HALLOWEEN PREVIEW

Hello eye lashes! (Those are all Reese's)

Josh & Pam were "gang members;" Preston was the Grim Reaper, Abbie was a Pirate, McKena was a Witch, Ella was a Pea; Gage was Batman, Reese was Hannah Montana, Cy was a Skeleton, Taylor was a Kitty; Kristie & Paul were Hippies, Madison was Cleopatra, Jack was a Ninja, Georgia was Little Red Riding Hood, Tommy was Buzz Lightyear; my cousin, Emily, was a Witch, her husband, Matt, was David Beckham, their son, Kyle, was a Vampire, and their daughters Elle & Mallory were a Cowgirl and a Greek Goddness. Grandma Gourley was festive with a Halloween Hat that played music, and Grandma Rebecca was the Queen Bee; and Rebecca & Mary-Gail were baby bumble bees.

Mary-Gail - so sweet on Daddy's lap - with her legs crossed at her ankles

Sunday my Mom had her annual Halloween Party at her house. It was a BLAST! Last year we were sick with ear infections, so we didn't come until really late and didn't dress up. But THIS year the girls were so excited to get into their bee costumes, and even more excited to see their cousins. Grandma surprised us with her costume - she was the Queen Bee! It was great eventhough Rebecca & Mary-Gail weren't in the mood for posed pictures.

Rebecca & Mary-Gail were SO excited to see Baby Cy Cy. Paul & Kristie dressed up and so did Josh & Pam. Our cousin, Emily, and her husband & kids came to the party too. It was so much fun! Mom made tons of chili, everyone brought a condiment, and we played games: eating the donut from the string; bean bag toss; bobbing for apples; and JoJo did a game called Hullabaloo.

Baby Becca & "Miguel" were the stinging bees on Grandma's tramp - all the cousins loved it! I hope to get more pictures (I didn't get all the cousin's pictures) and if/when I do I'll post them too. Thank you Grandma for being so wonderful! We love coming to your house and WE LOVE YOU!

Becca and her hats - Part 2

Baby Becs and her "other" hat.

Ah, sweet little girls. I just love watching them play together. They laugh, laugh, laugh most of the day. They share well and they will get a toy to "trade" for the toy they want. It seriously is the cutest thing ever and they are such a joy in my life.

Aunt CarCar asked me when she would see real panties on her babies. Well, CarCar, potty training is harder than I thought it would be. I mean, the girls tell me they've got "pee-pees" in their diaper, and they say/sign "potty" when they're going poo-poos. Both girls love to sit on their potty when we sit on ours; but as you can see, they like to play with their potty seat more than they like to sit on it. They are seriously the funniest girls in the world! And, this video shows how well they play together, and their laughter and love for each other.

Hope you enjoy this video Aunt CarCar & Uncle Spener

Becca and her hats

Baby Becs loves hats. I have never seen a child so obsessed with hats before - she's a little bit sassy about them too. She has to have one on even when we're inside.

Last week Rebecca wanted her coat on, and the hood on, and then put her hat on top of the hood. She stayed in this getup for the rest of the morning, and would have taken her nap in it if I would have let her. These pictures almost capture her independence, but they definitely capture her love for her Bam-bah.

Did you know a virus could do this?

It's called the Enterovirus and it was AWFUL!!! It started with fever, serious diarrhea, vomiting, and then had its last hurrah as a terrible rash all over my baby babe's bodies. Mary-Gail contracted the virus first, and bless her little heart, she was a trooper. She was so sick: anything she ate or drank came right back up - only minutes after she put it in her mouth! I did what I could to keep her hydrated (7-up & Coke helped settle her tummy for a short while, but they came right back up too). She lost 2 pounds in 7 days! Her poor little bottom was so raw from diarrhea, and then to have this hideous rash on top of it all. It was everywhere - it looked like a teenage boy's acne!

Our ped said they had Enterovirus: it typically lasts 7-10 days with the rash being the tail end of it. Well, the rash lasted 12 days(!!!!), but the diarrhea & vomiting ended after 7 days...for Mary-Gail. Poor Baby Becs's symptoms started a couple days after Mary-Gail's, and although Becca was NOT immune to the diarrhea and vomiting, she wasn't plagued with an explosive rash like Mary-Gail.

These viruses are NOT fun!!! But, since the girls have recovered (10/10 - 10/19) my house has been scoured with Clorox from top to bottom; my laundry has been washed, folded, AND put away; the girl's toys have been dishwashed and those that couldn't fit were wiped with Clorox wipes. I feel so responsible for having sick kids (I mean, they were deprived of their 3rd trimester when their Liver stores antibodies, nutrients, and minerals to help keep them healthy) so I throw all my energy into disinfecting and cleaning. Really, it is the LEAST I can do for my littles.

Mary-Gail at play

Mary-Gail & Rebecca hiding from Daddy

(he got them their shirts; cute huh?)

They freeze as Daddy finds them!

Daddy being super cute with Mary-Gail at the bottom of the stairs

Mary-Gail still hiding :)

And then takes off down the hall to play

Eating a carrot - chomp, chomp

(she and Baby Becs know their fruits & vegetables)

Time to find sister