Happy Halloween

It was a happy halloween at the Keigwin house. Last night we continued our annual tradition of carving and decorating pumpkins. And these are not just the jack-o-lantern type pumpkins we carved as kids with the triangle eyes and jagged tooth mouth. We always try to best each other with the coolest carve.

I must say, every year i'm sort of lukewarm about the whole halloween thing. And every year i find a way to rally and really enjoy it. This is something I love about adam; always excited for the holidays and loves getting everyone into the spirit. This year he took sienna to the pumpkin patch, got her costume, bought the pumpkins and new carving kit, printed out stencils, bought the candy, got sienna's costume and makeup on and took her out for the first wave of trick or treating. Let's see, what did i do... i took lots and lots of pictures! Enjoy : )

it is possible

if i ever doubted those people who said it would happen, then let me be the first to say that i've been proven wrong. when sienna was a baby and we were thinking about having another one someday, adam and i would stay up at night and wonder how we could ever love another child as much as we loved sienna. here she was, this girl, who filled our hearts and our lives with more joy and love than we ever knew possible. who made us smile and laugh and feel whole and hopeful; who made everything beautiful. we were truly in love with her. and we asked each other in wonder, how could that be duplicated? how could we feel that two times over?

and now i know that it is possible

that a love so complete and beautiful and instant and perfect can come again. fill us again with joy and happiness and laughter and bliss. that really is the word for it, isn't it. bliss. seeing this little munchkin wave at me or give me sweet open mouth kisses, or get so excited and yell "daaaaa" from across the room when she sees her dad, or follow sienna everywhere she goes, or smile so widely that her face can barely contain it - is - bliss.

i still don't know what adam and i did to deserve these two. there's nothing we could have possibly done. we've just been given these gifts. once, and now again in equal magnitude. i don't know how that is possible. just that it is possible.

the sojo show

ever since our 'tv diet' took effect a couple weeks ago, we've been spending more time hanging out on the floor, using our imaginations and fooling around to pass the time. you know what, when the television isn't adding noise and nonsense to the chaos, the room gets filled with more beautiful things like the sound of laughter and this amazing light that emanates from this girl when she smiles. here are some of the many faces of sienna sojourner captured the other morning.

us

came across this photo today from dana and jaime's wedding this summer. we have such a beautiful family. missing you all...

it's official

sienna is a little kid.

i know there are some of you out there shaking your heads and thinking "is she just now coming to this realization?"

well, yes, actually.

between her 3-year physical on friday where she proceeded to tell Dr. Budd about all of her ailments herself (some real, some invented) and seeing her in this big helmet cruising down the bike path on her bike (not big wheel, not tricycle). i can't deny it anymore.

sienna got this big girl bike for her birthday in august. we've been so busy, i haven't taken the time to take her out and help her ride it until this weekend. saturday afternoon, i took her to the bike path at the end of our street and let her go.

i get it, bike safety and all, but i'm still laughing at the fact that she is wearing full body armor and the thing has training wheels. it is next to impossible to tip this bike over (though, sienna did manage to fall off at the end of our little outing). i'm sure the helmet and the pads make her feel safe. and pretty cool too, apparently, since she kept strutting up the path with more moxy than i've ever seen a 3 year old exude, checking herself out in her shadow at regular intervals and smirking at the silhouette her helmet and knee pads made of her little body. so funny.

anyway, here are some photos of my little kid....riding her bike. (sigh...did i just say that?)