Syd is four and a HALF!

Oh this kid.  She was excited about her half-birthday and requested a pop tart.  She loves pop tarts!  I delivered, with a candle even, and she refused to touch it.  No eating it and certainly no blowing out the candles.  She keeps me on my toes!  But look at this face...

She also had her Thanksgiving program that day.  Awfully cute turkey hats, but it was so hard to see any of the kids faces when they were up on the risers.  I'm sure there was more than one parent there that couldn't identify their kid. ;)  Syd wasn't feeling very festive, so she sang along but very quietly.  She likes to do things on her own terms.

Happy to take pics afterwards though!

I love watching these programs - I'm smiling so big the entire time.

Nice coloring, Pid!

Her height at this age is actually just about 1 1/2 inches under where Mills was at 4.5 yrs old.  Guess she isn't going to be quite as tall as her sister.

Just another school day.  I do feel kind of bad for her that she has to go all day, five days a week.

Jasper's paws on the window screen.  He's upside down.  Can you see his little nose?  I put this on instagram and no one knew what it was. whoopsie, I see it so clearly.

We laugh at this lazy monster all the time.  Funny how much a part of the family these cats have already become.

We've found a new babysitter, which means we're back to date nights every so often!

go pokes!

wakes up in the morning and runs to lily before mommy now :(

the point of this picture is millie's clothes: tie dye shirt and crazy chevron pants.  my eyes were bleeding.

not sure why the sad face, but i loved this pic millie brought home from school.  reminded us of aunt coco. <3

turkey time!

Halloween Week

Fresh in from Colorado and the next day was Halloween!  Presenting Batgirl...

...and Cinderella!

Millie asked for MONTHS to be Lady Gaga for Halloween, and I just couldn't figure out how to make both of us happy on that one.  Millie insisted on a "belly shirt" and I wasn't having it.  Then she said Princess Tiana, so I ordered that costume just in time for her to change her mind to Batgirl.  I wasn't buying another costume, but thankfully a neighbor was able to loan us this one.  And surprisingly, Millie was thrilled with it! She makes a pretty cute superhero!

Syd wanted to be Rapunzel until the dress came in and made her itchy.  TOO ITCHY!  So that's a waste.  We had to pull out an old Princess dress that Mills had worn in the past, and she was happy with it.  Bascially, I didn't need to buy costumes at all this year.  Gah.

The Fab Four - ready to go...

 ...after some play time, of course.

It was drizzly and pretty chilly, so the kids didn't actually make it all that long this year.  Long enough to get tons of candy though!

love our little traditions together

Power Ranger, Cinderella, Batgirl, and Ninja boy

I'm homeroom mom for Syd's preschool class, so I have to organize all the parties.  This one was their fall party, and they could wear pajamas.

Shopkins jammas and mittens, of course!

Christie came to visit, so we took her to our beloved pie place!

Just had to get a pic of Mills in one of her outfits she picked out.  She's getting better at styling herself. ;)

Putting these kids to work!  Our sweet neighbors, Asher and Esme, gave us the sad news that they are moving.  We play with them almost every day.  Asher is one of Millie's best friends; they are so much alike!  I'm so sad for her.  Hard to live in this transient area. :(

Oh yes, that's a mermaid leotard and rapunzel high heels.

beautiful fall wreath Millie made at her fall party

Millie's fall break was also during Syd's first field trip to the pumpkin patch!  Mills was thrilled to attend and help out with the younger kids!

Syd's favorite is this truck bed full of corn

sweet girl

Mrs. Hanna's preschool 4's class!

This is Syd's "i'm cold" face.  Super cute hat made by Coco - it's a cream color until it's in the sun, then it turns pink!

More fun with Christie and boyfriend Spence - philbrook museum in Tulsa!  How have I never been?!

Proof that I won shuffleboard that night.  Duh.  I'm going to try to talk JKK into putting in one of these in our new house!

Next day, I stopped in to see Mimi and Pa...and my mom was there too!

Papa giggles at these snapchat filters ;)

Mimi has the best smile!

I love going through Mimi's photo albums...always find some good stuff!

Little Kendyl!!

kitty cuteness

Syd's flu shot wasn't pretty this year, hence, the ice cream reward.  Much deserved.

Colorado Double Birthday Celebration

The last weekend of October, we flew to Colorado to help celebrate Ethyn and Brandon's birthdays!  This is the first time the girls remember flying on a plane.  Millie was nervous, but Syd was crazy excited.  She had a great time and was talking WAY too loud the entire time, but she was so cute about it, it didn't matter.

We rented a car and drove to the mountains to hang out all weekend!

Cozy kitty socks for the ladies

We had such a great time!  We played games and chatted, drank wine, and made food.  It was much needed time with B and his crew.  It's been too long!  We even had a magical moment late in the night - we saw a massive elk with a huge rack walking down the highway all by his lonesome...right in front of our cabin.  It was beautiful.

Friday was Ethyn's 17th birthday!  Hard to believe.  He's such a man now.  Proud of how he treats his family - he's a good big brother, he's nice to his momma, and he's wonderful with the girls.  And he's a dog whisperer too!

Kendyl cracks me up.  I wish she lived closer to hang out with us ALL the time.

We finally got to meet the other members of the family - this is Asher and I'm pretty sure he's a reincarnated human.

Our puzzle was missing a piece.  Gah.

This is Bert, aka Bertie.  The sweetest little black shadow.  The girls loved the dogs!  Ty was around too, just probably hiding from Syd, which is why he wasn't pictured. ;)

Mills and Syd fight to sit next to Kendyl

Look at this gorgeousness!  The sky is unbelievably blue.

time for a trip to town

This was a festive one for B, the big 4-0.

We did a little shopping in the tourist shops and Millie picked out these rockin' glasses.  And pulled them off, if I dare say...

So good to be with them!  I very much wish we lived closer.  Not fair.

We sampled some real beer while the kiddos took down some bowls of pretzels and played games.  Sort of the perfect afternoon.

I kept thinking of this all day ;) Walter.  Calmer than you are.

Some of us don't love hiking.  Is this laziness and age thing?  Or is this a personality trait?  I'm hoping she outgrows this, which I'm sure she will...I'm pretty sure Brandon said I was this way for at least a decade.

my people - felt good to get outside and breathe the mountain air

Nana loves the mountains <3

B's turn!  He is much loved.

Do we look alike?  We do tend to share the same funny bone, thankfully.

We even got to spend a day at their house, which was great to finally see where they live!  The girls have demanded a trampoline.

The weather was just phenomenal.  It really is beautiful there.

Date night while Nana watched the kids!  Oscar Blues for the win

Early morning goodbyes as they headed to school and work, and we left for the airport.  

The perfect quick trip!