Happy Halloween!

As a result of our mishap on the way to the pumpkin patch this year, I didn't get any cute photos of the kids in their Halloween shirts.  So, we had a mini photo shoot this morning before Luke went to school. 
Happy Halloween!

BOO!

Fall Harvest Party

This year Luke's preschool had a Fall Harvest Party the weekend before Halloween.  Although the children all wore their costumes and a costume parade was part of the event, the focus was much more on sensory activities centered around a Fall theme - so awesome.  No junk food, no toys to throw away when we arrived home ... just fun.  The kids had a great time!

Buzz and Jessie

Leaf raking activity

Trick-or-treating at the classrooms - the kids just loved seeing their teachers on the other side of the doors

Jessie

Luke and Vidyut saving the galaxy

Pumpkin Carving

Having Halloween fall on a Monday this year made pumpkin carving much more enjoyable since we were able to do it during the day and outside in the sunshine (versus after Daddy comes home from work the night before Hallowen in the cold garage).

Initially the kids were really into it, drawing faces on their pumpkins and helping us sort out the seeds to roast later, but after about 20 minutes it appeared obvious that Michael and I were on our own to finish carving and cleaning up.  :)

Luke takes flight

Our flight home from Pana might have been the highlight of the trip for Luke.  The sweet flight attendants on board invited him to join them and pass out peanuts and pretzels to all of the passengers.  So, just after the beverage service ended, Luke headed to the front of the airplane where he was introduced over the intercom and then went to work.  He loved every minute of his job.

THEN, after our plane touched down in Los Angeles (we stayed aboard to go on to San Jose) the pilot invited Luke into the cockpit to have a seat and check it all out.  He was in heaven and has now informed us that he "might need to be a builder and a pilot."

Oh, and just to make things even sweeter, the flight attendants who Luke "helped" later informed us that he had worked off our in flight adult beverages, so we all got a free round.  Thanks, Luke!

Great Grandma Joyce's 85th

Last weekend we traveled to Paw's childhood town of Pana, Illinois to help Great Grandma Joyce celebrate her 85th birthday.
It was a long day of travel (we quickly realized why it is so difficult for Grandma to travel to see us - it is LONG), and a relatively short trip, but well worth it to see family who we hadn't seen in a long time.  In fact, some had never met Luke, and many (including Grandma Joyce) had never met Mia.

Grandma's party went so well and she was as happy as I ever remember seeing her.  Her lovely friends were all in attendance to help her celebrate, as well as all of her children, nearly all of her grandchildren, and all four of her great grandchildren.

We spent the beautiful fall morning of the party at Paw's childhood park/playground ... some of the play equipment is most definitely original (that's code for probably not very safe, but pretty cool and vintage)!  The kids had a great time.

Check out this crazy high slide!  Luke had Courtney to take him down, and Mia insisted on riding with Daddy.



Vintage merry-go-round

Bouncy animals

 Auntie Chris and Mia on the swings

Luke made sure to test out all of the playground equpment

At Grandma Joyce's party, Mia made fast friends with cousin Tony

The girls are having fun now

The birthday girl with her (great)grandaughters

Mommy and her sweet girl

Mia is a big fan of the chocolate cake

Wow Daddy!

Pretty girls - Michelle and Courtney 

Silly Uncle Todd!



Rocking babies

Pumpkin Patch 2011

We ventured down to Half Moon Bay to pick pumpkins this year.  Our October is so full this year with fun adventures that we had only one weekend in which to make our pumpkin trip, so it happened to coincide with the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival.  We made plans to meet our friends Aidan, Bailey, Jack, and Charlie there as well.

Despite the crowds in town for the festival, we actually found a very mellow and uncrowded patch.  In my yearly quest for the best down-to-earth, no-frills pumpkin patch, my research this year led me to Bob's Pumpkin Farm.  I absolutely loved this place and we will definitely go back.  Not only were the pumpkins super affordable, but the kids were able to see pumpkins actually still on the vines.  AND, there were no bounce houses, haunted houses, or other silly, gimmicky Halloween stuff.  Just pumpkins, some hay bales, and a few animals.

So, now for the bad news:  in an effort to avoid the traffic into Half Moon Bay, we opted for a "scenic" route through the mountains south of the more well traveled 92.  Well, all was going according to plan - we left on time, got our Starbucks, fed the kids breakfast in the car, and were a mere 15 miles from our destination when poor Mia became carsick :(.  I sort of thought it might be coming because of how she was fussing, but I had NO idea what we were in for.  After a 35 minute delay in which we made our best attempt to clean things up, and a now forward facing toddler, we were back on the road.

So, in case you're wondering why Luke is wearing a perfectly adorable Halloween shirt and Mia is dressed like a hillbilly ... well, now you know :)!

Oh, and for the record, Mia now faces forward in her carseats.  I learned after spending many, many hours cleaning her carseat that I do not want to do that again, and so if facing forward might avoid future carsickness, then so be it!

Yay for pumpkins

Wheelbarrow rides with pumpkins

Luke and Aidan

Scary kids :)

Luke, Aidan, and Bailey

With our load of pumpkins

LEAP!

My little animal lover

Cute bunny rabbit

Such buds - Luke and Jack

Blue eyed beauties Bailey and Mia

Sweets Bailey and Charlie