Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween! Earlier today we headed to the clubhouse for a neighborhood party. It was lots of fun with cookie decorating, a picture frame station and pin the nose on the pumpkin. Tessa really wanted to go to the pool and didn't understand that it is closed until next year. Several times we walked over to the pool gate behind the clubhouse and said "Bye-Bye Pool." She loves to swim and apparently is like her Momma, already wishing for the return of summer.

Tonight we dressed both Tessa and Anabelle in their bumble bee costumes and had a fabulous time trick-or-treating. While my darling daughter has an unbelievable sweet tooth, she was more excited about knocking on people's doors and socializing than actually eating the candy. I guess she had more than her share of M&Ms while I was bribing her to smile for the camera.

Gamma and Gampa joined in the fun too! They helped pass out candy, take pictures and even got to trick-or-treat with us. Tessa loved all the attention and was very excited to stay up two hours past her usual bedtime.

Happy Halloween everybody!

We Bought a Car

Yippee!!! I now drive an SUV!!! We have been shopping and saving for a car since Tessa was born and this week-end, we finally bought one. I love it! It's a dark blue Hyundai Santa Fe with all kinds of bells and whistles - my favorite feature being the heated seats. We moved the carseat, toys and Dora cds and then took it for a spin to Target. How fitting.

Boo in the Zoo

Each year our local zoo hosts a very fun activity called Boo in the Zoo. Candy stations are set up throughout the zoo and the kids get a chance to dress up and trick-or-treat. There is even a haunted house, called the Not So Scary House, that's perfect for the little ones. Despite the chilly weather, we went Saturday night and had a blast.

As you can see, Tessa is a bumble bee this year and she is just precious! She is adamant about not wearing hats but is otherwise pretty easy going about how I dress her. However, I was a little worried that getting her to wear the wings might be pushing my luck. Thanks to a little engineering from Gamma and Daddy the wings went on and didn't bother her. As long as she could run around, jump and climb she was a happy little bee. We did have one impressive wipe out when she discovered running downhill is a little tricky. A couple of scraped knees earned us an extra bag of Cheetos at the next treat station. And she's just so darn cute asking for "Mo Chee-toh!"

Pumpkin Carving

While I was at work today my parents treated Tessa to a pumpkin. While she napped, my dad patiently carved out the pumpkin using the Dora pattern my mom provided. The resulting jack-o-lantern is fabulous! My mom and I then roasted the pumpkin seeds for a yummy snack.

When Ryan and I took Tessa for a walk tonight, she said "Bye Dora!" and waved at our front porch. The pumpkin is a hit! Thank you Gamma and Gampa!

Claire and Kids

I was thrilled to have my friend Claire visit with her three small children this past week. I still can't quite believe that she was brave enough to make the flight with all of them in tow! It's a testament to how very good her children are that she managed the trip so well.

We all had a great time playing, picking apples, riding carousels, feeding geese, and cruising around in a minivan. My parents joined us Saturday afternoon as we ventured out to Fall for Greenville. The kids had a blast runing around, dancing in the street and eating pizza, funnel cake and kettlecorn.

I miss them already and wish, not for the first time, that they lived closer. Thank goodness for airplanes and Verizon unlimited calling!

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