Halloween 2011

Whew, I'm glad the big day is finally here ... and almost over!  Halloween started this year with our church's trunk or treat on Friday night, the annual Fall Creek Festival on Saturday, a friend's Halloween party on Saturday night, our traditional Halloween Chili Feast with the Stewarts on Sunday, and Charlotte's preschool class party this morning.  (I am totally exhausted this afternoon!  I may be hanging out with the candy bowl near the door tonight while Daddy takes the kids to a few houses.)

As you can see, Charlotte is a lovely blue princess this year, sometimes Cinderella, sometimes not.  Please don't ask me where I bought this dress or where I paid for it because I'm embarrassed by the answers to both.  In my defense, I can only say that I used to have dreams about wearing a dress this poofy, frothy, sparkly, and beeeeautiful.  How could I resist?

Not to be outdone by the beauty of his sister, this sweet little lion smiled like a cute little cherub most of the time he had his costume on.

Charlotte gives off some cheese with her friend Christina, also a princess.

Trunk or treat, Bubba Lion!

Nothing quite does it for Grey like a lollipop.  He even ate half of the stick ... and drooled half of the sucker into his costume.

The kids were happy to have their Mimi here to share the Halloween fun.

Mimi taught Grey how to say "roar!".

While Mimi was here, we did a bunch of projects to get ready for Charlotte's preschool class party on Monday.  (I am the only person who volunteered for Room Parent this year.  Don't get me started!)  These little "witch's broom" treat bags are made out of brown paper bags and pretzel sticks.

Grey would like to interrupt this regularly-scheduled post to say "BOO!"

Candy corn sugar cookies with an orange glaze.  Yummy!

Charlotte enjoying the plane ride at the Fall Festival on Saturday.

This beautiful boy has his fingers in his mouth all of the time right now.  Teething?

Handsome dude I met at the Fall Festival.  Just kidding, I've known him a little longer than that!

Charlotte looooves fire trucks.  Future fire woman?

Charlotte rode the pony all by herself this year with no crying.

Grey got to ride on the swing ride.  Three minutes of sheer joy!

I regret not getting a better picture of the oreo pops Mimi and I made for Charlotte's class.  We dipped oreos on sticks into Wilton melting chocolate and decorated them.  They were easy and turned out really cute and the kids couldn't get enough of them at the party today.

Hair looks a little goofy, but the joy on her face is blissfully ignorant.  Charlotte loved having me in her class for the last hour today.

All Charlotte's little classmates entering the room in their costumes.

As you can see, I wasn't the only parent who showed up for the party.  It was great to see this kind of parental support and involvement at a school, even if no one else wants to be Room Parent.  (Boo!)

Charlotte loved the bean bag toss and candy corn bowling.

Charlotte and her friend Lindy--two princesses in training.

So that was our Halloween, minus a few pics I may take tonight.  I'm done with this holiday.  Bring on Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

It's that time of year again to make a pilgrimage to the pumpkin patch.  This year, we waited until a week before Halloween to buy any pumpkins since we have had bad luck when we have bought them too early and so the pumpkin patch was a little picked over.  That didn't stop Charlotte and Grey from having a great time ... despite the fact that they looked so serious in this picture.

I had to post this second family photo.  I don't like the way I'm smiling in the top one, which is the best one of everybody (too much tongue going on), so in order to gratify my vanity, here's the better shot of me.  Thank you for humoring me.  Now onto why you are really looking at this blog: the kids!

The return of Cha-Cha Pumpkins

"Why yes, I did dress with the intention of blending in at the pumpkin patch."

This is, sadly, the best photo I got of them together.  Nothing like the taste of a fresh, dirty pumpkin, no?

A little pumpkin patch ghost





"It's all so beautiful, how can I keep from singing? 'The hills are alive with the sound of pumpkins' ..."

Tent

So I set up a little play tent Charlotte got for her birthday in the playroom. Ten minutes later, I came back to find my daughter preparing to audition for Hoarders. She had stacked every toy in the playroom within her reach into the tent and then crammed her way in to sit among her loot.

Adam's 30th

On Wednesday, my man turned 30.




Is it weird that after six years of marriage and two kids, he still makes my heart pound when he looks at me like this?

Love you, handsome. xoxoxoxo

Getting Ready for Halloween

Dear World, I am not a crafty person.  But for some reason, I have been really excited for Halloween this year, and projects keep showing up in my Google Reader feed (all non-sewing, mind you!) that I actually think I can make ... only with the help of my very eager three-year-old, of course.

My tiny Vanna White showing off the fan-face decorations we made during several of Grey's naps.

Showing Daddy how to assemble a foam haunted house from a kit.  Charlotte insisted on wearing last year's Halloween costume for the occasion.



The finished product.  Nice job, Charlotte!  (And you did okay too, Daddy.)

A memory board collage of Halloween pictures from past years starring Charlotte and Grey.

Labor Day Part II

Adam's parents had to leave on Sunday, but Labor Day still turned out to be a nice one.  A little cold snap (high of 85 that day) made it beautiful outside so we decided to head to the Houston Zoo for the first time in over a year.  It turned out to be a great time.  

This pic is so cute even though it's a little blurry.

Grey tried to join the ostrich clan but Daddy wouldn't let him over the fence.

No, that's not the Unibomber.  Or a kidnapper.  :)

Charlotte was excited to ride the merry-go-round but when time to get on came, she was a little nervous.

Somebody else was fearless!



And last but not least, what zoo trip would be complete without a ride on the little red train around Hermann Park?  (Charlotte always calls him "Thomas"--as in Thomas the Tank Engine--now.)

Love you lots, "Thomas"!