Happy Halloween from Emmit, Ninja and Cheerleader. Plus has anyone seen Waldo? Or his wife?

It was time to catch up again - they're out of order - but there's some kiddo/fall updates as well as a Halloween. Happy November to you and yours!

It was nice to have the Bridges party the night before Halloween so on Friday we just got to focus on the kiddos and trick-or-treating. We're getting ready...Ninja - check! Emmit from the Lego Movie - check! Cheerleader Maggie??? Oh, she's, ahem, Maggie are you pooping???

The whole gang. Kyle is Waldo from Where's Waldo (hopefully you can tell) - and I am technically his girlfriend Wenda. But since nobody really knows who that is, I'll just say I'm Waldo's wife. (I was so on top of it and ordered most of what we needed for costumes back in the summer...but then didn't try anything on until the day before and my Waldo shirt was obscenely too small (and Kyle's way too big - see his rolled up sleeves?) so I made a quick tutu and put the requisite denim on top.

With Bee!

With Geanine as Witch Mary from Hocus Pocus.

So lucky to have Bee to hand out candy at our place while we hit the streets!

Anybody seen Waldo?

Waldo and Dr. Murray.

A selfie w/ my big camera - couldn't believe it worked! (My mom says we're starting to look alike - like those old couples who eat dinner together at 4pm!)

After some trick-or-treating we ended up at a neighbor's party for a minute - they had bobbing for apples and Rebecca was (no surprise, really) very good at it!

And what successful Halloween doesn't end with a year-old dinosaur pinata??? (Thanks Waldo.)

Bridges brought this pinata last year for the party and we ran out of time so they took it (which broke Rebecca's heart) - when it came back this year and we ran out of time again they graciously left it so our kids could do it. Rebecca was very intense.

By this point Maggie was in nothing but undies (so no photo) - she and Owen could both learn a thing or two from Rebecca when it comes to pinata-ing!

Nana dropped by to say hello and see everyone in costume - she even took a couple of swings! Kyle had a little too much fun moving it around on her!

Then Owen got a chance to keep it from Kyle!

We may have to be start a neighborhood pinata tradition next year!

To let our candy-coma fully settle in, we got into jammies and snuggled on the couch to watch Charlie Brown's The Great Pumpkin to cap the (late) night off.

Sisters

We used to only talk about two "groupings" of kids in our family - "the big kids" (O & R) and "Maggie" - but now there is this third group - "the girls." 

Sometimes they are so sweet to each other and I can look ahead to when they're all grown up and are best friends in a way only sisters could be...

Love.

And then there is this...

Which leads to this. (Time out for each of them a few minutes apart.)

Okay, back to playing whatever little game sent you both to time-out.

Post-preschool-Halloween fun. And by fun I mean no-candy treat-bags filled with things like tiny boxes of raisins, plastic junk toys I'm going to throw away as soon as I can get my hands on the bags, and a new toothbrush. Wow, the funness is overwhelming. ;)

But the face-painting is pretty epic. Rebecca is some sort of cat.

Maggie has giant hearts on her cheeks - so appropriate!

Smiles.

Starting to crack each other up.

Up close and personal.

They even have a couple of "games" that are just theirs. 

• UP AND DOWN. In the car, Maggie says up and down over and over again and they put their arms up and down to the rhythm. There is no end. And the giggling is big time. Maggie clearly came up with this time, but Rebecca gladly participates.
• BABY STATION. I think this was Rebecca's brain child. They take a bunch of pillows off the couch and make a relatively small "bed" for "the baby" (Maggie) and Rebecca says "motherly" things to her. 
• LET'S DO LOVE - LUUUUUUUUUUV. Not sure who came up with this one. They say all of that: Hey Maggie, let's do love. Luuuuuuuuuuuuuv! Then they put their faces really close together, and say luuuuuuuuuuv over and over again and laugh hysterically.

Rebecca & Friends

I guess it should come as no surprise that even little girls are not strangers to "friend-drama." It's hard to learn how to be a good friend, right!?! 

A little tea party Rebecca planned in the backyard for "her friends." Emphatically: Maggie cannot come because SHE.IS.NOT.A.PRINCESS!  Oh, girl...we need to talk.

Left to right: Rosalon, Jingle Doggy, Rose Princess. 

Put her in my hair towel. Rest assured - I am definitely that cute right out of the shower.  

In my dreams.

Found an little notebook that had gone missing for a few weeks. She immediately flips to a page and says - Oh, look - its Annabel! (She had drawn a picture of our friend's foster daughter - Annabell, who has since gone back to bio family). She said she wanted to visit her and take her a treat and tell her we still love her. Oh, I wish we could baby!

Every once in a while I realize that I don't treat Rebecca like the big five year old that she is. She and M and I were at Taco Deli for breakfast the other day and she wanted a 2nd taco (first clue she's getting bigger!) and insisted on doing it all by herself. Like wouldn't even let me walk her up to the cashier and wait with her! She had cash in hand and waited in line.

Ordered (egg, bacon and cheese taco on flour, please), gave them her name, paid and waited. 

Enjoying the fruit of her labor - and so proud!

Back to her friends: Having a little "sleepover" at Nana's house with Pet Monster (Uncle Luke's childhood "friend" that lives with Nana), Rosie (panda bear from China - recently given a name that started w/ R, just like Rose Princess and Rosalon) and Rose Princess.

Getting her friends ready for the 60+ international students coming to our house for a Halloween party (another post) - Rose Princess, Rosalon, Jingle Doggy, Elvis (Ms. Laurie's class pet that got to stay with us over Halloween weekend) and Pet Monster. 

**Please note that they have costumes - Rose Princess and Rosalon each have "ninja clothes" on, not sure about Jingle Doggy, but Elvis is definitely wearing a pumpkin and had previously in the day been dressed like a mummy, and Pet Monster is scary enough but got a new t-shirt and Mardi Gras beads.

With Rebecca - their Ninja Mom.

And Maggie the Cheerleading Photo-bomber.

More fun that weekend w/ Elvis

 Random grandma spoilage: Bee took R to get her nails done. Look out world now she's got flowers on her toes!

 Twisting some vines together outside - "making decorations" for somebody's birthday party (one of her stuffed animals, I just can't remember which one) - its always about a party.

Party planning and daring ninja moves.

WPDS official school photo 2014-15

Living with Rebecca:

•  Maggie is so clever. She's basically a racoon.
• After I commented on how high she climbed a specific ladder thing at gymnastics: It wasn't scary. Ninja's don't get scared, Mom. 
• You can't help me. You're not a ninja. 
• In the car, eating a snack of goldfish. Held up two that were stuck together. Then started educating me on the food chain - which fish each wish fish, then whales, you get it. I asked her where she learned that. I know it just because my brain told me. I AM the best kid in your family, Mom. 
• Got a cute pair of hand-me-down boots from a neighbor girl - tall, shiny, blackish, two sizes too big. Calls them her fashion boots. Bee gave her some leftover fabric and sparkly "notions" leftover from a sparkly Bee project and Rebecca has been working on fashion clothes to go with her fashion boots for the past few days. Has already made drapey little vest (she can do arm holes!) and some accessories. 
• Told Kyle last night that Toots are sometimes a warning sign. That they are, sweetheart!