Happy Halloween!!

What cuties all dressed up and ready to go!

Little J and B are ready to head out to a spooky

festival put on by the housing area we live in.

Pumpkins carved and ready for Halloween. Little J was excited to participate this year and LOVED it and B as always was estatic! Little A even tried to get in on the action, of course!

The pumpkins gave out some pretty eerie effects once the lights were all turned out!!

Just had to post this of Little A because I think it's soooo adorable!! Being her Mommy every picture of her is adorable, but this one she actually is beginning to look like an adorable toddler rather than an adorable baby. Perhaps it's the bling?! I believe this was her first sucker. We're usually in the car when we have them, coming home from the beloved bank that gives them out, and I didn't ever want her having one when I couldn't watch her. You may understand, if not I'll give you a warning, sucker sticks can be swallowed in their entirety--just ask sweet little J. The Dr. will likely tell you everything will be ok, but naturally not trusting Dr.'s intincts you may pray real hard and indeed everything does turn out ok. But, it's not something you'd want to happen again or to another unsuspecting sucker sucker.

Thanks, thanks said Mrs. Banks

So, today I overheard little J repeat one of my favorite semi-common lines to B while they were playing. "Thanks, thanks said Mrs. Banks". It's from a book called "I Wish That I Had Duck Feet" by none other than one of my favorite children's authors, Dr. Seuss. It is about a boy thinking he would like to have various animal parts: a whale spout, duck feet, an elephant trunk, a long, long tail etc. but discovers he likes himself just the way he is. This particular line is said when he has a whale spout and the teacher is happy he is keeping the school cooler with it. So, little J thinks it's hilarious when I say this when I'm in a silly mood and am thanking one of the kiddos. When I heard him say it I chose to not say anything and interupt their play but I giggled to myself for some time. I just love that kid!

B made me giggle the other day too. We were at a city team hockey game and the big Zamboni came out. This is their favorite part of a hockey game. I asked B why the Zamboni doesn't slide around on the ice. With no hesitation she replied with a 'you're-being-silly-Mommy' giggle "because it doesn't have skates!". I went home and did a little research on the machine as I should know more about it if we're going to keep attending hockey games and it being our favorite part and all. Zamboni got it's name from the man who invented it--an Italian immigrant family. And, oddly enough he was born in Eureka, Utah and of all places developed it in Southern California. It's speed tops out at 9 mph. On average, a Zamboni machine "travels" close to 2,000 miles each year in the course of resurfacing. More than 7,000 Zamboni machines have been delivered around the world. Prior to the invention of the Zamboni machine, the manual resurfacing of the ice sheet required three or four workers and took over one hour to complete.

Little A is talking up a storm these days and understands SO much. She's learning so many new words. My favorite is when she brings a book and says, "Booou" and backs up to me for me to set her on my lap and read. Some of her newer words are airplane, Grandpa and choo choo and it's so cute! This to me is a new adventure. B started speaking in literally 8 word sentances but not until 18 months. J, as many of you know, is a late talker and has had some stumbling blocks which didn't help--namely impacted wax and ear infections/allergies, tight under-the-tongue thingy and a very talkative sister. So, this process with little A has been very fun and it's more of what you would expect from an 'average' child. It's amazing how they are each so different. We love just them all to pieces!!

This is a bit of what we've been up to lately:

Little J using an apple peeler to peel apples that he himself picked off an apple tree. He and grandma are working on canning them.

At the annual Wings Festival. Giddy Little J got to see SO many planes take off and land. They even got to sit in a few planes and in one try out the stick which moves the elevaters up and down.

Little A at a farm we went to on the way to Seattle. She got so silly over these pumpkins!

The farm even had this adorable little Cow Train that little J and B rode all around the farm!

Riding the elephant at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.

B's fave: flamingos

J's fave: snakes and giraffes

Little A's fave: everything but especially the Komodo Dragons!
MY fave: watching the kiddos faces light up and

little J run and jump to "see more animals"!

Little A was 'backpack girl' for a day. She did everything with this on. Even pretended she was off to school, gave kisses and headed out the door saying "bye bye" all the way!