Harvest Carnival Surprise

Who is 7 today?  This girl!

October kicked off fall - my favorite season in Seattle.  The weather cools, the leaves turn brilliant shades of yellow and red, the rain has yet to fully kick in, Lily has a birthday, we have our anniversary and it wraps up with Halloween, one of my favorite holidays.  This year was madness as well with the Xbox One launch looming, but we still managed to have some adventures.

For Lily this meant fulfilling a long-standing wish and spending her pre-birthday weekend at Great Wolf Lodge with Mirabel and Minty.  To say she loved it would be an extreme understatement - at least 4 times during the weekend she dreamily declared "I love it here!" - and what's not to love when you get to share a high bunk bed with a pal, spend an afternoon in a waterpark, get a manicure, eat junk food, make a stuffy, hit the arcade, attend a "dance party", watch a movie, then wake up the next day and get a glitter tattoo and go on a Magic Quest?!  It was the most jam-packed 20 hours we could possibly imagine and we both returned home thoroughly wiped out.  The next day, Monday, was her actual birthday, which meant cupcakes at school followed by cake and presents at home with the grandparents and neighbors.  She was well celebrated - at school all the kids raised their hands and had the opportunity to say what they appreciate about her (so sweet!) - Kyra said she "always uses positive words" which melted my heart, while Greysen declared he likes her style, to which Malaika responded "and he thinks she's cute, too!"  While I wish the kids had commented on ALL the things that make her amazing, I guess I can live with the rest commenting on her snazzy ensembles.  First graders aren't known for deep insights after all....but for the record I appreciate that she is clever, funny, a dynamo athlete, empathetic and loving.

Why yes, that is a Halloween gingerbread house

Matteo had a big month as well transitioning to SF with Lily. I was incredibly nervous after Lily's past transition issues and given that he was content at his old program.  Was I doing the right thing?  Would he melt into a puddle?  Be permanently damaged?  Um....no.  After going there to pick up and drop off Lily his whole life, he was already excited about the school and after a few long visits to get him acclimated, he handled his first full day like a pro and hasn't looked back since.  I think the bigger rooms, huge windows and tons of outdoor time in a large space was just what he needed.  He's no longer biting anyone, he handles drop off without tears or fuss, has quickly bonded with the teachers and hasn't missed a beat.  While I do miss the Spanish and regret that aspect, I can otherwise say this was the best possible move for us all.  Life is simpler with them together and I love that Lily visits him in his room almost daily - there's no better fringe benefit that a little extra sibling bonding.



My favorite picture from our wedding


The middle of the month brought a dual milestone both happy and sad.  On October 18th Chris and I hit 10 years and Hub and Wif.  An increasingly rare accomplishment and one we are pretty proud of...but unfortunately on the same day we lost his Grandma Kate - the wonderful, sweet woman we named our daughter for (Lily's middle name is Kathryn) and one of the biggest influences in Chris' life.  To say she will be missed is an understatement.  For as long as I knew her she was tirelessly optimistic, always loving and our biggest cheerleader.  She was full of spunk, good humor and joy and I learned a great deal from her on aging with grace and embracing the good in every day. 

Halloween.  It wouldn't be complete with a trip to the Harvest Carnival.  This is noteworthy for one big reason: that aforementioned bonding.  Lily surprised the heck out of me when she won a prize in bowling...and chose a small plastic tractor for Matteo.  Seriously.  For no reason other than to make her brother happy.  So overwhelmed with love and pride could hardly stand it.

Halloween night was great as usual.  Lily picked our costumes, Matteo had no interest in any of it so wore his skeleton sweat suit on the sofa, and everyone had a good time.  Can't ask for more than that, can you?


Vampire Fairy

Duff Man and Girl

Lil Skeleton

And the quotes:

Lily: goodnight!
Matty (5-year-old neighbor): Love you!  Miss you!
Me: Matty, you are the sweetest!
Matty: I know!

Me: Daddy and I love stinky cheese
Lily: I don't like stinky cheese - it wastes my time of eating cheese!

Matteo: Mama! Mama! (I go to hug him)
Matteo: Dada!  Dada!  (Chris takes him)
Matteo: Mama! Mama!
Me: Do you need a group hug?
Matteo: Yeah! (group hug, instantly content boy)