Six Months

Happy 1/2 Year Birthday Lollipop!

Big, squeezy, cuddly hugs to you.  What a journey so far...  watching you grow, watching you become, watching you BE.  You are so sweet, so fun, so long-suffering.  Poodle is comforting to you, and you trust her.  She makes you laugh, she makes you happy.  Tooter is your buddy.  You still like to sit on Daddy's chair with him and watch a few minutes of a movie.  You love his face and his smile, and oh, he loves yours!  They both still want to come in and snuggle with you in Mommy and Daddy's bed in the mornings.  They listen for you to make sounds over the monitor and at the first wee inkling of a noise, they are waiting for me to say it's okay to go back and see you.

Rolling... rolling... rolling...  You are rolling around everywhere.  Back to front, front to back.  In fact, you rolled from your back to front at church!  On a table.  In the lunchroom.  On a Thursday night during a special meeting.  Eh, whatever works!  I didn't even really see it the first time.  MooMoo and GaGa were there letting you play on the table after they had finished eating.  But I caught you on the phone camera the 2nd time you did it.  And now, I set you on the floor and you just roll over and over like the old dog Rover to go get a toy or grab at something the older kids are playing with.  I'll be holding you, and you will literally reach for the floor so as to tell me that you want to be put down to play.

You are beginning to develop a schedule.  Your first nap of the day is your best one, and you want to take 2-3 more short ones during the day before you go down for the night around 6:30 to 7:00.  I have exactly started feeding you solids yet, because quite frankly, I don't want to admit that it's already time for that.  But, after I get through typing this, I'm going to start peeling apples to make your first applesauce.  It's time.  And you're ready.  And it's okay.  sigh....

To be honest, you've actually had a bit of food already.  This past Saturday night, while we were having a little David-and-Leah-are-here party, we let you try a little bit of smashed banana.  Audrey didn't finish all of hers, and so we let you eat a bit off of Daddy's finger, and then a spoon.  You pretty much grabbed the spoon from Daddy's hand as soon as you figured out what was going on.  Apparently, bananas=yummy.  Not that bananas are supposed to be your first food.  But, you didn't have that much.  And you did love it!

Oh, the shine in your eyes and the smile on your face when Daddy walks through the door after work.  Oh, how you love his voice.  How you love him to tickle you and kiss you and give you his great big smile.  You can be sleeping and hear his voice when he comes in, and you are instantly waking yourself up so you can share in the attention.

You've experienced a real snow!  On the 12th of this month, we had a sho'nuff snow"storm" that gave us some actual snowball-throwin', snowman building, covered everything type of snow fall.  It was gorgeous!  You didn't stay out in it for very long.  Just long enough to get your picture taken with the snowman, and then back inside you went.

You're still a smiley, happy, giggly, good-natured sort of girl.  Very curious and very much wanting to touch everything and put everything in your mouth.  Your eye-tracking is getting better and your grasp is improving every day.  I have begun to have to relearn how to not just do things one-handed, but do them one handed about 2 feet away from me so you can't grab onto something that will hurt you.  ha!

You genuinely like people.  You like being around them and looking at them.  I will admit that you aren't as quick to go to new people as you were a few months ago.  But, as of a couple of weeks ago, you discovered the power of holding your arms out to people.  So, you actually are more aware of where you are and who you are with.  And as it is with most babies, you like the status quo!

And, I will admit that you are quite attached to Mommy.  :-)  And by george, I love it.  I love being your mother.  And Tooter's mother.  And Poodle's mother.  I'm so blessed to have this gift of children inside of such a wonderful marriage.  As undeserving as I am, the blessing was still given to me.

To paraphrase Mr. Randy Travis,

We love you deeper than the holler, stronger than the rivers

Higher than the pine trees growin' tall upon the hill

Our love for you is purer than the snowflakes that fall in late December

And honest as a robin on a springtime window sill.

And we'll love you longer than the song of a Whippoorwill.

God bless you, precious child.  May He always keep you close to Him as you go through this life!

