Museums

Museums are no place for children, right? They're not allowed to touch anything, museums are kind of boring and there's always lots of old people walking around.

Enter - Betty Brinn Children's Museum. I didn't know a museum could be this much fun until we visited Betty Brinn for the first time, when Archer was really little. It was more like Betty Brinn's Fun and Games Zone. But everything is built with an educational focus, whether or not the kids realize it.

Ramp

Archer came running out of his room where he was playing with Shelly and said "its a mergency! The lights are off and Shelly's all alone in the dark! You got turn the lamp on." I went into his room to find that the lights were off and the matress was half way off his bed. What's going on in here? "I made a ramp so Shelly could go on my bed." And sure enough, she was climbing up the ramp.



The quality is pretty poor, but you get the idea. This video was taken using Archer's new camera from Santa.

My Very First Video Online

Here it is, the first Fortier Home Video to be posted on the web...



I'm still working on getting some more videos uploaded, but enjoy, for now.

This is AWESOME

This house is AMAZING. And, to top it off, its just around the corner from our house. Tonight, there was a traffic jam in front of this house, with people who had come to listen and watch the show. There were 15 to 20 cars lined up on the sides of the street, we tuned into the radio station and WOW! Our neigbours really love Christmas!



PS - The house across the street is probably happy that the daily light shows are almost over - the flashing lights are cool but they would drive me CRAZY!

Christmas 2007

First, let me start off by saying CHRISTMAS IS TOUGH! I mean, its fun too, but as the parent trying to get ready for Santa's arrival, its TOUGH. And not getting easier as the kids get older (and more aware of what's going on around them).

But all the hard work paid off and everthing went pretty well, with minimal meltdowns, crying and fighting. Mostly the fighting happened today, between Archer and his cousins. Those kids are great friends one minute and the next, fighting tooth and nail over the smallest things. That's what family's for, I guess - they treat each other like siblings and its nice to see them so close.

Anyway, back to the beginning... Archer bought a gift for Shelly (after a lot of convincing by Dad that they were at the store to buy something for Shelly, not Archer). When he was told to keep it a secret, so she could open the gift on Christmas, he promptly announced to her exactly what it was. Shelly also had a gift for Archer, and the minute he saw it he wanted to open it. We told him to wait, and so he waited until the middle of the night a day before Christmas, when we were sleeping, and he opened it. So much for surprises!

Santa came to our house a day early and the kids had great fun opening up the gifts (which were surprises this time around). Shelly mostly loves the playground balls that Santa brought, and Archer has now fully tested each and every other toy (including Shelly's) that came.

We spent Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa's house, great company, great food, and great gifts as usual. Despite the time crunch on Grandpa, he came up with three beautiful projects which will be treasured forever. But before they're treasured, they'll be banged around, bumped into walls, run over toes, and so forth... Thanks Grandpa!

Christmas Day was the Fortier's turn. Its a little hectic with all the kids, and like I mentioned, can get loud and chaotic with all the fun, but defintiely an event not to be missed.

Be sure to check out more pics

http://archerandshellypics.blogspot.com

Festivus

In all of the preparations for Christmas, I remind you that another important day has arrived. Festivus is upon us!

http://themoderngal.blogspot.com/2007/12/festivus-eve-message.html

http://www.seinfeld-fan.net/festivus.php

Happy Festivus to all, and to all a good night!

PS - The day known to the rest of the world as Fesstivus is also known by another name in the Gruenberg home. Christmas Adam - the day before Christmas Eve. For further explanation, see the infamous home video which also includes a loud thump followed by crying in the background. You all know what I'm talking about...

Mischief

See those mischievous eyes? That little sneak has learned how to open all the cupboard doors. Back to locking everything. I remember when we didn't have to lock everything up to keep Archer out - I was so relieved to not always be looking for the magnetic key that unlocks the cupboard doors. Now we're back to square one, but with an added dimension. Archer is VERY willing (and quick) to point out every transgression that his sister commits. About half the time I say "thanks for letting me know, Archer" and the other half the time I'm telling him "don't worry about what she's doing, I'll take care of it."

