Halloween 2014

Last year I took photos of Michael and Sophie in their Halloween costumes the day before the big day knowing the weather for trick-or-treating was going to be less than ideal.  We're having some unseasonably comfortable weather right now, so I got some costume pictures over the weekend.  I love how doing so ahead of time takes the pressure off!  Now we can just have fun, get pizza sauce on costumes, and let hair buns get destroyed by fairy wings.  (Tip: Google "sock bun" if you need a little girl up-do tutorial--crazy easy.  Great for grown-ups, too.)

I have been looking at our "new" yard all year wondering if there will be any good leaves for the kids to play in come fall, and I didn't think there would be.  What's pretty awesome is there aren't any big leaves on our propery, but  there are several maple trees in the common area just beyond our yard.  All the fun and none of the raking!  Someone planned that wisely.

Miss Sophie enjoys getting her picture taken these days.  Michael doesn't hate it, but he tenses up a bit (doesn't smile naturally, looks down a lot).  I've taught his dad to force a light laugh when smiling for a picture which has helped him.  We're working on that with Michael!

Have a boo-ti-ful Halloween!

Jokesters

Back on the morning of Mother's Day, I looked up a bunch of knock-knock jokes and riddles to share with Michael and Sophie.  I don't recall what inspired me to do so, but we have been telling, re-telling, and revising these jokes for months now.

For example...




When changing jokes or making up jokes of their own, the kids are sometimes off the mark of actual humor...



but we tend to end up laughing anyway.




They keep us smiling!

Orchard Day

This past weekend was to include the kids' first fun run at a 5K event that Mike participated in. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate, so only Mike went. We didn't want the kids' first run to be in miserable wintery cold.

We also planned to hit an orchard on Sunday, an activity that in many opinions is only enhanced by a brisk chill in the air.  Still, we did change the original plans from going in the morning (weather.com said it would feel like 36 degrees) to the afternoon (almost 50 degrees).

This is the same orchard we have visited every year since Michael and Sophie were babies, one in Mike's hometown.

Six Months Old

FOUR YEARS and Six Months Old







We should probably work on our selfie smiles.

Sunday also happened to be Mike's birthday (he didn't want a fuss).  His parents met us at the orchard, and we all had dinner nearby.

On Monday afternoon the kids and I made apple sauce, and we will snack and snack and snack on apples for quite a while, I suspect.  Michael only ate a few bites of his dinner tonight (pasta with meat sauce baked with mozzerella on top--usually a favorite of his) before begging for an apple.  We let him indulge!