Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from Snow White and her octopus...

Trying to get a good picture before trick or treating

It was almost Emme's bedtime as we were getting ready to leave, but she was such a trooper...until you take her pacifier out I guess.

Snow White!

Our little octopus.

Showing off our pumpkins.

Out trick or treating! We had so much fun! What a difference a year makes. Hannah was so into it and wanted "more, more, more" candy. She literally pushed Joe to the side to get to the next house and Emme did great! We made a loop around the block from our house which was more than enough! Here she's running through the leaves on her way to the next house.

When we got home, Hannah dumped all of her candy for Mommy and Daddy to check and for a picture of her loot! We sat Emme next to her and right away she started grabbing for the candy. Hannah started saying "no, no, no" and moving it away. It was really funny.

After convincing Hannah that we wouldn't let Emme eat any of her candy, she agreed to put it back, but wouldn't take her eyes off of Emme.

We let Hannah eat 2 pieces of candy when we got home. One of them she picked was a kit kat and even though she was rather greedy wanting more candy while trick or treating, she offered one of the kit kats to her Daddy. So sweet. Always willing to share with Mommy and Daddy. Then the 3 of us (Emme was already in bed) watched "The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", our annual tradition. Such a great night.

We hope everyone had a great Halloween!!

Almost Halloween

OK, so today is actually Halloween, but the pictures are from the days leading up to it....and getting in the spirit.

Our carved pumpkin! Hannah picks out the face (from Mommy's very small repertoire) and cleans out all of the seeds and then Mommy carves it.

Where did Emme go?

There she is!

Hannah's turn with the witch hat....fits her a little better.

Being silly!

Yesterday was orange day at Hannah's school and I was the parent helper (along with my trustee little companion, Emme) so we were all decked out in orange for Halloween. I made the kids "monster" rice crispy treats (rice crispy treats decorated with frosting to look like Frankenstein) which were a huge hit and then there was a party with face painting, bobbing for apples (the H1N1 version so as not to share germs), pumpkin decorating, and games. We all had a great time! And now tonight....TRICK OR TREATING!!! Hannah is very excited.

Halloween at Waltham library

Last Friday, we started off our Halloween celebrations with a trip to the Waltham library. There they had Halloween arts and crafts and face painting for the kids.

Hannah not really wanting to get her picture taken. Can you tell?
And then to the next extreme! It's always one or the other. There is rarely a middle ground with Hannah.

Coloring her pumpkin while sporting her new "crown" she decorated!

The next day in the car, Hannah remembered her treats from the library, an eye patch and neon green fangs. She also thinks this hat makes her look like a pirate for some reason and has been wearing it a lot lately to school. She tells me when the boys play "bad man" (meaning they chase her), she turns around and says "arrrrr" (as a pirate) and chases them instead.

Emme at lunch sitting in the high chair like a big girl! She always starts out sitting well, but then slowly starts slumping little by little. That's when we know she's tired and we rescue her...

Haunted Hayride

We went with some friends today to Wilson's Farm for a haunted hayride. Wilson's Farm is a local farm that has a small grocery shop as well. Hannah actually took a tour of the entire farm as a field trip with her class last week, but Mommy wanted to check it out too! And the tour given by Mrs. Wilson did not include the hayride.

Hannah, Abby, and Noah.


Waiting for the ride to begin. It was such a beautiful day today too, must have been about 70! After being so cold last week, it felt really nice!

There were "spooky" Halloween decorations all around the farm. At one point, we even went into a tunnel. The spookiest part of all for me was the "mud pit" we were driving through. It was a bumpy ride!

After the hayride, we went into the shop and picked out our pumpkins!

Emme - 7 months

Emme is 7 months old! Her latest stats... 27 in. and 16.2 lbs (ironically, the exact weight Charlie was at his annual vet visit last week too).

She is really working on crawling. It's like she knows what to do, but her body just won't do it. From sitting she gets herself into the position below and can't get her second foot out from under her. And then when she finally does, it usually means her face has fallen to the floor. But she's working on it every day and it won't be long now, I fear! : )



Here I come Mommy!

