My Little Mermaids

Our girls went to a really fun costume Harvest party last night. Emma Grace was, as she wished, a mermaid princess. Kaia was going to be a bee in this great little fuzzy costume from her Auntie, but it was too big...so I made her a tiny mermaid costume to match Emma's. Emma had lots of fun decorating cupcakes and "fishing" for prizes and playing with her friends. Kaia enjoyed being a baby--she met a fellow thumb-sucker of the same age!

It's hard to tell where Kaia ends and Em begins!

Meeeeee---Nooooo-----Meeeee----Noooooo

Since before Emma could talk, she said "Meeeeee----Nooooo" when she heard a siren. She first started doing it when we were visiting Kirstie and Scott when she was about 9 months old. We all were wondering what she could possibly be saying. ("Reno"? "Me? No."?) It took a couple of months, and we finally realized she heard a siren when she said that. Anyway, at 3 1/2 with a big vocabulary, that is still what she says when she hears any kind of siren.

Yesterday was Open House at the fire station. We stopped by to check it out, and after about an hour's wait in line, we went for a ride on a fire truck! Emma (and Lewis) were SO excited. I kind of thought I was going to die. We were inside the truck, but they drove around the race track across from the fire house (it's a stock car racing track), and that is quite an angle to go around in a big giant fire truck! Oh, excuse me, fire ENGINE. I was corrected by Lewis several times (apparantly a truck carries water, a fire engine has the big extendable ladder). I thought they were all trucks. Then, while Lewis and I were having this informative discussion, a fireman came up and proved Lewis right. I got schooled. I don't know if Lewis liked that better, or the ride.

Lewis, Emma, Kaia and I all rode in the back "seat" of the engine, and Emma said "The fire engine isn't meeeeennnnooo-meeeennnnooo-ing. When do you think it will? On the race track?" For some reason, with all the words she knows, "siren" has not replaced "Meeeee---Noooooo". It's sweet, though, and I like holding on to that little vestige of toddlerhood.

Happy Autumn!

Autumn is here, and the girls are celebrating! Emma's new favorite thing is pointing out pumpkins that she sees as we're driving ("That house has a pumpkin. THAT HOUSE HAS A PUMPKIN TOO!!! That house has THREE PUMPKINS!") The porch, and Emma's room, are decorated with pumpkins and gourds. I love that each season has such magic when you are little!

Our little flower girl

Our friends, Chris and Becca, had a beautiful wedding yesterday. They are a wonderful couple and we were so honored that Emma was their flower girl! She loved it, she dutifully dropped her petals all the way up the aisle and stood with Lewis (he was the best man) during the ceremony. Later, when I asked her favorite part of the wedding, she said "DINNER!". She didn't want to go home. She loved the string quartet before and during the ceremony, she was dancing like a little ballerina all over the grass.

Kaia had a great time, too--all of the grandparents were there, and Kaia fell asleep on my mom's shoulder and slept through the entire ceremony.

Emma can't wait for her Auntie Kirstie and Auntie Scott's wedding. She says she hopes it is "exactly" like this one.