Halloween Preview

Today was just for practice, for school. Tomorrow we will all costume up and hit the streets (60% chance of rain) for some candy. Here's a little preview...

Our Black Eyed Pea:

Our Little Mermaid:

Our Vampire Ghost:

Our Tinkerbell:

And, last but not least by any stretch of the imagination, our Spiderman:

It's a Love Hate Thing

Cupcake cannot stay away from Princess Eee. Cupcake cannot be gentle with Princess Eee. Some kids bite, some kids hit, some kids kick, some kids shove. Cupcake PINCHES. Hard. It is so much more subtle than any of the other nasty, aggressive options she could have chosen. It might look like she is gently touching Princess Eee's arm or caressing Princess Eee's cheek. Maybe for one second she is, but the intent to hurt her big sister overwhelms her within the next second and her little nails dig in and her grip is intense. Princess Eee does not fight back; she just shrieks and then whimpers. It might help Cupcake to realize that she cannot keep this up if Princess Eee would either pinch her back or just haul off and whollop Cupcake. Although I'm pretty sure Cupcake would not shriek or whimper in return. She'd just pinch even harder. And all Cupcake wants to do is be near Ali and vice versa. Every time I separated them today, Cupcake would yell her big sister's name over and over. (Yes, she can actually say it now!) I guess it's a love/hate thing for Cupcake.

We are all gearing up for Halloween. Costumes are being arranged and fitted. For now though here are a few more pics that I had yet to post from our hike the weekend before last...

Papi Moco Loco urging Princess Eee onward.

You can't really see Princess Eee, but she is there right in front of J. Seven little ducks went out to play.

One Month Home

At a party Saturday eve:

On a hike Sunday afternoon. Princess Eee's first hike. She has a ways to go to get in shape for living in these mountains with this family. And, yep, that's Cupcake throwing a fit in her PJ's & refusing to wear her jacket.

At the same Saturday eve party (mucho progress has been made recently in bonding with Papi Moco Loco):

Hula-Hooping Sisters at same party:

It has officially been one month since Princess Eee first stepped into our home. Things that I never would have thought we'd have worked through by now have settled in. If you had told me a few weeks ago that she'd sleep in her bed by herself and tell me proudly every morning that she slept well with The Spark ("with" meaning in the same room, The Spark still won't share her bed), I never would have believed she'd be doing it by now. If you had told me a few weeks ago that she could skip a bath every few days and not have a complete meltdown about it, I never would have believed you. If you had told me a few weeks ago that she could gracefully accept the fact that one yogurt + one yogurt squeeze + one yogurt Smoothie per day was sufficient, I never would have believed it.

However, if you had told me that Princess Eee would still not really use any English other than "Hi, Bye, Thank you, and watch out," I also would have been surprised. It'll start soon though everyone tells me.

Both Cupcake and Princess Eee had their first swimming lesson today. Even though Cupcake can pretty much jump in and swim around, she was the non-compliant one of the duo and therefore appears to have further to go in the learning process. I think they both had fun though.