Busy Week with Fall Activities

This week was busy with Halloween activities. The girls really love Halloween and want to wear their costumes all the time. Its so fun!

Wednesday was the Halloween festival at church. The girls were so excited that when they took a bath before we went, Wes asked who wanted out the tub first and they both said me. Usually, Lizzie says Gracie. They both love staying in the tub. So, we got them dressed, realized Gracie's costume was a little big and made a Walmart run for a tank top to put underneath it. When we got to the church, we saw all our friends all dressed up. We ate our hot dogs and waited for the parade to start. Our friend Drew led the parade dressed as Where's Waldo. All the kids followed him all over the playground and into the church. It was cute but reminded me of the Pied Piper.

Minnie Mouse aka Lizzie

Fancy Nancy aka Gracie

Next up was a Halloween party at our friends house. This is our third year to go and we had a blast. The girls love playing with all the big kids. We enjoyed our time with the adults.

Lizzie decorating cookies

Several of the girls came down the stairs dressed up. This is how Gracie came down.

 Today was the last of the pre-Halloween activities. It was our annual Fall Festival for MPOM. It was at the pumpkin patch at the Lutheran Church. It turned out great. Amy and I were in charge of planning and organizing. The only hitch was my cute craft. It was suppose to look like this, but all the cookies kept breaking. Fortunately, 2-4 year olds don't really care. We had about a dozen set of multiples show up! So great. The girls were so happy they got to see Reese and Riley and Anna, Issac and EJ.

Multiple Multiples!

Next up is Nana coming and Halloween! It should be really fun!

Making Our Tree Scary

As we were driving around yesterday with Grandma and Papa looking at some Halloween decorations, Lizzie informed us that we needed some scary ghosts in our tree. I remembered that I had some white plastic bags and markers. So, we got to work. We all decorated our trash bags and tied them with twine. Then put them in the tree.

Both girls were really proud of their tree and Lizzie told us that she wanted all the neighbors and her friends to see her "scary tree". This is the year for them to really start understanding the holidays. If they are this excited about Halloween, I can't imagine how Christmas will be!

Notice who is doing all the work? Of course its Grandma.

Pumpkin Patch with Grandma and Papa

Grandma and Papa stopped through town this weekend after a trip to see their good friends in Wilmington, DE. We picked them up at the airport and headed to Babe's for some yummy chicken.  For a week now, Lizzie has talked about going to the scary Target. She likes to look at the Halloween decorations and that's whats so "scary". She wanted to have Grandma and Papa go to Target with her to show them how scary it is. So after nap and dinner, we all headed over to Target to have a look.

This weekend turned out to be about pumpkins, for breakfast Grandma and the girls made us pumpkin muffins. Then later, we took Grandma and Papa to the pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins. Grandma was going to help the girls decorate their pumpkins. So of course, we had to get pictures. We came home, the girls napped, and then got to decorate their pumpkins. The used Dora and Diego stickers and markers to make their pumpkins "pretty". I couldn't tell who was having more fun, the girls or Grandma.

We asked Grandma to take a family picture for us.

Grandma and Papa with the girls

Sitting on a little bench in a sea of pumpkins

With their pumpkins they picked out

My sweet momma and daddy

We had a really great time. Grandma and Papa both took turns reading the Fancy Nancy Halloween book that Nana sent. The girls loved the book (it was read a zillion times). Wes and I even squeezed a date in while Grandma and Papa watched the girls. We will be sad when Grandma and Papa head back to Oklahoma.

How Are They Different?

People ask me all the time how the girls are different. While they were still in the womb, I was concerned about their movement and I told the perinatologist that one was more active than the other. He said to me, they are totally different and not to compare them. Later I learned, that they were both active and that they were both laying with their feet in the same spot. Lesson learned. It is still some times hard not to compare but I keep telling myself they are two different girls.

And different they are. I wouldn't say night and day, but different. To explain it, lets look at their hair. Lizzie has very straight hair, so straight that it really doesn't hold a curl. Her personality is very straight and narrow. Methodical and organized. Things have to be a certain way, you have to tell her about change and then she will be ok. She was one of the first kids in her preschool class to master rolling up her nap mat. Gracie has curly hair and is very bouncy, springy (like her curls). Compassionate and hyper. She comes up with some of the most imaginative things. She loves to carry some sort of bag and loves her babies.

I wouldn't say that one is more outgoing than the other, but different. In some situations, Gracie takes the lead while in others Lizzie does. They both like girly things but have different tastes. I can start to see their sense of style coming out. Much to their mother's happiness, they love shoes!

Both girls reflect their parents personality. Gracie is very similar to me and Lizzie is very similar to Wes. They show me every day how different they can be. The one similarity is their love for one another. They are always looking out for sissy and want to see her happy. I am thankful every day for these two precious souls.

Fair Day 2011

Riding in the train

Today, Wes took the day off and we went to the fair. This year, we decided to take the train and the girls loved it! The train drops you right at the gate.We look at the cars, toured several bathrooms and got our Borden's milk by visiting Elsie the Cow. We went through the petting zoo where a zebra almost ate Lizzie's hand. The girls really liked feeding the animals and learned to use the shovels provided after a couple of goats ate the paper cups with the feed in it.


This year, we took the girls through the "Little Hands on the Farm" where they got to pretend to be farmers. Both girls loved it. It was really fun and took the kids through the entire farming process. They were even given "money" to "buy" something which was a bag of Cheetos in the girls case.


We had a great time. The train ride home was a little long because the girls needed a nap and were bored on the train. I was really proud of the girls because we didn't have any potty accidents and they told us when they needed to go. 

Getting ready to look at the cars and holding hands

Feeding the animals at the petting zoo

The girls with their aprons on (or as they call them capes) getting ready to "farm"

At this point they have already fed the chickens, watered and picked the peaches, and milked the cow. Now they are planting their crop

Taking turns riding the tractor

Pumpkin Patch

Today the girls had a field trip to the pumpkin patch with school. They loved it. A cold front came in last night that brought rain, colder temperatures and a cold wind. The girls were excited they got to wear their rain boots and coats (Nana if you are reading, everyone told me how cute the coats were).

The girls did really well until the juice from snack time and the cold wind got to Grace and she peed her pants. We then ran home, changed clothes and went back up to school. 

The girls class getting ready to go into the pumpkin patch

Waiting for a snack

Getting ready for the pumpkin relay race

The girls class with their teacher. Love how Gracie and Lizzie are the "bookends" and posing.

My little scarecrows (this is right before Gracie peed her paints)

Fire Station

Today, the girls and I met up with our twin group to tour the fire station. We had a great time and all the firemen were really nice. Our tour guide was Fireman Brian, who luckily has a 3 year old and knows their attention span. They really scaled the tour for a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds. We saw the kitchen, where they slept, where they watched TV and the trucks. The first truck he showed us was the ambulance. Both girls must remember their scary ride when Gracie had her seizure because they both were scared and freaked a little. 

Next, we moved on to the big trucks and they let the kids look in and walk around it. After all the kids went through, Brian put on all his gear to show the kids that firemen are not scary. He was really sweet with all the kids. He is also one of the first people to get Lizzie and Gracie's names right immediately.

Hugs in the fire station

Lots of twins at the fire station

Fireman Brian letting the girls hold a hose

Ready to go out and fight some fires!

We had a really fun time and will have to go back next year!