Trick-or-Treat

We scored some super loot tonight.

Treats!

And, there were so many great pictures and videos that I can't decide how to post our story yet. Here is a sneak preview to whet your appetite...

Tricks!

My Cup

Sometimes, when Life starts putting the smack-down on me, I forget that I have no room for any stress or fear anywhere, because I'm so full-up on Love.

My cup runneth over.

Magic Show

For our first magic trick, we will fit two babies on one little wagon.

Look what we did by ourselves, Mama!
(Including the removal of the wagon rails.)

I'll scratch your back, Anni...

... But, you can't scratch mine.

Dismounts are never graceful.

For our second magic trick, we will make one baby disappear.

Abracadabra.

Is Elli under here?


Oh. THERE you are. Humph.


Elli claps for herself.
(As she does every time she stands up. Not for Anni's magic trick.)

Gross Negligence

I'd like to think I'm on top of things, for the most part. One shortcut I often do take is to leave the girls in their PJs all day. Whatever they wore to bed, they wear the next day.

Imagine my utter shame when I was undressing Elli for her bath, only to discover a little "solid" on the loose in her outfit. How long was it hanging out in there? Since last night? Since an hour ago? My kids eat a lot of fiber, and, thus, make a lot of odious diapers, so there is no way of knowing for sure.

Perhaps this explains some of her behavior today...

That face of reproof when I put her in her car-seat, which I thought was because I strapped her in before her sister? Maybe she was judging me for smooshing something slimy up her backside.

Or, the once-over she gave the elderly lady at the fabric store who referred to her and her sister as boys, repeatedly? It's possible she was trying to send her a signal that she was in the hands of an unfit mother.

Or, the unfriendly raspberry she blew at the other elderly lady at the fabric store who tried to convince me that Anni had a lazy eye? (REALLY? REALLY? She doesn't, I assure you.) Perhaps she was trying to communicate to everyone the unfortunate situation she had in her pajamas, which she had been wearing for going on 18 hours.

On the other hand, I'd like to submit to the universe that perhaps parents in the early 1900's were grossly negligent in teaching manners.

Sometimes Mom even puts pants on our heads for her own entertainment.

Got Milk?

We are deep in the trenches of weening. And, with all of us here having spent the last 8 days fighting off fevers, sore-throats, and the like, it dug us even deeper. The biggest obstacle is getting the girls to drink any substantial quantity out of sippy cups. We have tried countless models, but, alas, they would rather drink out of regular cups. (This has proven too messy for me to cope with.) Today we finally made progress, and it was very serious business.

Bottoms Up!

Well, not that serious.

Baby Love

Over the past few weeks, the girls have become overwhelmingly affectionate. To their dolls. To me. To each other.

If I use the word "baby" in conversation, it elicits plenty of lip-smacking. If I encourage them to "love ____," whatever it may be, they start cooing and smooching.

They will come to me just for the purpose of getting a kiss. They hug back when I hug them. They give plenty of sloppy kisses without encouragement. They will snuggle themselves into my lap with a book they are looking at.

I'm so pleased that they've started to love on one another. One will present her forehead to the other for a kiss, and then this gets repeated repeatedly. If one is lying on the floor, the other will lay next to her and roll back and forth onto her with a big smile. They are starting to share more and actually play together.

Baby Love

Being such an affectionate person, I hope that they'll never be too big for snuggling with their mama.