...well, a couple of tricks.

At first, Madeline didn't quite understand the whole knock-on-the-door-and-they-give-you-candy idea. She simply followed Campbell and Cooper around to each house. After about 30 minutes, though, she caught on to the scam. No matter what costume she was wearing, whether or not she said "Trick-or-Treat", or if she looked scared by the decorations, the person behind the door would reach their hand into a large bowl of candy and hand her several. She was delighted! Her cavity pot was getting heavier and heavier to carry. That's why we came along, actually. Soon, she was outrunning the boys to get to the next house.

At this particular house, she looked up and saw a large, hairy spider hanging from the eaves. She wasn't quite sure what to think. After she rang the doorbell, and no one answered (to her chagrin), she knew exactly what to think: "I've been tricked!" Later, she told me and Jay that she got "a little frustrated" when she knocked and they didn't answer.

I'm surprised Mason wasn't giving me a scornful look. "They dressed me up in this silly thing, and I don't even get any candy!"

We really did have a great time. It's wonderful to see how big and spooky our family is getting each year.

All Treats, No Tricks

This Reformation Day we went out and plundered the egyptians. We joined our friends, the Ficketts, who live near several streets where they do it up big for Halloween.
The "Pirates" house is always our favorite.

Campbell dressed up as a swamp creature and Cooper donned his Darth Vader costume. Of course, Bill and Kerry looked fresh from the kitchen in their chef's attire; Notice what lurks under Bill's hat, hailing a recent animated movie. Kerry informed Jay and me that we are required to dress up next year. I thought we were dressed up: a working dad and a housewife with 2 kids.

Neighborhood Harvest Party

Several families from our subdivision hosted a Harvest Party for the kids. They had games like "Mummy Wrap", a cupcake walk, and a wishing well (hook a bag of treats). They also provided activities like making magnets, face painting, pumpkin decorating, and coloring. And of course we had food; the parents provided lots of yummy dishes like: vegetable soup, pizza, chips and homemade salsa, croissant wraps, chocolate-dipped pretzels, cupcakes and lots of candy. Madeline and Mason wore their costumes; Madeline was a buzzy, bumble bee and Mason was her "Hunny" pot. They were adorable! Although we did get some needed rain during our festivities, it didn't dampen the spirits of anyone there.

Could it be? I'm 33!

)

For my 33rd, Jay took me to our favorite Italian restaurant, Sicily. We had a great meal (Italian quesadilla filled with mozzerella, pine nuts, basil, chicken and sundried tomatoes topped with a creamy tomato pesto sauce, a green salad with gorgonzola cheese and walnuts, and the angel hair pomodora with fresh tomatoes. Of course I couldn't leave without indulging in their crispy, sweet-cream filled, chocolate-dipped cannoli. I think I packed on 33 lbs., one for each year of my life! Then we attended a local High School football game with our friends Bill and Kerry and their two boys. The game ended in a tie and was a nail-biter at the end. (Notice the beautiful October moon we had lighting up our sky.) A thrilling end to a remarkable year. Truly, the Lord has crowned me with lovingkindness and compassion, and satisfied my years with good things so that my youth is renewed like the eagle (Ps. 103:4-5).

Oh, the Places We'll Go

Mason is now my little stair climber. If I don't hear him playing somewhere downstairs, I know he's happily taking himself upstairs. I have long-since forgotten the fun of climbing stairs, but for him, each ascension is an accomplishment. We have not yet covered the descent, which I'm sure he'll enjoy just as much...and perform twice as fast. Each day has enough trouble of its own!

Shiny, Happy People

I'm so thankful to the Lord that He gave us 2 joyful children. They make each other laugh...and of course it's contagious; Jay and I find ourselves laughing right along with them. Madeline is trying out all her silly faces (imitating Mack on Cars) and Mason thinks they are hillarious. Isn't God good and creative to give us a sense of humor? I wonder what makes Him laugh.

Santa Baby

Our family has matching stockings; maybe you do, too. Because this is Mason's first Christmas, we had to order his stocking and it came in the mail a couple of days ago. Jay opened the box and called Mason over to him. When Jay realized the stocking was almost as tall as Mason, he packed him inside. What a darling stocking stuffer! I'm not sure he'll hang securely from the mantle, though.

Little House Under the Barstool

Madeline often pretends that she has her own little house under our barstools. And lately, Mason has been joining in the fun. Sometimes he will crawl over, pull up on the bars and stand up. But then he realizes that he can't get down and he cries for help. Yesterday, he crawled up inside the barstool and sat there contentedly while Madeline played house with him. He didn't interact much but he had fun gnawing on the bars and watching his sister talk and make "pancakes".

Grandpa, will you bring us your tools?

