Trick or Treat

Princess Cinderella and Princess Aurora are in their chariot, ready to hit the streets for some treats.

Notice the lovely "princess" wave?
Uh, oh. I don't know about this....
We get candy????
Alright! Let's go!
Now they're getting picky.

Ella called "uncle" first... she said, "I tired, Mommy!"

Our Neighborhood Halloween Parade

The weekend before Halloween, our neighborhood had a little parade. The princesses dressed in their best ballgowns and off we went...

The were NOT thrilled with the firetruck or the loud high school band, leading the parade.
Katie is still holding her ears... just in case that fire truck's sirens go off!
When the band stops for a song, Ella and Daddy do a little dancing...
Not Katie... gotta keep those ears covered.
Now she's happy... Katie gets to play the drums. She doesn't mind when she's the one making the loud noises.

The band stopped at the beach and played a few songs for everyone. They let all the kids check out their instruments. As you can guess, the drums were very popular.

The girls get to hold the flags too.

Katie and Ella's 3rd Birthday Party!

It's hard to believe, but the girls are 3! Here are a few photos from the big day. The girls went bowling for the first time. We went to the bowling alley on base. It was great... they had bumpers on the lane so there were no gutter balls and even a little 'stand' for the girls to push their balls down. The guest list included Mimi (Bill's mom), Grandma and Granddad (my parents), cousin Wesley, and, of course, the guests of honor, Katie & Ella, the OUR BIG 3-YEAR-OLD GIRLS.

Mimi and Daddy explaining the importance of keeping your fingers AWAY from the balls.
Daddy helping Katie with her ball... she liked to carry it ALL BY HERSELF, totally freaking out her mom and dad!

Ella (in blue) and Katie (in pink) celebrating a good throw.

Mommy helping Ella with her ball. Katie's unique after throw stance.
Uncle Bill and Aunt SuSu giving Wesley a few bowling pointers.

The bowlers

Time for the "Happy Birthday" song... Katie's first. Katie blowing out her candles -- notice the PINK cake for the girls who loves pink.


Ella's turn... She did it! Notice the BLUE cake for the girl who loves blue. yummmmmm... Ella enjoying a piece of cake with Grandma.

Katie being mad at mommy for cutting her cake. What a face that kid can make!Letting Mom feed her... all is forgiven once she tastes it. The BEST PRESENT EVER!!

A blue princess dress for Ella and a pink princess dress for Katie.

The royal entourage leaving the bowling alley. Princess Ella
Princess Katie

Granddad, Grandma, and Wesley come for a visit

More visitors! Grandma and Wesley come again and this time they bring Granddad!

The first night they are here, Bill and I leave Grandma and Granddad to put the girls to bed while we went to "parents night" at the school. Their solution? Let them all watch a little Sponge Bob Square Pants before bedtime. Believe it or not, it worked!!



Sight-seeing the next day. Here we're waiting for the tour bus. Wesley is very adept at hiding from the camera. Little stinker!

Ella could care less about Lincoln... she just wants to rrruuuuunnnnnn!Me and Granddad in front of Lincoln's statue -- I think you can see his toe in the top right corner. Kate and Ella are NOT interested in any photo ops today.

Checking out the Korean War Memorial... again, the top of Wesley's red hat.
In front of the Reflecting Pool with the Washington Monument in the background.

The ONE thing Katie and Ella have been waiting for... a ride on the merry-go-round.

First Day of School

Katie and Ella started 'school' this year. It's basically a fancy mother's day out program set up like a preschool. They go one day a week for five (5!) whole hours... ahhhhhhh, mommy gets a nice long break. Oh, Katie and Ella seem to really like it too. They come home tired, but happy. And, so cooperative... saying please and thank you, for at least a day afterwards. They have already had a playdate with a friend from school and mommy has made a new mommy friend... all in all, everyone is very pleased with our new school.

Here are a few photos from their first day. Katie has on a pink shirt and Ella has on a green shirt.

Playing at the 'sensory table'. Ella is playing in the sand and Katie with the macaroni.
Painting their 'goldfish' - that's the name of their class. Our new friends Anna and Ms Terumi are in the background.
More painting... they love to paint and I love that they paint at school and not at home. :-)
Ella fixing Katie breakfast.

Farm Day and Pumpkin Painting

Our little town, Falls Church, had a 'Farm Day' in early Oct. Here are a few snapshots from our day out... it was just me and the girls (Bill was on a work trip).

Ella (in green) and Katie (in white) had a blast painting pumpkins. Ella painted hers blue (surprise, surprise -- it's her favorite color, don't forget) and Katie painted hers purple and gold, Daddy's favorite colors.

My Two Little Puppy Dogs

I was trying to get the girls' room organized and putting up some shelves... the girls had more fun ideas in mind. They wanted to be puppies in a cage.

A Visit from Cousin Wesley, Aunt Shelley, and Grandma

We had a few more visitors in August. Here, the girls are greeting Aunt Shelley and Wesley... they LOVE Aunt Shelley and Cousin Wesley!
We took the kids to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. They all took a (pretend) ride in an airplane.

Wesley
Katie
Ella - doesn't she look sleepy?

Waiting for the Metro Choo-Choo Train (as K&E call it)
All of us waiting outside 8th and I Marine Corps Barracks to get in to see the Silent Drill and Military Tattoo. We're a class act, we're eating pizza while sitting on the sidewalk. :-)
Don't remember what Katie was doing, but Aunt Shelley was getting a kick out of it.