I should mention...the outfit was Joe's sister, Sarah, that he gave to her when he was going to college, 20 some odd years ago at University of Lowell (now U Mass Lowell). How cute is that? It's the perfect outfit for a rainy day Sunday! Oh and her hair has a bit of aquaphor in it to help with a little cradle cap, hence the rocker chic look!

Showing her happiness! When she gets happy, she flails her arms and often her head all about. It has ended in a few bumps as you can imagine!

Our angelic baby!

Last week, Emme had her first fever. Not one of the firsts you look forward to. She was down and out for a few days, only wanting to cuddle. It was so sad, but she is now on the mend (still a bit of a cough) and back to her usual happy self! Thank goodness!

Solid foods are still hit and miss, but she has started on some finger foods, cheerios and the like. She seems to like them...when she can make them to her mouth! Hannah continues to be a great help with Emme. She is my go to girl for entertainment when I need to get something done (i.e. dinner made) and Emme is unwilling to play by herself. Hannah reads to her, sings to her, makes funny faces, .... I love watching their relationship grow! It is the sweetest thing.

Pumpkin Fair

Yesterday, we went to a "pumpkin fair" at a local church. It was a small fair that had pumpkin decorating, face painting, games, etc.

Hannah's first request, the bouncy house. Turns out, it is quite hard to take a picture of her while bouncing.

There, I got her to stop long enough...

Emme enjoying her usual view on Daddy.

Her prize for winning a game...pink fangs.

Decorating a pumpkin.

Showing off her pumpkin, face painting, and another set of fangs (from another game. There were different prizes, but she really liked those fangs).

And afterwards, digging up our sweet potatoes from our garden! While it wasn't the best year for gardening, we got lots of yummy vegetables from our shared garden this year...broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, beets, bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, ...So yummy!

Oh and one of Joe's favorite purchases this year (besides his wood chipper so that he can make his own mulch), our new rain barrel (the large terra cotta looking pot). Our garden is watered using collected rainwater!

The new do

I have been trying to get Hannah to get her hair cut shorter for quite some time now. Brushing her hair was often a struggle, but she was always against the idea. "no mommy, I want long hair" was always the answer. Well one day I got my hair cut shorter and when I got home, it all changed. "mommy, you look beautiful (I can always count on Han for a compliment), I want my hair cut just like yours". I jumped at the chance and the very next week, Hannah was sporting a new shorter do! She just loves her new short hair. And she is still adorable as always!

Trying to get a good picture isn't always easy...

Goofy girl.

Completely bored with a half try at a smile...

Finally a smile...

Mini me.

Emme - 6 months....belated

Late I know, but I was waiting for her 6 month check up before I did the post and then it kept getting postponed (her doctor had knee surgery and took longer than expected to recover). Her new appt. is set for next week (at almost 7 months) but I thought I'd post a few pictures that I took of Emme a few weeks ago.

This month, Emme has found her feet and boy are they tasty, as is everything else. Ironically, the one thing she doesn't like to put in her mouth....food. She especially likes to suck on her yummy toes while I am changing her diaper.

She's really good at sitting these days and is now lunging for toys on the floor from the sitting position, often ending up on her belly. She's better at navigating the lunge too now so that she doesn't land with a thud on the floor. That was never fun!

So excited she's flailing her arms!

Such a happy baby.

Sisterly love! Hannah can really make Emme laugh these days. It's one of Hannah's favorite past times.

Still working on tummy time. She definitely isn't as stationary as she used to be. She likes to scoot around within a few feet of where she is put down (either on her bum or tummy).

Playing with mommy!

Emme likes to play with toys more and more these days. She is often content to sit on the floor and play with her toys while Mommy gets a few things done. But she loves it even more when you come play with her! She has started to like peek a boo and likes when I sing songs to her. Any one will do!

This past month or so Emme has enjoyed tasting many different foods. She is now at 2 meals of solid foods a day. Well, let's say twice a day she sits down and is offered solid foods. Sometimes she eats and sometimes she doesn't. But she always loves her sips of water from a cup afterwards. Even if a meal hasn't gone so well, she lights up when I offer her a cup of water (if it were always only this easy). When she is in the mood for food, she loves to try and feed herself. I always keep a second spoon handy though because she never wants to let the first one go for a refill.

More to come as next week she turns 7 months old.