Grace and Hazel

Somehow I got the blame for guilting Jenn into creating Grace’s Halloween costume this year.  I don’t know how that could be.  I only mentioned how amazing the pigeon costume was last year, when she suggested something store-bought this year.  I also reminded her how proud she was to say that she had created it with her own two hands.  And I might have sighed deeply when we looked at the costume wall at the local party supply store.

Well, nevermind what I did or didn’t do or what sounds I may or may not have made.  Jenn went at it with a flurry of fabric, scissors, thread and glue.  A wire wing frame and some difficult fidgety 3-year-old fittings later and Grace emerged as a beautiful butterfly.  She took to Trick-or-Treating like a moth to a flame, brazenly racing up to each door, ringing the bell and following up with a quick knock if they didn’t answer fast enough.

At school, there was a parade that shows off the beauty of the painfully handcrafted costume and I give you ALL of the videos in their complete, unedited and somewhat cruel glory…

Of course you are wondering, what about Hazy? She ended up as a…pigeon, beginning a likely long standing tradition of glorious homemade costume reprises.

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A lot of debate went into this decision.  Her curls were both really really cute and getting unmanageable.  While I was away, Jenn finally pulled the trigger introducing Hazel to her first real coif and her first real lollipop.  The former was clearly a good idea, as she lost not one iota of Hazy cuteness (in fact she might have gained some, if that was possible).  Here is Hazel’s general pre-lollipop misery :

Also of note:  Mommy’s cute hairdo

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Boy it has been a busy couple months!  Even now I write this from 11,000 feet in the air on my way to Hong Kong and eventually Vietnam for work.  Being away from the girls is always hard, on everyone involved. The good part, if there is one, is that 15 hours on a plane affords a little more time to write a post than chasing toddlers around the house usually does.  That chasing—and the exhausted sleeping that inevitably follows it—has kept me from from chronicling some pretty fun events in the girls lives.

Rather than put them all in one post, I will try to get as many of them as I can in the next few days and airplanes before my triumphant return next week.

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In a world where Grace’s secrets are usually something along the lines of “fairy car headband” followed by a bunch of giggles and her best jokes include “You are a daddy goof” followed by similar giggles, it is nice to hear her enjoy a joke that is a bit more audience-friendly.

If my nephews are any gauge, the second step in the humor evolution is the Knock Knock joke, followed by the puns and the riddles (and eventually Poppy’s favorite—the dirty limerick!). Though a random series of words still gets her giggling, she has started to bust out a solid Knock Knock from time to time. Here are her two current favorites from this morning followed by an outtake containing inevitable hybrid joke made of part Knock Knock and part word mish-mash that indicate the end of her set. Daddy now has to find 3-year-old friendly material to keep her act fresh and the laughs rolling in.

Hatch:

Knock Knock 1 from Brad Topliff on Vimeo.

Ice Cream:

Knock Knock 2 from Brad Topliff on Vimeo.

Outtake:

Knock Knock 3 from Brad Topliff on Vimeo.

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We just received the incredibly sad news that our friend Rebecca Dale passed away this morning. We were incredibly fortunate to have been able to spend a few minutes with her on Wednesday and she still wore the smile that I can’t help consider her signature look. Though she is not wearing that smile in this picture from our Wedding (her husband Andy is clearly saying something grave and inappropriate for the festive occasion), she still has that loving sparkle that we loved so much (see more below). Rebecca’s battle with cancer was over several years and she faced each new challenge with courage and humor that seems almost unfathomable to me. Fortunately, there were a lot of good years in that time. We will miss her everyday. If there is a place to perch and watch us all, Rebecca will have a front row seat to watch her children, Andy and all the rest of her family and friends with that smile on her face.

We love you!

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