Sugary Halloween - Day 161

If Halloween is all about chaos and sugar, we've checked all those blocks today.  The day started out quietly enough, then Uncle M and Aunt L came down and we made and decorated some yummy Halloween sugar cookies.  OK, so we didn't have any Halloween cookie cutters, and we had pink and purple icing, but we managed.  LSP loved decorating the cookies with Aunt L.  Until she figured out how to lick the icing off the cookie.  The she proceeded to decorate, and de-ice the same cookie 4 times.  Then Daddy called in on Skype and we got to chat with him a little.  Just as we were done with that, my good friend N and her husband M and her kids J and M showed up with a Halloween treat.  LSP had a grand time playing with the big boys.  She had been resisting trying on her costume, but they managed to talk her into it - for a few seconds.  Then Nana and Grampy returned, they had been away for a few days.  What fun and chaos!

An hour later we got ready to go out trick or treating.  LSP had several different costume options and WOULD NOT wear any of them.  Not even for a second.  We put her in the car and headed to Nana and Grampy's friends, where she was excited to see their granddaughter, J.   J had on a super-cute bunny costume, but LSP was not interested in putting on any of hers.  No way.  Eventually I talked her into her red, white and blue tutu skirt with a white sweater with an eagle on it and red sparkly shoes.  Improvised All-American girl costume.  Not as cute as the frog, but you take what you can get, I guess. 

Next we headed to Nanny and Papa's house, where we linked up with my friend K, her husband C and their son A for a little trick or treating.  A is a few years older than LSP and he quickly showed her the ropes.  After the first house, where she busted in and ran into the living room to play with the toys, (luckily we knew the people) she began to catch on.  "Let's go to that house!"  she said, "Get more candy."  We went to several houses in the neighborhood where K knows people and LSP and A got a good collection of candy.  Soon we had enough candy, and mom had a enough of carrying LSP around the neighborhood, so we headed back to Nanny and Papa's house where we visited for awhile before coming home and crashing from the sugar high. 

This morning she got 2 hair brushes and several rubber bands and tried to "do" her hair herself.

Her very first decorated cookie!!

Eek!  It's the scary Halloween chicken cookie!

She had her Halloween costume on....for about 15 seconds.

J the pink bunny!  (She just woke up from a nap!)

Finally got LSP into something somewhat like a costume.

A and LSP all done with trick or treating for the night.

Explosion - Day 160

What a day.  I am so worn out I can barely see to type, but here goes.  LSP and I went to a corn maze today with H, my best friend from high school.  We had a fun time, there was the maze, and a big pit of loose corn for LSP to play in.  There was also a hayride and a ride on the "cow train" - several little black and white painted barrels with wheels pulled behind a tractor.  LSP was very excited about this - throwing her arms wide and yelling, "COW TRAIN!!"  She also enjoyed the apple cider donuts, just like the ones we got apple picking a few weeks ago.  This kid is becoming an apple cider donut expert.

After running an errand we came home and just as we walked in the door Nanny called and invited us out to dinner.  So we fed the dogs and loaded back up to go to dinner with Nanny and Papa.  It was a very nice dinner in a lovely restaurant.  LSP was a very good girl, behaving well the whole time.  As we stood to leave, I pulled her out of her high chair and... well, I will spare you the details in case you are eating, but I will tell you that it involved a new diaper, most of the wipes in the diaper bag, a complete change of clothing and a sanitizing of the high chair.  And a load of laundry when I got home.  Thank goodness Nanny isn't squeemish and was there to help.

It was COLD on the hayride!

She was fascinated with the half-eaten ears of corn.  Her guesses - bunnies or bugs.

Pretty girl!

Lookin' cool on the cow train.

She was like the queen, waving to everyone we passed.  That is, if the Queen rode in a barrel painted like a cow being pulled by  tractor.

Generosity - Day 159

We had a double play date this morning!  LSP's friend from gymnastics class, A, came over for some fun.  And he brought his dog with him!  I really sweet Golden Retriever named Sunny.  Shiloh and Sarah were thrilled (well, mostly Shiloh) and all raced around the yard having a grand time.  In the house, A and LSP raced around the kitchen laughing like loons.  It was fun and very cute.

This afternoon I had some errands to do, so we went to one of LSP's favorite places - the mall.  She loves the mall.  There are toys to climb on and an arcade with flashing lights and she can usually talk me into some ice cream.  As we were leaving she said to me, "I like the mall.  I had fun in the mall!"  That's quite a couple of sentences for a not-yet two-and-a-half year old.

After the mall we went to put one of the pumpkins LSP had decorated at M's headstone.  She knows it is "M's place" as we call it, and today she asked, "Where is M?"  "In heaven with God," I told her.  She thought and said, "M lives in heaven."  So now we have God, Sabot and M living in heaven.  It's getting busy up there.  She loves to play with the garden animals I put there, and on the way home she said, "Want to take the green frog to M's place."  She was talking about one of her plastic animals - a large green frog - that she likes to play with.  Can you believe it?  She said it two more times in the car, "Want to take the green frog to M."  And after we got home she went and got the frog and put it on the kitchen island, "Take the green frog to M," she demanded, "get in the car and take the green frog to M."  I told her we could go tomorrow and she was good with that.  I know she will probably forget and I am certainly not going to force her to take one of her favorite toys and leave it there, but the fact that she wanted to just brings a lump to my throat and makes me want to hug her tight.  What a wonderful little sweetie. 

Driveway - Day 158

LSP had music class again today so she got to hang with her buddy G.  After class they went to the playground together and had a grand time.  This afternoon I had to make two cakes and the frosting for both so I was a bit busy making a mess of the kitchen.  LSP has turned into a frosting addict and I let her have a little.  When I cut her off she became very upset, and pretty much refused to eat anything else, although I knew she was hungry.  Hunger strike for frosting!

After I finished baking we went out in the yard and wandered around playing for a couple of hours.  It was beautiful again here today and we had fun checking things out.  Today she especially loved running down the driveway with me, holding hands.  "Hold my hand!"  she'd order me.  How can you resist such a cute face!  Grampy took his boat out of the water for the season today so we got to watch him park it in the driveway.  She was intrigued by a boat in the driveway and immediately wanted to get into it.  Grampy let her look in, but that was all.

Look at the cute smile on G's face!

She held out this acorn for he bug to eat and was fascinated when he climbed on it.

Don't even think about it, kid!!

She kept throwing this small log for Shiloh and when Shiloh would take it, LSP would wail, "I want my log!"

Model pose.