October 31

Aside from the fact that we only had three groups of trick-or-treaters come to our door tonight, it was a wildly successful Halloween here.

We started the morning with this recipe for grain-free cinnamon raisin bread, per Amber's suggestion. Delicious!

Then Chris' mom came over for some play time with the kids. Caleb was absolutely giddy - he adores his grandmother! And I'm pretty sure that once Daisy gets more physical and verbal, there will be some tussles over Grandmother's affections.

See? Giddy about Grandmother.

And this girl was so happy about Grandmother's visit that she was even willing to smile for the camera!

(Well, that and the fact that she's really interested in seeing herself in my camera. If she knows she'll get to see the picture, she often gives me a big grin.)

After naps, Caleb and Daisy got to put on their Halloween costumes. Shortly after our trip to Florida, Caleb determined that he wanted to be a pilot for Halloween. And then, to our delight, he added that he wanted Daddy to  be his co-pilot, and Daisy to be the flight attendant. We later decided that I would be the air traffic controller.

I put Daisy in her costume, and she immediately went to the mirror to check herself out.

This was her reaction. She loved it! 

I made the jumper, used a collared shirt that was Caleb's when he was a baby, fashioned a scarf out of a scrap of fabric, and added airline wings and a pilot's hat. Voila - flight attendant!

After both kids were costumed, we went outside to see the pumpkins that Chris and I carved for them last night. This owl was my handiwork, and Daisy loved it. Really, she was captivated.

Chris used the drill to make a pinhole airplane for Captain Caleb. (Thanks for the idea, Sara!) Caleb approved.

Aren't they the sweetest things ever? 

Our neighbor, Curtis, is a young man with  Down Syndrome. He saw us outside, opened his window, and shouted hello. The kids were so happy to see him!

Stewardess Daisy and Captain Caleb!

Caleb's outfit was pretty easy - he already had the shirt, tie, and pants, and I bought his hat online. All I had to do was fashion the epaulettes out of cardboard, fabric, and hot glue, then stitch them on. 

Oh, and Chris had a costume, too. His was exactly like Caleb's, only bigger. I am quite thankful that my dad worked for the airlines for so many years and that my mom never throws anything away (ever.), because Mom was able to supply us with three sets of airline wings. I think they really completed the costumes.

Also, please notice how happy Caleb was. I love that everyone's costumes were his idea!

Our sweet little runny-nosed stewardess! She's really walking now!

Did I mention she loved her pumpkin? Here, she's giving the owl a kiss.

On our way to the neighborhood Halloween party. I really wanted to fashion some airplane wings for the BOB out of cardboard and duct tape, but I ran out of time.

Caleb was surprisingly eager to play the games and win candy.

No games for Daisy, though. She just took it all in.

One tween girl was dressed as PSY, and had a stereo blasting "Gangnam Style". 

Caleb got his Gangnam on. The funniest part? His moves were actually pretty close to PSY's moves in the video.

I love this.

LOVE it.

Oh, and how about a few after-dark photos of our pumpkin masterpieces? 

Caleb's airplane, and Daisy's owl. (Have I mentioned that she snuggles up with her owl lovey from Auntie Grace every time she goes to sleep? She's totally into owls.)

And the backs of the pumpkins.

All in all, a great Halloween!

October 29

I'm sure everyone on the internet has been anxiously awaiting pictures of the children's painted pumpkins, right?

No?

Too bad. These are the only pictures I took today.

Daisy was so pleased with her little pumpkin!

They're not exactly neat, but they sure are neat!

He liked his pumpkin, too!

But wait until you see the carved ones!

October 28

Do you remember yesterday when we let our kids eat junk because it was easier? Yeah. Well, it turns out that it's not easier; we are definitely seeing the effects today of the food they ate yesterday, and it's not pretty. Even Caleb's teachers at church mentioned that he was less cooperative than normal today, and had to be given directions several times. Hmm. Note to self: it's not worth it. 

I had hoped to carve our pumpkins today - it's one of my favorite parts of Halloween. 

(Do you remember pumpkin carving from previous years? Here's a refresher:

2011

2010

I somehow didn't blog about it in 2009. Oops.)

Unfortunately, I sliced my thumb open yesterday, and that kind of hampers my ability to handle knives and pumpkins. Really, it's hindering my ability to do pretty much everything... Regardless, we started the process, but didn't finish. Chris did the hollowing and grunt work, and I chose designs, but we didn't get around to actually carving.

