Silver Lining

This football season has been brutal.  There were high expectations for a strong Bear's football team this year, and they've been historically BAD.  It's been painful to watch.  It's no fun watching your team lose week after week after week.  (And not just lose, but get trounced.)

On the plus side,...

...my girls still look super-cute in blue and orange.

And no matter what, they always find something to cheer about.

The End?

When you wake up and your outside temperature gauge reads 33 degrees, you worry.  When you look out the window and many of the trees are bare, you worry.  When you have to hang the winter coats in a more prominent spot, you worry.  Is this the end?  The end of crisp, fall days.  The end of daily outside play time.  The end of running out to do errands in just a sweatshirt.  You worry that each beautiful fall day might just be the last.

And so, at least at our house, we have tried to take advantage of these last, fleeting fall days.  We've been...

painting pumpkins,...

Yes, Adelie insisted on painting her pumpkin orange.

Staley's, of course, had to have pink.

raking leaves,...

and, of course, playing in them.

There has been lots of playing outside,...

Watching the city's "leaf sucker" come by to vacuum up our leaves.

Sidewalk chalk in the driveway

playground fun...

When she saw her sister doing this, she just HAD to try.

and walks in the woods.

This may not be the end.  We may still have a few more weeks of fall fun.  It's possible that winter is going to hold off just a little bit longer.  But just in case it doesn't, we have tried to eek every last bit of enjoyment out of these last fall days.  Because, let's be honest, this just might be the end.

But we're all hoping it's not.

Sister Love

Staley got invited to have a sleep-over at Uma and Papa's house this week-end without Adelie.  She is SO excited to take a bubble bath where she can play without Adelie disturbing her, play the games that she can't play when Adelie is around, watch a Tinkerbell movie, and have Uma and Papa all to herself.

But tonight, this was Staley's bedtime prayer:

"Thank you for Grammie and Grandpa.  Thank you for Mommy and Daddy.  Thank you for Uma and Papa.  And please be with Adelie that she is still happy when I go on my sleep-over."

Even in her excitement, she is still thinking about her little sister.  And I love that!

Compliment of the Day

Staley:  "You are the sweetest mommy I ever had."

Not sure the competition was too stiff, but I'll take it.

Who Needs Toys...

...when you've got your imagination.

I love that Staley has a huge imagination.  Even if she sometimes confuses people with her matter-of-fact talk about her imaginary friends or flying horses.   (Staley's baby-sitter was shocked when I told her Gage was an imaginary friend.  She always assumed he was another cousin.)  Even if she is constantly making up songs and singing them proudly wherever we are.  Even if she can be slow as molasses to do what she's asked or get out the door because she is always in the middle of telling me about something.  (Sometimes I have to tell her that she can't tell me anything else until she finishes putting on her shoes/washing her hands/putting on her coat/...)  Despite all that, I love her imagination.

I love that Staley can entertain herself for long periods of time with limited supplies.  She plays with her Barbies and her figurines, making up scenarios and imagining magical worlds.  She loves to dress up.  But she's also just as happy playing fairies/princesses/Diamond castle/monster, making up stories or songs, or inventing any number of made up games that don't require anything at all.  She also loves doing arts and crafts, but now her pictures and crafts are starting to reflect her creativity.

Today I gave Staley a stack of catalogs we got in the mail that she could look at during rest time.  There was the big Toys r Us Christmas catalog, the Target Christmas toy catalog, and several others that were filled with a variety of interesting toys and play things.  She also has one catalog left over from Halloween that is filled with extremely beautiful (and ridiculously expensive) Halloween costumes that she has looked at multiple times.  After rest time, I asked Staley if she wanted to keep any of the other catalogs in her room to look at again later.  She responded, "Just my costume one.  I don't really care for the toy ones."

I love that Staley doesn't want, want, want, want.  I love that she doesn't need boundless toys to keep her entertained.  I love that her imagination keeps her world full and exciting.  And I love that, even when she is all alone, she has a multitude of friends (and flying horses) keeping her company.

I love this girl...and her huge imagination.

A Smile to Brighten Your Day

It always brightens mine.

Halloween

Just about every day at our house, at least two members of our family put on a princess dress, a crown, or a set of fairy wings.  So to have a day where you do that and get candy for it???  Now that's our kind of holiday.

A few months ago, you may remember me blogging about how Staley wanted to get supplies and make a butterfly queen costume.  I helped her concoct this...

Well, luckily Aunt Sandi came to the rescue before Staley decided she might want to wear THAT out in public for Halloween.  Aunt Sandi let Staley design her butterfly queen costume, and Staley was VERY specific about the colors, the bling, the need for glittery sparkles.  Aunt Sandi then used her talents to create Staley's vision, and Staley was in charge of putting the bling on the wings.  Staley couldn't have been more excited about wearing her original design.  (Thanks, Aunt Sandi!!!)

Staley's butterfly queen costume

Staley's job was blinging out the wings.

Our Halloween fun started last week-end at our church's Pumpkin Patch Party.  The girls had a great time playing games, doing crafts, and getting treats.  And it's always more fun when they get to share the time with cousins.

Fun times with a Ninja turtle

The cutest little Batgirl ever!

On Halloween day, the girls started off wearing their costumes to gymnastics class.  They weren't ideal for somersaulting, but who can pass up the opportunity to wear glittery dresses out in public??

Adelie with her teacher and friends

Staley working on her vaulting skills

After naps and rest time, the girls then enjoyed visiting with their great-grandparents at the nursing home.  When Pop gave Adelie some Smarties, she insisted on carrying them around with her for the rest of our visit.  She kept saying, "Pop.  Treats."

Visiting with Nana

And even though the weather was extremely cold and windy, it didn't stop us from going out to do a little trick or treating.   When I told Staley that we were going trick or treating, she said, "Under the moon?"  I said, "Yes, it will be dark."  And she replied, "But then how will I see the eggs?"  (Apparently it's been too long since Halloween AND Easter to remember all the specifics.)  

Adelie ready to get some treats.

Fun costumes, visiting a few family members and neighbors, getting treats.  What's not to like??

It was a another happy Halloween.