Lately...

 We've all been fighting colds lately, so I've been trying to allow for as much pajama time at home as our schedules will allow.

A lot of our days lately have looked like this...

...just hanging out at home, trying to take it easy.  Here Dr. Abbey was giving our ever-patient Dory a check up.

 I picked up this super cool Solar System puzzle at Ross for $5.99. We had a fun time putting it together as a family one evening last week...

 

 The coolest part about it is it GLOWS IN THE DARK. So cool. David had to hold it up to the lights for a minute to "charge" it, but then when we turned the lights out it lit up and the kids were enthralled (okay maybe I was too)

Hanging around the house requires lots of creativity, which Abigail is clearly not lacking in. Here, we turned a wrapping paper tube and some black and brown construction paper into "Beauty", her horse...

Cutest cowgirl ever.

And if you're looking for this boy, be prepared to battle at all times...

Cutest warrior ever.

He's pretty stealth in battle...

...and is known to use The Force at crazy times, like even in the middle of rolling dough...

We also had some fun birthday parties to attend this week. The first one I completely forgot to take pictures at, but it was a fun Lego Star Wars party (Luke was in Heaven) where the kids each got to bring home a Lego rocketship to build. I think we're still a little too young for Legos around here, but I know it's only a matter of time before they litter our floors completely.

The second one was a bowling party. This was Abbey and Luke's first time bowling, and they LOVED it. We bowled with bumpers, so each roll resulted in knocked down pins...which made for some very happy preschoolers!!

They started with these ramp things, and quickly ditched them for shot-putting rolling the balls all by themselves =). It was really fun, and we will definitely be going again soon!

Yesterday we attended a Tae Kwon Do party. It was crazy fun! I only had my phone (which is an incredibly cheap, pre-paid phone) so I didn't get any good pictures, but these blurry ones kinda captured Abbey and Luke smashing and kicking boards in half! SO COOL!

I think after the holidays I'm going to sign the twins up for some Martial Arts classes. They loved it, and I love how it teaches self-control and self-defense.

Well, I'd love to wrap this post up all tidy-like with a bow...but I got nothing. 

Just your average week in review =).

Halloween 2014

The week of Halloween we (and by "we", I mean David) carved the pumpkins we'd purchased at the pumpkin patch earlier in the month.

Both kids picked out pretty large pumpkins this year...

 

 

David had the kids draw on what they wanted him to carve...

 

Since the pumpkins were so large, we had the twins have one pumpkin, and then had a family pumpkin as well...

David made "El Spookadaro" on the right here. On the left you'll find our two-sided pumpkin, one side showing a Jedi (complete with belt and use of The Force) and Abbey's "Silly Pumpkin" on the opposite side... 



One night that week we ate dinner and watched The World Series by the light of our Jack-o-Lanterns, which I think will now officially be a family tradition =)

Halloween fell on a Friday this year, so the twins had preschool that morning. Their school held a Harvest Party, and I got to volunteer and spend the morning at school with them.

 It's always fun to spend time at school with them during events like this. (That's not to say I don't love the six hours a week that I normally just drop them there and then run errands or come home to an empty house...because I do love that too)  But I really enjoy sitting back and watching them interact with their classmates and teachers, and on party days, other parents. I like how proud they are to show me all around the school and their classrooms. I like getting to observe the friends they've talked about. I love the glimpse of what their time is like there on regular school mornings.

That night we visited our friends, just like the years prior, for first house to Trick or Treat at... 



 

Are they not the cutest little Jedi's you've ever seen?!

 

Wanna hear the coolest part? David made their costumes.

I had purchased Halloween costumes back in the end of August, when Costco put them out and they were $11.99. Luke wanted to be Wolverine, so we snatched it up. $12 and done. Abigail wanted to be Jessie (from Toy Story) so I ordered that off Amazon and gave myself a pat on the back for being so on top of things that I had Halloween costumes purchased and in my possession by September 5th.

 

What I completely neglected to recognize is that four year olds are known for changing their minds.

 

After watching the Lego Star Wars movie, Luke became enthralled by all things Star Wars. Abbey has been interested too, but not nearly to the degree Luke has been.

Suddenly, around mid-October the checker at Target asked the kids what they were going to be for Halloween, and Luke replied "a Jedi!"

Um, no. You are going to be Wolverine.

I was sensitive to his request, but also willing to ride the Mean Mom train all the way home because we'd already purchased a costume, and even though it was low-priced, I wasn't willing to purchase another one simply because his mind had changed.

He took it really well.

(I was impressed)

And I was telling Dave about it later that night, when he said "I bet I can make him something..."

And the idea was born.

He talked to Luke about his plans, much to Luke's delight. Abbey even decided she wanted to be a Jedi too =).

So one afternoon after work, David went to Goodwill and searched Women's Small clothing until he found all the pieces he needed...right down to the leather Jedi belts =).

He also picked up those neon bats, covered the bottoms in duct and electrical tape, thus creating Light Sabers.

 

MAJOR Dad points!!

 

The Force is strong with these two.





Pumpkin Patch Round Two

A few Saturdays ago I had the day off work and so we loaded up the minivan and headed to the Pumpkin Patch!

 

The twins and I decided to take David to the one we visited with GrandDad last year, since he had never been.

Love my people...



 

 

We stopped and visited a sweet little calf when we first got there, and then immediately onto the Star Attraction...our very first pony rides!! 





 

 

And then on to the bouncy house...

This year, because we went on a Saturday as opposed to a week day, so many additional activities were available, like this giant inflated bouncy thing. Balloon? No idea. But whatever you call it, our kids freaking loved it.

 



LOVE this boy...

And this is what our kidlets do when we ask them to pose for a picture...it must be a twin thing =)



 

And of course we had to go down the bumpy slide again this year!! And then more bouncing!

 



 

 

 

 

 

Towards the end of our time there, each kiddo had 3 tickets left. Luke chose to go down the bumpy slide with Daddy, while Abbey made a beeline back to ride another horse!

 

Our baby girl, looking right at home pretending to drive a tractor =)



 

 Luke's turn!

 

After that, we picked out pumpkins and headed back home for some carving fun =).