Conversations with Tooter

Scene:
Tooter is chasing Poodle around the house with a plastic frog that was unearthed in a recent clean-up-cause-company-is-coming event.  Poodle is playing along and pretending to be scared until she finally gets bored with the whole thing and wishes to be left alone so she can go cook some pretend food for our coming guest.

Poodle:
Mooooooommeeeeeeeee!  Make him stop!

Me:
Tooter, stop bugging your sister.

Tooter:
Okay Mommy!  I'll bug YOU!!!

(yes - completely unrelated picture to the above story.  I just wanted to share it, cause she's so squishy and cute!)

Ocho Anos

And some days it feels like I don't remember a time that I didn't know him.  He is the man that I always wanted, but wasn't supposed to meet until a bit later in my life.  He's the one who can make me laugh.  The one who understands me so well.  The one who always brings me back to sanity.
He is the one who loves me anyway.

We won't go out to a nice dinner tonight, because we're still trying to recuperate from this cold/flu that has gone around our house.  Twice in two weeks, it feels like.  (Drama much?)  And a quiet night at home, for us, is gold right now.  Well, as quiet as it gets when you have three small children.  But you know what I mean.

Honey, thank you for always being the best man you can be for me and for our family.  Thank you for giving so much to us and for always putting us first.  I love you completely and totally, and I know without any doubt that marrying you eight years ago was the smartest thing I've ever done.

And the happiest.

And I love you so very much!

Happy Anniversary my dearest.

Oh, blogging...

How I miss thee.  How I miss having time to share all those cute little things the kids say and do, because when I don't get them down somewhere, I usually end up asking jmk "who did this" and "which one did that?"  Sad thing is, that at 6, 4, and 5 months, I really ought to be able to remember.

Ah, but that time will come again, I hope.  Time to get thoughts and memories down in one place.  Time to go read all those other blogs that I enjoy perusing.  Time to take long, hot bubble baths at night.
Thought I'd slip that last one in while I was thinking out loud.  ::grin::

Since I had to get pictures off the camera for a specific reason, I was able to share this one.  I love these people.  And now, time to change the sweet baby!

The baby

Got to include a pic of the baby!

Just a test

My sweet husband got me a new toy for Christmas, and I'm trying out an app for it. I'm a high-tech redneck now!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Five Months

Sweet Lollypop!

Happy Five Months!

Oh, what a sweet angel you are.  We are all so in love with you - you are such a lucky little girl to be surrounded by so much love and happiness.  Just last Sunday, we mentioned to GaGa after lunch at church that we needed to make a trip to Walmart to get some "things", and he picked you up out of your Daddy's arms and put his face close to yours and said "nonsense.  You've got everything you need right here".  And he's right.

You are rolling over from your tummy to your back!  You did it the first time on Christmas morning, but didn't do it again, on purpose, until this past Sunday, the 10th.  You actually do more trying to scoot to grab things when you're on your tummy than you do trying to roll over.  You haven't gone from your back to your tummy yet, at least not without help.  No rush, little one!  I don't see the need to hurry along your baby-ness at all!  Please don't hurry growing up.

You will spend several minutes in the exersaucer now, without wanting to be picked back up.  And we have to strap you into the bouncy seat when we do use it, because you try to sit up, and you just about tumble yourself out of it!

There was no leaning back on the chair for these pictures!

She wants to sit up on her own.

On New Year's Day, you started blowing raspberries by sticking your tongue out and blowing with your tongue and lips.  You did that while sitting in MooMoo's lap, and she got so tickled!  Of course, that encouraged you to do it to EVERYone else which got all of us tickled.  There was much pfllbbttt going on that day, and you loved the applause!

Oh, we are so enjoying what a baby is - the purity and earnestness in everything you do.  Everything you are.  The clear, loving looks you give us.  The "little lion" sounds that you make when you need to tell us that you are uncomfortable or need to be picked up.  Oh, what a sweet baby you are.  I'm reminded all over again at how much I wish I knew how to enjoy babies when your older siblings were little!

