Halloween

Halloween is right around the bend. This year we are letting Ruby pick her costume. She bounces back and forth between Spidergirl and a Kitty-Cat. A couple costume catalogs have come to the house and she loves flipping through them and will occasionally say that she wants to be every costume on each page.

Last night when she was getting ready for bed, we were laying down talking. There was a break of silence and she asked what was wrong. I told her I was just thinking and she asked if I was worrying about what Sailor was going to be for Halloween. When I told her no she asked what Mommy and I were going to be. I told her we were going to be her and her sister's Mommy and Daddy.

It seems like the Halloween I knew is a child is fading away in favor of themed festivals and church Trunk and Treats. The holiday was always a blast for me. I have so many awesome memories of walking and running around the neighborhood carrying a sack full of sugar. One year the bottom of my bag was blown out thanks to condensation from a Capri Sun. Thankfully I was close to home and able to scrape most of my loot up and make it back to the house.

I am glad the traditional style of Trick-or-Treating is still around for at least a few more years so I can share it with the girls. There are already so many things I loved from when I was younger that they will never experience, every little bit has become important. Tradition is a huge part of family and it is tough at times to mix the old with the new. We do are best to adapt, it's all we can do.

Happy Thursday

     It's been quite a while since we had any real action around here. I should have known we were overdue.
All was well Thursday morning: the girls were up and eating breakfast, my wife was getting dressed and I was packing her lunch. Ruby wanted oatmeal, which I made and gave to her, and Sailor was working on the first half of a banana.
     It was quiet...too quiet. I went in the next room to check on them and this is what I found.

Yep, that's a bowl of oatmeal spread all over the couch. It was also on the throw pillows and all over Ruby (and some on Sailor too). I yelled so loud that the sonic boom actually knocked the kids off their feet.
     Ruby got a spin in time out and a shower. Sailor got a thorough wipe down and the other half of her banana. My wife feels like it was our fault for not watching them. I told her Ruby, who was the obvious culprit as the oatmeal was places Sailor can't reach, knows better and could not resist the temptation of spreading her bowl of breakfast greatness all over the place and playing in it.
     To be honest, the things the kids have done that were destructive and made trouble for us actually seem like they would be kind of awesome to do. Who hasn't felt like ripping things out of the wall or coloring on the TV? I guess that is the difference between adults and children...they can get away with it and we can't.

Autonomy

We've always tried to foster an independent nature for the kids. We are not afraid to let them try doing things themselves even if we feel like they will fail. Ruby has taken this and ran with it and now so much so that if you won't let her do it, she gets very upset and unhappy until you let her. She is quick to ask for help when she needs it so we feel like this is a win.

Getting dressed has become a big part of her day. It is always fun for us to see the outfits she comes up with. Here are a few shots from the past couple weeks.

 

On a related note, Sailor is in full-on hold the bottle herself mode. Sometimes she kicks it one handed with the other arm hanging out the side of the swing.