Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween 2012!!

Man, this is a late entry (Since we were out TRICK OR TREATING until late at night! Well...late for me)

I hope you all had a lovely Halloween...luckily, our community was not affected too badly, so we were able to go out and enjoy the holiday...our thoughts to out to people who's Halloweens were postponed due to the storm, and especially those dealing with power outages and damage...I hope things get back to normal as soon as possible...

I felt very fortunate that, not only were we able to carry on, but that Mom made it home from work in time to join us! I was a little hesitant at first....I was feeling a bit stressed out and overwhelmed...also a little scared! It was dark out there, and we were just walking around the neighborhood! In the dark! Luckily, Dad gave me control of the flashlight (I know, Dad...point it down! I heard you!) so I felt a little better...also, I met up with some friends from my preschool class....they helped me loosen up a bit, and really enjoy the night!

There were SO many kids out trick or treating in the neighborhood! It was so cool to see everyone's costumes! This picture has a shot of us heading up to a porch to get some candy...I have stopped, noticeably horrified at the grim reaper figure (You can sort of see his red eyes in the picture) Luckily, Mom was able to subtly hint to the man handing out candy that I was scared, so he was nice enough to come down the steps to give me some candy...
There was so much variety (Though I stuck to my favorites: Lollipops, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Milky Ways) in what people were handing out...it was great...some people handed it to us, others let us pick (It was a challenge with my Buzz Lightyear gloves, but I persevered) It was great!
We just kept running around (Safely) from house to house, saying "Trick or Treat" getting some candy, saying "Thanks" and heading off to the next house....such a lovely little neighborhood with such nice people...
We finally started winding down as the evening grew late...we were all getting a little tired, but managed to hit a few more houses before splitting off and heading home...I managed to get some dinner into me before passing out in my bed, barely able to stay awake during the bedtime stories...
Looking at my bucket, and feeling the weight of it, it sure looked like I had gotten a pretty solid amount of candy for my third Halloween....it's hard to believe how much has changed....but yet, I still had just as much fun as I always had...what a great Halloween!
This was a pretty great Halloween season overall...I look very forward to heading into the Fall and Winter months, which include both of my parents birthdays, my birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas!!

HAPPY
HALLOWEEN!

Replacement Pumpkins 2012

A mild tragedy befell our household just before Halloween, folks...the pumpkins we had so lovingly (and carefully) plucked from the pumpkin patch rotted out....the fact that we kept them inside probably didn't help, but we are also thinking that after the same thing happened this year that happened last year...we might have to choose a new pumpkin patch...
Dad and I ventured out to a smaller more "city-based" portable pumpkin patch (I was a little disappointed at first that they didn't have hay rides, but Dad made up for it by taking me for a ride in the small wagons that they had for us...)
Look how big some of these pumpkins are! Crazy! I tried to pick some of them up, and I couldn't even budge it! I even asked Dad to try, and though he is so strong, he could barely pick one up, too!
Monkey came along, and helped us look around for the perfect replacement pumpkins for Halloween...he had some solid opinions on pumpkins, I must say...I didn't know that he had this much knowledge! I always thought of Monkey as more of a gourd hobbyist, but knows way more than he lets on...
This inevitably led to me giving Monkey a few rides in the wagon...
We walked around the patch for awhile, and he really enjoyed himself...as did both Dad and I. (Mom was under the weather, and resting at home....I hope she feels better soon!)
  Get this...Monkey even let me bury him in the pumpkin bin...I laid him down, and slowly stacked the pumpkins on top of him, being careful not to smoosh him...he kept giggling the entire time, so you knew he was having fun! Monkey is a great friend, and a very good sport...
Later on, we found another cart, and played a fun game where I kept "forgetting" Monkey locked up in the cart...I would then go back and unlock him, effectively "rescuing" him...

We did this a bunch of times, and I got really good at getting the sides of the cart down to get him out...
Ultimately, we ended up with some really nice replacement pumpkins for Halloween, just in the nick of time!!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

2012 Halloween Party & Trick-or Treating At Daycare

While we were hunkered down for the storm (We didn't get it too bad down here, though I tried to go outside to play in some puddles, and immediately turned back around once I got a taste of the wind out there...Luckily we have checked in with nearly all of our family, and they are all OK...some are without power, but otherwise...all is well...)

I figured I should keep updating you on our Halloween festivities...

As always, we had the big parade/party at my daycare!

 I was VERY excited to be wearing this year's costume...BUZZ LIGHTYEAR! Look at how DETAILED this thing is!
It took a little while for me to warm up to the parade, but once I did...
I have waited, quite literally, since last Halloween to be able to wear this costume...I loved being The Cat in The Hat, but once I knew I could be Buzz, I knew that I would expect nothing less than Buzz for 2012
I was thrilled to be wearing such a fun, realistic costume.I looked JUST like Buzz!
It even had a laser drawn on, so that I could properly defend the universe against the evil Emperor Zurg!!
While we waited for the Trick or Treating to begin, we were treated to some Halloween stories from our teachers...it was a lot of fun!
When it was our turn to go upstairs, we got to go through the office building that our daycare is in, and say "Trick or Treat!" (that part was crucial) so that we could snag some candy from the people that worked there. They thought we were really cute, and were also pretty generous with the candy!
Some of them even let us pick candy ourselves...it was great!
I got such a solid variety...one of my best friends and I traded notes on what we got for treats!