You have taken to loving to sit with Tooter in Daddy's chair.  You and he will sit and watch a bit of a movie.  He'll put an arm around you and pat you on the leg.  And tell me that you are the sweetest baby in the world!  Of course, your BearBear (Poodle) can make you laugh faster than anyone at times.

Totally up-staging Fuzzy Wuzzy.

We still have no idea what's going on with your hair!  There is still some brown there, but there's an awful lot of might-ty blond stuff coming in.  Hmmm....  Overall, there's not a whole lot of anything up there, which makes you look even more like the baby you are, and I love it!  You do have this almost mohawk of hair right on the top, and we love how it sticks up after your bath when your hair is all clean and soft.  It's so cute!

Unfortunately, in the past month, we had confirmed what I had been suspecting - that you are developing eczema also.  Sigh.....  I cried when the doctor told me.  And I cried again when I told Daddy that night.  And I didn't say anything to anyone for awhile, because I didn't want to talk about it until I could rationalize everything.  And get my bearings about it.  Not be so dramatic about it.  It's not like we were told that you had something terrible to deal with.  And there is the chance that you really will outgrow it by the time you are 2 or 3 years old.  I know that Tooter hasn't yet, but that doesn't mean that you won't.  Besides, we are pretty good with the eczema thing now.  And, thankfully, your most troublesome spots respond very well to plain hydrocortizone cream right now!  I hate that I can't feel naturally soft skin on your legs anymore.  But, I was so very aware of that soft skin while you still had it.  We definitely didn't take it for granted.

You are still taking lots of short naps during the day.  Although I'm beginning to see the possibility of those naps beginning to lengthen a bit.  You still wake up during the night to nurse a little bit as well.  But, it's easy for us.  I still tuck you in close beside me so I can snuggle you all night and help you get back to sleep when your skin is bothering you.  And, mostly, I just like having you close.  Just like I did with Poodle and Tooter.  Boy I love snuggling my babies!  This baby time goes away so fast.

You are quite the drool bunny currently.  It's the very wet season of "pre-teething".  We go through a lot of bibs during the day.  :-)

I have a very vivid memory, to me, that I want to get down to assure I won't forget it.  It was before Christmas, and you and Tooter and I were killing time while Poodle was at her speech appointment.  We only had 30 minutes, so we wandered around a dollar store that was near the school where she was.  I was holding you in my arms, and you had your precious, soft, warm little cheek pressed against mine the whole time we were wandering the aisles.  Oh, the feeling of your relaxed, happy little self being perfectly content to piddle while keeping this quiet contact with me will stay with me forever!

It seems so commonplace to say that we love you little one.  We adore you completely.  And I know we are going to enjoy you so much as a little girl...  but please.  Don't hurry through the baby months.  They are going by so fast already.

Yay for five beautiful months!

A Year Ago

A dear mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend, neighbor, daughter, and Sister In Christ left this old world and found that mansion filled with delight.  She found that sweet happy home so bright.  She now dances and sings and praises her Saviour Jesus Christ with a clear voice.  She has Seen. Jesus. Christ.  Oh, how we may miss her... but her happiness is complete.  She knows only JOY!  Can you imagine being always happy and feeling always complete?  And as my mother and uncle and aunt whispered to her in her last minutes here on earth - it will be but a moment before we will see her again.  For our hope is in Jesus, too.  And time in Heaven is nothing like time here.

Granny's children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren spent many an hour in her rocking chair (that now resides in the cry room at my church) listening to the melody of Twilight Is Stealing.  It was our lullaby and a very special song to all of us.  This clip is from her 100th birthday party at her church that was her place of worship the last years of her life while she was living with my parents.  She passed on to Heaven almost a year later - and she has now seen that Mansion.  She lives in that Sweet Happy Home.

I feel I must apologize for the poor recording quality of the clip.  But I wanted my mother and three uncles to see it.  Granny didn't do much singing out loud in the last years of her life.  But she sang Twilight is Stealing on this day.  She sang.

