What a difference a year makes

This weekend, we went and picked out our pumpkins.  We tried to go back to the beautiful farm where we went last year, but the selection was pitiful.  Luckily, just down the road was a farmer's market that had everything we wanted.  Last year, I wrote this post, and you can find my pumpkin pictures there.  Well, most of my photos for October actually.  The thing I find funny, is that a year ago, I thought the same thing and even titled that post this thought:  Life is just one big photo opportunity.  To me, going to pick out our pumpkins doesn't just mean going somewhere that had nice pumpkins, or getting them from the grocery store.  It means we need to find a nice spot on nice day, dress them in something that will look nice with orange pumpkins, bring along the camera equipment, bring extra people to herd them, and make sure to take nice photos.  The pumpkins are incidental. 

When we stopped at the first place, I almost lost it.  Major anxiety, major frustration.  I need to have a talk with my doctor again about my meds I think.  Lately, the anxiety is presenting more than the depression, and I feel so much stress when things are not bad enough to stress about.  Andy and my parents were great, knowing this issue, knowing that something like this is important to me, and knowing that I was probably on the verge of a meltdown, they quickly agreed to option number two, and humored me as I took advantage of the different photo opportunities there. 

Then we went out for Mexican, and restaurants with chips and salsa always make me feel better. 

If you are interested, the rest of my October photos from last year are in this post.  Babies in pumpkins and bat hats and costumes, oh my! 

On to this week's photos: 

October 18 - You know, I get comments from people all the time about how they can't imagine having twins.  They assume it's always hard, I guess, or that someone's always crying.  I think they think of double the diapers, double the laundry, double the dishes.  What I don't think people think of is the part that is double the joy.  This not was not an unusual night, we had taken the babies up to get ready for bed.  We had been putting away laundry and diapers, I think, so there were two laundry baskets.  Ben claimed the yellow one immediately, piling into it all of the treasures from his bed.  Blankies, lovies, books.  Then he plunked himself down, put the blankets over his lap and read.  Along comes Maggie, does the same thing, and then for a little while they sat side by side in their baskets. 

Maggie got bored with their game first, and left to go do something else.  Ben took a minute, climbed out of his basket, and moved everything from his basket into hers in some kind of a non-hostile take over. 

These are the games that twins play.  You think about how everything says that babies this age don't play together and you watch them share, take turns going down the slide and interacting.  It's amazing. 

October 19 - We had Kindermusik and took the babies to Chick-Fil-A.  I tried unsuccessfully to get a picture of both of them with their balloons.  No dice.  But I love the shot of Maggie's piggies.  She looks so sweet, and so grown up with the ribbons tied up in her hair.  I am getting so much better at hair. 

October 20 - The weather was beautiful, so I took two very excited babies "outswide" to play.  One of the things we are newly into is sidewalk chalk.  It is pretty cute, and no one even ate any today.  Well, not too much.  I thought the picture was cuter of Maggie, but sometimes I think it feels like the Maggie show around here.  She sits still and smiles sometimes for pictures.  Ben is frequently running in the other direction and much harder to photograph.   

October 21 - Look at that hair!  It is crazy that his hair is getting curlier in the back, and it is definitely time for this little boy to get another haircut. 

October 22 - I thought this was funny, this is Ben and Maggie looking at Ben and Maggie on my blog.  They love looking at pictures, especially pictures of them or other beloved family members.  I think its so funny to listen to.  Maggie will frequently see a picture of say, Grandma, Grandpa and Ben and what she will say is "hat!" because Grandpa is wearing a hat.  Or "shoes!" "cracker!" "book!".  She points out the funniest things and always sounds so excited.

October 23 -  Pumpkin day!  I of course couldn't narrow this down to one picture, or even 6, but here you go, my favorites from the day. 

October 24  - What I was supposed to take a picture of today was the Open House sign in front of our house, but I forgot to take it.  Of course, the pictures I really wanted was when Maggie and Ben were playing in a pile of leaves at my inlaws house.  They were overjoyed and adorable.  I didn't have my camera, and that was the biggest tragedy of the day.  We are surely going to have to do that again, of course because they loved it so much, not just because I need photos of it.  So anyways, here's the cat.  Murphy again.  I haven't seen Izzy since I locked her up this morning for the open house.  He was posing nicely under this chair.  Good enough!  

I'm getting spoiled by all the ICLW comments, thank you!  I love hearing from readers, and I invite you to go back through my blog and check things out.  I wish I had some favorite posts bookmarked, but I don't, so feel free to check out my IVF journey, twin pregnancy and motherhood, along with dealing with depression.  More to come this week!