Halloween, Part 2

Halloween night we all dressed up and headed to our friends' house. Their neighborhood is, as my sister put it, like a Walgreen's commercial. EVERYone is out on their porch giving out candy and the houses are all decked out. The best part of the night was when Beemer walked up on a porch lit by 4 black lights - her costume looked awesome! It's such a fun place to Trick-Or-Treat!

We did knock on a few doors in our neighborhood because Beemer was excited to show her costume to her friends. And we got some pretty good pictures.

Beemer and Ahenobarbus (for details on his costume, ask him).

Me and Beemer (Audi was still napping).

Beemer in full costume.

No - she is not in pain, that is her Creepie face.

Audi - the Princess Kitty

Couldn't resist posting this - look at those eyes!

This year's Jack-O-Lanterns

And what is Halloween without a picture of the kids in their Halloween pjs from Aunt Jodie!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween, Part 1

Way back when we lived in Logan, Ahenobarbus happened upon the cartoon "Growing Up Creepie." The show is about a girl, Creepie, raised by bugs. Beemer instantly loved it and was sad when we moved and no longer got the channel it was on. Recently, we changed cable providers, and Beemer was once again able to watch Creepie. She LOVES her and the bugs. She has even perfected her illustrations of Creepie after hundreds of pictures! So, when she asked to be Creepie for Halloween, I wasn't shocked. I just wondered how I was going to sew a dress that curled like this one.

After some creative hair from Grandma and some tights from Ahenobarbus, we did get "exactly" the look Beemer wanted. She was so excited to show all of her friends at her school parade. I had warned her that Creepie isn't a show everyone watches (it's on Discovery Kids, so it isn't exactly prime time) and that not everyone would know who she was. She didn't care. She was just SO excited to be Creepie.

When we got to school, her teacher asked if she was a vampire and one of the other little girls in the class said, "No, she's Creepie" (in that VERY obvious tone of voice). I would have hugged her if I could have reached her. Beemer just beamed!

Audi waiting for the parade to begin.

Beemer and her best friend at school.

(Don't you just love that "Creepie" face?)

All of the kids singing Halloween songs.

A Nice Day for a Walk

The first warm day after our trip to Utah (where it is "freakin' cold" according to Beemer), we took the girls on a fabulous hike. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Caution: Reptile warning (Bec and Kat - divert your eyes)

I LOVE this action shot of my awesome hubby!

It was awesome weather and beautiful scenery. All in all one of my favorite things about fall!

Thoughts on Home

My recent trip to Utah brought to mind and heart many thoughts and emotions about the word "home." Sometimes I use it to refer to Utah, other times to St. Louis. After much pondering, here is what I have come up with.

Ogden - my first home; my first family; my childhood memories; playmates (for me and my girls); fun; adopted families; mountains; Home.

Logan - my second home; my second family; dear friends (many still there, others across the country) ; college memories; 10 years of memories with AT; laughter; majestic beauty; open spaces; peace; Home.

St. Louis - my current home; new friends; new experiences; new everything - well, almost; fun; adventure; growth; Ahenobarbus; Beemer; Audi; Home.

While a part of my heart is in each of these locations, "Home," I've discovered, is where my husband and girls are. No matter where that is.

Growing Up

At 19 months I took Beemer to get her picture taken in this adorable pink dress. The pictures turned out to be some of my favorites.

So, at 19 months, I decided it was Audi's turn. I was a little apprehensive because her one-year pictures didn't go smoothly, but we pulled out the dress and decided to give it a shot. It turned out I had nothing to worry about. She did GREAT and, as you can see, the pictures are adorable.

** Why 19 months you ask? It doesn't seem to be a real "milestone" month. The real reason is because, with both girls, I thought about getting pictures at 18 months, and it took me an entire month to get around to doing it!**