New Adventures

I really want to take Archer sledding. Not just sledding, but sledding on a really big hill. In my planning for this momentous event, I realized I did not own a sled. Oldest child downfall - we don't have a lot of the stuff that kids Archer's age would enjoy. Perfect example - a sled. Youngest child upside - by the time Shelly is Archer's age, we'll have all the stuff. Perfect example - probably more than one sled. Yesterday I called Dad to ask his advice - "Do you think Menard's will have sleds?" (PS The day before I was at Target and the entire aisle of sledding stuff was COMPLETELY empty.) Dad says, "yeah probably, which one are you going to? I'll meet you there!" A half hour later, after debating the different types of sleds and finally choosing the best one, we had another decision. "You know, the hill is only a mile away from here, and its on your way home..." And now we're on a trip over to the big hill to test out the new sleds. Before I even know what's going on, I'm flying down a hill and stopping only inches short of a tree in my path. And then we go to the BIG hill. The one I remember Dad taking us to when we were kids. The one where you park on the side of the road, and climb up a slippery mountain and then look down the other side, the steep, packed, iced-over slope that holds memories. Memories of piling onto Dad's back to ride down the hill, or standing next to the car brushing snow off our pants and jackets, looking forward to getting home and making hot chocolate.

I can't wait to share this with Archer, and with Shelly. Maybe it will be a new tradition, Christmas Eve sledding. I know one thing for sure, though - its gonna be FUN!!!

A Picture Story

We have no hills within miles of our house, but there was a big drift on the deck out back...

And later that day...

One step forward...

and how many steps back? Archer likes the show "Maya and Miguel," and I was singing the theme song, but changing the words... "Its Maya & Miguel, brother and sister and best friends as well! Its Archer & Shell, brother and sister and best friends as well, brother and sister and best friends as well!" Archer's response: "She's not my best friend when she takes my toys away from me." Back to being Mom the Referee...

Flower Power

Star Power

Abominable Snow

Thank goodness we finally get a reprieve from the snow and rain and ice and snow - ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

Bottoms Up

Why is it that little kids like to sleep on their tummies, with their knees tucked up under and their bottoms sticking up in the air? Maybe getting all scrunched up is comforting, the feeling of cuddling up close, staying in a little bundle to keep warm. There is something so intimate, so personal, about sleeping in the same space with someone else. When you fall asleep, you're vulnerable and unaware, I think its a matter of trust when you allow someone to see you in that vulnerable state. Children are the most vulnerable, but also the most innocent, most trusting. Sleeping next to my children, with their mouths open, breathing softly, trusting - I truly value this intimate time with my family, our bodies leaning against each other, breathing in the same rythms...

Genius

"David, do you think our daughter is a genius?" I asked him last week. I could tell when I saw the look on his face that he was not sure how to answer the question. This is one of those questions - there is no right answer. "What makes you say that?" he asked me back.

Here's the truth - all children are geniuses. Not in terms of reading, or math, or knowing all the constellations. But when it comes to manipulation, they've got it down. With Archer, I think it took me a little longer to realize when he was manipulating me. But I recognize it now, and I see it already in Shelly. Actually, it started a month or more ago. And I'm not talking about the crying because she's hungry or tired or cold, like all babies do from the beginning. I'm talking about contrived manipulation, with a little plan that they know will get results.

"Mom just walks out of the room after she sets me down, she makes me follow after her, she doesn't pick me up right away. But Dad, he'll probably pick me up..." And she walks over to him. When he's not home, she has no choice but to follow me out of the room, I don't have the energy to carry her every second, and she can walk, so I walk away and she follows after. I know the wheels are turning, she's figuring out what she can get away with, and with who. When Grandma Sue says "No no Shelly, don't touch the Christmas tree," Shell throws herself down, flips onto her back and looks right into Grandma's eyes and starts to cry. When Grandma Sue was telling me about the drama, Shelly heard the words "no no" and demonstrated the act for me, just as Grandma had described. When we call Shelly to come over here, she gets just close enough that you think she's going to do what you've said, and then suddenly veers away with a big smile on her face, waddling away as quick as she can on those short little legs.

Can you imagine learning as many new skills as babies do in their first two years? If anyone over the age of two picked up even half the new social, verbal, and physical skills that babies do, they'd be a miracle. But we somehow expect this from babies, and constantly think about the next milestone they're going to reach, and the next... What an amazing experience, to witness this happening in my own home, with my two kids!

I need my sister!

Mom's best friend: the vacuum that cleans not only the floor, but also the table, the chairs, the high chair, the crumbs out of my bed... (WHY are there crumbs in my bed when the kids are only allowed to eat crackers in the kitchen?)

Mom's next best friend: the older brother who can entertain his sister for five whole minutes so Mom can get the vacuuming done and about two other quick things before he gets bored and they come back to hang on my legs again for attention.

