Cruella

The Halloween season kicked off with a carnival at London's Elementary school. When I went to school there, the carnival had cute little games run by PTA moms and a cake walk on the kindergarten playground. Now, the school has a legitimate fall carnival, with food trucks, real carnival rides and bouncy houses fifty feet high run by carnies. The girls were too scared to go on all of them except one. And the twins? They squirmed with all their might to escape our arms and run across the blacktop into the abyss of moms and dads and grandparents and very small children. 

Lets talk costumes.

London decided over a year ago that she was going to be a cheerleader. One stop shopping at the BYU bookstore, a high ponytail, glitter and mascara-- and London can't stop looking at herself in the mirror. Bam.

The twins were a little trickier. I knew I wanted them to be Tinker Bell and Peter Pan because Juliette's little hair has grown into the cutest little blonde bob, and I wanted to take full advantage! But a Peter Pan costume for a little boy? They don't exist. Google it. I think that's why the universe invented Etsy. I found his cutest little costume, hat included, for $30, in South America. It was destiny. 

Oh, Elle. My child who thinks outside the box. You know what she wanted to be? A scary dragon. Do you know how many scary dragon costumes there are for sale in the girl variety? Zero. Luckily, a good friend of ours let us borrow one! Did she look more like an adorable clown than a scary dragon? Yes. Mom fail? Nope! Because Elle thought she was the scariest, most powerful dragon in all the land.

Only one person knew we were Chip & Joanna Gaines! 

The best part of Halloween was, believe it or not, my mother. Although she claims to have dressed up for Halloween before, I think this year was (cough, cough) actually her first time. And let me tell you, she went all out. She dressed up like Cruella De Vil: wig, costume, fishnets, pretend cigarette--- it was epic. I did her make-up, with blue gody eye shadow, huge false lashes, and bright red lipstick. She looked absolutely amazing. I forced her to give out candy for the first time too- I decorated her front door with 3-D spiders and lined her walkway with jack-o-lanterns, and she sat in a tall-backed chair and greeted the neighborhood kids as Cruella. She had the accent down, made references to puppies all night, and had all of us laughing out loud. I love that woman.

Unicorns

Elle turned three last month. The only person she was really interested in having at her unicorn party was this sweet little boy from church, Cade. Taryn, OJ, baby Layla and "grandma" Caroline (thank you for the pictures!!!) came from Orange County, and we all ate an Elle-inspired lunch: Homemade gouda mac-n-cheese, star-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit salad, and white chocolate-dipped pretzels. The cupcakes were funfetti with marshmallow buttercream frosting, tiny star shaped sprinkles, and toppers from the Land of Nod.

Who is this little human God trusted me to raise? She is everything I am not- silly, spunky, hilarious, brave, confident----and just plain good. Not too long ago, I had the idea that I was going to impart all of this goodness onto my children, that it was my calling in life to direct their every little step...but what I've found, with the help of my Ellie, is that raising children actually changes you so much more than it ever changes them. They are who they are, and you change like crazy. When I'm moody, Elle makes me laugh. When I'm impatient, Elle makes me take a deep breath and calm down. When I'm running late, Elle stops me every. single. time. for a hug and a kiss. "MOM! Don't forget HUGS AND KISSES!" When I'm frustrated, she is always the first to apologize, saying, "Sorry, Mom. Sorry you're mad at me, Mom."

Elle is brilliant and articulate. I blame it on her obsession from birth with reading books. She is constantly surprising me with her vocabulary, saying things like, "Mom, what was that strange smell?" And, "Mom, I love her! She's gorgeous!"

I can't talk about my child with mentioning the h word...horse. Let me share what she said in her prayer last night, so that I can always remember it.

This is Chief.

"Dear Father,
Thanks for the day. Thanks for the horses. Thanks for Bella and Chief (the horses she rides in her lessons). Thanks for Santana (her riding instructor). Thanks for Nana and Mom and Dad. Thanks for the blessings.
Jesus Christ,
Amen"

I asked her the other day what she wants for Christmas. She wants a real horse. A black one, to be precise.