And for those who cry today - I cry with you.  And I smile with you that she is in a Most Perfect Place.



P.S.  If you are having problems seeing the video clip, send me a note.  I'll change the settings.

Happy New Year!

This is proof that I remember how to post on this blog.  I just don't remember how to find time to do it.  Cheers!!!  :-)

Four Months

Baby girl!

You're four months old today!  Oh, how strong you're getting.  Your head control gets better every day.  You can track people and things like crazy now.  You've transitioned out of the bassinet into the crib (sniff, sniff).  But, your crib is right by my side of the bed, so you're still close by.  :-)  You'll eventually share a room with Poodle, but for now, you're close to me.  And, you still spend the nights tucked in next to me.  Why?  Because I like it that way!  You're such a snuggle bug!  You'll eventually sleep all by your big girl self, but I'm not giving up snuggling with my little baby quite yet.

You are sitting up quite well in the Bumbo now.  We didn't have this brilliant little contraption when Poodle and Toot were babies...  but it's just great.  And when someone steadies your hands, you like to push up to a standing position with your legs.

Your naps are so-so some days.  I can tell that you would love to have a real schedule, but with two older siblings, that isn't all that possible.  We try, but there's only so much we can do when the others have to be out of the house for school events.  Thus, your naps tend to be in short bursts, which isn't all that great for you.  But we do have days of great naps also.  And no matter what, you're so sweet about it all.

Oh, how you love your Tooter and your Poodle.  They are the best in the world to you.  Just about every morning starts with snuggles in the bed when you wake up.  They adore you too.  Tooter has taken to calling you sweetie a whole lot of the time.

You are pushing up on your arms better and better, and are "rolling over" when you do that.  It's not an intentional roll-over - more of an accidental force of being off-balance.  But you do get yourself on your back at times, and you don't really like that position if no one is around!

You can sometimes get that passie in your mouth by yourself, if it's in your hand in just the right position.  But you still like to suck on your fingers.  We try to discourage that, but at the same time, we don't worry too much about it.

You're grabbing things now, as well as purposefully reaching for things.  You've even begun to almost reach for people!  You love grabbing hair.  Oh, how you love to grab hair.  :-)  You'll give big, open mouthed, slobbery kisses - and I love those so much!  You kiss just how Tooter kissed when he was a baby.  So sweet!

You love to laugh, and it seems that you smile all the time.  You fuss when you're tired or hungry, and that's about it.  You are our joy!!!

We love you!!!

The Kind of Friend I Want to Be

A sweet mom friend of mine recently gave me a very cool thank-you happy for helping her with the Fall Party for our homeschool group.  Who else but another living-the-crazy-life mom could know how appreciated a bar of chocolate and a pair of fuzzy socks can be?

And this got me to thinking.  My last post was a little depressing, I'll admit.  We all have Those Days, but this one just got to me more than usual.  And, I guess I wanted to vent with the hopes that I'd get some encouragement to soldier on.

And I did.  Praise God for who He has put in my life!

Back to what got me to thinking.  We have all kinds of friends in our lives, yes?  And we need all of them - so I'm not saying that any one kind is better than the other.  But I tell you what...  I hope that I can be a chocolate-bar-and-warm-fuzzy-socks type of friend more often.  The kind of friend who wraps you up with understanding and commiseration and encouragement and a little dose of realistic thinking, all the while she/he is praying for you and lifting you up.  That's the kind of friend I want to be to more people.  No judgement.  Just humor and encouragement and some eyes-up talk!

Chocolate and warm fuzzy socks.  Instant smile maker.

Tooter's Speech

I've talked before about how Tooter doesn't speak/listen/comprehend at his age level.  But I know that is sort of a broad thing to say that doesn't necessarily explain our position with him.  It doesn't explain the difficulties that we have with a 4 year old boy (in physical stature) who sometimes relates to us at a younger age level.  His behavior is directly related to his communication skills at times, but that's really hard to explain to people who see a single situation and really don't know anything about us.

