I'm feeling a little guilty that tomorrow is December and I still haven't posted Halloween pictures. Does anyone even care? Well, since I can't seem to stay on top of printing my pictures for albums, and this blog might be my only reference point some day, I need to post them. So here's a recap of the last month, starting with tonight.

Tonight we sat through Maggie's dance recital. It was the definition of "you get what you pay for." She's been in a rec department program. We have not been impressed with the organization during class, and I'm not sure that she's learned any actual ballet. Tonight's recital was ridiculous. First, she had a 545 rehearsal. The doors were supposed to open for parents at 645. They did not. The show was supposed to start at 7; it did not. Once it did start, it was never ending. It was loosely based on the Nutcracker Ballet. Loosely. It took at least 5 minutes between each dance to reset the stage. And then, each dance was just a few arm waves and toe taps. We didn't get home til about 845. Insanity.

However, Maggie LOVED it. She went to bed with a huge smile on her face. And that is what is important!

Last week, we hosted our first Thanksgiving. It was wonderful! The girls worked hard to create place card/napkin rings.

And they were thrilled to sit at their own special table

We ate, we laughed, we were grateful for all of the blessings in our lives. It was a fabulous day!

I tok this picture one morning to capture the crazy outfits my girls chose one day. Hello, orphans!

Almost 3 weeks ago, Maggie and her best friend Lauren had a joint birthday party at Katherine's gymnastics club. They had the exact same party last year. Hey, if it's great, why change it? They gave each other the same gift....without planning!

It was easy for the parents, exhausting for the kids, and fun for all!
This picture demonstrates Abby's new skills. She now takes a stool from the bathroom to help her get what she needs elsewhere in the house. She is sneaky and smart. She understands everything you ask her to do and follows directions....sometimes.
I loved this. Just a quiet morning before school, and before I would let them watch TV for the day. Just 3 girls reading, adorable!
Sometimes, you just HAVE to have polkadots!
That takes us back to Halloween. Abby tried to reject the idea of a costume, but once she got used to the pumpkin suit, and discovered how fun it was to walk and wiggle her butt, she loved it! Maggie was a unicorn, and in most of the pictures I took, she put her face down so that you could see the face of her costume instead. Katherine enjoyed pretending to "sting" everyone with the stinger on her bottom. We had plenty of fun, and we still have some candy left if you're interested!


In WI, the last Thursday and Friday of October are always days off of school for a Teachers' Convention. Luckily, my favorite teacher does not feel the need to attend the convention. So we traditionally get away for a night. We went to Key Lime Cove for the third year in a row. What's not to love? It's less than an hour in the car, with water slides, wave pool, lazy river....it was delightful!


So, now that we have October and November documented, we can push on to December!

Katherine just bounced downstairs after her nap, a little earlier than usual, but really, I had 1 1/2 hours of quiet, so I can't complain. She and Maggie like to listen to music to fall asleep and this week they changed their CD to Christmas music. Katherine's first question when she came downstairs was "Mommy, what's pounding?"

"Uh, do you mean, like pounding a hammer, like this?" making a hand motion as if I were using a hammer.

"Well, maybe" she answered, unsure, but willing to settle for that answer.

"Why are you asking Katherine?"

"Well, there's a song on my CD, and it says, 'you better not pound, I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town' but I don't know what pound is!"

She wants to be sure to do all the right things, so that Santa will bring her presents. Oh Katherine, that moment of sweet innocence almost makes up for the screaming, yelling and spitting that won you a time out before 9am today. Almost.

Yup, skipped the Halloween post. For now, let's talk about Maggie's birthday.

Somehow, this sweet little baby....

Turned into this crazy 7 year old!

And so we celebrated. She woke up to find presents and balloons in the family rom. She was more excited about having a bike with a KICKSTAND than the bike itself, but whatever! We enjoyed chocolate chip pancakes, with a candle and singing, of course! And, because it was my day to volunteer at school, I was able to enjoy walking into school with her, friends calling out "Hi Maggie" and Maggie replying "Hi___ It's my Birthday!" Not only was it her birthday, but she had completed another 100 books in her reading journal, so it was her day to wear slippers and sit on the class couch. She wore a grin on her face all day long!

In the afternoon, Katherine helped with the cake. She carefully sprinkled all of the sprinkles onto the frosting, and worried that we didn't have enough. She wanted to write a novel on top of the cake, we agreed upon simply, MAGGIE. She objected to my single #7 candle and created an elaborate display with candles and princess figures. And while there was some jealousy surrounding the birthday overall, she also took great joy in writing Maggie's card and making sure Maggie's day was as special as it could be.

After dinner at Olive Garden, we came home for cake, but quickly adjusted those plans after Abby took a tumble off the bathroom stool and needed some minor nursing attention. The big girls took showers while Abby ate some ice. But then we sang, and blew out candles, and ate just the frosting off the top of the cake.

And when it was all done, and cleaned up, we found the girls like this......
...the perfect end to a perfect day....... 3 sisters being silly together.

And the birthday fun continues.....family gathering tomorrow, and a friend birthday party next week!