Belated Halloween

Things have been crazy around here (Halloween! marathon! Natalie out of town! photo shoots galore!) so I'm only just now posting our Halloween photos... but they were so fun I couldn't not, even as late as I am.
Feast your eyes on the witchiest witch and the kittiest kitty you ever did see. We had a wonderful time trick-or-treating with the Galligans in their neighborhood, and we still have candy coming out of our ears.

Leafy Leaves

The leaves in the back yard were getting really out of control, so we took the day before Halloween to do some serious yard cleaning. In the process, Casey discovered that our pecan tree does, in fact, grow pecans (it hadn't been proved until this year) and so he and Georgia gathered them all up and then Georgia and Adele spent some time dumping them out and then putting them all back in the flowerpot.







They then spent some quality time jumping the piles of leaves that Casey piled up in the yard. A good time was had by all.

Got Her Hair Did

Adele's mullet was getting a little too "party in the back" so mama gave her a similar version of Georgia's cut. I can't decide whether it makes her look more grown up or more like a baby... her cheeks look chubbier and I love it!

The Ladies Get Clean

Our Morning Looks Like This

Milwaukee, Part 2

The rest of our Milwaukee trip, in Polaroids!

We ate cheese curds. They were AWESOME, and I'm sorry that I didn't bring you some. I hope you'll still be my friend.



We went to the zoo with Nona and Papa and watched a tiger getting prepped for surgery. Casey and I wanted to watch but the girls got bored.



The flamingos were a hit.



Casey ate beef jerky in the car. I did not partake.



We got to ride the train at the zoo.



And the girls rode the carousel.





We got to visit with cousins and aunts and uncles, and Bryan and Alicia (who are getting married in June in Green Bay... we're excited to go up for their wedding! Georgia especially, as she refers to Alicia as "the bride"):



G enjoyed corn:



And Uncle Dan entertained Adele:



We had a fabulous trip! Back to real life now, though the girls needed some time to recover.

Last First Day

The title of the post is melodramatic, of course; it's not really G's last first day of school. But it IS her last first day of preschool... she'll be in kindergarten next year. KINDERGARTEN.
Excuse me? Did I give her permission to get all big and start, you know, going to big kid school and stuff? NO. No, I did not. Sob.

Busy Bodies

Did I mention that I turned thirty two? And did I mention that on that memorable day, Adele climbed out of her crib and broke her leg?



It was a banner day.
She broke both bones in her lower right leg (tibia and fibula, for those of you who like to know such things) and luckily she's healing really well. We go back in two weeks for more x-rays and then she'll graduate to a below-the-knee cast so she can practice putting weight on it again. Right now she's in an ankle-to-hip cast which is bent at the knee so that she can't walk on it. And, to put it mildly, she REALLY doesn't like that.



(Georgia made the executive decision that Adele's cast should be purple. We didn't argue.)
We were already scheduled to leave for Milwaukee on Monday (the 9th) and Adele's doctor said it was ok, since being in the car for twenty something hours would be a good way to keep her still.
It was a long 23 hours, let me tell you. But the girls really were great. The car looked like this:



The ace bandage running across the backseat was a makeshift sling that Casey rigged so we could elevate the baby's foot to keep the swelling down.
Off we headed, stopping in Iowa along the way. Would you like to see some corn? Because Iowa has some. A LOT, actually.



It also has bridges. Of Madison County! Really, this is a covered bridge in Madison County, Iowa, the birthplace of John Wayne.



We stopped at the University of Iowa, where Casey went to school before transferring to UT.



We stopped and saw the Field of Dreams, which was really fun. But we didn't play baseball, which I'm actually a little sad about.



Then we made it to Milwaukee, where we were finally able to introduce Adele to all of her relatives. Part II of the trip in photos coming soon!

A Little Bit Different

As many of you know, I ran the New York City Marathon in 2007. (Because I am crazy.) I'm definitely not a "runner" in the sense that Casey is... he goes out for a run to relax. When I want to relax I grab a book and sit still.
However, I decided that I want to run it again, and I applied to run with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Some of you also know that Casey's wonderful grandfather passed away last year after a long battle with Parkinson's, and I'm honored to be able to run in his memory.

I'm turning thirty two next Friday (thirty two!!) and I would be honored if any of you lovely readers here would consider making a donation to Team Fox for my run. My page is here, and I would be so grateful for any and all donations to this wonderful cause.

My motivation for this run is that I GET to do this, not that I HAVE to do this... because I don't have Parkinson's, I GET to run this marathon. I GET to wake up and be healthy and play with my children and hug my husband and spend my days enjoying my family and friends.

To those of you who have already donated, thank you so, so much!I appreciate it more than you know.

Nature Center

Since Georgia is out of school for the summer, our days are pretty evenly divided into a morning activity and an afternoon activity, with Adele's naptime as the break between the two. Georgia doesn't nap any more, so we get some quality time together while Adele sleeps, but when they're both up and about we try to get out and see a little of Austin when we can. This morning we headed over to the Nature Center at Zilker Park, and it was a huge hit with both girls.

You may now start calling Georgia "Scarlett." (It's the hat, I think.)



Adele enjoyed the stairs. And the trees.





They ran everywhere,



dug for dinosaur bones,



and looked at the animals.



(The mallards in the exhibit are named Snack, Mac and Cheese. Georgia, of course, thought this was hilarious and wanted to rename our pets immediately.)

They had such a blast... and so did I. We need to do more stuff like this and enjoy Austin.

Everyone Needs a Laugh

Silence Unsilenced

We're still alive, I swear! Unplanned radio silence here... we headed to South Carolina for our annual Pawleys Island trip and there is no internet. Which, truth be told, is FANTASTIC. I couldn't even get a signal on my phone, so there was no checking of email, receiving of texts, or playing of Words with Friends (I am altogether addicted to that game). We had a wonderful, relaxing time, and I took about four or five hundred pictures... no exaggeration. Want to see?

The driveway that leads to the house... Georgia thought it was magical.



The girls loved the beach, especially at low tide when they could play in the tide pools.



Beach view from the boardwalk, early morning.



From this shot, you would think she didn't like the sand. This is actually not true.



Many castles were built.



Waves were jumped.



Books were read.





(ahem. and noses were picked, apparently.)

Corn was enjoyed.





Family was also enjoyed.




And wow. Do I love these girls.






{And, just to prove that I was on this vacation and not just behind the camera, a photo taken by Casey. Thanks, sweetie.}