Here's an example.  He still relies on a pacifier to help him sleep.  It helps him get back to sleep after scratching episodes in the middle of the night, and I just don't feel guilty about letting him still use one.  HowEVER, he does need to learn to do without it, or it's going to cause issues with his teeth alignment.  So, today, I told him that he is going to need to learn to take his nap with no passie.  (Grammar police, please stand down for a moment).  He tells me, "No Mommy, I need to take a nap with yes passie".

Entry in the Cutest Things Kids Say contest, you say?  Yeah....  it is sort of cute.  Except that I know that he is generally not "getting" what I just said.  It's not just cute talk.  Ahhhh...  I have dreams of having that wonderful personality that allows me to just relax and not worry about things like this.  So I can just let it go and know that this will work itself out.  So I can ignore those people who get judgmental about the behavior issues we have with him, when we're just doing the best we can with the situation at hand.

Blugh.  I think I'm using the blog to vent today.  Lucky you.  :-)  It has been one of Those Days.  Hmmm.  Maybe I just need a Yes Passie of my own.

Three Months Session

Some photos from Lollypop's portrait session!  Family et al, I took all of these, so just let me know which ones you would like and what size you want them in, and I'll have them printed!  It's no problem - the photographer cut me a great deal.  ;-)  Just send me an email.

And a quick CONGRATULATIONS to the Foster family!!!  I'm so glad baby Fiona is here!

And this last one is not a "real" portrait-portrait.  But I sure do love it.  She was such a good girl for me the day we did these!  (And, yes, I do mean day.  It took a lot of short sessions.  But, I was at home with two other, um, helpers.  ;-)  Who still needed to be schooled and fed and put to nap and all those other things that happen during a day).  Sweet Lollypop did such a beautiful job!

For a Giggle

I'm spending today working on getting Lollypop's in-a-dress-studio-portrait 3 month photos today.  This isn't the money shot, but it's so funny...  It just makes me laugh!  Who doesn't love a big gummy grin from a baby?

Three Months

Lollypop!

You are three months old today!  What a sweet girl you are - and getting so big.  When your Aunt Amy held you a couple of nights ago at Tooter's birthday party, I realized just how much you have grown.

Your clogged tear duct has cleared up!  Since you were born, your left eye always looked as if you were coming down with pink eye, minus the actual red eye part.  You would get the gunky stuff every morning, and a few times during the day.  Your doctor told us to just massage the area and wait.  We did, and you are finally clear of all that stuff.  Yay!

Your head control is getting way better.  I was "riding horsey" with you about a week ago, and you were holding your own head up so well!  And you can pick your head and your shoulders up now when you're on your tummy.  You're not exactly pushing up with your arms to do it, but still using your back and neck muscles to lift everything.  What a strong girl!  You'll be pushing up before I'm ready for you to do it, I'm sure!

You smile all the time and you have this short giggle that you will give us now.  At times, when we're just talking to you, you'll let out a giggle to let us know when we have tickled your fancy.  I'm so looking forward to the "real" baby laughs that I know are on their way!

You still have a love-love relationship with the ceiling fans in the house.  You love them.  They're just brilliant to you.

But probably my most favorite thing you do right now is give us the in-love-with-us looks that make me absolutely melt into a mushy puddle.  There are times that you will look at us with this soft, dewy smile in your eyes that can only be described as a baby in love with her parents.  And I can not tell you what this look does to melt our hearts.

Oh, sweet girl.  You owe so much to your big sister and brother.  I can assure you, I was nowhere near as understanding and relaxed about baby-things with them.  I sincerely didn't know how to truly enjoy a baby with sweet Poodle.  I was only slightly better with dear Tooter.  But they taught me, by the grace of God.  And I learned a little bit.  And now you are the lucky recipient of a more aware Mommy.  More aware of the fleeting time we have when you're little.  More aware that "this too shall pass", both the easy and the hard.  More aware that the purity that shines from your precious face doesn't equal a sinless soul.  But that it does equal an innocent child who is depending on our example to learn about behavior.  And love.  And most importantly, God.

