Halloween

Our little robot and monkey had a pretty great Halloween season. We went to the zoo one last time for the season all decked out in costume. I didn't think Izzy would stay in her costume for more than a minute or two, but she loved it! Eva got compliments on her robot costume all through the zoo, which never failed to make me laugh because I have no artistic ability whatsoever. She was one of the only kids in hundreds, though, to have a homemade costume, and I think that was what people enjoyed seeing. She walked around talking in her robot voice and informing people she was from the planet Snurp all morning (thanks Mo Willems!). I was so sad to see another zoo season end. It's such a special place for our family!

Halloween night this year, however, did not go as beautifully. It was miserably rainy and cold, and Travis had a late live shot. I was convinced trick or treating started at 4 p.m., so I rushed to get the girls ready to go, as we are always running short on time to get to all the places we want to go. Once I realized that it didn't start until 5 (in my driveway with the kids packed in the stroller), we decided to spend our wait time hanging out with Natalie and Logan next door. This worked out wonderfully because then Eva had a friend to trick or treat with, and us adults could commiserate about how utterly miserable it was to be outside. At the end of the street, Eva decided to stand in an ankle deep mud puddle, and Izzy decided she would have nothing of riding in the stroller. So there I was, pushing a stroller, holding two candy bags, holding a toddler, and directing Evalee from house to house. Needless to say, I was relieved to see Travis drive up to us in his car (though I must admit I was jealous of how dry he was). He joined us a few minutes later with an extra umbrella, and we made our way around the neighborhood. Eva and Natalie had a great time together. It wasn't until we were 90% of the way around the loop -- our house was practically in sight -- when Evalee fell apart. She started screaming in the middle of the street about an intense desire to go home. So, we closed up shop, said goodbye to Natalie, and headed on towards home. Of course once we were 30 feet from Natalie, she changed her mind and started sobbing about how much she wanted to keep trick or treating. Parents stared at us as we dragged our children home, no doubt whispering about how awful we were, not allowing a little girl to trick or treat on Halloween with her friends. We came home, dried off, changed into our Halloween tutus (because our costumes were gross) and drove around to see family. We visited Aunt Sue (and took a potty break!), Aunt Mary, Aunt Carol, and lastly Grandma Adams. The girls were coming to Grandma's house the next day anyway, so we decided to let them spend the night. I wished I didn't have to work in the morning because I could have really used a few drinks at the end of that night!

Fall Fun at Grandma's House

We decided to have some fun in all the leaves in Grandma's backyard, and we even talked Uncle Eric into coming out to play with us!

Izzy's First Birthday Party

It wasn't difficult to try and pick a theme for Isabel's first birthday party -- that girl has a serious love for pumpkins. Grandma volunteered to keep the kids late one night, so I took advantage as best I could baking up pumpkin desserts and giving our house a good thorough cleaning for Miss Izzy's party. We were thinking fall and cozy, so we made lots of soups and hot apple cider to enjoy throughout the day. There was a huge traffic jam on I74, so the party guests arrived in a staggered fashion. Aunt Carol and Uncle Keith cold only stop by for a little while, as they had a wedding to head to, but it was so great to see them for a little while. One by one, we all arrived to have fun together and watch Izzy open her presents. It was a nice enough day to spend some time on the porch still (not many of those days left!). Izzy had no hesitation when it came time to tear into her wrapping paper, and she loves all of the presents she received that day. The best reaction, however, definitely goes to her new baby doll from Aunt Carol and Uncle Keith. Her jaw dropped, she sucked in a breath, and shook her hands in excitement until Daddy finally got it loose from the box. Such happiness. :)