Surprise of the day: Todd came over for a visit and asked Archer if he could take Shelly home with him. Archer said no. "I need my sister!" It makes my heart swell with joy to hear my son say that about his sister.

When Shelly sees that she's about to get what she wants, she squeals and claps her hands.

Its the little moments, day by day, that keep surprising me, and making this parenting thing one joy after another.

Eat Responsibly

We bought some cookies and on the outside packaging were the words SUGAR FREE!

It was printed HUGE, in letters about two inches tall. Little did we realize the consequences these harmless, tasty little cookies would have...

Later that day...

David and I were desperately trying to figure out why our kids were going through diapers like I don't know what... but mess after mess, we kept turning to each other and saying, "Its your turn," "I did the last one," "Yeah, but the one I did was twice as bad as the one you took care of." I don't want to be too graphic, but just imagine that both kids were having problems that extended up their backs and down to their ankles every hour or so. Very unusual. They must have some kind of flu. I hope I don't get it, but how could I NOT pick it up from them, when I'm cleaning them up, mess after mess?

After about mess number six I suddenly have a flashback to something I read earlier that day. After feeding a cookie to Shelly and eating one myself, I wondered how something that contained no sugar could taste so good. So I read the list of ingredients. And at the end of the list, in small, fine print, I read

Excess consumption may cause a laxative effect in sensitive persons.

WHAT????? Laxative effect???

When I suddenly had this flash of remembering the cookie package David could not believe what I was telling him and had to read it for himself. Sure enough, as we laughed about cookies having that effect, we were also horrified to realize our children were obviously "sensitive persons" that had indulged in "excess consumption." Had we poisoned our children with sugar free sweets? Now the package of cookies sits, only half-eaten, abandoned on our kitchen counter.

Cookies, anyone?

Half Way

We're half way through our 100 day countdown, how's everyone doing on their goals? I have to say I'm doing ok, but not as well as I'd like. But I've got 50 more days to get in line with my goal.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, click here to read about the 100 day countdown, and look at the countdown timer up on top of the page, in orange.
http://archerandshelly.blogspot.com/2007/10/ten-thousand-days.html

Holiday Spirit

Ok, so I was being grumpy about Christmas and Denise was kind enough to remind me that when I'm grumpy, all I'm doing is ruining everyone else's good spirit. And, on the way home today, I listened to a Christmas song. Breakthrough for me! I decided to have the kids help me decorate the tree, and since they'd be pulling everything off it anyway, I decided we would just put their toys on it, so when they pulled them all off they weren't hurting anything. Ta da!

We had to quit when Archer resorted to throwing his toys at the tree to see if they'd stick in the branches. And so begins the Christmas season...

Sit Still Spot

This is Shelly's Sit Still Spot, its where she sits when I need a break from her hanging on my legs. She doesn't like it when I put her there, even though her feet are just a few inches off the ground she can't figure out how to escape the spot, and so she has no choice but to sit still. I keep her quiet with grahm crackers but that usually doesn't last very long before she starts whining. If she could talk, she would say, "I don't like being stuck on this stool, get me off! Its not fair that everyone else is bigger and faster than me, I just want to keep up, so pick me up so I don't get left behind and I can see what's going on!"

But she can't talk, and she's too little to get off the stool by herself, so for the moment, I win. Not for long, though, I know she'll outsmart my plan soon enough, and I'll have to come up with something new...

By the way, the whole time Shelly's sitting on the stool, Archer's taking laps around the house and yelling, first he wants to play horsey, then puppy, then I'm supposed to chase him, then he's supposed to chase me, then we're supposed to jump in a flying leap off the furniture over an obsticle (Shelly if she's been released from her spot), land on our knees, I throw him into the air and catch him by his ankles within inches of his face crashing into the carpet, then... Well, actually, before things get too carried away I have to be the responsible one in the group and end the game. But you get the picture. He's not helping my cause of keeping Shelly on her Sit Still Spot when he's running around like a maniac. Welcome to our circus!

Impending

You know winter is approaching, or has arrived when...

There's snow on your car when you leave work

You can't see the lane lines on the road on the way home

The road signs are covered (100% edge to edge) and its a good thing I know where I'm going cause everything's un-readable

The plow trucks are out in full force to salt the highways

You know a holiday is near when...

