It's Fall, Ya'll

A few things to know about Annie: she is obsessed with the purple hair bow she got for her birthday from her classmate. She sleeps in it. She wants to bathe with it. She has worn it every single day since she got it, regardless of whether it compliments her outfit or not.

She has not slept through the night in weeks. She is an absolutely terror to put to bed. Regardless of when we start the process, it's 8:45, 9 o'clock before we're safely out of her room with the lights out. She cries, she begs, she demands an entire litany of things: fruit loops, sleeping in Violet's bed, her boo-boo buddy, more water, the yellow blanket... and one wish fulfillment only leads her to make the next. I've finally accepted the fact that we are in a season of life where our two-year-old wakes up every night. For some reason it makes those 3 a.m. wake-up calls a little more palatable. It's just another phase, folks. I'm sure Violet went through it too (although I wasn't nearly as overwhelmed, tired or bitter about it when I only had one child).

The extent of my pumpkin-carving capabilities.

Thankfully, Violet is sleeping through the night. But the closer we get to Halloween, the more timid she gets. She compensates, insisting that the neighbors' Halloween decorations are not frightening, claiming she wants to watch scary movies, then balking when it comes to bedtime, pulling the covers over her head, admitting she's spooked. I'm the first to admit that Halloween just isn't my gig, so our decorations consist of a few pumpkin-related things and Stu the skeleton. But it will be interesting to see how she handles what will surely be some gruesome costume choices made by our neighborhood boys. The other day she told me she didn't even want to trick-or-treat this year (and this girl NEVER passes up free candy) so you know she's feeling some feelings. Trying to tread gently with this sweet girl's heart during this holiday.

Speaking of Stu the skeleton, he's a recent addition to our paltry Halloween decor collection. Annie  spent several hours walking by saying "me no like him" until she finally warmed up enough to give him a high-five. But mainly we've been focused on teaching her what to say if she wants candy on the big day. We've had a few dry runs at the neighbor's house and let me tell you, she's a quick study when there are sweets involved!