It is time to return these lovely little ladies to their mom and I have mixed emotions about it. On one hand, we are exhausted. Yep -- at 55 it is not as easy to go this strong all the time. On the other hand though, I have absolutely loved having them and our home will feel very empty and quiet without their sounds and activity. So you can see that I am conflicted.Fortunately, our flights look good and we soon called to receive our boarding passes and we are off. Within moments, Malea is asleep and Elena quietly coloring along. She is such a good traveler.
We have a bit of a layover in Denver so we set up shop along a window where the girls can watch the planes and still have room to play. Malea would like to play chase the whole distance of the terminal, but as I said above -- we are pretty tuckered out (Can't you tell just by looking at Mister?) so she must stay with us as well. We build a barricade with the stroller so that Elena can play on one side without a little sister driving her nuts. The second flight goes well also and we meet one happy mommy at the airport. Once we settle in at Rhiana's house and have had a nice visit, we borrow her car and are off to spend some time with Matt's family. We figure Rhiana and her girls would love some time alone together after being apart for so long.
Rebecca's parents are visiting from Brazil and we are fortunate to visit with them while enjoying our time with Hyrum and Zyra.Zyra is so excited for Grandpa to be there and she is like his shadow for the evening. I love watching it and it makes Becca's parents laugh as well. She just has so much to tell Grandpa.
From the moment we arrive, Hyrum let's us know that it is almost his birthday and he really seems excited about it. We also notice that he is becoming more social -- look out world, we may have another Matt in the works. Speaking of Matt, catching him with Zyra is tradition now, so here is my picture showing their wonderful relationship. Hyrum has gotten a few new Marion toys and is anxious to explain them to us and show how he put them together. He truly is full of sparkle tonight and the excitement is contagious.
Not the best pic -- but full of love. Time for us to head back to Rhiana's for some much needed sleep. We are babysitting tomorrow as Rhiana still has a few days left to work before moving to Wyoming.
There is snow in Billings and Grandpa gets to do his annual shoveling. He's excited! In reality all he does is clear the steps up to the house so we don't fall on our backsides. Of course, handprints in the snow on the back deck are pretty cute too --- Malea, Elena, and Grandpa. Such fun!
We spend the morning just letting the girls play around the house. Rhiana comes home for lunch and we start trying on the Halloween costumes that she has been working on while the girls were in Texas. Elena requested a "purple Power Ranger" costume and mom certainly comes through.Are you ready? Look out -- the world's next superheroine has arrived.
In contrast --- Malea will be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. She is fascinated with the shoes and her basket for Toto. This is a costume that Elena has used before and Malea looks absolutely adorable in it. She is just not too sure if she wants the dog kept in the basket or not. She has too keep peeking to see if it is there.
Rhiana heads back to work and it is time for Miss Malea's nap.Part of Elena's costume still needs some work so she and Grandpa get busy on it. They start with the sword. It needs to be in a gold sheath and handle so they head down to the basement armed with spray paint --- yep it's a bit too cold out for this project. They also have to change the mask from pink to purple and that takes a bit more time and patience, but between the two of them -- it gets done and looks absolutely fantastic when they are finished.
By the time all the paint has dried, Malea is awake again and having a grand time with Elena's boots and arrows. She literally sits there for almost an hour simply putting the arrows into the boots and taking them back out again. Easy to entertain. I think she still looks sleepy though.
Check out this mask. Did she do a good job or what? Now to remove the tape from the sword and see how that looks as well. Awesome! This project turns out beautiful as well. She and Grandpa have had a successful day and a good time together as well. I think she is ready for tomorrow night. Hopefully it will be good weather and she will not have to bundle too much -- let the costume shine!
Once Rhiana is back from work, we take the kids over to the mall to play for awhile and get some energy out. I keep pushing the wrong button on the camera and walk away without any shots of Elena, but she kept climbing up high and jumping off the bridges and towers in the play area. Malea finds a slide -- surprise, surprise -- and spends most of her time there. It is definitely time for some dinner and we head to Red Robin but the wait is too long for the girls so we zip downtown and settle in at the Montana Brewing Company. Give the girls food and the whole world looks brighter.
It has been a fun day, but time for bed. Tomorrow we will watch girls again and then get ready for Halloween. I am looking forward to it, but am beat tonight. See ya tomorrow.
Good morning -- even though it is pretty cold out this morning, we want to get out and about a bit. We have Rhiana's car so decide to go downtown and check out some antique shops. The even come complete with cookies. Grandpa and Elena find Guido's Pizza also and the heat coming from the window pulls us in. We pop in and check out the ovens -- looks like a great place and one we will have to remember to try out.
We get them all carved and it is time to get the girls dressed and pictures taken. We are going to go over to Matt's and spend the evening there, allowing other grandparents to share with Elena and Malea tonight.
By the time we leave, the girls are ready to go, pumpkins carved, placed outside, and lit. The house is ready for the candy collectors to start ringing the doorbell. The girls are ready to trick or treat as well and it is time for us to get to the other house. What a fun night!
On our way over to Matt's we stop in at Carter's Brewing for a quick drink and are greeted by the most unique superhero costume ever. This is all made from Weyermann malt sacks - direct from Germany. Very creative.
Onto Matt's and round two of Halloween fun. We are met at the door by Hyrum who proudly announces that he is "6". Yes, today is his birthday and we instantly start singing to him. To have your birthday on Halloween is so fun - but the party is tomorrow so he must wait a day for all the festivities. Lilian and Marco (Rebecca's parents) are dressed up as well and having such a good time as the doorbell starts to ring.
Hyrum and Zyra are already dressed and look ever so cute. Hyrum is Luigi (how cool is that for a Mario fan?) and Zyra is a princess riding a unicorn.
They watch out the door as trick or treaters come to the door. Soon it will be their turn as the sun is going down quick.
Yep, it is time to go. Mister goes along trick or treating while I stay behind and help Lilian work on the decorations for tomorrow's party. It is a great time to visit and reacquaint ourselves after almost 10 years. Where has the time gone? Where has this day gone? Mister snaps this beautiful picture of the sunset as they are starting out.
Some shots along the way --
Meanwhile, back at the house, Marco is having a great time handing out the candy.
The kids return to the house and it is time for the dividing of the spoils and let the trading begin. I bet you anything daddy is involved in this. What do you think?
Yep!
Once the candy is put away, there is a little time for quiet play on my phone with Grandpa
and with each other! This is the best -- they shared an old costume and sat and played together for almost an hour. Perfect.
Well, we need to get back to Rhiana's for some much needed sleep as tomorrow is another day with the girls. Rhiana is technically done with her job but will be helping out one more day to finish up some month end work.
Today is a quiet day - we just hang around the house with the girls and play. Rhiana goes in late and comes home fairly early. Elena and I go through her clothes to see what still fits in preparation for packing up and moving. The girls are going to Wyoming tonight so we help to get them ready for that as well.
I peek around the corner and Elena is scurrying around on the floor quietly picking up something. Upon a closer look, she is gathering potpourri that she spilled and didn't want anyone to know. Very cute. I have a hard time saying good-bye to the girls as they climb into the car for their drive. We have been with them for almost a month now -- I feel as though a piece of me is already missing.
Mister and I crash pretty early in a very quiet house. Too quiet.
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