"Fall" Fun

It is not always easy to get into the spirit of certain seasons and Holidays when living in Florida. I know, I know, living in Florida certainly has its perks I am well aware. But what you might not know is that my husband and I grew up in upstate New York, I went to college in Buffalo, NY  and Curt went to college in Morgantown, WV. We also lived in Northern VA for four years and Ohio for nearly seven. So we are no strangers to cold weather, snow storms accumulating 24 inches of snow (one of which I slept in a grocery store for two nights because I could't get home), fall festivals, apple picking, and amazingly colored leaves on trees. A lot of these (almost all) we do not have here. We've lived here for three and half years, the first year was hard for the girls not having the change of seasons we had grown used to in Columbus. But we found ways to make it Fall, and did our best to celebrate the other Holidays without snow and "cold" weather. Again I say ~ I know we are lucky with the weather we have here and I am not complaining in the least!

Last year our attempt to get into the fall spirit wasn't accomplished all that well. The fall fest we went to was more of an arts & craft fair and not so much fall or fest. We carved pumpkins that rotted a short two days after they were set on the porch. So this year we had to make it better; and I would say this weekend was a huge success! We were invited to a fall fest at a friends church; we were excited to attend in the hopes it would be better than the year before. Boy were we right! It was a great time for the entire family. Train rides, games, bounce houses, a maze, great food, "princesses", face painting, and so much more. With this being the twins first "mobile" Fall/Halloween (last year they were two months) it was amazing to watch them play, run, and smile. It was also great to see Kendal and Madison having fun and appreciating "our" fall.

On Sunday we continued our Fall weekend fun with a visit to the "pumpkin patch" not rows and rows of pumpkins like we are used to up north but it was perfect for us and the girls had so much fun picking their pumpkins and imagining what they could turn into.

The whole ride home the girls talked about how they were going to "paint" their pumpkins.. no carving right now.. I mean we still had two weeks until Halloween! I knew watching Charlotte and Olivia paint was going to be interesting. They have never used or played with paint before. We started with finger paints and gave them a little lesson on how to put the paint from the plate to the pumpkins. Charlotte L.O.V.E.D IT. she got in there and went to town; only tried to eat the paint a few times. Olivia on the other hand wasn't too excited about getting her hands dirty (taking right after her big sister Kendal at this age). So we handed her a paint brush but at that point she was too traumatized by her messy paint hands! She still did a great job! 

I would say our third Fall in Florida was an absolute success with more to follow I am sure. A lot of things in life are all about perspective and while we may not have falling leaves or chilly temperatures we do have the ability to make the seasons and Holidays our own. Our own traditions and our own stories that are sure to make lasting memories for us and our girls. 

14 Months

It happened so fast, once they were newborns, then 10 months, then ONE, and now 14 months there's no slowing this crazy growth train down. So I decided to hop on and enjoy the ride. Every month its the same story.. so many changes but now its getting hard to keep up! I think I shall start taking notes- these two beautiful amazing girls have brought and continue to bring so much joy into our lives it is unbelievable how lucky we all are.

Olivia- Oh this girl, she has surprised me with how much she picks up in the quietness (for the most part) that is Olivia Marie Grace. She just watches and take in so much and then a few days later she is doing exactly what we have been asking her to do that she had previously refused. She watches Charlotte sign "more" over and over again and then one day she just does it without us even asking. I simply love this about her she has shown us that she will do things on her own terms and when that day comes we are just jumping with excitement. She has been working on skipping a nap for the last few days and I attribute this to her need to observe and be a part of all that is going on.
She is silly and loves to be tickled and nibbled on. When she is on the couch and she catches your eye she immediately assumes the "tickle me" position- hands behind her head and slides down the couch as if to say "ready"! She is a lover of bananas and between her and her sister we can't seem to keep them in the house. She loves to shove the entire thing in her mouth - I am pretty sure this is to keep her sister from taking it.
She is a lover and loves to be held at all times- she wants the attention and if she doesn't have it she lets you know about it for sure! She loves to get in between mommy and what ever mommy happens to be doing at the time. Cooking dinner is her favorite time to want me to hold her, she gets in between my legs and wherever I happen to be standing and pushes me back so that I can see her and of course pick her up. She says pretty much the same words but is starting to mimic some of the things we say- just the other day she said "I love you" in her little baby voice and of course I have said it a million times since then so that she will say it again.
I love to watch her and see what she will do next there is never a dull moment or a time she doesn't make us laugh. She is little miss sassy at times especially if she isn't getting what she wants. But the smiles she gives in return (when she finally gets what she wants.. or something similar) is priceless. She loves to shake her head no or turn her head when she is done eating or isn't happy with our selection of food for her.
We cannot image our lives without this little person! We love you Olivia!

Charlotte~ This little one grabs your heart and pulls you into her sweetness. She loves everything and everyone always hugging and kissing. Even "patting" or more like hitting her sister every single time she's getting her diaper changed. She loves poking belly buttons... especially her sisters' and smacking her own belly is a favorite thing to do. She has also become our little cleaner she wants to clean everything with a wipe... including her sister (seeing a trend here). She takes everything to the trash... EVERYTHING as does her sister- pretty sure our missing TV Remote made its way into the trash. Each item put into the trash requires a clap by all parties in close proximity to the trash can. Bananas remained a favorite food for the entire month, we went through five bunches a week!! Everyday as soon as she (and her sister) got out of bed she made her way to the kitchen pointing to the (Na-Na-Nas) until she was given one. 

Miss Charlotte is still a little bit of a bully when it comes to her sister ~ I am going with age as being the biggest factor for this behavior ~ Tips on how to overcome this are welcome :) She picks things up very quickly with little direction from us. She knows exactly what to do when we say its time to eat, go night night, and go outside/bye bye. Speaking of outside- this girl will do anything to be outside including standing in front of the door blocking anyone from leaving without taking her. The sun is like automatic energy for her and she can't get enough of it. She loves to dance and tries to mimic our dance moves which is quite the sight to see. She plays so well by herself - flipping the pages of her books, playing with her puzzle, and her new favorite, playing with one of her big sisters' babies. 

This girl is so much fun and is always making us laugh so hard, we often find ourselves in tears from her silliness. I love that she is starting to understand that we laugh at the things she does and she continues to do them so that we will keep laughing. There is nothing this girl won't try and she is becoming quiet the dare devil. Her newest skill is climbing on the couch, she also loves to get into the laundry basket (or any basket, bucket or box for that matter). She tries to stand in anything we are expecting her to ride in- the wagon, stroller, or shopping cart. This little one keeps us on our toes for sure!

We love you Charlotte, our little crazy girl!

As the days go by I can't image these two girls not having each other ~ It may be crazy but some times I look at one of them and think what if it was just her? This thought is near impossible (I said it was crazy). I am starting to see small glimpses of their bond and I am so excited to see this bond continue to grow!

We love you Girls!