Halloween Event #5

Here we are, the 5th and final Halloween activity of the year.  Trick-or-Treating!  I loved that Halloween was on a weekend this year.  We had nothing else going (except for Amelia's Sunday School party that didn't even get its own post), so it was a laid back kind of day and Amelia EVEN took a nap!

We decided to have some grandparents over for a big pot of chili and some pre-trick-or-treating drinks.

Amelia was ON IT once we headed out.  At the first few houses she was Ms. Chatty Cathy, but after a she warmed up, efficiency was the game.  I think total, she probably walked about 1.5 miles, which is a new record.  Henry lasted about half of that before deciding dinner was more important (did I mention we had to wake him up, throw him in his costume, and then head out?).

 Upon our return home, we dumped out ALL of the candy and did the sorting thing.  Henry immediately helped himself to a pixie stick!

And so (finally) ended Halloween 2010!

Halloween Event #4

Yes, it's a week away from Thanksgiving and I'm STILL talking about Halloween--the holiday that doesn't quit!

Event #4 has been a family favorite since our move back from Chicago three years ago.  This is the fourth year we have headed to Main St. for trick-or-treating and we lucked out with beautiful weather once again.

In usual form, Amelia had arbitrarily assigned roles to various members of our family as she does every year.  But, unlike most years, we were listening this time and agreed to fulfill our roles.  Amelia knew that Henry was going to be the Tin Man, of course, and that Jason and I were going to be the Scarecrow and Lion respectively.  But, what she didn't know was that other family members were going to fulfill their assigned roles as well.

It started off meeting her friends, Natalie and Emma, in our usual starting spot.

Before long GG showed up dressed as Glenda the Good Witch.  Amelia was SO EXCITED! And GG is a pretty good sport.  She whipped up that outfit the night before.  And yes she made the skirt!  You may recognize the crown and wand from Amelia's princess birthday party.

Henry pretty much had a "What the heck?" expression the whole time we were on Main St.  I still don't understand how or why he kept that hat on, but he did and it was so funny!

While we were in route scoring candy, Jason's mom appeared out of no where and said, "I'll get you my pretty!" to Amelia.  She almost died.  Grandma had her face painted green and certainly did not look herself.  After Amelia recovered she was thrilled!  Uncle Dave didn't disappoint as the Wizard.

This picture cracks me up. That face can only be attributed to the copious amounts of candy consumed in the hour prior to the taking of this picture.

See?  "What the heck?"

That's something you don't see everyday--The Wicked Witch, Dorothy, and Glenda the Good Witch all together and smiling.

We lasted a little over an hour before giving up to the crowds.  After all, this was our FOURTH Halloween celebration.  Only one more to go....

Halloween Event #3

Event #3 was Amelia's pre-school party.  Henry and I didn't get to stick around very long because he had slept in that morning and I didn't even have time to feed him breakfast before we had to drop Amelia off at school.  Since he was a ticking time bomb, we just joined the trick-or-treat train around the school, grabbed a few pictures, and then left.  Unfortunately, Amelia wasn't REAL happy with my decision to stick around for such a short time, but she eventually recovered.  I think it had something to do with the cookies, candy, and cupcakes.....

 Trick or treating around the school.

Halloween Event #2

 Just like last year, my dad got special tickets to a private Halloween party at Grant's Farm.  And, just like last year, we had a great time!

 We started off by taking a "spooky" tram ride through the park grounds.  As soon as we exited, Amelia and Henry were given glow sticks and immediately directed to the goat feeding area.  The kids had unlimited access to the bottles of milk for the baby goats, but one was enough for Amelia.  I think she was afraid the goat was going to chew up her dress.  She abandoned ship about halfway through the bottle.

Henry, on the other hand, thought it was the best thing ever!  He giggled the ENTIRE time and probably could have handled watching another bottle.

 Next up was the carousel.

After dinner and a little dancing, Amelia enjoyed some Dippin' Dots.  There has been some talk that this may be the last year given all of the turmoil with Anheuser-Busch InBev, so Amelia decided to given all the treats a try--Dippin' Dots, kettle corn, and hot chocolate.  This, of course, is in addition to the super pretzel with cheese and hot dog she had with dinner. Jason and I choose to partake in other "treats", like beer.

And hanging out with the Clydesdales!

This was a really great time!  Here's hoping that the tradition (and free beer) will continue for years to come!

Halloween Event #1

 As usual, I am extremely behind in my documentation.  I will try to keep the Halloween festivity posts short and sweet.

We had a trial run or sorts with a Halloween-themed library story time on the Tuesday before Halloween.  There was stories, games, songs, and even some dancing.  I was only able to snap a few pictures because Mr. Henry was all. over. the. place.

 Amelia suggested we make an oil can for Amelia as well as an axe.  The oil can was made from a hospital grade mucous sucker and some tin foil.  The axe was cardboard, a ruler, and foil.  Both only lasted about a day.

My first and only attempt at a picture of Amelia and Henry together in their costumes.

Double Digits!

Well, here we are 10 months down the road and I'm STILL playing the same song.  Yep, I cannot believe how fast time is flying by.  In fact, I have been working feverishly on developing Henry's first birthday party theme, decorations, and invitations.  I thought I better get cracking on it before the holiday hysteria sets in...

So the changes between 9 and 10 months are startling! 

• Henry went from ZERO teeth at 9 months to FIVE teeth at 10 months (and one on the way to be broken through at any given moment). 

• Henry went from NO words at 9 months to a couple words at 10 months.  He definitely says "dada" specifically for Jason and he also is now saying, "ball". 

•  Henry is waving!

•  Henry is dancing!

