Catch-up: Halloween highlights

One very girly bunny.

One not-girly dragon ninja. (Can you say, 'fraternal twins'?)

One Mimi, delighted to have a turn with the bunny ears.

Hello Kitty returned for another year.

Leah was all business when it came to trick-or-treating.

Mike was especially excited to donate one of his new steak knives to our pumpkin display.

This pumpkin was done with Auntie Julie in mind. Her favorite thing about Halloween is the prevalence of spiders everywhere. (Her nieces loved sending her pictures of this one.)

One hungry cannibal pumpkin. Maddie was kind of proud to donate the clothes for this one. It took the sting out of finding a hole in one of her favorite pairs of pants. 

The full bloody display. 

After their buckets got heavy and their legs got tired, the twins decided it was time to help give some candy away.

Mimi looks beat, but her granddaughters are still functioning thanks to a combination of adrenaline and sugar.

Catch-up: End-of-summer fun

Mike took Lauren and Maddie to Dallas for some end-of-summer fun. They had quality bonding time with their cousins, as well as a true Texas experience -- great Tex-Mex food and blistering heat.

Mike texted me pictures of their food all weekend, including pix from Uncle Julio's. I resisted the temptation to change the locks. They definitely ate well, and the cousins really hit it off.