Trick or Treating

Eric, Elise and I took Gwen out for her first 'real' trick-or-treating this year. It was really fun to see how excited she was for Halloween. She actually understood what was coming and kept asking every day for a week "are we going trick or treating today?" She told anyone who asked that she was going to be a princess for Halloween. and she was a lovely one. Nothing creative here, we just put her in her favorite princess dress up. She couldn't have been happier. She tried out all her poses:

Caroline stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa because she was in desperate need of a nap. She was really grouchy and since putting on clothes is one of those things she really detests, we didn't push our luck to attempt getting her in her bumblebee costume for pictures. (Don't worry, we'll get her in it for some pics later, even if it wasn't technically worn for Halloween.) Plus, it was cold outside and we didn't really want to take her out with her cold. We all decided it would be more fun for everyone if she sat this one out. So we took Gwen alone. She kept asking what our costumes were... I don't think she was impressed with my "turquoise coat" costume or Eric's "plaid shirt and hat" costume. Apparently, next year we're going to have to dress up to take her out.

She was so cute at each house. She'd yell "TRICK OR TREAT" as soon as we approached the door... and then would just stand there shyly when the door was finally opened. Then once her candy was in the bag, she'd yell "THANK YOU" and take off running for the next house, often dropping her bag and not even noticing. She wasn't as excited about the candy as she was about the knocking and 'trick or treat'-ing. Then when we got home, she wanted to share her suckers with everyone. It was really cute.

Eric and the Apples

Eric helped out his folks by harvesting their apples... I suspect we'll see these apples turned into sauce while we're here.

Eric is such a ham... I just like these pics because he can't resist performing and making some goofy faces at the camera.

The Littlest Pumpkin

Most of you, like me, probably remember trying to find the BIGGEST pumpkin to carve when you were little, or at the very least, the one with the most personality. Well, Grandma wanted Gwen to get a chance at choosing her own pumpkin for carving. So she took us down to a cute lil pumpkin store. The patch was across the street, supplying all the pumpkins for the store. But that meant the store was cute and child-friendly, just the perfect size for wandering unattached without fear of losing anybody. Gwen loved the freedom to explore.

She was excited about this maze until she realized they had put some plywood down over the hay bales to create a 'tunnel'. Then she was done.

After that distraction officially behind her, the real process of choosing her own pumpkin began. Grandma said she could pick out any she wanted.

We pointed out the huge carving pumpkins. "Oh," she said, "they're Daddy ones. But where are the baby ones?". Hmmm.

So we pointed out the pumpkins with personality. "Oh", she said, "it's squished. But where is my baby one?". Hmmm.

So we pointed out the eggshaped ones. "Oh," she said, "but where's my lil pumpkin for me?"

....Apparently, she was not interested in pie pumpkins either, calling them Mommy pumpkins. Or gourds, because they didn't look like pumpkins.

But when she found the smallest pumpkins in the whole place-- these tiny lil ghost pumpkins--it was love at first sight. She picked out the very smallest one she could find, cradled it in her hands, and cooed "Oh, here's my lil baby pumpkin! I love you so much!"

Caroline and Aunt Elise

and, no, we didn't attempt to carve it. Gwen loved her littlest pumpkin so much!

Caroline's Personality

I love how Caroline is beginning to assert herself. What I mean is, she is expressing preferences, likes and dislikes.

She loves jumping.

She loves clapping her feet if she is wearing shoes.

and she loves 'singing'...and actually, she really loves smacking things with one arm.

and I love to see how happy she is when she is doing something she loves. I can't help but smile!

Feeling Rich

There is something incredibly satisfying to me about storing up food. And it isn't because I have 'peace of mind' or feel prepared for an emergency. No, for me it feels more satisfying in the same way it is satisfying to put quarters in a piggy bank or make a deposit in the bank. Like I'm rich. Yeah, that sums it up. When I see all the jars lined up so prettily, I feel like a million bucks.

4 different varieties of salsa: 7 quarts and 7 pints

(had the 4 different kinds--chipotle roasted veggie, zesty lots of bell peppers, fiesta with cucumber, and jalapeno with lots of cilantro-- in 4 separate bowls on the table to try to keep them all straight). All of the spicy peppers (not the bell) the cilantro and the cucumber were from our garden.

applesauce from Melrose apples: 9 quarts

apple picking

It was surprisingly cold. So our photos aren't necessarily picturesque. More like brusque. Because we were trying to get our stash and get out before Gwen could say "Ina go home" for the umpteenth time. All these came from before she decided she was cold. She is playing with apples that fell on the ground... they were in various stages of decomposition. I know, kinda gross. She didn't seem deterred though. Luckily she was persuaded to eat a new one, rather than one of those. :)

Cumple anos y butterflies

Our neighbors have a daughter only 2 weeks older than Gwen. These girls are great friends... a love-hate relationship, actually, because they really like each other's favorite toys. :) Well, lil "A" had a birthday party early, and Gwen was invited. I think we were almost the only ones there NOT Spanish speakers. Didn't seem to phase Gwen, though. She jumped right in and got her face painted with a butterfly, then had a balloon made into a butterfly.

funny story: Gwen got to try her hand at a pinata. She was timid and didn't break anything, in fact she hardly managed to hit it. But afterwards, she was talking with her daddy:

Gwen: lightly hitting Eric's shoulder

Eric: "Gwen, what are you doing? Why are you hitting daddy?"

Gwen: "Daddy, I beat the candy out of you!"

LOL, gotta love it!