Halloween 2012

My mom was already at our house because she watched Sophia for me on Halloween morning when I went to help with Sam's preschool party.  I was incedibly grateful for her help because, in between all of the festvities of the day, we put together a nice meal before we went trick-or-treating.  Steve's parents came over to join us and we dined on beef stew, flaky biscuits, salad and a few dessert goodies.

After our early dinner, I set to work getting the girls dressed in their Halloween costumes.  Sophia was a pig; she wore the same costume that Sam did -- two years ago -- and it was perfect for her.  She was one of the cutest little pigs I have ever seen!

Samantha's turn:

My little pig and owl:

Steve surprised us with his chef costume.  The girls really loved it!

Another picture of my family:

I dressed up as Snow White.  Frankly, Sam was more excited about my costume than anything else.  She told everyone that I was going to be Snow White for Halloween and then proceeded to ask all of the neighbors if they thought that her momma was the prettiest Snow White ever!  It was the cutest thing ...

My owl, spreading her wings:

This picture just cracks me up.  As we were getting ready to head out the door to go trick-or-treating, Sophia passed by the candy bowl that I had set-up for passing out candy at our house.  She stopped at the bowl and started filling her bucket with OUR candy!  It was as if she was thinking, "why should I have to go outside when I have all of this candy right here?!"

The girls had a good time trick-or-treating.  We only went to a few houses (our immediate neighbors) because it was down-right cold with a misting rain.  Steve carried Sophia the whole time, and she was very adament about the fact that she wanted to carry her own bucket (even when it started to get heavy).  Sophia totally understood the whole concept of trick-or-treating ... going up to the door, saying "trick-or-treat" and having her bucket filled. 

Once we came back home, the girls had even more fun passing out candy to the trick-or-treaters at our house.  They would race to the door whenever they heard the doorbell ring!

Happy Halloween!

Samantha's Preschool Halloween Party

I am one of the "Room Moms" for Samantha's preschool class.  That means that I am in charge of planning the holiday parties (along with one other mom), and that I need to be there to oversee the festivities.  Because I couldn't take Sophia with me, my mom came to town to watch her for me.

The party began at 10:00 am on Halloween morning.  I arrived a few minutes before 10:00 so that I could help her get into her owl costume.

We started the party out with a snack (the kids usually have their snack at this same time during the normal school morning).

Then, we chose a craft project for the kids.  We knew that the teacher was planning to have a pinata filled with candy, so we opted to have the kids each decorate a bag with Halloween stickers and their names so they would have something to put all of their goodies into.

Sam wrote her name all by herself:

Then, Mrs. Hicks took the time to explain to all of the children exactly how the pinata was going to work.

Sam made quick work of filling her candy bag!

After the pinata, we played a game of hot potato.  Whoever ended up with the potato when the music stopped, was able to choose a full-sized candy bar and received an award for the best costume.

I brought a Halloween story to school ("Scaredy Cat Splat") and read it to all of the children.  They loved it! 

After that, they all took turns reciting their play that they had been practicing called "Five Little Pumpkins."  Sam did great for her part!

Overall, it was a wonderful party and each of the kids seemed to have a really nice time.  They got LOTS of candy and treats, and I think that they really enjoyed being able to see the other kids' costumes. 

Carving Pumpkins

After dinner on Monday night, we set to work carving pumpkins.  We only carved two this year, but they were certainly big ones!  The girls rolled back their sleeves, donned their aprons, and set to work.

At first, Samantha took the lead, and Sophia simply observed.  She wasn't really sure that she wanted to touch all of the gooey inside parts.

In fact, it wasn't long before Sophia was calling for her cloth.  That girl has never been one that could stand anything dirty on her hands.

But then, Steve let her take her own top off the other pumpkin.  She was "hooked" at that point.

There was no stopping her then.





Yes, we were having a blast!

Sam decided all on her own that she would add ears to the pumpkin.  Pretty creative, I must say.

Samantha, with her finished product:

Lounging in the Leaves

One night last week, Steve took the girls outside so that they could play in the leaves after dinner.  All of the leaves are now off most of our trees, and they continue to blow throughout the yard.  The girls seemed to have so much fun just rolling around in them!

Louging around:

Having so much fun:

Sophia is 20 Months Old

Sophia is becoming such a spirited and expressive child!  I am loving it ...  She brings such joy to our lives; there is constant giggling from both her and Samantha.  While some days, she does wake up with a devious attitude, she manages to always smooth things over with a kiss and hug for her Momma.

