Halloween Party

Since we will be abandoning our children on Halloween to travel to far-off places, Katianne and I decided to throw a Halloween party for the kids, complete with bouncy house, pinata, and trick-or-treating. I even managed to dress up for the first time in 6 years.

Halloween is Ava's all-time favorite holiday. Her favorite movies are of the cheep, made-for-TV/DVD, kind (i.e. Pooh's Heffalump Halloween), which she watches year-round. When I told her it was time to put on her costume for the party, her face lit up and she ran from room to room gathering everything she needed, repeatedly proclaiming, "Happy Halloween!"

Pumpkin Patch

After a month of alternating illnesses, the girls were finally healthy enough to conquer the local pumpkin patch.

Who are all of these old people???

For the second time in a short while, I caught myself asking this same question. I got an email from my mission president, detailing the latest mission reunion, with a picture of everyone that attended. I was excited to see fellow missionaries, some whom I haven't seen in ten years, and eagerly scrolled down to find a picture of complete strangers. Who were all of these people, standing next to spouses and holding children? Certainly not the 19-22 year-olds that I remember.

It reminds me of an incident that took place a few months ago. I was eating lunch at the Dutch Goose with my family and noticed a group of men sitting at the table next to us. There was something oddly familiar about them, and I couldn't stop trying to place them. Suddenly it dawned on me that I went to middle school with these guys. I couldn't believe it - they were so old!

Even with two kids I still feel very much like the person I was 10 or 15 years ago. When I taught, it constantly plagued me that I had so recently been in the place that my students currently were. In retrospect, they probably saw me as some ancient, married, pregnant woman.

My Darling Girls

I'm amazed each day to see my children growing and becoming real people, with unique personalities, habits, likes, and choices. As exciting as it is to watch this process unfold, I constantly remind myself how precious this time is, and how quickly it will pass. Most days it feels like I will always be waist deep in diapers, playgrounds, sticky hands, and slobbery kisses, but I look at my girls and see how quickly they're growing and changing, and it's sobering.

Today I sat down and wrote down some of the sweet things that the girls are doing, so I don't forget.

AVA

* She listens to everything I say, repeats my common phrases, and questions everything. I can see myself better through her world.
* She wants to have her back scratched as incessantly as I do.
* She loves and has no fear of animals.
* She cannot go to preschool, church, dance, or the park without making new friends. She’s not shy and values her friendships, and she likes to list names of her favorite people and then state, “He’s/She’s my friend.”
*She’s just as happy to go camping and catch bugs as she is to dress up like a princess.
* She won’t let me answer the phone. That’s her job. She’ll talk to the caller, stranger and friend alike, until I wrangle the phone from her kung-fu grip.
* She’s totally obsessed with pregnancy and babies these days. She wants to know how babies get in mommies’ tummies. She wants to know how they get out. When she sees a pregnant woman she wants her to take the baby out so she can see it.
* She’s a highly empathetic person. She feels bad if people around her feel bad. She doesn’t like it when people laugh at her or other people. She sticks up for people if she feels like someone is mistreating them.
* If I try on clothes she says I look pretty. When she overheard me saying that I feel gross the other day she said, “No you’re not, mommy. You’re beautiful!”
* When she really likes something she says that it makes her heart happy.
* She was born with very little enamel on her teeth and recently got two crowns and five fillings. She can’t sit in front of a mirror without checking out her “new teeth” and rejoices that food no longer hurts her teeth.
* When I ask her what she wants to do, she often says, “Lets go to Target” or “Lets go to Costco.”
* She’s artistic and loves to paint and craft.

LILLY

* She sings the Happy Birthday song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star throughout the day and in her crib at night.
* She’s overflowing with love and affection. She doles out kisses and says “I lu lu” (I love you) to just about everyone in her life.
* She has fluffy, curly hair that is always messy, emphasizing her already round, large head.
* If I leave her with a babysitter for the shortest amount of time she screams, “Mommy!” and runs to hug me as if I had been gone a week.
* She acts so old for her age. She’s only 22 months old and can carry on conversations and is almost potty trained.
* She dislikes nothing more than being away from her sister. No matter how special the activity we do while Ava’s at school, she asks for her sister the whole time.
* She loves men, especially the ones that are close in age to her daddy. In a room full of strangers, she’ll walk right up to these guys and want to sit on their laps and play with them. She won’t stay in nursery without a man in the room. We’re terrified for her teenage years.
* When she hears someone speaking Spanish she says “Hola!”
* She has no interest in TV or movies. This is not so great when I’m trying to cook dinner and the kids need a distraction, but otherwise great.