October was a crazy, busy month for us!! We wrapped up the kids 1st soccer season last weekend. They made some new friends and learned a lot about soccer. They were hilarious to watch every Saturday. Brooklyn would run after the ball and in between plays she would introduce herself to everyone and give hugs. Tayden was content to sit back and watch everyone else play. When we would tell him it was his turn to play he would either start coughing and say that he needed a breathing treatment or announce to the entire bench and crowd that he needed to poop. They did have a ceremony presention after the final game. The coaches called up each player to give them their trophy. Brooklyn beamed and basked in the attention, but as soon as they called Tayden, he started crying. He does not like public recognition (where did that come from?). He does the same thing every year when we sing Happy Birthday to him.
We made our annual trip to the State Fair of Texas and it was the first time that the twins fully comprehended what was going on. We rode the train, which the kids loved! When we arrived, we headed straight to get food for lunch. We sampled the famous corn dogs, nachos, fries, and onion twists. We visited the petting zoo and the Hands on the Farm exhibit. The kids loved pretending to be farmers. This year they were both tall enough to ride several rides all by themselves!!! Tim and I stood watching them go round and round on airplanes and we looked at each other and asked, "How are they already old enough to ride rides by themselves???" It was very bittersweet and a reminder that they are not our little babies any more. I decided to indulge in the fun and rode a ride myself. I had to sit next to a random stranger and Brooklyn asked me for several days who my friend was that I sat by at the fair. We finished off the trip with fried butter, a funnel cake and fire balls. We love the State Fair!
October was full of birthdays and parties that kept our weekends very full of excitement. We went to a graduation party for my friend Sonia's brother that recently graduated from Stanford. They had a band and the twins spent a good part of the evening on the dance floor. We also attended a Superhero party for Camp (my best friend Lindsy's son) at their ranch, a Superhero party for Aaron and Gema (soccer friends), and a Little Mermaid swimming party for Emily (friend of the twins' from school). The twins loved each party and had a great time making memories with their friends!
We eagerly waited all month for Halloween to arrive. The twins picked their costumes early and all they could talk about was going Trick-or-Treating. My school had a Fall Festival that we attended and they wore their costumes from last year so that we didn't get the new ones dirty. We tried to go to a Pumpkin Patch, but the one we went to was already closed. :( On Halloween we went to SueSue's house and went around her neighborhood with her, my sister Jamie, her husband Joey, and their son Payton. All three kids had a great time going up to each door and getting candy. One house in particular was especially spooky and a man in costume was at the door, and the lights were out. Both boys voted to bypass the house, but Brooklyn wanted to go, so Tim took her to the door. She ended up walking straight in the house. The girl has NO fear, except for Humpty Dumpty!!! We finished off the evening with dinner and spooky desserts.
This summer I began hearing about Plexus - a company that sells all natural products for weight loss, restored energy, and all around better health and wellness. I finally decided to give it a try, so Tim and I committed to one month of a few products. By the second day, I was so impressed with how it made me feel that I joined the company!!!! I liked the idea of getting a HUGE discount and making a little extra money here and there. I joined on October 20th and by the end of October I had 7 customers all by posting on Facebook! Tim has lost over 7 pounds and I have lost over 5. We bypassed our weigh in this week due to Halloween treats, but are looking forward to great results next week. The main product is Plexus Slim and it resets your metabolism and stablizes your blood sugar and lipid levels. It was originally created for diabetics, but went mainstream after the many health benefits and rapid weight loss were discovered. I'm so excited about this opportunity!!! I have already been blessed to add a friend to my team and can't wait to see what November brings.
Tim's real estate business is booming!!! The Lord has blessed him with several new clients and he is quite busy each weekend with showings and inspections. He is enjoying every minute! He keeps busy during the week hanging out with the twins, taking them to and from school and music class. He is such a great dad and husband and I am so grateful for everything he does for our family. Our working situation might be a bit different, but it works for our family!
Recent happenings at the Russell house:
Brooklyn - Brooklyn's comprehension skills and her ability to emphathize with others is astounding. She is always able to answer my questions with detail and often makes personal connections to things wer are talking about. We were discussing the skeleton and the skull. She said, "Captain Hook has a skull on his flag." She pays great attention to detail and puts great effort into coloring picures, not just scribbling. She loves to laugh out loud and does it quite often. While trick-or-treating she announced, "I'm Brooklyn, but you can call me Doc McStuffin." She told SueSue numerous times, "I love your witch costume!" Yesterday, she was playing in the living room and Tayden was sitting on the couch behind her. He kept gently kicking her on the back. She finally turned around and said, "Tayden, stop kicking me, I am your sister!!!" She never hesitates to tell me that Tayden is being rude. We watched Tarzan as a family today and at one point Tarzan goes to the river and puts mud on himself in an attempt to look more like his gorilla family, after hearing his gorilla father tell his gorilla mother that he would never be like them. At this point in the movie, Brooklyn asked, "Why am I different from Daddy?" I asked her what she meant. She said, "Why am I not brown like Daddy?" We then had the discussion that she is brown, just a lighter shade than Daddy. She said, "I am brown like Mommy and Tayden." This is the first time my pale skin has ever been called brown! Her innocence warms my heart, and that Tarzan prompted such deep thought from a 3 year old really impressed me!
Tayden - BIG ANNOUNCEMENT - Tayden has started reading. I really am not quite sure how this happened. We have taught them letters and sounds, but hadn't started working on sight words quite yet. He was playing on the laptop one day and I heard him reading many words. We got him numerous decodable books and he will now sit down and read many of them at a time. I still look on in amazement every single time. He loves playing learning games on his tablet and I often catch him googling things such as Big Tex and October. He still loves calendars as well. I got a calendar kit and gave him all of the strips with the months on them. He can put all 12 in order! Anytime he or someone else makes a mistake, he will say, "That's okay, try again!" He also loves to say, "Just a minute, I will be RIGHT back!" He still loves to sing, and when the chorus approaches he will ask us, "Are you ready?" He loves to help clean up and tackle projects. He starts pointing out the things that we need to do in list fashion. Love that the organization genes passed on to another generation! On Halloween, we had finished trick-or-treating, eating dinner, and were getting ready to head home. He annouced, "We can't go home yet, we need to celebrate!"
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