Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween. The girls donned bumble bee costumes for their second Halloween. Not quite ready yet for making the rounds in the neighborhood, they stayed at home greeting skeletons, goblins, ghouls, fairies, princesses and all sorts of crazies. At first, Isabella thought the costumes were too scary and cried for a few minutes straight. But after a little explaining about costumes, she sprang alive every time the doorbell rang in anticipation of handing out candy. We put the girls to bed but trick or treaters continued to arrive. Cries of "more people" and "candy" resonated from their bedroom so we treated to some extra late night time until all the revelers were done. Of course, turning off all of our lights helped deter them after a while.
 
 
 
 

Going Up

Starting with their cribs many months ago, moving on to zoo fences, the girls climb everything in sight (they often call me a ladder as they climb up my front). As a father I need to choose which behaviors to encourage and which ones to discourage. I'm giving the girls a big thumbs up!

Isabella does a cool trick where she jumps off of the top rung and grabs a lower rung on the way down. Not to be outdone, Alex climbs the round ladder thing-a-ma-jig to a platform where she is working on the monkey bars.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Noodles

The girls love pasta. They play with the uncooked noodles and the cooked ones are pretty fun too. It's so fun to be a kid. They get to eat noodles the cool way. Just stick one end in your mouth and slurp little by little until it's all in. Repeat.

(I'm just realizing this is the second post where the girls have painted faces. One of their daytime haunts has a face painting station that they make a bee-line for)
 
 
 
 

It's Getting Colder

Fall is definitely here. We are lucky for the days without rain. When a weather window opens we try to take advantage of it. I'm never sure how to dress the girls, however. I may be comfortable in a t-shirt when Kellie has a down jacket on. We went down to the Sound again but it was too cold for splashing. A fog blanket obscured the passing boats and foghorns pierced the air. Instead of constant cries of "look daddy, a boat", we received constant questions:

"What was that, daddy".
"That was a foghorn", I would reply.
Hooooooonnk!
"What was that daddy".
"That was another foghorn"
Hoooooonk!
"What was that daddy".
"That was an airplane".
"No it wasn't, daddy. That was a foghorn."

This shows another frequent trait. They are mimicking our question game and reversing roles. They ask *us* questions where they already know the answer. If you get it wrong, they let you know in short order.

 
 
 

Stroller

Toys come and go, but at every trip to the toy store the girls went straight for the little strollers. Whiling away the time strolling around the aisles they became glued to the handles. When Aunt Kim brought two kits over their eyes lit up and grew wide. Pushing them around and around the house they sought passengers. At first little toys, then their dollies, then...each other. Daddy didn't fit, but they sure asked for it.
 
 
 
 

Party

The girls are in full party mode--eating cupcakes, unwrapping presents, talking on the phone. They had been looking forward to this for weeks. If it was up to the girls, this would be every day. Girls just wanna have fun.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Balloons and Sun Glasses

Party season is here. After a birthday bouncing party around inflatable castles the girls brought home balloon souvenirs. They love balloons. Enthralled in every way they hold them, tote them around, jump on them, kick them and play catch. Working on their movie star image, they practiced their cool for the next party with some stylish eye wear. I wish I got so much joy out of such silly things. Perhaps I do, just watching them.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Presents from Aunt Chris

Presents arrived in the mail the other day. Instinctively, the girls knew the brightly wrapped gifts were for them. Displaying paper tearing skills honed around the house, we all soon discovered the hidden contents all of which are now favorites. Alex claimed the elephant place mat and Isabella the butterfly. Maisey's Amazing Big Book of Words has already been read over, and over, and over again. I've never worn out books before (that I can remember), but the girls read them so often they quickly break down. Like an old pair of comfortable jeans, the girls more often than not go to the most loved book. And Maisey's et al has joined that group.