Autumn

Titling this post with the name of the season is sadly appropriate, considering we were all in the middle of summer 2008 (August 13th) since anything was published here. More responsibility at work has led to fewer opportunities to get here, and the free time left after my work is done is far better spent actually being with the twins than writing about them.

Writing 'the twins' just now felt weird - because I never refer to them that way. I never refer to them as "The Tinks" anymore, either, because any semblance of smallness, or being smaller than others their age, has long since disappeared from either of them. Morgan is still the size of a ballerina, mind you, but Liam is a bruiser. Lots of boy traits are bubbling to the surface, and he and I drive Mom a little crazy with our antics. Actually - Morgan, Liam and I have a tendency to act like we're out of our minds when we play together, which is perfectly acceptable for them at their age. I, however, no doubt appear insane to my wife on occasion, with both the noises and faces I make when deep in the throes of play. It's quite heavenly, really.

Speaking of Morgan still being the size of a ballerina, and the whole 'Tinks' thing - there's a new Disney movie coming out about Tinkerbell, almost as if the Disney company was somehow paying really close attention to my thought processes over the last three years.

There are some really nice Fairy Princess costumes out this year for Hallowe'en, and Morgan has one. Wait, that's not true. Morgan has two fairy princess costumes - one from her daycare provider to wear during the day on Hallowe'en, and one for nighttime trick or treatin' which her Dad found - which is an 'authentic' (merchandising opportunity) Tinkerbell (did I mention there's a Disney movie coming out?) costume! Dad's no doubt more excited about that aspect of it than Morgan is, of course, considering the origin of the 'Tinks' name.
Liam will wear a train engineer (daycare provider-provided) costume through his daytime celebration of Hallowe'en, and transform into a lion at night (Dad-provided). He initially wanted to be a pumpkin, but I reminded him that he'd already done that.

There will no doubt be hilarity this Hallowe'en, and pictures will follow.

Since my last post, both Liam's and Morgan's language skills have at least doubled. Liam can tell me stories at bedtime now (he has a few of his books memorized), although he still prefers me to tell him. Morgan speaks so clearly and fluently, it never ceases to surprise me. Parroting things is certainly a skill set, but Morgan clearly knows what she's saying when she says it, and it's just fun to be here as that's happening with both of them. The everyday adventure continues.
...and they both love to sing so much, too - which is a thrill for me.

This past Canadian Thanksgiving weekend (first weekend in October, for those non-Canadians reading this), we went to a place close to our home called Brantwood Farms. Hay rides, corn mazes, pumpkin patches and apple pies abounded...and the weather was beautiful. As a matter of fact, September and the first part of October kept most of us here in Southern Ontario from complaining any further about the bad summer.

Some shots of Liam and Morgan enjoying the day...




Morgan was not a huge fan of the corn maze, but when we showed her a pumpkin-headed figure which was supposed to look like Dora The Explorer while wandering around in there and trying to find our way, she settled down a little. She doesn't like scary things, and we have no intention of thrusting any upon her just because of the pagan rituals associated of Hallowe'en.
For years, Hallowe'en has always reminded me of the loss of my mother, who died on October 25th, 1970, when I was 13. Hallowe'en, and the whole 'conjuring of spirits' crap that went along with it, was no longer something I cared to be involved with since that day. This year, however, October 25th passed without a word mentioned in our home about that sad event in my life, which is the first time in a long time that that's happened.
...and I'll be thrilled this year to spend Hallowe'en night with Tinkerbell, the fairy princess...and her lion protector.