Skating on the Square

 The girls had their first ice skating experience just after Thanksgiving.  While Brandon and I managed to keep upright, I can't say that we were much help.  We've only been ice skating a few times ourselves.  Keeping the girls from falling into the crowd was exhausting!  Lauren's long legs were everywhere, and Sami liked to wipe out for the fun of it.  Bran and I were both feeling some aches and pains the next day.  Nevertheless, it was a fun and memorable experience.

Taking a break against the wall.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Perfectly balanced for the moment.

We weren't quite as comfortable on the ice!

Ouch!

Her exact words were, "Mom, I feel just like the other kids!"  (Meaning, I can actually stay on my feet by myself!)

Boo!

Halloween was such a blast this year.  Both girls were really into it, and at 3, Sami definitely knew what to do.  We headed to our friends' house, the Becks, where the girls trick-or-treated with a crew of kids ranging in age from 3 months to 6 years old.   

Isn't Lauren scary?  Those vampire teeth were quite a production.  A week before Halloween, we had to fit them to her real teeth.  Each one was filled with an adhesive mold.  Then she had to lay on the couch with her mouth open and head back for 30 minutes straight!  One of the teeth hardened a little more than we expected, and we both panicked a little.  A lot of her teeth are loose, and I thought she just might lose one when we tried to pop the vampire cap off!  

 I have no idea where she got the idea to be a vampire, but I'm so glad she did!  We had a blast with it.

 

And then there's our little Rapunzel.  She wanted nothing to do with a wig, but pink cowgirl boots were a must.  By the way, she has officially outgrown the red ones.  (Sniff, sniff.)

 I love this photo of the unsuspecting Sami.  Everytime Lauren posed for a picture, she was going for some one's neck!

 Our vampire and princess.

This was one of many attempts at photographing the whole gang.  It was impossible!  There was a two year old with the group, but he wandered right out of the shot.  Pictured is Kenzie the pirate, Kiley the little mermaid, and Matthew the dragon (who has an adorable face that we can't even see!)

Happy Halloween from the Gallites!