Halloween 2009

One of our carved pumpkins

The soldier, the werewolf and the hippy chick.

Bella and Edward

Jack with his loot - notice the BIG smile

Halloween was a ton of fun this year! Jack's excitement was ridiculously contagious. We pulled out EVERY Halloween decoration that we could find and I even bought a few new ones (scarier ones, with Will's prompting). We had yellow crime scene tape around the tree house, skeleton heads hanging from posts and creepy rotting cloth hanging from doorways. I have to say, I was happy to take down the cloth because I had to duck to go through the doorway and I would sometimes forget at night when the lights were off! We also carved pumpkins and then toasted the seeds for the first time. It was a hit with everyone. And if I do say so myself, we had some pretty awesome looking pumpkins!

On Halloween night, we ordered pizza and then hit the streets of our neighborhood for trick-or-treating. Since we live in such a small neighborhood with only a couple of houses, we left candy on the doorstep and Allan and I dressed up to walk the kids around. What a hoot! It was a really warm night with mist in the air, so it was a perfectly creepy Halloween night. The kids hit the mother load. Neighbors gave them treat bags filled with every kind of candy imaginable. When we got to the last house, it started to pour down rain. Thankfully, it wasn't far from home, but we still got a bit wet. The minute the kids were in the door, bags were dumped and assessments were conducted. Jack was running through the house screaming, "I got a HERSHEY bar! Can you believe it?! I got a HERSHEY bar!" It was hysterical and we were all laughing. Clearly, my kids don't get much candy.

We raked in so much candy, that as of today (11.21.09), we still have three buckets sitting around and I think I have gained 10 pounds from eating it everyday.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Happy Veteran's Day! Thank you so much to all of those who have made the sacrifice to protect our country. God bless the USA!

Jack's First Day of Fours

OK. I realize this is late, but Jack started preschool after Labor Day. He was extremely excited for his first day with Ms. Nancy. Fortunately, his best friends from the threes are in his class again - Charlie and Parker! Although he can go 4 days a week like all of the other kids in his class, I have opted to only send him 3 days. That is a big step for me as it is. I love spending time with my little guy and I don't want to give up any more time than necessary. Soon enough, he will be going all day. Boo! So, for the time being, we are all comfortable with 3 days a week at Preschool. And thankfully, there were no tears this year. Just lots of smiles and excitement - for Jack anyway!

Thank you, Uncle Steve and Aunt Sharon!

Last week, Aunt Sharon came for a visit to help celebrate Emma's birthday. While here, we went shopping (imagine that!). Jack found some pirate shoes at a store and actually fussed when I told him that I would not buy them for him. Aunt Sharon was in a spoiling mood and decided to buy them as a surprise. What a great surprise! They fit perfectly and Jack has worn them to school everyday this week. He LOVES them! I had to share some pictures of these cool new shoes. Thanks again, Uncle Steve and Aunt Sharon! Jack says he loves you!

Spiriti Week!

This week was spirit week at Will and Emma's school. Being true to form, Emma has thrown herself into each day's activities with lots of spirit. Surprisingly, Will has even shown a little spirit. I had to share pictures from Tacky Day and Decade Day. They were cracking me up! Poor Will even had a field trip on Tacky Day. The Moravians probably didn't know what to think when they saw him coming!

The Last Hurrah Before School

Days before school started, in August, we decided to spend our time visiting some new museums as well as a few favorites. We explored a new place that allowed the kids to make whatever they wanted, using different mediums such as clay, finger paint, yarn, markers, blocks and wallpaper. It was very cool and a perfect activity for a rainy day. On a nice day, we went to the zoo. We have an awesome zoo that has something new almost every time we visit. This time, they had a platform that we could be on to feed giraffes. Unfortunately, they weren't hungry when we were there, but it was still neat. Seeing the animals and visiting the zoo is something that never gets old. We have fun each and every time! The zoo also offers a great backdrop for taking pictures. Here are just a few.......zoom in and notice the screen on Will's camera and see what he was taking a picture of. Pretty cool!

Our Jack-O-Lantern

A lot of fussing went on before she finally pulled the tooth out.

She did it once again! Emma's two front teeth were loose. And I knew it wouldn't be long until she wiggled them out. I asked her to wait until after school pictures though. They really weren't THAT loose! Well, while tousling with Jack (an almost everyday occurrence), she hit her mouth on his head and ta-da, one became very loose. It was so loose that it was driving her crazy and she was unable to eat comfortably. After fussing about it for a whole day, she let Dad tie fishing line around it and pulled it out herself! She wrote a full page letter to the Tooth Fairy that night and left her tooth in a glass of water. The next morning, she was up at 5:30 to find out if the TF had written her back. Thank goodness, she did! Emma discovered a big secret - the Tooth Fairy's best friend is the Dream Fairy! And she was wearing a blue/purple dress because it dyed the water that color.