The normal traffic at the grocery store is increased by about 100

The average person at the grocery store isn't buying a week's worth of food, they're buying in small, very specialized lists of things, like ingredients for spinach dip, or only chips and soda, or only a giant turkey and some dinner rolls, or flowers and a cheese tray

The kids at the store are extra spunky cause they're out on vacation and enjoying every minute of it

People aren't browsing, they're hunting down the next item from the recipe card they're holding in-hand

And today we've got the chaos of both of these major events, a holiday tomorrow and the first major weather of the season tonight. I'm glad to be home, in my cozy warm bedroom, and not sitting at an airport delayed somewhere, or trying to drive a long distance across the country crammed into a little car. Holidays are nice, and snow is nice, but join the two together and you never know what will happen next...

So, I hope everyone travels safely, dresses warmly, and have a Great Thanksgiving!

Holiday Discussions

Today I was talking to Mom and Dad and the conversation was going something like this...

Who had it last year? Who's having it this year? What time is he having it? Are you going to it? Who's coming to it?

And a whole series of questions along those lines. Dad pointed out that if it were any other time of the year it would be a completely nonsense conversation. We were, of course, discussing Thanksgiving.

There's all kinds of strange conversations that happen around kids every day and they somehow manage to pick up language and context and know excatly what we're talking about most of the time, even when we start to spell words. Tonight Archer said "Oh No!" and I swear, Shelly repeated the words! She's getting to be a good mimic of sounds, and Archer's already an expert mimic of phrases and even repeating the tone of voice. "Excuse me!" He'll say, but not in the polite way, more with an attitude, and then he'll point out to me, "You dropped something!" Adults laugh when kids say adult phrases, but we really shouldn't be surprised, they pick up everything they hear, and now Archer doesn't need to hear it more than once to remember it, one time is enough for him to add it to his vocabulary. Watch out world, he's soaking it all up as fast as it comes at him!

Plus One

Shelly's got another tooth, she's up to seven now and she's DANGEROUS, watch out! Besides the teeth, she's got super sharp nails and doesn't hold back when it comes to getting our attention by grabbing a lip or a nose or a cheek and just hanging on for dear life.

Archer's been showing a lot of indications of jealously lately. He did so well when Shelly first came home that i thought we had gotten lucky and he was going to be just fine with the change. But now that she walks around and picks up his toys, or wants his food, he's not doing so great with it. I don't blame him, she's invading his space and his time with Mom & Dad, but its gone a little too far and we're in crack-down mode now. He was having a tantrum the other day, and she walked into the room and he ran up to her and shoved her down. She started screaming, he was already screaming, and I was about to have a meltdown of my own.

I loaded everybody into the car and went to Mom & Dad's house. Thank goodness they live close. When Archer asked why we were going there, I told him because I needed to be with some other adults. I needed to get to a place where the adults outnumbered the kids... Whew!

Shelly's plus one is her new tooth. Archer's plus one is the new baby sister that's always getting in his way. And my plus one is always knowing there's a place I can go where there will be more adults than kids to help me get through those rough spots.

From Bampaw (again...)

The standard version of Friday nights has become:

1. Too busy at office (again), so request no. 1 is for Bampaw & Mamaw to babysit.... request granted.

2. Mamaw meets Gma Sue at The Casino to pickup 'The Kids'

3. Amy makes request no. 2 and asks if she and her husband can go out to eat before coming to get the kids.... request granted.

4. Amy makes request no. 3 and asks if Bampaw wants to keep the kids overnight.... request denied. (this time)

5. Bampaw released from work to assist Mamaw with babysitting duties

6. Once home and fed, lots of running, toys dragged out, singing, yelling, chasing, eating, drinking, clothes on and off and on again, movie, etc.

7. Mom & Dad show up to take 'The Kids' home for the evening.

8. Quiet time begins at Bampaw and Mamaw's house, usually around 9pm.

There weren't too many deviations last night from the standard version above, except that Shelly now joins in the running and chasing on 2 legs instead of 4.

Some example pics are included here. Archer engaged in some water painting. Mamaw had a 30 year old set that wouldn't even melt in the water, so all the pictures painted were pretty much just water and no paint. Painting ended with Archer spilling the water all down his front (you can clearly see this in the pic of him standing on the bed)

And then we had the episode where Archer wanted to wear one of my ties (while he ran laps) Somewhere along the line, he lost his pants, anyway I tied it for him and the tie diversion ended with him wearing it around his waist and running while watching it flap behind like a tail. Shelly and all were very entertained.

Mom & Dad show up and the kids cry because they want to stay, but they all leave in a flither flather of activity and then we proceed to step 8 as documented above. Shweezo!

