Cuter than a Bug's Ear

Here is a preview of L & M's Halloween costumes. They wore them for the first time yesterday at their first Halloween party! My favorite part was seeing their reactions to the costumes. They kept pulling on each others' wings and twirling. All of which convinced me that of course our girls are grown up enough to go trick-or-treating! So watch for us on your doorstep Tuesday night because these girls take Halloween very seriously.


Londie appropriately chose to dress as the queen bee.


Maddie-bug is our little lady bug.




L & M loved looking at themselves in the big mirror. We wondered if they knew who they were looking at-- themselves or their sister!


The kids had an activity putting their hands in yucky stuff! (jello, slimy pasta, etc.) London showed off her bravery by hogging the whole bowl of ice AND eating it!


As you can see, none of the other kids got to experience the feel of ice cubes.


Maddie took a turn with the pasta, which apparently was too slimy. However, I don't think she ate any of it.


Next was pasting decorations on Halloween bags. I guess it's true what they say about kids always wanting to eat paste. (Cap on!)


Caught one! Mom dressed up as a bug catcher with a big net...


While Dad was obviously a garden. And yes, he attracted many little bugs. Stay tuned for part 2: the bugs take on Halloween night!

Barlowing in Austin

When Ryan's brother James called to tell us he had tickets to the upcoming film festival in Austin, TX, everybody knew drastic measures had to be taken. Our first plan was to hop on a cheap flight in time for the festival, but following were several failed attempts to find cheap tickets. Somehow, somehow, Ryan and I came to the conclusion that it was best to make the 24-hour drive, not in a couple of days or so, but yes, in 24 hours. Unluckily for Ryan, I am not authorized to drive his car,
as it is a company car! But lucky for both of us, Ryan has the uncanny ability to stay awake for extended periods of time. We arrived in Austin exhausted, but just in time for -the big event- and enjoyed every moment of Barlowing ever after in Austin. A special thanks to our hosts and tour guides, the Austin Barlows, and also to the team of grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and doggies that took care of our little girls while we were gone.

A few highlights...



Apparently, Texas is not only famous for its Texas pride (which we witnessed in full force), but also these Sno-Cones. Many a friend told us we could not possibly experience Texas in full until we had one. Here I am, having my first taste of Pina Colada. Yum! Other things we were introduced to: Texas-specific rootbeer and BBQ, things you haven't had until you've had in Texas!




James and Lonna took us on an outing to see Texas sights, including Barton Springs, the botanical gardens, a little bit of Zilker park, the University of Texas campus (where you can buy all sorts of rediculous U.T. paraphanalia-we settled for a mug and a keychain), and then ate dinner at this place called the Hula Hut. We were out on the deck and had a lovely view of Lake Austin.


This is our niece Gwen. She was gracious enough to let me pretend she was mine for a few days while I was away from my girls. Isn't she darling in her little hoodie? Gwen also accompanied Lonna and and me on a little outing while the boys were at their film festival. Yes, Ryan held up to his end up the "bribe" and let me go shopping! So naturally, we hit the outlets, and enjoyed a very scenic tour of Austin on the way there (We would like to thank several roadside stands for directions!) Never a dull moment for us Barlow gals!

Another highlight of the trip was a visit to the Romriel's home in Dripping Springs to see Ryan's aunt and uncle. There we got caught up with cousins, met our new niece once removed (?) Simone, and enjoyed a birthday celebration for Uncle Alan.



Ryan decided (with some convincing, thanks a lot, James!) to be authentic and buy a real geniune cowboy hat (from Target). Isn't he handsome? When I asked him where he was going to wear it, the only place he could think of was to mow the lawn. Hmmmmmm...




Here we are on the drive home in the middle of the night in a place called Vaughn. Vaughn is in New Mexico and just past the infamous Roswell. We didn't have any alien encounters in Roswell, but Ryan did see a hyena, then again it was the middle of the night running on no sleep. Anyway, if you are ever driving through this town there is a lovely little diner (the only diner) we would definitely recommend. We especially loved the steak sandwich.

That about wraps up our side of the trip. For more, visit Austin Barlows or just come ask us. Overall, we loved getting to know Austin better and even more loved seeing family. Many of them tried to convince us to move there, as some of you know, might possibly be an option for our family. We are also still waiting for London and Madelyn's pictures (a hint to any of you that took some) as apparently, L & M had many adventures of their own on their little vacation. Hopefully, we can post those soon, too.

Love Sac Babies

With our basement under construction, we had to bring the love sac upstairs. In the day and a half it has been upstairs, it has already been used for a fort, a trampoline, a mountain (for climbing!) and a little couch for Sesame Street. All of which works out pretty well--except when L & M try to move, in which case I have to rescue them out of one big tangle of limbs.



Maddie has gotten used to surprise hugs from big sister.


Learning to close your eyes at the right moment is a skill our whole family has put to good use.



I wonder what Maddie's hand tastes like...


Oh yeah, just like mine. How disappointing.


And London is back to her own favorite fingers, while Maddie can't help but play with Londie's hair.


And back to our Love Sac duo. Hopefully this will hold you over for a few days while Ryan and I go to Texas. (Seeing as most of our blog fans are IN Texas and L & M are going to both grandma's houses, we don't think anyone will notice we're gone.)

Hide and Wrestle

Whenever you hear both girls hysterically laughing, you know there is only one place they can be: under the bed! Just follow the belly laughs and you will eventually find them, usually (like this day) wrestling!






L & M have figured out how to combine their two favorite games: hide and seek and wrestle mania!

Inside the Box

On this particular day I opened a box of diapers, and look what I found! This box can keep the girls occupied for hours, which is puzzling when they have a room full of toys. Just like any other toy, London and Madelyn want it all to themselves, which can be a little tricky.






Every time I looked over at Maddie, she was giggling. I think it's because she finally had the whole box to herself.

Back to Back

Not only is a twin sister a built in best friend, but also a built in chair! These days, the girls love to lean on each other for support, especially while they are reading. It's funny because if I am sitting on the ground, sooner or later I'll feel a little back leaning on me. And I know it's somebody's way of inviting me to join them.






This happy bunch was achieved only by my jumping out from behind the door to surprise them.


They pose for a minute...


And back to business.

Hello?!

Whenever London hears someone say "hello?" she puts whatever she is holding up to her ear. If she isn't holding anything she'll make do with one hand. It is the cutest thing ever, and I finally caught her at just the right moment!

A Friendly Competition

Sunday we went to see our Grandma and Grandpa Davis, and enjoyed a friendly game of croquet. L & M added their own twist to croquet, on top of the golf swing Aunt Jocelyn already added. (Note: this gets the ball lodged in places you can't always easily retrieve.)



Maddie had the mallets covered...


Who would have known London has football aspirations?







Good thing she was on mom's team! These girls are naturals.

Daddy's Girls

Last Saturday when I was sick, Ryan took over the morning routine. And boy, what a morning our girls had with dad! Here is just some of the havoc L & M wreaked, all under dad's supervision. The funny thing is, I didn't know any of this was going on until I looked through the camera!


Watched Saturday morning cartoons



Saturday morning cartoons have changed since my day.



Dad even built us our own little couch



Helped organize the drawers


We think mom will like this way better