33 Months

33 months old today! And growing so quickly. Aspen is longer and stronger and more articulate. She's figured out Santa (it helps that he's already started hanging out at the mall and is available to wave to) and is eagerly anticipating Christmas. Thanksgiving doesn't quite register, yet.

In big girl news, in October



Aspen got some help from daddy



and is now the proud owner of a big girl bed!



Sabine helped her break it in,





and Aspen has been sleeping happily there ever since.

Aspen has also started a mommy & me preschool class at the local Friends school, and is quite excited about "HER" new school!









(If you didn't notice, she already has a favorite dress-up dress that she beelines for when we arrive, and then we check out the rest of the room.)

It's been nice to have a weekly activity that's just for her, and it's a great space, with fun toys, lots of arts and crafts, nice teachers, and a HUGE playground!





Sabine, meanwhile, has been trying out a taekwondo class, and loves it, although three days a week is probably more than we are going to be able to squeeze into our schedule regularly, for now.





We've had another round of illnesses go through the family, but Sabine managed to rally and put on a brave face despite feeling crummy for our Christmas pictures this year (here's a sneak preview:)



and Aspen gamely smiled along, so the girls earned themselves a reward. Both mommy and daddy felt very nostalgic after they picked out Cabbage Patch Kids!



All in all, it's been a very busy month. Both girls are growing by leaps and bounds, but continue to be as close as ever. Coincidentally, today was also our first snow of the season!



Aspen has been asking when it's going to snow for a while now, I think she's eager to build a snowman, since she's been watching the movie Frozen a lot, recently. The snow coming down today blew her mind, we were in the car when it started and, forever mindful of her politeness routines, she squealed, "GOOD JOB, CLOUDS!"



Not quite enough to build a snowman today,



but still an excellent time.

I think we've got another winter-lover!

Halloween, Part II

Halloween morning started off gloriously warm, and quite festive at the bus stop:

As soon as we got Sabine on the bus, Aspen and I packed up, and grabbed a prime spot outside of a coffee shop downtown, to watch the elementary school parade. Aspen found many of the costumes overwhelming, and finally spotting Sabine was both a highlight and a relief.

There was some brief hugging and clinging.

Unfortunately, the parade had to go on, so we said a reluctant goodbye,

but were relieved to meet back up with big sister at her school, for the party in the classroom. There was a story, snacks, and crafts, and Aspen was very happy to participate in all of it.

Luckily, Sabine and her friends are pretty obliging!

Sabine got home from school and we all had a little down time and dinner before the main event! Sabine got re-dressed, added her parasol into the accessory mix, and Aspen finally got to try out her costume. Our southern belle and Luna Girl (from the show PJ Masks, quite popular with the preschool set):



Then the ninja and stormtrooper cousins showed up, and the excitement really kicked in. (And the wig and mask were promptly discarded.)







Lightsabers appeal to villains (and good guys) of all ages.



But not as much as candy! The night was a success. They apparently covered much of the neighborhood. Aspen and the cousins came back about an hour later to sample their loot, while Sabine continued on a bit longer with some friends she had met up with.





Fortunately, she was back in time to wish all the family a happy Halloween



before a quick snack,





and then promptly to bed!

It was a great holiday.

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Halloween 2016

There's been much anticipation for the holiday this year. We made it back to our favorite pumpkin patch this year with Grandmom and Grandpa.



The girls checked out the hay bale maze,



and posed for some fun pictures,









including the annual shot we get at the measuring stick





(click HERE for last year's pictures, to see how they measure up!)



before we got to the most important part: pumpkin selection! It did not take them long.



And then they both wanted to ride all the way back WITH their pumpkins in the wagon. When both they and the pumpkins are larger than they have been in years past, it gets a little cozy.



Fortunately they are nothing, if not determined!



We scored a couple of small gourds, too, and called it a day.



We got to work, gutting and carving this past weekend:





Some of us were annoyed we weren't allowed to use the carving knife, and improvised with a pen.



With artistic results!



The final product was quite effective!