Bampaw

Once again, thanks Mom & Dad, for giving David & I a little time without the kiddie kids. I told Dad he should start his own blog because he's been writing more about the kids lately than me, but he didn't want to commit. Oh well, I'll continue to carry the torch, even though its been pretty sporadic lately. I've gotta get back in the mood. Honestly, though, its been hard to want to write about stuff because Archer's been really hard to get along with lately. Whoever said "Terrible Twos" must not have had a three year old.

From Bampaw

We had a very nice day with the kids. You should note that Archer showed up with his shirt on backwards and two different kinds of socks on and that we returned him in essentially the same condition, with the exception that we removed his jeans and put a pair of flood pants on him. Grandma purchsed these pants about a year ago (I believe if you look, the tag is still on them) and as you can see, they are about 2-3 inches shy of the correct inseam for the boy.

Shelly was her usual fussy self everytime you left her behind. Somtimes we would leave the living room and make a full lap around thru the hallway and kitchen and be back in the living room, and there is Shelly whining because we left her, but only a half lap behind the rest of the group. It's good we have a small kitchen because I had to make lunch with 3 pots going on the stove, grab ingredients, pans and utensils from the cupboard all with Shelly hanging on to my pants leg and watching the action from below. (She enjoyed the mashed potatoes and gravy, but vetoed the peas. Archer who stated very firmly that he wasn't hungry, was two minutes later eating the same dish as Bampa (mashed potatoes covered with gravy and green peas on top) After a couple forkfuls, he stated, "This is good!"

Attached are a couple pics, not my best work, but you get the general idea of the day.

Bampa

- Thanks for the recap, Dad, and thanks to both of you, Mom & Dad, for taking the kids for a few hours so we could get some stuff done. As you've described above, its tough to get anything done with the baby and the boy around!

Let's Be Spontaneous!

Tonight I was reminded why we SHOULD NOT EVER be spontaneous when it comes to certain things. Like which restaurant to eat at. As parents, we've learned to keep a mental list of restaurants ok to visit with the kids. These restaurants include categories like kids menu (yes or no), pre-meal snacks (croutons, crackers, etc), noise level (the noisier the better, that way the noise of our own kids will be drowned out by all the other noise), booths or tables (booths are better, they keep the kids more contained), lids on the cups (lids for kids obviously better).

Tonight, we decided to eat somewhere that we hadn't eaten before, and we had the kids. Bad idea. I said to David, "Let's be adventurous." Bad idea. We didn't know the menu, the noise level, the seating arrangements, we were going in blind. Bad bad idea. Now, don't get me wrong, the kids weren't completely out of control, they were just being kids. And the restaurant was nice. But the only thing on the menu that Archer would have any chance of eating was the cheeseburger. And he didn't eat it. And they didn't have booths. And it was very very quiet. So every little screech by Shelly or bang of the fork on the table by Archer was painful. The food was great but when we left, David and I felt relieved to finally be out of there, I was ready for a nap.

So I'm reminded that spontaneity is great with kids, in the right setting. Restaurants? From now on, we'll stick to what we know, and be spontaneous without the kids.

I should know better

I'm the mom, so I'm the one who's supposed to say "someone's going to get hurt!" But tonight, Archer and I were playing, and even though I THOUGHT that phrase in my head, I didn't say it out loud. And I didn't quit the game. And sure enough, someone got hurt.

Archer was running around me in circles, and then I would randomly stick my leg out and trip him and he'd fall down - hard. But when I quit he got upset and told me to stick my leg out when he ran past. And when I didn't, he taunted me. "You missed me! You didn't get me!" We were laughing and having a good time until... someone got hurt. I stuck my leg out, he fell harder than before and immediately started screaming "You hurt me! Owie!!!!" I knew he wasn't exaggerating, either, I could see he landed wrong on his hand. I just couldn't figure out if he had any broken bones because he wouldn't say if it was his wrist or his fingers or what. And so, I took the wait and see approach, which worked out ok because five minutes later he was perfectly fine.

Now before you lecture me about being more responsible, or being more careful because I'm the older/bigger/more mature one, let me just say this. SOMEONE needs to rough-house with the kids to toughen them up. (Oh wait, who do I sound like? Toughen them up?)

Let's try this again - If I get him going, running around like that, he burns up lots of energy so I can get him to bed earlier. (Ok, so there's better ways to burn energy than injuring him.)

Alright, the truth. I like playing rough with him, its fun to roll around and get physical and let him ride on my back playing horsey horsey. I like playing with the Nerf guns. And I can't wait until the two kids are old enough so I can start buying Legos. For them. Really, for the kids, cause I know they'll like them lots. And then I can show them all the cool stuff they can build with Legos, and I can build stuff, and have fun with them...

