Happy Halloween!

Time for a sugar high! This has been the best day, ever. My BFF and I were "Snow White Cousins" at our school parade. Then I got a surprise visit from my Doe and Bud! They couldn't stay for candy, but helped us get ready for the big night (and gave me a piece of gum). Next Mom pulled out Maggie's old costume from 2003- I didn't know she liked Snow White, too!This year I loved the idea of getting candy at every house. I marched my parents down the street, saying "Come on, let's go trick or treat those guys over there.", all while wearing my plastic high heels. In my mind, this was all a big candy sharing activity, so at our favorite neighbor's house I gave Miss Beth a piece of my candy after she gave me hers. I'm such a sweet kid!

Jack-O'-Lanterns

I love my Dad. We worked on my jack-o'-lantern today! I told him very specifically that I wanted a happy pumpkin, not a scary one. He scooped out the slimy guts and let me help cut with my butter knife. I was giving him spontaneous hugs through the whole process!Who knew that carving a pumpkin could be this fun?!We are officially ready for Halloween!

Fall Festival

Time to pick out a pumpkin at the Fall Festival! It's set up at a horse ranch, and Mom said it was very authentic, which is to say smelly and dirty, with big piles of horse poop on all the walking trails. It was totally worth it for the pony ride! We loved the hay ride and petting zoo. A group of psychotic geese charged at me after the hay ride, but Mom kicked them in the face. She flashed to the memory of her cousin who was attacked as a toddler by a crazy turkey on the farm... so it's possible that she overreacted. It made for a good laugh later! I wasn't really in the mood for pictures today, so Dad finally said "just hug a pumpkin". Done. Ryan seemed to like the animals and fresh air. But the cutest thing was when he found his fingers- happy boy!

Ryan the Lion

Ryan has always been a big "talker", and has recently started doing a funny growl. He growls for minutes at a time when playing with his toys. We've nicknamed him "Ryan the Lion". We caught a hint of the Lion on a couple of videos:

Ryan the Lion

Baby Gear

Our little man is getting busier every week. He has been an avid kicker since his days in Mom's belly, and has progressed to standing whenever he gets the chance. In fact, he prefers standing- and forget about reclining or relaxing, this guy wants to be up and looking around. Mom and Dad shake their heads and wonder if he will be walking by 6 months! He loves his exersaucer, it offers the perfect vantage point to watch us.He is familiar with Mom's camera now, and loves being her new model.The play mat is another favorite, perfect for his new ability to reach and grab toys. He has the sweet habit of reaching for our ears and noses when we talk to him. The only problem is that he doesn't know how to let go yet, which becomes an issue if he has a firm grip on your hair!

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween

The Halloween party was perfect! We only got a couple of family pictures, and Mom says that Jakob's family will have to pose next time.The night started with a visit to three princesses. It totally blew my mind! Even our Dads were giddy!Next stop was Mickey and Minnie- and we still hadn't fully recovered from meeting the princesses.The best part of the night was the short lines, so we got to do lots of fun rides. My favorites were It's A Small World, Dumbo, and The Carousel. Dad's favorite was the Teacups. He made us spin so fast!We watched the fireworks at the castle, then rode Pirates of the Caribbean. It was a little scary. The next morning when Mom asked what my favorite part was, I quickly said "Not the pirates". Baby Brady and Ryan were great sports while the girls got to do all the fun stuff. The big boys were off riding all of the roller coasters, so we didn't see them until the end of the night! We were out way past my bedtime, and slept late the next morning. Jakob and his crew were up and on their way to Universal Studios before we even had breakfast. So, we went for an easy lunch at Downtown Disney, where I got the thrill of my life: FACE PAINT! When I went back to school this week, I ran straight up to my friends and said "I got my face painted!". Not "I went to Disney World", or "I met Princess Belle". Other than getting the stomach bug on the morning we left and throwing up twice in the car on the way home, it was the best weekend ever! I can't wait to see my cousins again at Christmas, and for Aunt Jenny to give me some more gum.

My Cousins

This weekend we made our second annual trip to Disney to see my awesome cousins! Jakob is still the crazy ringleader of the bunch...I tried to copy his every move. Mom says he is the Baby Charmer because he was making Ryan laugh. I love that boy!
Colin is a mature 8 year old baseball star. He and Dad bonded over Big Papi. Dad told me that he's "a really good kid".
Ryan spent a little bonding time with the big boys while Baby Brady was sleeping. Brady is only 4 weeks old, so he still prefers snuggling with his Mommy most of the time. He will be able to play more when we see him at Christmas. Keeley, Joli, and I bonded immediately over their amazing princess toys (especially those pink plastic high heels). I haven't seen them in a whole year, and suddenly they are big just like me! Mom loves this picture- she found us in the bathroom as Joli explained, "We're hiding from my Mom". Everyone generally agrees that Joli is the hilarious sassy one, and Keeley is very, very sweet. Mom says that I am a little bit sassy... but mostly sweet!The big event this weekend was going to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Simply getting to the party with 7 kids was an adventure in itself! Secretly I think my parents were just as excited as I was. And, of course, my Mom wanted to document every move with her camera. She said this trip is a big deal for many reasons: I don't get to hang out with my cousins as often as we would like, I won't be a princess who thinks Disney World is magical forever,
and this was Ryan's first visit to Magic Kingdom!

Happy Columbus Day

What do you do if your school closes for teacher training on a rainy Columbus Day? You finish all of your Halloween projects and watch every episode of Backyardigans saved on the DVR. Then you take your defenseless baby brother to the doll corner (notice anything suspicious in these pictures?). Mom wouldn't let me dress him in my doll clothes, she said Dad would never talk to her again if we did that. But, we had lots of fun pushing him around in my doll stroller!