Daisy LOVES her pumpkin. As soon as Chris brought it in, she began yelling, "Pun-KIE! Pun-KIE!" Over and over and over. Loves that pumpkin. The photo above may have been when she danced with her pumpkin. Really. She held on to it and bounced and wiggled with all her might. Funny girl.

Her pumpkin even inspired her to do some walking! However, her tights were a bit slippery, so we took a quick break for a wardrobe change.

Caleb and Daisy were very interested in what Chris was doing, but Caleb was a little upset that Daddy was cutting into his beloved pumpkin.

More pumpkin dancing.

Chris wore rubber gloves for the gut-scooping part, and of course Daisy and Caleb wanted gloves, too. Then Chris convinced Daisy to peer into her empty pumpkin and give it a sniff.

The kids took a break from pumpkin carving to sing and dance on the "stage". They're a good little duo!

Eventually, we all lost interest in the carving, so we moved on to a project for Caleb and Daisy, using their little pumpkins from the pumpkin farm. I found this idea on one of my favorite blogs, and they loved it!

I used contact paper to tape designs on their pumpkins, then let them paint away.

It was Daisy's first painting experience - before this, she's only been allowed to "paint" with edible things. So of course the first thing she did was stick the gloppy paint brush in her mouth. Not so tasty. At least it was nontoxic!

Once she got the hang of it, Daisy really enjoyed herself. She even painted with both hands!

Chris and Daisy were pretty pleased with their work

She's a budding Jackson Pollock!

Caleb was funny about the pumpkin painting. Though he was very neat and precise, his painting was...  not so pretty. But he really enjoyed himself!

She really wanted to see pictures of herself on my camera, but didn't understand why I wouldn't let her get close to it. Not a chance, girlfriend!

After the kids had finished painting. I peeled the contact paper off to reveal the designs. I think the pumpkins turned out pretty well, and Caleb and Daisy really enjoyed themselves. The pumpkins are still drying now (it was A LOT of paint!) but I'll take pictures of the finished product tomorrow.

Oh, also? We just realized that this girl is learning to count!

October 27

(Pardon my typing - I sliced my thumb open with a chef's knife today, and mangled my pointer finger yesterday. Two wounded fingers = clumsy typing. Except that I'm too much of a perfectionist to publish an error-filled blog post, so I'm going back and fixing everything. So this is taking twice as long. Nevermind.)

Earlier this week, our neighbors invited to join their extended family for their annual end-of-October bonfire. Since we're always up for a bonfire, we were quick to accept. What fun we had tonight!

How cute is she? It was a little bit chilly this evening, but our kiddos are good at bundling. Plus, a little bit chilly is the perfect weather for bonfires!

*sigh*

That red coat is probably one of my favorite Daisy purchases so far. I loved it so much, I even paid full price for it. (Of course, when it went on sale a week and a half later, I went back and got my additional 25% off. But still. I was willing to pay full price for it.)

Did I mention that this bonfire also featured fireworks? One of the neighbors owns a pyrotechnics company, and the bonfire coincides with the neighbor's annual fall "get rid of the old fireworks" display. Caleb spent the first thirty minutes covering his ears.

Eventually we convinced him that because his doggie hat has ear flaps, it would protect his ears from the noise. Win!

This was how the children responded when Wayne, our host, poured kerosene on the fire.

Oh. In addition to a bonfire and food and fireworks, there were also hay rides. It was a pretty great event. Both Calebs had so much fun!

Daisy looks suspicious, but I think she enjoyed the hay ride, too.

Off they go!

I know- her little nose is red. But the rest of her was warm. And look at those darling little boots! (Thanks, Jen!)

Caleb eventually grabbed himself a hot dog (we threw the new diet out for the night - it was just easier) and settled in between our neighbors. He spent a good chunk of the evening snuggled up with Mary. I love that he loves them so much, and that they love him in return!

Daisy was enthralled by the fireworks.

Caleb was enthralled with the marshmallow-toasting stick. Don't worry - no one was harmed. Just a few helpless marshmallows, who met their fiery demise.

October 26

Oh, Daisy. 

You are all girl, and a stubborn one at that.

You clutch your dolls fiercely to your chest, loving them with all your might - even when no one is looking.

You insist on the pink shoes with the bows, and fret if I try to make you wear something else. You call the bows "flowers".

You won't let me put a bow in your hair, but when I'm not looking you do it yourself and then grin proudly at me.

When your brother dances on his "stage", you match him move for move.

You fought valiantly against the fleece pajamas, even if they were the ones with hearts on them. Despite the tears, all it took to bring you back to smiles was storytime with Daddy and Caleb.

You are a precious gift, even if you did start my day at 3:52 this morning. 

(But you better not do it again.)