Hallo Weenie

Elena was very brave this year, going into the neighborhood haunted house with very little fear. She held my hand and approached the scary scene with all the bravery in the world -until she saw the mummy in the corner move. She held on a bit harder after that.

Elena was a good witch/bad witch (she couldn't decide) and Ryan and Michael were a FedEx delivery driver and and a FedEx delivery, respectively. Elena had to dress up for gymnastics too, but couldn't wear her real costume (courtesy of Cousin Isabel again), so she was a fairy today too. What a big day in this Halloween house.

Freeze, please

I actually cried while I was holding Michael tonight. He is pure joy with his big eyes staring at me so intensely or smiling and giggling when we stare at one other too long. I would give anything to freeze these moments --- the ones where he stares at me with his wet, drooled on hand half way in his mouth, with his fuzzy hair tickling my cheek or when he falls asleep on me, making what must be the cutest baby sounds on earth. I'm convinced no other child has ever made such sweet sounds.

Or may I please freeze this morning's pre-school drop off with Elena? We were 10 minutes early to school, so I invited her into the front seat to bop to music (Ryan did this with her a few weeks back and treasured it). We car danced, sang and exchanged a couple of precious hugs before I walked her to class.

Or also this morning, when I walked into the front room when she admonished Michael for glancing at the television. "No, no, Michael. That is very bad. That said it's BREAKING NEWS. It's bad for you."

May I please, oh please, just freeze some of this wonderful time? Thank goodness for the blog and these snapshots in time of my beautiful family.

Poor little bug

Michael's MRI was difficult, but we think (knock on wood) that the results gave us reason to celebrate! His little spinal cord is not tethered, but instead, he has a pilonidal cyst that we don't really need to fuss over unless it becomes a problem for him someday. Oh, what a relief. We're just obsessed with that little guy.

This ain't no pumpkin patch

I must give a shout out to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm... Holy Moly, it's fantastic and a pumpkin patch, it's not. The place is loaded with things for families to do - we stayed for four hours and did about half the activities. We made the trip with three families from our neighborhood and we plan to make this another tradition. Love this neighborhood. Love this time of year. But mostly - just love this family.

Ode to MMG

Just because Michael hasn't gotten a blog posting in awhile and because I think he's so darn cute, this entry is just for him. He remains a happy, content little man who lives with his feet in his mouth and has now begun grabbing for things around him. He laughs, 'talks' a lot and smiles all the time (especially when he sees his Mommy - can't help loving this). He is our buggy boo and we are so smitten with the lad. Our fingers are crossed that his Thursday MRI goes well.. little is scarier than facing something like this with your kids. There's just so much love. Just look at him...

I do.

Aunt Zoe is officially "Aunt Zoe" now and we couldn't be happier (or more tired) after a wonderful weekend. We just finished up a 12-hour drive home from Portland (An eight-hour trip becomes 12 with kids) after the wedding last night. It was an absolutely spectacular weekend with some very memorable moments, namely of course, Corey and Zoe finally getting hitched. Also huge in our minds, was our sweet Elena as the best flower girl we've ever seen. I don't have very many photos, as I had Michael strapped to me and I grabbed the camera in the nick of time to catch her coming down the aisle, but so many professional photos were taken and will come to us soon enough. Zoe also told us that we could get a copy of the video. I'd like to post some of everyone because there are so many beautiful things to remember.

The drive there was honestly pretty brutal, but we rallied and just tried to enjoy all the events and really live in the moment. At ceremony time, Elena couldn't have done a better job, sprinkling fall leaves to lead the way for the bride and standing by Zoe's niece the whole ceremony, despite some cold weather. She simply smiled and made the "I love you" sign to me a few times. During the reception, Daddy's toast was just perfect with Elena chiming in as she and Daddy had practiced. She danced the night away for a good couple hours and Papa and Grandma had a great time introducing Michael and her to their friends and relatives.

The drive home was long, but much better, largely because we spent a long time talking about the weekend. It is a great memory and one we were thrilled to share with so many loved ones.

"Four" Goodness Sake

Sweet Elena turned four years old today... Where has the time gone? We celebrated the day with nothing but the finest, starting the day with a new bike (Daddy found an amazing bike at Goodwill and fixed it up. Not because we didn't want to fork out $50 bucks for a new one, but because this one is SO cool and it was fun for Ryan to do. What a good Daddy!) and chocolate chip pancakes. After some good playtime this morning, we readied ourselves for Elena's Petting Zoo birthday party at the Ol' Farm House where she adopted her goat, Beatrice. She had a grand old time there and fell in love with another animal... Brown Bear, the guinea pig (Uh oh). We're all very happy and extremely tired. I'd say the day is a total success. Happy Birthday, my La. I love you more than words can ever say. Thank you for making me a Mom four years ago.