I was talking with Daddy a few nights ago about that Sunday morning at church when he and I were sitting in the fellowship hall, waiting on the OB's office to call us back, thinking that we were never going to meet you.  Oh, God's mercy is overflowing in our life.  We have three wonderful children (and a most precious marriage) as proof of that mercy.  And Love.  Your being here reminds me of that.  And that is a blessing unto itself.

We love you so very much!

Four Years

My sweet Tooter Pooter,

You are a big four year old boy today!  I still remember every minute of the day you were born, and can not have wished for a better little man to call my son.  Your daddy and I are so proud of you - we are proud of the way you are growing and overcoming your obstacles and using your beautiful abilities.

Just born - 2 days old.  Poodle is 2 years old.

You are still struggling with your eczema.  It's not much better, but we are getting better with dealing with it.  And if that's the worst thing you have to medically encounter in your life, then you're in good shape.  Other than some scars here and there, it's not leaving too much of a mark on you.

On his way home from the hospital, in his daddy's going home outfit.  He barely fit in it!

Your communication skills are getting better!  You're definitely not completely up to age-level yet, and you struggle with finding words to explain what you want and need.  Sometimes, you mask it by arguing with us, when in reality, you just don't know what to say to us.  Of course, sometimes you ARE just arguing.  ;-)  But you get better every day.  In a few years, I suspect you will have this vocabulary stuff all worked out.

One year old.  Wearing the overhauls that Papaw gave to Jmk when Jmk was a baby.  This doesn't do justice to just HOW fat he was, but it's one of my all time favorite pictures of him.

In the past year, you've learned to ride a bike (with training wheels of course!), and you've taught us to duck when your bat makes contact with a ball.  You're so coordinated and talented.  Just like your daddy!  You are ALL boy - you run everywhere you go and you have an endless supply of energy.  Thankfully you haven't started bringing critters in the house yet.  Ha!

You are such a sweet, loving boy.  You're a great snuggler, but you've put the kebosh on most of the kissing that Mommy likes to do.  :-D  Your big sister is your best friend ever and you want to be with her all the time.  Y'all can argue, no doubt.  But there is also no doubt who you love to play with.

Two Years Old

You sit through church beautifully now!  You know all your letters and numbers and can write most of them.  You love to write your name and other names in the family.  You've begun asking "what's this word" which I can only assume is a very early prelude to reading.  We're not really working on that right now, but you may be wanting to start before too much longer.  And you're finally potty trained!  Woohoo!  (You even get through the night all dry sometimes).

You're still a REALLY picky eater!  (I'm sooo getting my payback for being picky when I was little.)  There's not a lot you'll eat, but at least you do and can eat.  There are plenty of little ones who can't because of some difficult illness.  We're grateful for your overall good health.  And your beautiful smile. And your huge, bright, sparkly blue eyes.  And your random "I love you"'s that never fail to make us smile and melt.

Three Years Old

You love Spiderman and Cars and movies and your family and football and soccer and helicopters and planes and popcorn and smoothies.  (Not necessarily in that order!)  You play at PBSkids on the computer and can tell me more about dinosaurs than I thought I'd know at this stage.  You also play at Barbie.com for which you can thank your big sister.

You loooooove Lollypop.  She's "the cutest baby in the world" according to you.  (Hard to argue with that one).  Your adorable face makes her smile so big and you love holding her and petting her head.  I love hearing you say "awww, she's sooo cah-yute".

You're as different as night and day from your big sister, and sometimes you're just like her.  I love to look at your face, and I can already see tiny bits of the all-baby face starting to disappear.  It makes my heart sad.  But, thankfully, it's not all gone yet.  Especially when you're resting.  Then you're all baby. :-)

Almost Four Years Old - from July 2009

God was so good when He gave us you.  We love you, son.  Happy Birthday to our delight!

When you're educated at home...