The conversation went like this: 

Mom: "Honey, what do you want for Christmas? Do you want some toys? Or a new doll? New stories?"

Elle: "No. I just want a real horse. A black one. That's it. Okay, Mom?"

For her birthday, Elle got new riding boots with pretty pink trim, a unicorn to ride, toy horses, a stable, horse books and a horse necklace, and birthday cards covered in horses. She played with them until the sun went down, and then she tucked them all in bed under her covers.

Even though she turned three, she'll never admit it. "I'm not three, Mom. I'm two. I don't want to be three, I want to be two. I'm just two. I'm tiny." She shakes her head at me, laughing, and holds up the number two on her fingers. "See?"

Yes, Ellie. I see.

Kindergarten

Homeschool! Yes, that was the answer! After all,  how was I going to give my child to someone else, every day, all day long? What if she was confused about something and needed help? What if she fell down at recess and scraped her knee, and I wasn't there to wipe her tears and put the neosporin and band-aid on just right, the way that only a mother can? What if she got sunburned at recess? What if her shoes came untied? What if she didn't have enough food at lunch, and she was hungry or thirsty? What if kids were mean to her?! I was a wreck.

London did get sunburned, she did fall and scrape her knee, she got lost at the lunch table and cried, her double-knots came untied, and she missed me a lot. BUT... London's kindergarten teacher is kind and patient, and London simply adores her. Everyone at school likes London, and she has the sweetest little group of friends! I taught her how to tie her shoes, I pack way less in her lunch because I learned that she eats about two things each day, not seven. And the best part of all? She loves Kindergarten. And I love when she comes home and tells me allllll about it; who she played with, what art projects she did, all the worksheets she completed, and all the new things she learned. And then we sit together at the kitchen table and do her homework and I feel like a million dollars because she is killing her sight words and no one does math worksheets like my girl, London.

And you know what? I can do hard things, and so can she!

Something I certainly wasn't expecting to come with Kindergarten was the change I saw immediately in Elle. Let me preface this by saying, I had been really struggling with Elle. She was acting out, throwing tantrums, and being disobedient, and I was angry at myself for losing patience with her each day. Elle is a really really good girl, but the poor thing has to share my attention with crazy one-year-old twins and a bossy older sister, and, time after time, there wasn't enough of me to go around. Enter Kindergarten. London is gone for seven hours each day, in which time the twins also take a nap and a half, and suddenly, me and Elle have hours of time together, just the two of us! We read books, play horsies, watch Paw Patrol, and she is back to her wonderful self! And the girls, after being away from each other for most of the day, are so happy to be together once more, that even they are playing more peacefully. THANK YOU, Kindergarten!

After much prayer, I also felt inspired to sign Elle up for horseback riding lessons... But how was I to find someone willing to take on a two-year-old student? I finally found one trainer about twenty minutes away, named Anna Baker, who listened to our story and immediately offered to teach Elle! Riding a horse is the absolute highlight of Elle's life. She tells everyone who will listen about "her horse", Bella. She'll say, "Bella's my horse. Her name is Bella. She's a good girl. She had a haircut. Santana gives me treats for Bella. We ride on saddles. And she has a howter(halter) and reins. And I say 'whoa' and then she stops!"

The entire drive to her lesson, Elle cheers, "I'M SO EXCITED!" And the moment she sees Bella, she calls, "BELLA! MOM---LOOK! It's my horse! I'M SO EXCITED!" And she gets right up on that horse with the brightest smile I've ever seen. It makes me teary-eyed every. single. time.

With the new school year, came something else we didn't expect... Our dearest friends, the Adams, accepted a job offer in South Carolina, and moved away! We have always remained close, no matter how many states separated us, and I know this time, it will be no different. But sheesh, we miss them! 

