Fall Frolick!

Everyone else has been blogging about their rompings in the leaves. Here's our little romp! Aaron got really grumpy while I was raking up all the piles, so he was in bed asleep. Elena didn't really know you could play in the leaves- it was a new concept for her. She wasn't responding when I was trying to coax her to "jump" into the leaves. Until I said "Swim!" That she understood!





Then she proceeded to take a pretend nap right in the middle of swimming!



She cracks me up. It actually looks quite comfortable! I took a video or her playing too that I will have to upload later at my in-laws because my internet is way too slow. So stay tuned!

Later on tonight, I came home from work to an empty house and had about a half an hour of alone time! Ahhhhh. Anyway, I could have chosen to clean the house, or watch tv, but decided instead to carve our pumpkin. Heck, it's been a few years since I have been able to. So it may look a little...shall we say, amateur, but I like it. It's got character. I used the big scar on it to my advantage, making it into Quasimodo.


Pretty goofy, eh? Besides, who's afraid of a smiling pumpkin?



When I was cleaning out the pumpkin, I saved all the seeds because I think they're so good all toasted and seasoned. But I came across the weirdest thing! One of the seeds was beginning to sprout while inside its mother pumpkin. Is that normal? I ask you?? It was so odd looking that I got a picture of it. I hope it's clear enough to see.




I don't think I'll eat this one...

Trunk-or-Treat

Friday night was our annual tri-ward Trunk-or Treat in the church parking lot. We've always gone, even before we had kids, because- heck, it's Halloween! This year Jim dressed up as a red-neck trucker- complete with a baseball hat with nasty, greasy (fake) long hair coming out of it. Yep, it was his idea. You may ask yourselves if I dressed the part of his woman. I'll have you know that I did no such thing, nor was there any amount of money in the world that would entice me to do so. I had no original ideas of my own. (Short on time and brain power.) So I grabbed what was on sale: a Guenivere costume. Elena was my little pumpkin, and Aaron was my little frog. He played around in the trunk while I handed out candy and other goodies to the kids & teens. (James likes to give out baseball cards.) Jim took Elena around and made sure to get hoardes of candy for his own happy consumption. (Oh, but I made sure he shared!) The kids got a few pieces too. :)
Here's Jim making the rounds.

Before we all went outside we had a chili and dessert cook-off. I had no time to do the chili, so I made a bunch of cornbread to complement the chili. (I just realized I left my container at the church, oops!) But there was a lot of scrumptious food! And of course the winner for the most calories was the coconut cheesecake, of which I had an ample amount. While we ate, the breezeway had been turned into a play area with little jungle gyms and air mattresses for the young and energetic. Elena played a lot with her friend Courtney. Aren't they cute?

Here's a dorky picture of us, with the antsy kids.

They then had a costume parade around the gym, and then we went outside. It was such nice weather! In years past it has been too yucky to be outside and we had to decorate classrooms instead. So, we had a good time. Afterwards, we stopped by Jim's parents' house because his brother and wife (John & Cacilda) were in town and we wanted to see them. At that point I was able to get better pictures of the kids in their costumes.

My Lil' Punkin!

My Lil' Ribbit!
So hers was a little small, and his was a little big. But I had to use what I already had while they still don't care what costume they dress up in for Halloween! Jim's dressing up again friday to take Elena around the block. Better believe it!

It's Spooky Time!

Halloween is Jim's favorite Holiday, so we like to get some spooky decorations going on. Here is the front of the house, with our spoOOooky graveyard! This is normally our flower box. We also have a "bad guy rock" (Elena's pet name) which has a motion sensor and cackles evilly at you with flashing lights that say "Go Back". It's already frightnened off a few salespeople...I hope.







Inside we have our little spooOOooky village. We plug it all in at night for optimum effect. (Another freecycle find). Fun stuff, no?




We also have other festive odds and ends around the house- like the 4-foot glow-in-the-dark skeleton hanging on our front door! It's a fun time of year!

Help me!

The other day we were playing on a great big, very cool jungle gym, and Elena said something that really cracked me up. She was way up high above my head, grabbing the bars and crying "help me!" Which from her sounds more like "hehp meeee!" I should have gotten it on video because it sounded so cute. (She was just playing, not upset or anything.)


Ah, just the very place for a damsel in distress- a turret.

Oh, boy! We even found a tunnel!


And of course, Mr. I'm-too-good-for-these-manmade-playthings would rather delve into the more impressive aspects of the local flora. Give him a jungle gym and a pile of dirt, and this boy would choose the pile of dirt. And eat it too. Just like most boys, I'm sure. I had to fish out many a wood chip from his little toothy mouth.

We are so grateful to have this nice weather so late in the year! Keep those 70 degree days coming!

Weights & Measures

So, we finally made it to the pediatrician for Aaron's 1 year check-up. Elena was sad she wasn't getting checked out. She kept saying "Doctor!" and measuring her own head with the measuring tape. Odd, since she has never shown an affinity to doctor's visits in the past...it must be the doctor toys she has- stethescope, play needle and so on. I guess they did the trick!

So, at one year of age, Aaron weighs 25.5 pounds, is 31 1/2 inches tall, and has an average head circumference. This is the first time in his life, besides when he was born that he has been below the 90th percentile with his weight. Sheesh! Compare that to Elena at 1 year old: 21.7 pounds and 31 3/4 inches tall. He's my stocky little man!

With a nice 'do too...

I think he's doing one of his fake-coughs. Another Aaron game.