Happy Halloween...a little early!

This morning, we had a "Halloween dress rehearsal" as we joined some other moms and kiddos to trick or treat at a local residential home for older adults.  We couldn't take pictures of the residents, but we managed to gather all the cuties for a big costume picture after we collected our candy.

The girls dressed up as twin fairies this year and have been practicing "flying" around the house all week.

More cheese for the camera...

My sweet little twin fairies!



 

Happy Birthday, Paul!

Friday was Paul's birthday, so the girls and I had fun making his day special.  The girls love eating breakfast with Paul before work, so his birthday was no different. 

 At the Hallmark store, I showed the girls all the Daddy cards, and they had fun selecting their own card to give Paul. 

 Helping Mommy bake up a special cake for Daddy!  My little ballerina cooks - one is not too happy in this picture.

 Paul and I headed out for an early dinner downtown, while the girls stayed home with a babysitter. 

 After their baths, the girls got their hair braided by the babysitter - so pretty!

Happy Birthday, Paul!  We love you so much!

Friday at the Zoo

This past week, we tried out a new hairdo, and the girls and I really love it!  Usually, the girls have worn barrettes, and I never could get a rubber band to stay in, but I bought some smaller rubber bands and now it worked. 

 On Friday, we took a trip to the zoo with my friend and her two boys, and the weather was just perfect.  The zoo is actually an animal sanctuary, so we saw all the animals, had a quick snack lunch, and rode the train all in under three hours!  The girls loved the animals, but they love to copy their friends and tried to climb the fences at every exhibit. 

 I love this zoo because the animals are so close.  Maybe too close!

 I am not zooming my camera at all - this tiger was probably six feet away.

 Same with the lioness - so close!

 The girls got to feed the goats and sheep, but they forgot to let go of the food, so both of them got their entire hand into a couple of the goat's mouth and that was a little scary!

 These little boys, Zander and Maddox, are the girls' close friends - we do so much together all the time!  One time someone asked if the younger boy was a triplet with the girls because they are all the exact same height and kind of look like siblings with their big brown eyes. 

 Claire and Maddox talking about the animals. 

What a great start to the weekend - the zoo is one of our favorites.

Weekend Visitors

This weekend, Cassie and Emma came to visit us here in Austin!  We had a really fun (and crazy!) time, and we filled our days with lots of great activities.  Saturday, we headed to the nearest mall, and we fit nearly every activity they had at the mall in about an hour and a half.  First, we charged into Dillard's to get to the mall opening, girls walking hand in hand.  So cute!  We are really thankful that the twins and Emma are only a year apart; each time we get together, we notice fewer and fewer differences since their ages are so close. 

 Having fun running around with Emma!

 Mommy made a stop to buy some dresses, so the girls took time to watch the video together.

 Cassie treated us all to a cookie break.

 Should I be eating this at 10:30am in the morning?

 I don't care; this is the best cookie ever!

 I'm just as sweet as this cookie!

 Taking a break waiting for the carousel.

 All in a row - this was the girls' favorite thing to do.

 Last stop - riding the train! 

We enjoyed every minute of our weekend.  Come back soon, Cassie and Emma!