Halloween 2011

Annual family photo at the pumpkin patch

Another spooky Halloween has come and gone.  Jack spent the entire year planning his costume all for an hour walking the neighborhood, and a few pieces of candy.  But the thrill this year was above and beyond all prior years.  He KNEW what to expect and came racing out the door full speed like a Batman on a mission.  So this year, with his trusty sidekick Robin, he canvased the community at turbo speed.  Folks, he literally RAN from door to door.  He has mastered, "Trick ot treat!" and thankfully, also "Thank you!"   His favorite treat was a bag of Cheetos, but he settled on Whoppers for his candy tonight.

As for Lauren, technically it was her second Halloween, but it was her first time trick or treating.  She was a lovely flower!  She enjoyed all the people watching and squealed with delight watching her brother race up driveways and down sidewalks.  She then retired with Mommy and Tutu at home to pass out balloons to all the cute kids.

Baby Girl and the Grandparents

Jack was busy eyeing the fake bloody hand while this family portrait took place.

100 balloons with bat rings for trick-or-treaters

Mommy and her precious flower

Batman and his sister flower

Batman striking a pose

Grrrrr...looking good Robin!  Nice abs!

Thanks to Grandpa Nick and Tutu for extending their trip to include our annual Halloween tradition.  It was so great to see them both and share the fun at the pumpkin patch.  Who knew Nick was such a jack o'lantern carving expert!  Jack had an amazing time with them at the movies, toy store and just hanging around the house playing.  Sad to see you guys head home.  Thanks for all the fun!

Noah's Ark

The Skirball Center in Los Angeles has an amazing exhibit on Noah's Ark.  The artist created all of the animals from repurposed items and the entire thing was completely interactive!  It was by far the best children's exhibit I've ever seen.  I figured Jack would like it, but Lauren loved it too.  She crawled the entire exhibit and touched everything within her reach.  I love the way it tells Noah's story, children create the storm, board the animals, clean up after then...brilliant!!  And the animals were genius!  I wish I'd gotten a photo of the alligator (head was a violin case and tongue was the yoke of the violin, awesome!).  We will definately return and bring Rob, too.  Thanks Grandma Laura for meeting us there.



Grandma and Beebs

Cool floor puzzle!

Baby in crawling/touching Heaven!

 

Jack loading the animals into the ark



Happy Birthday Lauren!

Although Daddy was still in St. Louis this morning, Jack and Mommy greeted Lauren with a heartfelt (even if it was out of tune) happy birthday song. She had a wonderful day. We spent the morning shopping for her birthday party. She loves to be out on the town, seeing people and places. Today we hit Vons, the florist, Target and Trader Joe's. She ate her favorite foods for every meal, french toast for breaky, quesadilla for lunch and pasta for dinner. Topped off with a birthday cookie. We capped the whole thing off with a fun bath with Jack. The big celebration will be Saturday, of course with cake and presents. I can hardly believe my tiny baby is becoming such a big girl. Happy first year to my littlest love.

Calgon, Take Me Away!

This photo would suggest that our family has spent the last few weeks relaxing on the couch.  Weeks, no.  Minutes, perhaps.  We have been unbelievably busy lately.  Now that I have returned to work our normally busy schedule has gone into hyperdrive and I have found myself multitasking to the extreme.  Note to self, you cannot butter toast while in the shower!   HA! 

Our friend Edgar earned his EAGLE SCOUT and his family had a lovely ceremony to celebrate his accomplishment.  I provided a tray of eclairs for the party.  They tasted even better than the photo suggests.

Grandma Laura ended her three week trip to Africa and made a beeline up to see the kids in an effort to end her withdrawl symptoms.  She spent three nights (wrapped around a business trip to San Luis Obispo).  One night she even obliged Rob and I to a date night at Brophy's for chowder and fish.  Jack had a great time at their slumber parties and especially loved their Saturday morning donut tradition.

Baby is getting braver and more dangerous all the time.  She has even started pulling herself up on things that aren't stable, like my leg or the bed sheets.  She is so mobile that she is getting into everything that is lower than three feet, such as the coffee table.  Jack's toys are no longer safe, unless they are put away in his closet with the doors closed.  But that may be a good thing because it's forcing him to clean up his bedroom floor.

Halloween is coming quickly and we have been in full spooky mode at our house.  We've got decorations up and costumes prepared.  We've been reading stories about ghosts and jack o'lanterns.  We went with Jack on a school field trip to the pumpkin patch, complete with a hayride.  The next two weeks will be painfully slow for our little trick-or-treater. "Tomorrow is Halloween?"  Sorry Buddy, not yet.  Jack and Rob are ready for it though!

I made Lauren's costume this year and this is only the preview.  I still have some details to add, but so far she LOVES wearing the hood.  Thank goodness because I put many nap hours into that flower.

Red velvet cupcake...we were practicing for her birthday party :-)

Oooohhhh, scary!!!!

Otherwise, it has been a typical couple of weeks for us.  Lots of adorable moments with our two little cuties.  Busy for sure, but still enough time for some fun, too.