Right afterward, I sat down and proclaimed "Let's see what we got!!" There was a great assortment of stuff...Milky Ways, M&Ms, Crunch Bars (In that beautiful blue wrapper....one of my favorites!)
This is the closest I got to allowing a normal picture to be taken between my friend and I....I make you work for it...
After our Trick or Treating, we sat down to a nice party dinner, thrown by our teachers and parents!

There was lots of great food, desserts, and conversation to be had!
After we ate, we all performed a story that we had parts in (I didn't have a part, but supported all my friends that got lines in the story!) We also had a dance routine that we worked on for WEEKS. While I only sort of did the moves (I disagreed with some of the choices made by our choreographer) it was still a lot of fun, and the parents really appreciated all the hard work we (and our teachers!) put in...
On the way home, Dad and I played "Space Rangers!" and ran around a lot...he was Emperor Zurg, and I battled him for control of the universe!! We had SO much fun! Finally, Emperor Zurg and Buzz became friends so that we could go inside and get some rest...

The End!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

2012 Pumpkin Picking!

As Halloween approaches, we decided it was time to head out to Homestead Farms to get some pumpkins for our home.
Mom asked me how big our pumpkin was going to be, and I showed her!

I also showed her how my big muscles would be able to carry it easily!
Just like we did last year, we hopped a fun little hay ride to take us out to the fields...we had a rollicking good time!
I buried Monkey in the hay, and he had a good time, too!
The real work began when we got out to the field...I made sure to tell Mom and Dad all about the very specific nature of getting just the right pumpkin. I had chosen a green one, just to mix stuff up, but it turned out to have a bad spot on it, so I skipped it..
I continued my quest, scrutinizing even the finest details...skin color, readiness for Jack-O-Lantern face, stem length and color, etc....always checking for soft spots...
I finally decreed that not only had I found a suitable pumpkin (with Mom's expert help) I would also be living out in the pumpkin patch indefinitely...I found the scenery beautiful, the weather agreeable, and the numerous pumpkins a difficult to beat decorative flourish.
Mom and Dad convinced me that my plan had a few holes in it, so I agreed to get back on the hayride, and simply visit the pumpkin patch, rather than live here...
I felt pretty good about our choice of pumpkin...I made sure to hold onto it nice and tight as we rode the hayride!
I was not feeling particularly generous with my smiles, so Mom made the decision to join me in my sullenness....
We also found another smaller pumpkin for Dad to bring to work (Tragically, right after this photo was taken, we found a bad spot on the pumpkin, and swapped it out for another, equally awesome pumpkin)
I finally acquiesced to having my picture taken in the little apple display (That's Dad trying to get out of frame after helping to convince me to take the photo)
We grabbed some cider and apple butter, and were on our way...we skipped the animals this year, since they kind of freak me out, and headed home with our Autumnal Haul....I do so love doing this every year! Can't WAIT for Halloween...Dad got the gloves for my costume (The rest of it will be here in a few days) and I have been playing with them in their package ever since...I am SO excited about Halloween!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Fire Department Open House!

The fire department near our apartment (The one that sends many a fire truck screaming past our apartment at all hours of the night) had an open house recently! They had all their fire trucks on display, they had snacks, and were offering tours of the fire house...
Inside, I met this little fella...a fire hydrant painted up to look like a dog! They do their best to make the fire station a welcoming home away from home, since they spend so much time there...there was a gym, and TV, and lots of stuff to do!
In the main bay, we got to see all the supplies and the lockers that the fire fighters keep them in!
There were balloons (My first one popped, devastating me, but I learned a valuable lesson about not running the balloon into the bushes as I walked, and since we were only across the street when it happened, Dad was nice enough to bring me back to get a new one)
I thought it was pretty cool to get an up close look at all the buttons, and lights on the sides of the trucks...it was a lot of fun...I was feeling a bit tired and grumpy, so we didn't stay long, but I really enjoyed the time we had...
Dad even convince me to get a quick picture in front of the old timey fire truck they had on display...it was really cool, but he didn't manage to get me to sit on it and turn the hand crank for the alarm...I just wasn't feeling it. Maybe next year. :-)

Monday, October 22, 2012

2012 Trike-A-Thon!

Once again, my school took part in the Trike-A-Thon...I did it last year and you can see that I now have a bigger bike, and look a lot older...I do, however, have the same helmet....Mom and Dad plan on remedying that for next season...

In case you don't remember, the Trike-A-Thon is to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. We ride around the course as many times as we can, and people pledge money to me so that I can donate it to the hospital! It's a great cause, and a lot of fun!
As in years past, there were a few collisions, but luckily we made it out unscathed!
I rode pretty hard for a long time! I take these things pretty seriously!!
I traded bikes a few times (as did most of my friends) but since I was feeling a little tired, I decided to sit out the last few laps, so I could watch my friends with my Dad and cheer them on from the sidelines.
We did a good thing, while having fun...can't get much better than that!!