Yes. We’ve been gone for a while. Mostly because we’ve entered the season of holidays colored in oranges and browns, birthdays and more! So, here’s some catching up on what we’ve been up to for the last month…

Josie wins a stare-down contest with a pumpkin almost her size…

…and then runs for cover. Note that she is running. AWAY. Did I mention she’s COMPLETELY INDEPENDENTLY MOBILE now? Oh, and she’s starting to climb, too. But that’s a blog entry for another day.

Pumpkins got carved. “Bozo the Clown” kindof turned into “Krusty the Clown”, which is probably more fitting for Halloween anyway.

Our Day of the Dead pumpkin this year took a cinematic turn. Pulp Fiction is very Halloween, too! Vincent and Jules look, uh, more cheerful as skeletons, don’t you think?

Oh, and then we burned Aurora at the stake (or tried to, anyway). Sophie’s 6th birthday (GASP! Six already?) also squeezed right into our Halloween weekend.

These ladies just keep getting cuter. After 5 years together they haven’t killed each other yet! Quite to the contrary, in fact. And so they enter the “twins for 3 weeks” time of year.

Then onto the candy-begging! While Josie basked in the glow of light sticks in the comfort of her wagon…

…the bigger bugs buzzed their way around the neighborhood. They took in a good stash to get them through the rest of the year.

Phew! A short break after all of that to just relax and play (and nurture some early artistic talent). But before you know it…

WHAM! Double birthday party for the girls! We had it at a cooking school for kids, where the partygoers made cupcakes, icing, and pizza from scratch. Only the kids were allowed in the kitchen so I don’t have too many good pictures. But there was lots of chewing, smiles, and only one egg on the floor - so it was deemed a success! One more week until Maddie’s actual birthday…and then Thanksgiving…and then Christmas…I’m already exhausted just thinking about it.