Happy Halloween!

I don't think I can publicly admit how many hours I put into Liesel's Little Red Riding Hood costume. The hood had to stand out and not look to baby-ish so I splurged on real velvet and went for a pattern that had the rounded shoulders and (my favorite!) a tassel at the tip of the hood. The fabric on the inside is black with tiny red rosebuds which I think reflects the innocence and darkness of the story.

Then there's the dress. Aye de mi! Most of the Red Riding Hood costumes out there pair the hood with a blue dress and I think that looks to similar to Dorothy. The look I liked best had a leather looking bodice (a subtle reminder of the triumph of man over animal) and grey skirt which again made that red velvet really stand out. I've never sewn with faux leather before and it is not for the faint of heart. Liesel is so tiny I had to take in several inches to get it even close to fitting. Even after taking in another inch along the shoulder seams I was unhappy with how low cut the dress was so I improvised with more lace to make sure she was covered. In the middle of making it I was so worried it was looking more pirate than little girl visiting Grandma's house but the end result was pretty spectacular. I just had to get the stuffed wolf to add that final touch and it was probably Liesel's favorite part of the whole costume. Well, that and the red lipstick.

The best part? Liesel asked if maybe I could sew her another costume next Halloween! I reminded her I don't sew princess costumes and she agreed to think of something else. Oh how happy I would be if we could shun the itchy, cheap, Disney costumes which look like rayon dipped in glue and dragged through pools of glitter!

It was Ireland's turn to be the angel this year. The headband with the halo broke during the school costume parade. I braided around her crown and then pinned the tinsel to the inside. It was a much cooler looking halo. Due to the weather we also added the cropped sweater which I really, really like. Silvery eye-shadow, sweet pink blush and lots of highlighter made her shine.

 I was shocked to find Brigitta was the only witch in her class! When it was her turn to show off her costume, the whole class started reciting this poem:

The teeniest witch that you ever did see,

Just peeked through the window and looked at me.

I waved once or twice but very soon,

She jumped three times and flew to the moon!

After that, Brigitta insisted she wasn't just a witch, she was the "teeniest witch". She loved this costume and wore it every chance she got. As I start looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas, she's asked if she gets to wear her costume again.

This one tugs at my heartstrings because I was pregnant with Sydney and just a couple weeks away from delivery when I put the finishing touches on this clown costume. It's such a brilliant costume for a little one because it just slips on, you can add plenty of layers underneath for warmth, and it's just bright and cheerful with the motley design.The big pink poufs are soft but my favorite is that double ruffled collar.

 The weather was rainy during the ward trunk or treat so the candy portion was moved indoors. It really only took Sydney a few doors to figure out what the gig was. She refused to let me hold her basket for her and she noticed if she stopped, looked in the candy giver's eyes and smiled, she'd earn an extra piece. Near the end, she started getting a bit picky with the candy and she picked up a tiny box of Milk Duds, examined it carefully and then slowly shook it to determine if it was a keeper. 

While Sydney's innocence kept everyone enchanted, Brigitta was just off to the side gathering handfuls of extra candy. Liesel had been misbehaving so she wasn't allowed to trunk or treat, but the final tally for the rest of the girls was: Ireland-23, Sydney-30 and Gita-46. Ahhh my little hustler!

Brent and I went as characters from Grey's Anatomy so I could wear my honest-to-goodness Grey's Anatomy scrubs I picked up on my trip to Seattle. I don't watch the show so I don't know the characters very well but I'm supposed to be Meredith Grey and Brent's supposed to be McDreamy (because he has all his hair). Anyway, he really got soaked helping us all in from the car and Ireland's carefully curled hair just went completely flat. 

There was a chili cook-off and we won the category for white chili! Our prize was a new wooden spoon and can of white beans.

On Halloween, the weather was still pretty miserable (welcome to the Midwest!) so the little ones only made it around the block. BJ, Jennifer and I hit another neighborhood with Liesel and Ireland. Their baskets were so full we had to go back to the car to dump out some of the candy. I hope I never forget the image of my two girls scrambling up steps to the massive doors and being exasperated at having to find a not-so-obvious doorbell. Then there was the haul:

  

Upon seeing her sisters dump out their candy, Sydney grabbed her basket, walked to the middle of the room, held her basket high above her head and dumped it all over herself. The candy both Brent and I enjoy least is Crunch and the girls chose that over all others when given an option. One house gave out bags of popcorn which I thought was brilliant- we can use those for family movie night!

When all is said and done, the girls had some sweet dreams this Halloween!

Tidbits

Liesel: No no no! *with fist* THIS is the house and *with flat hand* THIS is the rock!

Ireland: Then why do they do this? *pounds fist into flat hand*

Liesel: I don't know, they just do that. It's just to keep the beat I guess.

You have to admit, it's a valid point.

In the middle of sacrament meeting I was cuddling Brigitta on my lap when I became somewhat aware she was cupping my boobs.

"Mom? Are you wearing a bra?!?!?" she asked loudly.

"Shhhh, yes sweetie, I am." 

After taking in that information, she jumped off my lap, held out the neck of her dress, looked inside and exclaimed, "I'm not wearing a bra! I'm NOT!"

