Christmas Tree

Even though we are going to CT this year, we wanted to get a Christmas tree so that the girls get used to some Christmas tradition at our house. Because it was supposed to rain Saturday, we decided to go Friday, which apparently is a very unpopular day for tree buying because the lots were all opening Saturday whoops. BUT Home Depot was open, and they are the best. And our tree is AWESOME and smells amazing. No regrets even though we will come home to a very dead and dry tree after Christmas!

These girls had no interest in posing with the tree.

Can you find them? They were over it and ran off. 

Our tree is gorgeous though, and worthy of a photo!

Josie was really good at "scalloping" the garland!

I am sure she wasn't taught this, just a natural talent! 

And even singing Frosty the Snowman!

Alex...on the other hand.

"finishing touches"

"I am building a nest for pink bear" 

Her actual words.

Almost done.

 

Looking good, Alex.

Putting Pink Bear into the nest.

 

Photo of the finished product coming soon...i.e. when its finished!

Happy Halloween!!!

We had a WONDERFUL Halloween last night. The girls were incredible - they very quickly got up the nerve to knock on doors and ask for candy. The best part was how polite they were - saying Trick or Treat then saying Thank You, and Happy Halloween.  They made this mom proud!

Showing off wings!

Josie was SUPER excited about Aunt Becky's pumpkin costume!

She told her it was THE BEST pumpkin costume! <3 p="">

Peeking outside for trick or treaters

We had a fun time dressing up. A few months back the girls decided they wanted to be a bat and a ghost. They also decided that mommy was going to be a skeleton, and daddy would be a ghost, and that Aunt Becky had to be a pumpkin (lol). It was actually fun complying with these parameters. I made the girls' costumes from Hobby Lobby purchases and base monochromatic clothing from Carters, and my own from pieced together items and duct tape, and helped Becky conceptualize her pumpkin and put it together! 

The girls on their 3rd or 4th house!

What happens when you put out a pumpkin then don't answer the door - 

Very confused toddlers!

On Sunday we went to a friend's backyard costume party!

The kids all dressed up! 

It was a perfect night after a very sad, stressful, and busy month. While we were able to make some good memories with Boo Bash and Halloween, we sadly lost my uncle this month to Pulmonary Fibrosis on October 5th. Uncle Michel will be missed by many and I am so glad we got to see him last year during our trip to Ottawa, and he was able to meet Alex and Josie. I found out about it while I was on a business trip in Texas and was in non stop meetings with clients, having to be "on" while worried for my family and everyone back home.

I have been teaching a lot this month, I have my last class next week (I only teach in the fall semester). This year we took our classes to a new level and re-wrote all of the curriculum, which has been a huge undertaking. I am happy with the results and the students seem to LOVE the classes, but having a full time + job AND a night job can feel like burning the candle at both ends. And not to forget my third job as property manager of our condo - OF COURSE on my way home from class one night I got a text from our tenant that the hot water was out. Five days and estimates (ranging from a few hundred bucks to five figures) from SIX plumbers later we were able to get their hot water repaired.  Jamey got to witness me lose my patience with the plumbing company we originally hired and fire them when they tried to increase their estimate. I was *done*!! The icing on the cake was waking up Sunday morning with a flat tire. Thank goodness we know the BEST tire shop in the world and had that all fixed very quickly!

It is unbelievable that the Holiday Season is now upon us - things will only get busier and busier with Christmas shopping and preparing for Holiday travel, Holiday events, Thanksgiving, then a few little munchkins turning 3 in TWO months. It doesn't seem possible! 

Boo Bash and Big Girl Beds

A repeat from facebook, but seriously with so much going on, its all I can do to do a quickie update!

Burbank Adult School puts on this little Halloween Carnival every year and its awesome. 

There are games for the kids to play, and if they complete all of the activities, they get to pick a prize!

There is a bake sale, and a taco cart, music, costume contest, a magic show and a costume parade!

We had a good time last year, but an even better time this year now

 that the girls are so much more interactive. 

My favorite picture - her prize for 

finishing all of the games!

After the Boo Bash, I converted the girls' cribs into beds!

Having figured out how to escape the cribs recently, and a few near misses with injuries as a result, it was time. The girls are still overly excited about their big girl beds (and the freedom to get out and play) and it is making bed time a bit harder, but I know once the novelty wears off, things will be smooth again. And I can't complain too much, by 9:30 pm Saturday and Sunday both were sound asleep in their own beds :D

  

 

And of course nothing ever just goes according to plan - it turned out the slats for the new beds were too long for the converted bed frames. So off we went to Home Depot to get them trimmed. The girls had a blast running around and throwing things we absolutely didn't need onto our cart, seeing rows of appliances, pretending window displays were elevators, and laughing hysterically at the toilet bowls on display. And of course riding around on the cart. 

And one last bonus picture - 

Its raining in Los Angeles! And also Josie just had a major growth spurt, 

she just does not look like a toddler anymore lately.