How come no one tells you that one of the fun parts about having kids is acting like a kid? Rolling around on the floor, playing hide and seek, playing with their toys. Bring on the Legos!

Heartbeats

I spend a lot of time thinking about how fast time is going, and how my kids are getting so big so fast, and how I wish I could slow things down. But tonight, as I lay in bed between the two of them, I thought a lot about how small they are. How young and little and impressionable. They have so much time in front of them, what will they choose to do? And when I think about the things I don't like (like Archer's tantrums, or Shelly's constant need for me to carry her around), I'm usually in the mind-set that they're old enough to be past those stages. But really, Archer's a little kid, not even four years old yet, that's pretty young. And Shelly's still a baby, an infant, of course she cries, why do I expect anything other than that? I just get so caught up in how old they're getting, that I forget how young they are.

Archer might stomp around telling me he doesn't like me when I tell him its bedtime, and Shelly might act like she needs her space to spread out in the bed, but they both fell asleep crowding me. Shelly with her leg hooked over my arm, and Archer with his feet tucked under my legs and his face snuggled up against me. I put my hand on his chest and felt his heart, and I thought about the first time I heard his heart. That fuzzy, staticky sound in the doctor's office when he was only a few weeks along in life, before any other part of him had been formed, that little heart was beating. And that same heart still, in his little body, beating faithfully. Its an amazing thing to be a parent, to know a person before they're even born, to be with that person every day of their life and help them along and then, at some point, gradually release them into the world and watch them take their first steps again and again, first steps into all the new things that they will face as they grow.

So how is it that I keep forgetting how little they are? Its so easy to get caught up in all the new things they're doing and ways that they're growing up. But they're still so small...

Play by Play

Here it is, a play by play of me trying to pick up the kitchen. It could be a ten minute job, but get the two kids involved and it goes something like this:

I go into the fridge to get a soda or put away the leftovers or whatever
Shelly crawls over quick as can be, stands up and starts re-arranging the condiments
Archer walks in to discover what Shelly is up to and then tells me (obviously I'm aware because I'm standing right behind her)
Archer is not satisfied with my response (ignore what Shelly's doing because she's entertained and not making a major mess) so decides to take matters into his own hands and tries to push her out of the way to shut the door
Shelly screams because she's not getting her way
I step in to referee
I pick up Shelly, take her in to the living room, find a toy on the floor that she hasn't played with in the last five minutes, put it in front of her and run (literally, run) back to the kitchen to put a couple more things in the dishwasher
She finds me
I return her to the living room, wonder if I'm letting Archer watch too much Disney chanel, then run (again) to the kitchen to put away a couple more things.
She finds me (again)
We repeat the cycle (again and again)



There must be a better way to get things done but I just can't find one. I try to occupy them with toys but they get bored easily. I try to bribe them with food but they get bored with that too (and its really not very healthy). I feel guilty just turning on the tv, and also Shelly's not that interested in tv anyway. WHEN will she be old enough to play with her brother? I suppose right around the age she's old enough to fight with him... Maybe we should hire a maid.

Trick or Treating

We should have taken some pictures, Halloween was great. Archer refused to wear his monkey costume (even though it still fit), and instead wanted to wear his tiger costume, which Aunt Patti gave to us a couple years ago and its WAY too small. The legs end around mid-calf on him, and the head of the costume doesn't fit up over his head anymore, and it doesn't zip up, but he loves it anyway. Every time the doorbell rang he ran over, opened up the door and greeted the kids with a great big "ROOOAAARRRRR!!!!!" I tried to tell him to be careful not to scare the kids, but he said he was a friendly tiger and I couldn't really argue with him on that point, I mean, he WAS handing out treats, so that would put him in the category of friendly, not scary, right?

P.S. Shell is now walking EVERYWHERE, she takes 5 or 6 steps at a time, her arms out to the side, the first couple steps are confident and then as she progresses she gets more and more wobbly until she finally falls forward or sits back with a thud. All of this is driven by hating to be left behind, hating not being part of the action, and hating not getting to eat whatever the rest of us have. She's constantly grabbing my leg and looking up at me, her eyes saying "why are you leaving me behind? Why can't I have some of that? Why can't I help?"

Part of me is really terrified at the thought of trying to handle TWO kids walking around, fighting for toys and attention (Archer's started pretending to be a baby lately, gosh I wonder why...), and the other part of me is amazed every day at how blessed I am to have these two beautiful children in my life.