Happy Halloween

Anna was so excited to go to school today because they're having a Halloween Parade this afternoon. She brought her witch costume, and they will put it on her after naptime for trick-or-treating. Her little Build-a-Bear friend Curly is wearing her witch costume too and went along as show and tell.

This is the last time I'll be able to post until after Halloween, so I wanted to go ahead and wish everyone a Happy Halloween! Hope yours is spooky, safe & fun!

Witchy Woman

We're rapidly running out of time to get in all of Anna's Halloween-wear before the day has come and gone, and I just remembered this morning that I bought this shirt on mega-sale from Orient Expressed at the end of last season. . .

So Anna wore it today, and she was more than happy to pull her sweater back to show off her cute little witch for me before we left for school this morning.

She was pretty excited about the shirt because she's going to be a witch for Halloween this year. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to share of her in her costume after the weekend!

Are You Okay?

Back in the Spring, Anna had a little choking episode with a Lifesaver candy that was honestly one of the scariest moments of my life. So I have to admit that I now have the tendency to overreact when she has a coughing fit. I immediately start asking her, "Are you okay? Are you okay?..." until she answers me. And she's young, but I've made sure that she understands that I'm asking because I'm scared and how important it is to let me know that she's alright.

That little backstory brings me to this morning. . .
I had just gotten Anna dressed for school, and she was awake but still stumbling around a little. She was cutting through the dining room to get to me in the kitchen, and I heard Derek yell, "Whoa, Anna!" just as she apparently almost walked head-first into the corner of the dining room table. So when she emerged in the kitchen, I said, "Anna, are you okay?"

She looked up at me with a confused look on her face and said, "I not cough, Mommy!"

How do they get so smart?!

Here Comes the Sun

We have been really busy this month, and I'll be the first to admit that I am way behind. I still need to post pictures from our camping trip weekend before last, and this past weekend was just non-stop - two birthday parties, a visit with some friends, and a long overdue family portrait session with Mackenzie Wheatley of Chubbyfoot Photography.

Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to share from our Chubbyfoot session in the next week or so, but until then, here are a few that I snapped of Anna at a park near our house on the way home from one of her parties on Saturday. I can't seem to look at them without humming The Beatles' song "Here Comes the Sun" not only because of the beautiful warmth in them, but even more so because of how darn happy they are and how much fun she had!

Anna made fast friends with this stick as soon as we got there.

She played in the water with it. . .

. . .and she even put her "game face" on and used it to fend off trees, monsters and Mommies!

Then she got distracted by all of the other fun things around her. Like pine needles. . .

. . .and peek-a-boo trees. . .

. . .and she even built a "house" for me out of pebbles from the walkway.

Then just before we left, I begged her to give one last smile for Mommy. I was shocked, but without a fight, she cocked her little shoulder up and just smiled away for me. I'm not sure where she learned that pose, but that's not unusual because I don't know where she gets most of what she does!

Then we hopped in the car and headed home. . .in the sunset.

"Here comes the sun. . .doo doo doo doo"

(Stuck in your head yet?)

Asleep on the Job

I've been asleep on the job a bit lately as far as this blog is concerned, and I know I need to post about our camping trip. But since I don't have time to do that right now I figured this would be an appropriate picture to share from our weekend at Inks Lake. . .

This is what happens when you fall asleep during a hike. Red bull, people!

P-Dub

I have no business posting right now. Trying to finish up an early day of work and finish packing for our camping trip to Inks Lake State Park this weekend, but I am so tickled and just have to share!

I've followed The Pioneer Woman's blog (affectionately known as P-Dub to her readers) pretty much every day for the past few years. I particularly love the photography section, and yesterday she gave a photography assignment to post textured photos to The Pioneer Woman's Photography Assignments group on Flickr. I had a few on my hard drive, so I figured why not.

Today, I was shocked to see this photo of mine on today's post on her photography blog. . .

I took it out in the gorgeous flower patch at Dewberry Farm when Anna made it very clear she wanted nothing to with my camera. A little playing around in Photoshop, a little added texture, and voila!

There were literally thousands of pictures uploaded to P-Dub's Flickr site, so I'm just so tickled that she noticed mine!

Thank you, that is all :) Now back to packing. . .

The Other "ism"

Mommy: "Anna, get your shoes so we can go bye-bye."

Anna: [Throwing hands in air] "Where ism?"

---

Direction Translation: "Where is them?"

Correct English: "Where are they?"

But it's close enough for now, not to mention really adorable.

Doin' the Dew

So as I mentioned before, we made a trip to Dewberry Farm a few weekends ago. We have gone every year for the past three years, and I honestly cannot say enough good about this place. They add new things to do every year, and it just keeps getting better and better.

This year, we were really excited because MawMaw and PawPaw were able to come with us for the first time, as were our friends Cesar & Laura and their kiddos. Ross & Nicole, who usually make this trip with us every year, were dearly missed this time, but they had a good excuse as they were home taking care of their new little man.

Before I move on to sharing some of the pictures from the day, I have to first admit that this trip started out with the awful realization that I managed to bring my camera but forget my CF card! Making the thirty minute drive back to the house for it was not an option (but one that I definitely briefly considered!), so I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised when Cesar (my hero!) pulled an extra CF card out of his camera bag. Thanks again Cesar - you're a lifesaver, and possibly a marriage-saver! lol.

And no - I have no explanation for that last picture. Just something I thought you all should know.

The Bedtime Look

If you got this look every time you enthusiastically said, "Anna's going to sleep in her own big girl bed tonight!", along with the hopeful response, "No! I sleep in Mommy-Daddy bed!". . .

. . .there's a pretty good chance you'd be a sucker too!

(The jammies that say "I rule the castle" do very little to help establish me as the authority figure I know is in there somewhere.)

In the meantime, I'm off to snuggle with my little bug. . .followed by the obligatory elbow to the ribs, smack in the face, and kick in the head from the cutest little foot ever.

Halloween Fun

This past weekend, we took a trip out to Dewberry Farm. I have lots of pictures to share from our fun (and we had a lot!), but in the meantime, here's a little Halloween fun for you. . .

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Those of you that know my Dad should appreciate the fact that I made him the character with the most hair! Haha!

Poser

Anna has been sick all week and is finally feeling better today, so I took her to the park this afternoon to get her out of the house. She is really starting to like having her picture taken, and was posing up a storm for me.

See if you can guess which ones were her idea and which ones were mine. . .

Answer: Mine

Answer: Definitely Hers!

Answer: Her interepretation of my idea (the arm placement & crossed foot is ALL her!)

Answer: Hers...and a really good one at that!

Answer: Mine