Our haul was all that and a bag of chips!

Happy Halloween from a cat and a bumblefly (bumblebee+ butterfly)!

A quiet afternoon of painting outside. Pictures are beautiful, but the sisters happily getting along is even more so!

Bring your shillings-tomorrow's the bake sale!

More leaf fun!

Jumping in the leaves with a friend!

Picking pumpkins! Fundraiser for Uhuru Child (Uchild.com)

Breakfast of "hot fider, bixits, and acripot jam"...little sister is talking a lot and cracking us up at the same time!

Visiting the elephant orphanage on daddy's day off!

Mommy seeing the doctor to see why she is sick. Notice Claire's stethoscope. Diagnosis? "You're sick because the baby is making germs because it's going crazy in your body."

Claire got an outstanding preschool report card and Daddy surprised us with donuts! Pretty great day!

Dancing at Dinner

After dinner tonight, Ainsley was dancing to the music...

...and Claire joined in!

"We're ibises, and we're eating bugs!"

A secret treasure find on our nature walk!

Sunday traffic jams in the country can be pretty bad!

Day trip into the mountains to Brackenhurst resort/conference center. Beautiful and peaceful.

Cookies

The girls and I made cookies today. Kirk is away for the night with the high school retreat and we spent some much-needed "girl time" together. I put away my to-do list and my tiredness and we just had fun. It was absolutely wonderful.

I should've taken pictures. The girls were adorable (naturally!). But I couldn't pull myself out of each moment to grab the camera with my sticky, flour and sprinkle and icing covered hands. And I'm glad. I'm sorry I can't share the exact way that Claire was so studiously choosing each shape and then rolling her piece of dough (and then sneaking the edges into her mouth), or the blue-red hue that Ainsley's lips and chin turned as she hunted down each tiny sprinkle that would end up dissolving all over her face. It was a moment of bliss for me.

Now it's 2am and I can't sleep so I'll try to paint the picture for you. How much I love these two. How incredible they are as little people. How grateful I am to be their Mommy.

They worked and worked and we covered our table with all kinds of mess and it was glorious. Ainsley focused on "modifying" the cut-outs we put on the sheet, or adding her own special blob shapes to the pan as quickly as she could. Claire kept us entertained with story after story about each cookie that was to come. I love her confidence and lack of pretense when she looks over a tray and says, very satisfied, "I'm creative." Yes you are, sweetpea.

We made (and ate) lots of cookies. Then, as we were finishing, my girls started making a list of who we would share them with. They took a plate out to friends on the trampoline, and got to share a treat together before the rain brought us all inside. We made plates and deliveries all afternoon in that rain. Some as thank-yous for kindnesses we've received. There was a only one bear cookie that was only for Caroline, their "special jumping friend." Each time we returned to our house, they both listed more people they wanted to share with. Their generosity never stops amazing me.

"Cookies make people smile, Mommy." Yes they do, girls. And so do you.

Making pizzas with mommy!