Here are some things that she has been up to lately:

Whenever I ask her to smile for a picture, I get this look:

She loves feeding her "babies;" regardless of whether they resemble humans or not.  And she takes her role very seriously.

Taking time to smell the flowers:

She loves doing chalk drawings:

Sophia's first popcorn party with Momma.  Needless to say, it was a success.

If I would let Sophia wear cowgirl boots during all hours of the day, she would.  These boots were Sam's (and are a little too big for Sophia), but that doesn't matter.  The girl loves boots.

One morning when Sophia wasn't feeling too well, she spent some quality time with her daddy.  It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen.



The girls created quite the mess outside of their toy box.  And of course, Sophia couldn't miss an opportunity to climb (where does she get the spunk to do that?).  So, here she was -- on top of the empty toy box.

One of the biggest changes in Sophia this month is how much easier she is adapting to people coming and going.  The mere sight of someone leaving our house without her was enough to send her into a complete tailspin.  She would burst into tears and begin hyperventilating ... on cue.  Now, whenever we explain that someone is leaving, she will say "bye" and blow a kiss.  No big deal.

One such thing that makes the idea of Sam leaving for school easier for Sophia is if she gets to take her own "backpack."  (It is actually the matching lunch box that accompanies Sam's backpack).  It makes her feel like she is part of the event, I guess.

She even knows which side of the car is her side to get in on:

And finally -- this picture melts my heart.  She looks so grown-up!

Dance Observation

At Samantha's dance class this week, parents were allowed to come and observe the little dancers during their scheduled dance time.  It is highly encouraged that we attend because it provides an audience, as well as giving the kids a chance to show us what they have learned in the last 5 weeks.

For the first 15 minutes or so, the dancers always do their stretches and warm-up.

Sam, doing her butterfly stretch:

Splits!

Doing her straddle:

Then, the dancers work on small dance routines that they practice first ... and then put to music.

Doing her "boogie" (part of one of the dance routines):

Towards the end, the dancers break up into three groups and take turns doing various tumbling exercises with the teachers.

Sam, practicing her backbend:

Starting a cartwheel:

Finishing her balance beam routine:

Perhaps the most exciting part for Samantha was the flashlight dance at the end!  The teachers turned out the lights, flipped on their flashlights and the kids got to dance to a Mickey Mouse song while being in the "spotlights."  Even the parents got to partake!

This dance class has been a very positive experience for Samantha.  She has made a lot of friends (one of them is even in her preschool class) and she seems to just thrive in this environment.  She looks forward to her class every week (only 45 minutes, one night a week) and comes home just as excited as she was when she left.  While I only paid for one 10 week term because I wasn't sure if she would like it, I plan to pay for the remaining two terms this calendar year and allow her to continue.  I really am happy that she enjoys it so much ...

Family Wedding

Last weekend, we attended my cousin's wedding in Howell.  The girls were so excited to wear their dresses to the big event!

The ceremony took place outside, under a covered pavilion, but the rain and wind kept blowing in from the sides.  Luckily, we were far enough in that none of us got wet! 

The girls each wanted to sit next to my mom during the ceremony:

We then headed to a beautifully decorated ballroom to enjoy appetizers before dinner.  I tried to get a few pictures at that time, but the girls were anxious to be able to move around and explore the place.  They did cooperate for a few obligatory photos, though.

The girls weren't looking at the camera, but I decided that I would take what I could get!



Sam posing with Alyssa, my brother's girlfriend.  (Afterwards, I noticed that the chandelier behind her gives the illusion that she is wearing a crown!):

Sam and Levi are second cousins.  Levi is 8 months older than her and they get along so nicely.  In fact, the two of them spent much of the evening out on the dancefloor, chasing each other around.

Speasking of dancing, this little cutie was showing off some of her moves to me:

The three of them, just having a great time:

Sophia spent some time on the sidelines of the dance floor, just hanging with her daddy:

Sam, dancing with her daddy:

Steve and me:

We left around 8:45 pm because it was a little bit of a drive home for us and the girls were starting to get a tad bit tired.  We changed them out of their dresses and into the pajamas that I had packed for them so that they would be all ready for bed by the time we got home.  Both Steve and I were surprised that neither one of the girls really fell asleep on the way home (Sam snoozed for the last 5 minutes or so), but they definitely fell asleep quickly after we tucked them in bed!