings

Here we are on an after dark walk.

Maddie got this backpack full of baby accessories for her birthday - and has converted it into her own baby bjorn - and has been wearing it non-stop with her baby stuffed inside!

Madeline cuddled up like this on her own today - what a little cutie!

The Necessities

This is Emily's beloved "blankie." I bought it for her at Kohl's. (I can't remember if she was born yet or not) It is so super soft - luckily we have 2 that we rotate. And on occasion when Emily finds them both - OH HAPPY DAY!!! "I have TWO blankies!!!!"

And in a supporting -but crucial role - are her "buddies." They must all sleep with her. They must all come downstairs every morning. She says, "Mommy, you carry the big buddies and I'll get the little ones." And I do. And she does. Indulge me in introducing them by name. In the front row is:
Daddy puppy - was Brian's before she was born
Brown kitty - Christmas gift when she was 1
Gray Gray - impulse buy by me at Hallmark - started this whole thing
Puppers - spoiling gift from me
Row 2
Aunt Jill Puppy - we bought him for her - brought him to her and home with us in the same day
no name - bought at holiday world this year
pink pink - hallmark store - she picked him out for her birthday
Princess - finally - and original name. Grandma Bonnie bought him at the Children's Nuzaum
Row 3:
Black kitty #1 and #1 - aunt Jill got them for 10 cents at Target clearance
Brown Brown - from Holiday world 2 years ago - for some reason a FAVORITE
No name - a puppy she stole from Maddie

These are Madeline's best buds. We also have 2 of her blankie - both purchased by aunt Jill - one for a baby gift (as was "kitty" or "neow" as she now calls him) We bought a second blankie from Ebay out of necessity! :) I just felt like these family members deserved some blog time! Maddie is also attached to a baby she got from her birthday (Thanks Abshires!) We call him "Baby Jack."

Oh my!

Okay - it was a good day - here are some awesome visuals of my day. I was talking to Mingle on the phone - when Maddie approached me looking like THIS (above pic). She had used herself as a canvas. . . this is certainly not the first time. Later in the morning, she wanted to put on "big girl panties." So, we did. After sitting on the little potty, she put them back on - well, kind of. The leg hole is around her waist - and nothing is between her legs - I laugh and laugh looking at this picture.

On a more appropriate note, I let the girls paint their pumpkins today. They loved doing that. . .

Emily with her masterpiece.

Our little animals

So, Emily is a bunny.

She was encouraged by Brian to make a bunny face.

The bunny watching the bear.

Our little "Neow." (What Maddie calls a cat)

Busy Sunday!

So, today started out normal. Our plans: church, lunch, then I had to go do some "work" with the other ladies from our small group. (We are doing a little scrapbook with women at a shelter, so we got together to get the paper ready!) That was it. . . Well, church was good. I had lots of fun doing the scrapping stuff. We even got to make a cute little mini album. It is amazing how excited it made me. (put a woman in a home with only small children and adults, scissors and paper start looking REALLY GOOD!) Anyway, the other couples asked if we would want to go to "Zoo Boo" together. . . so we agreed. We got the kids in costume and headed out. As we were pulling out, our dear friend, Heather, called with a flat tire. I was honestly excited that we could help, because they are ALWAYS helping us. So, an hour later we were on our way to the zoo. (did I add that it ended up taking another police officer, another friend, and Emily had to pee by the roadside with me dangling her in the air??)

So, then we went to the zoo. Here is Emily checking out the polar bear.

Here are she and her good pal, Rebekah. They are such cute little friends.

Here are our small group kids minus one. Aren't they cuties?

A few more shots

Here are a few more of my favorite pictures! (The way I blog with pictures is from picasa - and it will only let me put 4 photos per post - advice anyone?)

Photo Shoot

After the pumpkin patch - we stopped in a yard near our home (that actually has mature trees - imagine that!) We asked permission to use their yard - then we had a little photo shoot. It was very fun - and I am quite happy with the results!

Brian had the idea to drop leaves down on the girls for pictures. They loved it - and those shots are so fun!

Our punkins at the Patch

Today we went to the Pumpkin Patch. It was fun! It was also muddy! We watched a giant dinosaur eat pumpkins (weird!) We went through 3 corn mazes. (Shouldn't they be called "maizes?") Emily rode a little dune buggy thing. (Actually, I pushed her AND steered - it wasn't real fun for me!) We saw a few animals. We took losts of pictures! The girls loved climbing a giant hay pile. I caught Emily in an action shot! We also took a hayride where the girls each chose a pumpkin. Madeline kept pointing to hers saying "Baby!"

Girls' Nite

Tonight Brian went to the men's retreat at church - so we had a fun night of girls! We did some painting, read a bunch of books, played hide and seek, and looked through 2 photo albums. Then I put Maddie to bed and Emily and I watched "our show" - Kid Nation. She had to have popcorn and lemonade - her favorite treats! That was our evening.

Hump Day

Here are some fun pictures from the last few days. Emily LOVES drawing right now. She goes through lots of paper!

This is a coat I bought Emily a few years ago - and it finally fits. I almost DIED when I saw how cute she is in it!!!!

Little Madeline trying on an old hat of Daddy's.

Brian often brings home a drink after work. Of course, the girls think they have dibs on it. Here Emily is sharing with Maddie.

I spent time yesterday and today getting the girls' clothes all organized. This is a job I HATE - but it is now D.O.N.E. Yay! All set for winter! Emily is in 4t and Madeline is in 2t. Brian is going to a men's retreat at our church this weekend. I'm excited, because in 2 weeks I get to go away for the weekend with my "bank girls!" Tonight we had "chicken fried rice" for dinner. It was a new recipe - and it was really good. I can pass it on if you want it. Emily loved it, too! Madeline is doing this super annoying new thing at dinner. She cries and refuses to eat - but must be held by me (with her blankie, baby, and kitty). It is one thing to eat with a newborn in your arms, but a chubby 2 year old with her entourage. It is frustrating us right now!

Girls' Nite Out

Look at my little Madeline. She is crying and chasing me as I try to get a picture of her in Emily's cowboy boots. That little cutie!

Tonight, I got to go out with two of my favorte people on earth - Lisa and Natalie. They are my drinking buddies (Coke, that is) - and I'll leave it at that! I had a great time!