 Someday, when we've finally figured our lives out, we'll buy houses right next to each other at the end of a darling tree-lined street, and our 13 children will play together in the cul-de-sac every night until the sun goes down. But until then, it's wonderful to know that they are always only a phone call away.

Sunriver, Oregon

Kyle's mom and step-dad generously booked a beautiful home for the whole family in Sunriver, Oregon, for our first ever Garvin family reunion. It was 15 hours of driving, all while Tangled played on repeat, but it was so worth it! For five days, thirteen cousins played from sunrise until way past their bedtimes!

Juliette was Kennedy and Sydney's
 doll for the week!

Each morning began with a special devotional prepared by an assigned family. We talked about faith, service, kindness, and love, and it truly set the tone for our time together.

We spent our days riding bikes, going on family walks, relaxing at a tiny water-park, and playing at the park together. We had two special outings: one to Bend for school shopping at the outlets, and the other to the Sunriver Observatory for stargazing. We also drove to the breathtaking Crater Lake for an afternoon.

The highlight of the trip was a game tournament, where we all played a round of Happy Salmon, Memory, Chutes and Ladders, and Candy Land. The tie-breaker, which I was lucky enough to be a part of, was the game "Pie Face". You rest your chin on a little contraption, turn a handle the prescribed number of times, and wait for a handful of whipped cream to hit you square in the face! And though I made it to the final round, I was finally pied in the face for the first time in my life, but probably not the last.

Other memories include a talent show, where the kids played the piano, sang songs, performed stand-up comedy, and magic tricks. Then Kayla put together a playlist of everyone's favorite song, and we had to pick which song belonged to each family member.

There was a lot of laughter and teasing and practical jokes, but mostly, there was love. And that's why family reunions, I'm convinced, are a tradition we Garvins will continue for years to come.

The twins are one!

The doctor came in and asked which baby was Henry and which was Juliette.

London introduced Henry to her Kindergarten teacher and actually said, "This is Handsome Boy." And with a face like that, it's pretty clear why. I was warned about having a boy. Everyone said that boys are crazy and busy and messy...and that is definitely true! Henry is the most mischievous child! He gets into everything- he can open every door in the house and move every barrier I put in his way. He has the loudest cry I have ever heard. His favorite thing is playing outside..in the dirt. But there is something so unexplainable about that boy--he has my heart! When he sees me, his entire face lights up, and he comes running into my arms. He wraps both arms around my neck and tangles his baby fingers in my hair, and lays his head on my shoulder. He can lay like that, swinging his right leg in the air, for twenty minutes, before squirming free. I think he was a koala in another life. And his laugh! Ah, he laughs and laughs, this contagious bellowing laugh, and it is the most beautiful sound.

Juliette thinks her name is Peanut. She is the easiest, cheeriest, and sweetest little girl. When she gets her feelings hurt, she drops her face to the ground and screams, the highest pitched scream I have ever heard. When she's really mad, she then rolls onto her back and kicks her legs until she has scooted her way across the floor. Finally, she looks at me to make sure I've caught the entire spectacle, stands up, and continues on her merry way. She doesn't really laugh...it's more of a squeal & giggle combination. She loves to read, almost as much as Elle, but her attention span is exactly three pages long. Then, she takes the book out of my hands, drops it on the floor, and walks to the bookshelf for another. She is so smart! If she wants something, she brings it to me and says, "Ah?" She always has a doll or Barbie in her arms, and she carries them affectionately, constantly giving them hugs and kisses. She loves music, and starts to dance whenever she hears it playing.

One year into this twin mom thing, I wouldn't say that it has gotten easier...but I would say that I am much better at my job. I'm a scheduler, a planner, a balancer. I know what every cry means from every child, who is hungry or thirsty or tired or who needs attention or affection or a diaper change or time alone. And I've learned to politely say "no" to others when my plate of life at home is full. My life with them is everything I've ever dreamed of and nothing I could've planned for all wrapped into one crazy love fest.

Also, they turned one last month... and this was their Flintstone's Party...