After giving Brent a particularly hard time, Sydney was just fine seeing him walk out the door to run some errands. Once he was gone, I said, "Sydney, do you love Daddy?" She looked straight ahead, half closed her eyes, and appeared extremely pensive. I wish I'd caught it on camera because her baby face seemed so very thoughtful as she reviewed the whole of her relationship with her father. Sadly, only my mother and I were there to witness it.

Brigitta was rather impatient to get going on some errands we needed to take care of but I wanted to put away the folded laundry first. As I neatly laid clothes in Ireland's drawers, Brigitta dropped my Sperry Top Siders next to me.
Gita: Here ya' go!
Me: Thanks honey, but I was going to wear my black shoes.
Gita: These ARE black!
Me; Those are navy blue.
Gita: Those are maybe black.

This video cracks me up because Sydney goes from utter irritation at my nagging request because she wants to "talk to Pampa... KAYAAAH?!?!?" to being delighted to show of her stems. I love her chub.

Sydney sat on the bench between Brent and I during the sacrament. Just as the tray passed by her, she lunged forward with the speed of a cheetah, grabbed two fistfuls of broken bread, leaned back and shoved it all in her mouth. It happened so fast neither Brent nor I had any time to even react. For the record, it is delicious bread.

Lately Brigitta and I do this thing where she asks me to squeeze her to death. I gather her up in my arms, hug her tight and when I release her, she closes her eyes, goes limp and lets her tongue hang out the side of her mouth. I know it sounds a little morbid but it's really funny.

Slaving away at Liesel's Halloween costume meant I was in the cold basement alone. Sydney was happy to hang around but it was past her bedtime so Brent came to collect her. Faced with the prospect of being put down for the night, Sydney gave him her super squishy face and repeatedly said, "NO!" while waving her arm. Seeing this wasn't working, she finally cried out, "RUN!" She earned another hour keeping me company. 

Liesel's Love Tips

I found this gem while cleaning the kitchen.

The boy is James (her current crush), the girl is Marissa (his current crush), and the girl with tears, a broken heart and bouquet of unrequited flowers is Liesel.

I love the disco ball, I love the boy and girl in matching heart outfits. I particularly love the recycling bin; talk about a globally conscious fete! Tip #3 and #4 made me laugh out loud. I thought Tip #6 was rather profound. Don't break other people's hearts! The exclamation point is very apropos.

I have no idea where Liesel saw a wedding where people went in their underwear, but she drew this particular bride and groom in theirs. Pretty nice limo too, eh?

Apparently Liesel is getting a little tired of the consequences for bad behavior Brent and I dole out. This seems to indicate to me she'd like to get off a little easier,.. message received. Nothing's going to change around here, but message received.

I'm getting this laminated (it was after all, intended to be a book) and saving it. Would it be crazy to put it in the safe deposit box at the bank? I don't want to lose this one for all the wide world.

Red Barn Farm

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I often forget how little the girls are. When there's always someone smaller, and Sydney is still a baby (okay, okay, todder-ish, but baby in my book), it seems like everyone else is practically a grown up! Then I have a rare occasion to spend some one-on-one time with the older ones, and I realize how truly tiny they are in this great big world they are navigating.

Brigitta's field trip was to Red Barn Farm but it might as well have just been a ride on the bus. After years of seeing her big sisters get to hop on a big, yellow, adventure-on-wheels, she was SO excited to get her turn!!! She talked about the bus for weeks, and she was shaking with excitement when she finally climbed those big steps.

Of course, once we were on she played it cool. On the bus... no big deal!

 Little girl, great big world. 

Listen to the squeals of those kids when the bus started moving!

 The weather was perfect for a hayride to the pumpkin patch. Brigitta found her pumpkin right away. I've never seen a pumpkin on the vine before! Just a few of them were still green with their flowers attached. 

When the kids had some free time, most of them made a beeline for this haystack. Mid-way up, the height got to Brigitta and she was too scared to climb any higher. She couldn't climb down either so I scrambled up and collected her.

I was impressed with the creativity of this place. Like this tepee made of stalks and the pumpkin Native Americans.

And this horse!

I actually have a photo with Brigitta's hands out of the picture but somehow I think it's cuter with them peeking out a bit.

 It was at this point that the crowd on the haystack had cleared. Brigitta looked at it for a minute and then ran to tackle it.

Tackle it she did! Proud of her for trying again and overcoming her fear.

They had a slide which Brigitta loved. She kept getting back in line for this one. 

One of the farm owners talked to us about the different kinds of pumpkins. The silvery, sage Jaradel is my personal favorite. I also love that there is a Cinderella variety!

Of course we had to have apple spice donuts! I let Brigitta sit with her little friends and moved a little ways off. She started looking around for me and this is the moment she spotted me in the crowd.

We had so much fun together. Of all the girls, I think Brigitta gets the sibling squeeze the most. Usually when she has all my attention it's because I'm dealing with some kind of crisis and neither of us is happy about it.

Since her birthday is in August, she eked into preschool this year and I was surprised to see how much bigger the rest of her class was. Some of them were as big as Ireland and it occurred to me this preschool has a "Senior" and "Junior" class, not classes by age. Waiting a year to start kids like Brigitta who are on the bubble age-wise is really trending right now. As such, she really is the smallest and youngest by a fair margin. I'm glad I had that reminder, because like I said, I just forget. Today was all about some mother-daughter bonding in the crispy cool autumn. It was perfect.