...you can wear whatever tickles your fancy that day! (This was Tuesday's contribution to fashion).

I wanted to give a special shot-out to my mom for helping so much with school/baby things lately. Up until a few weeks ago, I was barely having to leave the house with Lollypop, because Mom was taking the older two everywhere for me. It was nice being spoiled! But I finally manned up and started handling things myself. :-)

However, school field trips are another matter. We are blessed to have a very active, very busy homeschool group. There have been a couple of events lately that made me nervous; dealing with all the kids was going to be tough.

But, at the corn maze last Friday, Mom held the baby in the van for four hours straight while I walked around with the older ones. Yesterday, she held and fed Lollypop for five hours during our Fall Festival party, so I could be outside with the kids.

That's huge!

Thank you so much, Mom, for helping me educate the kids by being a support system. It means more than you know!

Mallory, BFF Spencer, and Poodle at the Fall party

For the Beehive

I know, right?!?

No, I didn't take this one.  I wish I had!  Stacey Williams took this totally spectacular picture of Tooter at our homeschool group field trip to a Corn Maze/Ranch this past Friday.  I had to share it because photoshop is usually involved in this cool of a photo.  Yet, this is what came out of her camera!  Extraordinary picture.

Anyway, I'm joining a ceilidh at The Beehive, so here's my most recent favorite poem.  I never would have read this one if it wasn't for the booklist at Ambleside Online.  I'm not really a "poetry" kind of person, (my degree is in math and my art preference is ballet), so I took notice when this little poem tickled my fancy.  May we all find a little Fairy Bread this week!

Fairy Bread

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Come up here, O dusty feet!

Here is fairy bread to eat.

Here in my retiring room,

     Children, you may dine

On the golden smell of broom

     And the shade of pine;

And when you have eaten well,

Fairy stories hear and tell

Punkins and Princesses and Spiders, Oh My!

Oh, Halloween.  That much discussed "holiday" that brings bags of sugary diet-busters into one's home each year.  Oh how amazing it is to show up at a neighbor's house, cheerfully utter three magic words, and receive some tiny treats that make little ones giggle with excitement!  Back in my day, of course, there were always those cool houses that would give out popcorn balls - remember those?  Can't do that in these different times, but we have our memories.  Hmmm.  Maybe I need to make my kids some?

ANYway, little Lollypop (you know, the one we used to call Sparkie on here) was a punkin, but she didn't actually join the intrepid trick-or-treaters.  It was a bit chilly, and we didn't want the wee girl to be uncomfortable.  Besides, it's not like she has any idea what's going on.  Really.  So, MooMoo "had" to stay at our house with her so I could go out for a little bit with the other kids.

Poodle was Princess Aurora, something she had spent months saying she wanted to be.  (Whoever had the genius to market all these Disney princesses the way they do now wasn't paid enough for his or her idea.  I'm just sayin').  Tooter was Spiderman - or as he says:  "SpiderName!  Scawy!!!  He kept that fabric mask on for a great deal of the evening, which surprised me.  And they were so glad that their sweet cousin, Audrey, was able to go around with them.  She had a blast as Princess Audrey and was amazed that people kept giving her candy!  Brilliant!  Every time someone would tell her she looked beautiful, she would make this low and slow bow that was so cute.

We managed to keep the busy candy-seekers from eating too terribly much of their loot, but they did sugared up a little bit when we all got home.  Poodle quickly changed into her pj's, and Tooter shed his spider skin pretty quickly as well.  But Princess Audrey reigned through the whole evening!

The next day, we went to SueSue's house after church to visit with some family who hadn't had a chance to meet Lollypop yet.  Aunt Jennifer loved and snuggled on her as she likes to do with these babies. 

And Robert and Megan finally got to see her as well.  Lollypop flirted her little heart out with Meggie - loved her!  And Mr. "I'm not good with babies" was a natural with her.  He snuggled like an old pro.

It was a fun, good weekend - although I'll admit to being tired when it was all done.  One might say that I'm getting o-l-d.  One might be correct.  ;-)