Trick-or-Treat!

Will simply could not wait for trick-or-treat time tonight. All day long he asked if it was dark out yet and if it was trick-or-treat time. Mommy would tell him it wasn't until after dinner, to which he would respond, "Let's eat dinner now." Funny, it doesn't work that way, Will.

So we set up a car ramp on the front steps and Will raced his cars down it where Kylie laughed and giggled at the crashes.

We practiced some spooky faces.

and after a delicious dinner of crockpot lasagna (thanks, Caitlin!), it was finally time to get our costumes on.

We're lucky to have awesome neighbors to trick-or-treat with. I mean, really, does Batman live next to you?

Will was exhausted tonight after his huge round of trick-or-treating. He brought home some good loot though, and Mom and Dad will sure enjoy their post-bedtime snack tonight. hehe.

Saturday

We started our windy, chilly Saturday by going for a walk/bike ride at the battlefield nearby. The battlefield is a gorgeous park with paved roads throughout and other paths and trails in the fields and woods. It's very quiet and perfect for a run, walk, hike, or bike ride.

There are monuments and informational signs all throughout the battlefield park so people can learn what happened there during the Civil War. It's a HUGE battle sight.

It's also a perfect place for Will to ride his bike since the roads are freshly paved and there is very little traffic. There are plenty of places to hop off your bike and explore, too.

After a family-wide nap time and a yummy dinner, we carved a few more pumpkins and when we headed outside to see them all lit up, we noticed how awesome the sunset was tonight.

The Annual Carving

As we enter the holiday season here, we can't help but think back to last year.

Last year's holidays were low key for us. Our family was half the size it is this year. Daddy was deployed and Kylie was still an unknown player to be named later in Mommy's belly.

This year, thank goodness, someone else can do the honors of carving all things pumpkin and turkey.

and the laughter, shrieks, and giggles are doubled.

When we asked Will what face we should put on the pumpkin, he was quite literal with his answer. He made the faces he wanted. He also said, "A scary face like Daddy does when he is mad." haha. Oh, Will, you crack us up.

We cut the top off, scooped out the "gooey", had a little pumpkin guts fight, and carved a spooky face.

Voila! Pumpkin #1 was done.

More Halloween-ing Fun

Were you wondering what Kylie was being for Halloween?


Are you ready to faint from the cuteness of it all?

Will declared that he needed a fire dog, and, luckily, Kylie was happy to oblidge.

Today was Halloween-a-palooza at the library. We go to the library at least once a week, sometimes more, but Friday is story time and it's really done well. They always read three stories with songs, poems, and motions in between and then, after the 3rd story, there's usually a short movie clip to go with the weekly theme. This week's theme was, of course, Halloween. The librarians read three Halloween books with Halloween poems, chants, and songs in between each book. They danced to "Monster Mash" (see video). We find ourselves liking Virginia more and more and it was amazing to look around the room and see that Will had 4 buddies there, 1 from school, 1 from the YMCA, our neighbor, and a buddy we met at a playgroup.

Our dalmation LOVES story time. I think even more than Will does. She seems to think everyone clapping after each story or song is clapping for her and she smiles and makes cute sounds. She loves the other kids moving around and really likes the songs they sing. They do have a baby story time on another day, we've just never been because it's easier to bring Kylie to big kid story time than to force Will to join in baby story time. Maybe we'll make it one of these days, though.

Instead of a movie clip this week, the kids gathered together and went trick-or-treating in the library. They hit up the circulation desk, the reference desk, and the children's desk, gathering stickers, stamps, and lollipops.

Preschool Halloween Party

Yesterday, our fire fighter had a Halloween party at his school. We are lucky enough to have made some great friends in Virginia and Will's buddy's Dad watched Kylie and their younger one so the two Moms could go to the party. Siblings are not allowed in the classroom during school hours. So Mommy got to go to the party and watch Will do the hokey-pokey, play pin the nose on the Jack-o-Lantern, and make pumpkin pizza.

They also played a game of musical chairs, which is probably not the best choice of a game for a bunch of kids who are just learning to share and don't like to get "out". Well, lesson learned, I'm sure.

Will and his classmates had a great time celebrating in their costumes. Will's buddy, Smith, was a soldier, and on the way home, Will asked, "Mommy? Why Smith being my Daddy for Halloween? He have on Daddy clothes today." Oh, the life of a Marine Corps kid.

Leave Them Be

We are just loving autumn in Virginia. The leaves are changing and the neighborhood is full of colorful leaves. Which delights the neighborhood kids armed with rakes.



After dinner, we took a little bike ride around the block where we met up with the neighborhood gang of kids busy raking a big pile. They were excited to have some younger kids to bury in the leaves.


Will and Kylie happily oblidged. Kylie wasn't as festive as she usually is because we just discovered she has an ear infection as a result of the cold she's been battling the last week and a half. She's got her 10 day anti-biotic and we're hopeful she'll be back to herself shortly.