Aunt Ena.

I have so much to catch up on! this month has been CRAZY busy.

Not too long ago Ross' sister, Serena, came to visit. Next week she leaves on an 18 month church mission. She'll be serving in Tiajuana, Mexico! She was kind enough to take some time out of her crazy schedule to come to Wisconsin and visit for a few days before she goes.

We were so spoiled to be in Utah surrounded by family. Claire has a great relationship with her Aunts and Uncles, and I'm so so grateful. I think being so far away from family has been an adjustment. Thank goodness for Skype! I don't know what we'd do without it!

We picked Serena up in Milwaukee and grabbed some lunch before heading back home. We went to a farm, took the girls costume shopping, made Halloween cookies, played at the park, took delicious naps, played with puppies, took a trip to the outlet mall, and went to the zoo. And of course it wouldn't be a Wisconsin trip without ice cream.

We loved having Aunt Ena here. The girls were in Heaven and were spoiled rotten. While we were at the outlet mall, Claire was helping Aunt Ena find shirts. If I walked by too close, Claire would start to shriek, "I don't want my mommy, I don't like my mommy! I don't want my mom!" Who knew a two year old could hurt my feelings, but I'm glad these girls love their Aunt Ena.

Serena was giving her farewell talk and party the following week, so Ross and Aoife flew back with her. Claire doesn't fly free anymore, so she got to stay home with me. I took a few days off from school while Ross was gone. I loved the one on one time with Claire. It was SO different just having one munchkin at home. I actually showered, got some cleaning done, took Claire on little outings, and just enjoyed being with Claire. And I never once yelled or got frustrated.

She did much better than I thought she would, though she definitely missed her sister. She was able to Skype with Aoife a couple times. It was so sweet to see how excited the sisters were to see each other. Claire would tell Aoife about her day and ask how she was doing. Melted my heart.

When we picked up Ross and Aoife from the airport, Claire waited so patiently. When she saw them walking up, she jumped down from the stroller and ran to them screaming, "AOIFE!!!!" Then she gave her a big hug and kiss. They've been inseparable since. Despite having to go back to school and real life, it's nice to have everyone home again.