He is continuing to crawl, pull up, and cruise with increasing proficiency.  He doesn't seem too close to the walking stage, although he stands alone without holding on to anything daily for very short amounts of time.  And on the day before Halloween, he stood up by himself without pulling up on anything!

Henry enjoyed a trip to the Magic House, the apple orchard and a pumpkin patch this month.  He also got his first taste of trick-or-treating.  His most exciting adventure was probably the trip to Wisconsin, though!

And this boy can still EAT!  My goodness, the food we go through over here!  He still screams between every bite if he is really hungry and I'm not piling it in fast enough.  He will also scream if (God forbid) I need to get up from my chair to get more food or grab a napkin.  I have no idea of his statistics this month because I didn't even attempt to get them.  

Now sleep is a completely different story since last month.  I guess with the addition of almost 6 teeth, sleep is bound to suffer.  He is up now every night either one or two times.  This has been going on for the last 2 weeks or so and I'm ready to have my good sleeper back.  I am thinking Daylight Savings Time might be a little to blame for this.  Especially since Henry is ready for bed every night around 5:30 now!  Luckily when he wakes, he nurses and then goes right back to bed.

Henry finally graduated to a new car seat as well this month, which was long overdue!  Maybe I should actually say "new" because it is really Amelia's old one. 

And yes, Amelia still dresses Henry up every chance she gets.  I turn around for one second and....

Nevertheless, life at 10 months is great!

10 Months

Our Adventure up North

 While Jason was off enjoying the fun and sun of the French Riviera, my mom and I decided we would go on an adventure of our own to Wisconsin.  My great aunt Elaine's health is slowly declining and she has received the unfortunate news that she would lose all of her eyesight within the next year.  Understandably, she is taking this news very hard and requested that she get to meet Henry and "see" Amelia one more time. So, off we headed to rural, chilly Wisconsin.

In the past, we have driven north to see Elaine.  It's an "easy" 9 hour drive and the route goes directly through one of my all-time favorite cities--Madison, WI.  But, unlike in the past, we had two kids' needs to consider this time.  So, we decided to give flying a try.  The closest airport to my aunt's house is Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN.  From there, it is a 2 hour drive to her house.  The good news is that both kids got to add a new state to their list of those visited.  I think Henry is up to 10 now and Amelia has been to 14.

Henry--being a seasoned traveler by now--didn't mind the airplane too much.  And he LOVED the airport.  He could have watched all of those little people and vehicles zooming about all afternoon.  I eventually had to take him away from the window, however, because his excited screeching became so loud, I am pretty sure I saw a few fellow passengers head to the desk in an attempt to change their flight.

 Okay, so maybe I am exaggerating a little.  But, it is no secret that my boy has some serious lung power and is not afraid to use it.  The flight/car rental/drive to my aunt's progression went surprisingly well.  Way better than I would have ever imagined, in fact.

And Amelia was shy for about 4 seconds before inviting aunt Elaine to read with her.  And color with her.  And play on the floor with her.  

She enjoyed playing with my aunt's two canes: Rose (the pink on) and Fred (the black one named after my late uncle).  Amelia was very specific about which cane my aunt should use when.  Mostly, she liked to match the cane to whatever outfit my aunt was wearing.  But to Amelia, pink matches everything!

After getting a good night's rest, we headed out for lunch at a fabulous restaurant in town.  I could seriously eat there everyday!  Amelia was less impressed with the food and more impressed with the indoor fountain.

Then we were off to see Paul and Babe.  No trip to Eleva is complete without a visit with these two.  Unfortunately, the logger's museum was closed for the season.  Amelia has really missed her friends!

Henry had his first exposure to Paul and Babe although he seemed pretty underwhelmed by the whole thing.

 

As I said, the museum was closed, but while investigating its status, we came upon a sign that we had never noticed before:

 I guess someone (my mom) should have told me to move over a bit more to cover up the "S".  Nevertheless, it's my little Henry O with a sign that says as much.

After our visit with our favorite tall tale characters, we introduced my 90 year old aunt to Starbucks!  Later that afternoon (buzzing no caffeine), we headed to my aunt's sister's organic dairy farm.  They have a small barn filled with calves under two weeks old.  My aunt thought we might like to observe their feeding time and we did indeed.  Although, Henry was the one who seemed to enjoy it the most.  He just laughed and squealed the whole time while watching the calves.

 

My aunt's niece, Becky, cares for the calves and she showed Amelia how the calves will suck on your finger if you stick it near there mouths.  Amelia was having none of it, so I decided to show her how its done.  It was interesting, but incredibly gross at the same time (particularly the foam that was produced from the suction).  In the end, Amelia STILL didn't do it.

Amelia seemed to like the experience nonetheless, although I think my little lady is definitely a city slicker at heart.

She was pretty insistent about having her picture taken with the calf that was born that morning!  They average one birth a day at this farm!

 Becky, Elaine, GG, and Henry

Henry enjoyed the spa-like accommodations at my aunt's house.

The next day, it was off to the Norske Nook for authentic Norwegian food and pies.  Amelia has a great liking for this creature outside of the shop. 

And then it was back to Minneapolis before we knew it. We stayed the night in a hotel in MN before leaving in the morning.  We didn't get to the hotel until after 7 pm and no one had eaten dinner yet.  As we were pulling up to the hotel, we saw that it was within walking distance to both the Mall of America AND Ikea.  Big sigh.

Bright and early we headed to the airport.  I have to say that I was impressed with Minneapolis-St. Paul airport and the TWO children areas they had set up.  It kept Amelia pretty busy until it was time to board.

It was a short and sweet trip, but an important one nonetheless.  We've already promised to visit my aunt when she gets settled in her new assisted living facility and is feeling up for visitors.  Of course, maybe I will send Jason and the kids up north while I go hang out in France for a bit...

and I'll be sure to send him pictures like this.