Boo!

Here's a little Halloween sneak peek for you!  Myah and Maysen's school is having their annual Fall Fun Fest tonight so we get to try out the costumes.....aren't they fun!!

Super Girl (AKA Myah)

Snow White (AKA Maysen)



















Mylie the Smiley Ghost

 

The Three 'M'sketeers

A Splash of Color

You probably remember the incident with the scissors... Maysen's hair is still short and it's still very cute.  However, I've got some smart cookies on my hands!  Maysen has received several comments on her adorable new 'do, but Myah was/is frustrated by the positive remarks.  She would often say to me, "But, mommy, Maysen was naughty when she cut her hair.  Why does everyone say nice things to her?"  She was sad that no one was complimenting her for being the good listener.  She was 100% correct in her observation, and it definitely wasn't fair.

So......I asked her what she'd like to do with her hair.  Her response: dye it pink.  Of course that's what she'd want!  I talked to a few hairstylists to see what they thought.  I really didn't care, and if that's what she wanted, why not?!  Since this all started back in August and we were still frequenting the pool, I decided to hold off because I was worried about the reaction between pink dye and the chlorine.  Well, we got busy, and frankly, I forgot all about this.  Then last week, the girls and I were at HyVee and saw Katy Perry on the cover of October's InStyle Magazine.  And what was she sporting??  Pink hair of course for Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Myah spotted it and told me that was exactly what she wanted.  I said, Ok, and that we would go on Wednesday to get it done.  I really was ok with the idea.  However, before Wednesday arrived, we saw some girls that had feathers and color splashes in their hair and Myah decided she liked that and would be ok with that instead of a full head of pink hair (which I've decided would be totally cute on her, but we'll wait a few years to go through with that).  I took her on Wednesday to get some put in.  BUT guess what.....she asked if Maysen was going to get some.  I told her no she wasn't going to because this was her (Myah's) reward for not cutting her hair.  She told me that she wanted Maysen to be able to get some too.  Doesn't she have a heart of gold!?!  Then they talked me into getting some, too.  So now, we all have a little color to our 'dos.

 My pink strand.

 Myah got one pink and one purple color splash.

 Maysen got one pink and one orange splash.


I'll be posting our Halloween adventures next week,  we got M&M's costumes last Friday and I've finished making Mylie's so we're all ready to roll next Monday.  What are you or your kids dressing up as for Halloween?  Some year, I want Brandon and I to dress up as Mr. and Mrs. Incredible.  I think that would fun!

The Laurie Berkner Band

On Sunday, Brandon and I had the enjoyment of taking Myah and Maysen to see the Laurie Berkner Band perform at the Hoyt Sherman Auditorium in Des Moines.  Here's part of how this opportunity came to be.  Back in 2007, when M&M were born, they received a Laurie Berkner DVD and CD combo from a good friend of the family as a baby gift.  When they were around 18 months old, I started putting in that DVD every morning while I got ready for work.  The girls danced and sang and just absolutely loved it.  In January, 2010, we took the girls to see Curious George Live!, and they did so well that I thought we should start doing more things like that with them.  I love musicals and plays and I want to expose the girls to those types of things as well.  Secretly, I really wanted to see Laurie Berkner in concert (you just can't help but clap and tap your feet when you listen to her music).  I went to her website and submitted a comment (or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5) that she could come to Des Moines or Minneapolis to perform.  Over the two years since then, I've received emails from some 'Events' thing that would tell me things like '4 other moms in your area requested Laurie Berkner.'  Finally, in late July, I got the email saying that she was actually going to come to Des Moines.  I was thrilled, and since I had made so many requests, I sort of had to take the girls to see her, besides I obviously really wanted to.
It was one heck of a show.  About and hour and 15 minutes long (perfect for kids 5 and under).  The girls were so happy and having so much fun that it brought tears to my eyes (yes, I'm a bit over emotional at times).  Brandon even said on the drive home "I had so much fun watching you girls.  It was worth every penny to see you so happy."  He turns to me and says "I guess that's what being a parent is all about, huh?!"  Before the concert was over they girls were up right in front of the stage gawking up at Laurie, jumping up and down, and singing at the top of their lungs.  The pictures turned out pretty dark, but still are worth sharing.

