Trying to catch up on pics

Here's a photo from the day Cecilia and Francesca got a birthday package from Auntie Kathie. Cecilia is holding her purse and Francesca is wearing her "high heels" and fairy wings. She has walked to and from the grocery store in those high heels countless times now. She especially likes them because they clip and clop really loudly, so she sounds like a horse.

So we have a habit of opening our mail and packages outside the post office, on the park bench. When we get magazines, like Ladybug or Thomas the Train or Animal Baby, we sit on the park bench outside the P.O. and read it. So when we received this huge box from Auntie Kathie and Uncle Steve on a windy day, Francesca heaved it outside to open it right then and there. I'm thinking, "Okay - this will be okay - its a present, right?" Well, it wasn't A present, it was about 10 presents, each wrapped in pretty tissue paper and bows. The girls used their teamwork to open each one and play with it, or put it on, while I chased tissue paper into the street or parking lot. At one point, I gave up and let a small piece of tissue paper fly into the parking lot and Cecilia chased after it yelling, "Litterbug! Litterbut!" The paper got caught in a whirlwind and Cecilia chased it in circles until it blew into her and stuck to her chest. So, Auntie Kathie and Uncle Steve's package contained two fairy outfits, complete with wings and wands. That night, my parents and sister and Damon were sitting around the dinner table eating when Cecilia came in and went all around the table with her wand, saying, "Mama - Zoop! You're a horse! Desiree, Zoop! You're a cow! Damon, Zoop! You're a chicken! Granny - Zoop! You're a pig!" It was hilarious. So - that was just the top layer of presents. There were also bristle blocks, which we raced home to play with asap, farm animal magnets, two horsey finger puppets (which were really cute, but also funny because the finger goes in the bum) a super soft stuffed cow, and on the bottom layer, two fancy lady packages with silky purses, pearls, feather boas and high heels. Francesca threw off her boots and put them on straight away and wears them every chance she gets. Cecilia can't quite walk in them very well, so she doesn't wear them very long, but she still gets the gist of it. Tanks a million, Auntie Kathie and Uncle Boppa! We love you guys!

On Cecilia's birthday, forced ourselves into a nature walk at the park. Francesca was really excited that she climbed this tree all by herself. Its the coolest tree, down at Riverbend Park.

I think this is her TaDA! I'm so happy face.

Here's my little Halloween witch. She had planned on being an elephant, so we had a homemade elephant costume from when Desiree was little, but Granny, shopaholic that she is, bought about six costumes on clearance somewhere. So the day of Halloween, Francesca was a elephant in the morning, then a fairy later on in the day, and then a witch at night. She might have been a princess somewhere in there, too. I think Cecilia was a fairy for awhile, but at night, she refused to put on her panda bear or dog or princess or fairy or pig costumes. Oh well. I tried.