Halloween Nights

Kyle and Payton came to see us yesterday. We enjoy getting to spend time with them so much, and Ella and Cade both love getting to see their big cousin, Payton! We did a lot of hanging around and goofing off...

My honey and I actually got to hang around together a little, too...

And we did lots of munching...

Then we decided to hit up Halloween Nights at Parky's Farm. We've never been and weren't sure what to expect, but it was so much fun! The kids had a blast and wore themselves out in the cool night air. They were all bundled up and ready for some action!

Payton talking to the mirror on the wall...

Stopping by the fortune teller...

"She" said Payton was going to be a great basketball player and she knew Ella was an expert giggler. =)

There were lots of fun Halloween lights all around...

Checking out all the jack-o-lanterns...

Waiting patiently for the haunted hayride...

Our foursome aboard the wagon...

These two rascals tried to make like they weren't the least bit spooked, but we knew better! Look at those mischievous grins!

Payton, Ella, Chris, and Kyle on the pumpkin train!

Ella and Payton waiting for their turn on the obstacle course...

The last thing we did was watch the magic show. After watching the magician eat fire and pull a snake out of thin air, they both decided this was their favorite part of the night.

What a fun thing to do the night before Halloween. We're so glad you came to see us, Kyle and Payton!! We had a blast!

We've been ghosted!

A surprise package showed up on our doorstep late last night. We were "ghosted" by one of our neighbors with lots of fun Halloween treats. Then, shortly after we got home from gymnastics today, we noticed a second special package on our doorstep- we were ghosted a second time! More yummy treats!

The idea is that for every ghost you receive, you are supposed to secretly ghost two other people. We've got a lot of ghosting to do!!

It's carving time!!

After much anticipation on Ella's part, we finally got around to carving our pumpkins a couple nights ago. Ella was a ball of energy and could hardly contain herself. Cade was excited just because Ella was. I'm not sure how many times I heard, "Mo-om, can we please carve our pumpkins now??" A "before shot" with their pumpkins... Way to go, Ella! She said, "And look, I don't even think it's gross this year!"

A peek into Sissy's pumpkin...

And then opening his own. I loved the sounds he made: "Oh-ho!", "Eewww!", "Sshhew!", "Wowww!"

What do ya see in there, Buddy?

On to the best part- cleaning out the pumpkin slime!

Ella did a pretty good job!

Cade, on the other hand, wasn't too sure about it. I love how he's holding his little hands real close here, like he's afraid Daddy's going to make him touch it. haha!

Do I really have to, Mommy??

Yay!! He did it!!

Ella worked very hard on her "mad pumpkin face"...

After a little help from Mom, it was all done. Ta-da!

Taking a break with some baked pumpkin seeds and hot apple cider. Ella kept saying, "I just can't believe we can eat these cute, little pumpkin seeds!" She loved them!

Cade was a fan, too!!

Yum!!

Watching as Daddy lights up the pumpkins...

And an "after shot". Nice work, kiddos!! Those are going to be very scary on Halloween!

Ella and the messy room

"Mom, we are the Berenstein Bears and I am Sister Bear and this is our messy room. There is only one rule today: Mama Bear better not touch our mess!"

haha! She knows this Mama Bear too well!

"It's naptime, Little Buddy"

Ella is such a wonderful, little mother hen. She takes her big sister role very seriously. She enjoys taking care of Cade, singing to him as he falls asleep, and just loving all over him in general. And Cade, for his part, is typically so good and laidback that he just lets her get her kicks and goes right along with whatever she tells him to do. They're very sweet together. Yesterday at naptime, Ella attempted to sing our tired boy to sleep... She kept whispering, "It's naptime, Little Buddy. Just go to sleep. Momma and Sissy will take good care of you." You can tell Cade is trying really hard to go along with Ella's plan...

...But he just can't do it any longer! Surprise!

I'm awake and ready to play!

It brings so much joy to my heart watching them interact. I am so glad they have each other.

18 month stats

Just want to get these stats put down before I forget. I didn't keep track of much for Ella past 12 months, and now I wish I had. I love to go back to compare and reminisce.

Our sweet baby Cade at 18 months:
- wears 18 month clothing and a size 7 shoe (!!)
- is 33.75 inches tall
- is 23.5 lbs
- has a 17.5 inch head circumference

His height is at the 84th percentile and his weight is at the 16th percentile. Tall and thin is good!! His head circumference is still below zero percentile, but the growth chart is an average, and we wouldn't want him to be average, now would we??!
More fun food for thought- Ella was 24 lbs at 10 months!!

Already thinking Christmas

These kiddos sure love their playdoh. The one thing Ella keeps telling us she wants for Christmas is the Playdoh Ice Cream Shoppe. She says, "It looks so neat! I can make ice cream and put little sprinkles on top and there are even cherries!" The power of advertising, right?

Anyways, we went to Toys R Us the other night and all Playdoh products were on sale, so we did a little behind the scenes shopping. I am so excited that it's almost that time of year again. I love getting to play Santa!!

Iron's Fruit Farm

Ella's preschool class took a field trip this morning to Iron's Fruit Farm. It was a very early and chilly morning, but Ella couldn't wait to get there and hook up with her pal, Mia. Cade and I were there, too!! First, we headed out to the pumpkin patch. Both of these kiddos look so happy here, huh? Ella was cold and Cade was not crazy about his puppy hat. =)

Looking for the best pumpkin...She finally decided on a tiny one, but wouldn't hold it for a picture because it was muddy.

Cade, on the other hand, had a ball running through the patch (and mud)!

We headed back to the farm for a snack. Ella had kept her eyes on her favorite little boy in class, Dillon, all morning and you better believe she grabbed the first spot next to him right away! If only you could have heard him acting silly just to make her laugh and her giggling at everything he said- it was pretty cute, but man, are we in trouble!! haha! Here's Ella and her two best preschool buddies, Mia and Dillon...

Enjoying a donut and apple cider- yum!

Every time Cade saw more pumpkins, he would squeal and say "Oooooh! Pum-ums!" My little cuties in front of all the "pum-ums". Feeding the goats...

Cade was off and doing his own thing. He was cracking me up and kept yelling "pup-pup" at the donkey. =)

Next thing I knew, my monkey was up in a tree!

Another pose in front of some more pumpkins...

Ella and her whole class

We sure missed having Daddy with us, but it was definitely a fun day at the farm!