 Myah and Maysen holding their souvenir 'Shakey Eggs' for the song "I Know a Chicken."

Two things from this week that told us that we are definitely raising our kids right:

*While at the concert, the girls kept creeping up the aisle and getting closer to the stage (the place isn't any bigger than a high school auditorium, so it was just fine).  They kept looking back at us to be sure they could see us and that we could see them.  They even came back at least once to let us know that they were just 'right up there.'  They didn't just walk away without saying anything.

*I was having a conversation with Myah and Maysen about offering at church and Sunday School.  They told me that we had forgotten for a few weeks now, and I said that I would write myself a note from now on to remember that.  Myah speaks up and says 'I have a quarter in my purse.'  I replied, 'Oh, honey, that is really sweet of you.  You can give that quarter at SUnday School if you want to, or mommy and daddy can give you the money for it and you can save your own.'  She has decided to give her own quarter at offering next week.  Reminds me of the lady who didn't have much, but she gave all that she had.  That makes for one proud mama and daddy!

All Buttoned Up

Every year, I see some really cool ideas for pumpkin decorating, but most of them will have to wait until my children are a little older and more sophisticated in their painting and decorating.  Until then, we have paint and buttons.  They turned out pretty cute, anyway.

Baby pumpkin for Baby Mylie.

Maysen's colorful and smiley pumpkin.

Myah's happy pumpkin.

My randomly placed buttons.

Brandon's tribute to the USA (in anticipation of our trip to DC over Thanksgiving)

We Love Fall

Fall is here, and we've been loving it.  Myah and Maysen have been studying 'Fall' at school for a couple of weeks so they are continuously pointing out leaves that are changing color, noticing cooler temperatures, and picking up pinecones and acorns they find on the sidewalk.  The mornings are cool, but the afternoons are very warm....we've sure been spoiled by the beautiful weather.  Do you remember these adorable hats that I bought for the girls even before Mylie was born?  Well, she's been sporting hers when we go for walks in the stroller and M&M wear theirs occasionally as well.  Isn't she adorable!?

My cousin, Jessica (Grotewold) Schipper, had a baby boy a month ago.  We went up to Lake Mills last weekend to celebrate his baby shower.  Maysen and Myah each got a turn of holding him.  He was/is just a little peanut.  He was probably up to about 9 lbs at the time of the shower, but I'll tell you, Mylie was NEVER that little.  His bottom was so tiny, and that was including his 'full' diaper  and his pants.  He slept through the entire shower.  It's crazy how quickly you can forget how little babies can be.

 

Last week, we took our annual trip to DeMoss Pumpkin Farm here in Ames.  Mylie loved her first experience.  She always takes in the sites and tried to touch everything.  Luckily she didn't put anything in her mouth, but you could tell by the look on her face that she was experiencing all the different textures.  We are going to be decorating our pumpkins this afternoon or evening so I'll have pictures to share of this year's creations sometime soon.

 Myah and Maysen holding their pumpkins of choice by the measuring scarecrow.  An annual picture.

 When more than one child is involved, you really just have to focus on getting them all in the same picture.  It's impossible to get them all looking at you, too, so it's really not even worth the fight.

 Myah and Maysen wearing their Halloween shirts and skirts that Nana bought them.

Mylie is eating a lot of table foods now.  Well, maybe not A LOT, but some.  She loves noodles, cooked carrots, corn, baked potatoes, applesauce, cottage cheese and Nilla Wafers.  Here, she's enjoying a banana.  I say 'enjoying' loosely as she licked it and scrunched up her nose and then put the banana down and didn't touch it again. :)

My favorite part of fall has to be the time we spend outside on our patio or at the park and it's not too hot to be out there.  We love summer and going to the pool, but this past summer was really too hot to do much else.  I also love the Honey Crisp apples that appear at supermarkets this time of year.  What do you love about fall?

**If you are on Facebook, go to the Raising Readers of Story County page and see our cute Mylie there.  We've entered her into the Babies Love to Read contest.  The winner will be featured on their annual magnet that's sent out around the county and will receive a bag of books.  As of yet, I don't know of any way that you can vote for her to win, but if that comes up, I'll be sure to let you know!