I walked in to get Mason up from his nap today and, boy, was he up. This was the first time he has stood up by himself in his crib and, by his expression, he didn't seem to understand the gravity of the situation. It was just at the beginning of August that Grandpa lowered the crib some because Mason was getting up on his knees. Now we will have to lower his bed to its lowest setting before Mason starts to crawl out of it.

No Butter or Syrup

I'm constantly amazed how much growth takes place in Mason's life in just one month! Just a few weeks ago he gagged when trying to eat small bits of cereal. Now he's snarfing down pancakes! It took him a while to get the food pried out of his fingers and into his mouth, but he quickly saw the advantage of loosening his digits. Hmm...gone are the days of a clean highchair tray, but I'll gladly wash it while trying to grasp these beloved moments of his development. By the way, if you click on the bottom picture to enlarge it, you can see his first two (bottom) teeth that came through on Sept. 5 and 15. We just praise the Lord for such a beautiful, maturing baby boy.

Where's Waldo?

Madeline loves to give Mason toys to play with when he's in his crib. Sometimes she overdoes it but he doesn't seem to mind.

Swing (S)low, Sweet Chariot

Today was Mason's first trip in the swing at the "big" park. Our neighborhood park doesn't have a swing, but the park about 2 miles away does, so Madeline always wants to visit that one. Mason seemed to enjoy himself. What do you think?

My best friend, Kate

Madeline has a playdate with a neighborhood friend almost every week. This week, they played in their pretty dress up clothes, rode the tricycle and car, and drew with chalk out in our cul-de-sac. Sometimes they paint, play store, draw on the whiteboard or go to the park. We love having Kate come to our house because she is so sweet, loves Jesus and is a good influence on Madeline.

Not ready for the hard stuff

I tried giving Mason his first piece of cereal the other day. He seemed ready, even excited to eat it. Then, he realized there was something foreign in his mouth and started gagging. He not only spit out the cereal but some of his previously enjoyed breakfast. Oh well; we'll try again next week.

Ready? Set...Action!

Madeline experienced her first movie in the theater yesterday. I say "experienced" because the volume was up so loud you felt like you were in the movie, not just watching it. We saw the VeggieTales, "Jonah", and enjoyed popcorn and Junior Mints. I confess I brought in my own juice boxes. Mason enjoyed watching about 30 minutes of the movie before nodding off; I couldn't believe he slept through all that noise! Anyway, it made me remember seeing my first movie in the theater (The Fox and the Hound). Madeline did much better than I did: no sobbing, no leaving the theater, no nightmares about howling pups and frantic foxes. I guess she's more mature than I was. Well, if you can remember what your first movie was, leave a comment and we'll reminisce together.

The Party

We had a somewhat successful celebration last night for Madeline. All the decorations, food, and activities came off beautifully. Unfortunately, the guest of honor was scraped up and sad. About 5 minutes before everyone showed up to the party, Madeline fell twice and hurt both her knees. By the time we were ready for her to blow out her candles, she was too emotional to enjoy the singing and festivities. So, all her little friends blew out her candles for her. She did, however,

enjoy a big helping of cake and ice cream. Oh well; there's always next year!

Last Swim Lesson

Yesterday was the end of a couple of things for Madeline. She said goodbye to being 2 and she had her last swim lesson. Even though she was glad to be done with her lessons, I know she will enjoy the fruit of her labors for years to come as she improves her new swimming skills. One of the last tasks Madeline practiced was swimming with her coverup on so she would know how it feels to be weighed down with extra clothing if she accidentally fell in or was pushed. She did great! Thank you, Miss Barb, for all your good teaching!

Madeline's cake in progress

Here a few pictures of our cake-making process yesterday. I decided to make a 3 tiered, chocolate fondant cake. Under the fondant is either chocolate or white buttercream frosting. Not too decadent. So, to cut the sweetness, I added solid chocolate flip flops to a couple of the layers. We'll also have ice cream for those folks who need something cold with their cake. A friend from across the street, Brodie who's 11, came over to help me make the colorful chocolate flip flops that will decorate the cake. She was a true help! Her mom, Gaynor, also helped me with Mason. She is always a willing babysitter when I need one. I'm still making some decisions about the rest of the decor for the cake, but it'll get done...it has to.

Madeline's 3rd Birthday (Morning)

This morning started early: 5:55AM. Madeline was up putting on her chapstick and waiting for one of us to make some sounds so the day could start. It has been and will be a day of celebration for her. She ate her oatmeal quickly (what kid wouldn't?) so she could open her presents and cards from family and friends, and then we took her out into the garage so she could see her new tricycle. She was genuinely happy with each gift she opened and wanted to play with each one. She was especially keen on keeping her $3, from Uncle Bob and Aunt Ava, right beside her. She is really looking forward to tonight's get together with some friends from our neighborhood. We will have cake, homemade ice cream, and a few activities. Because she got so many gifts from loved ones, we asked that her little friends not bring gifts to the party. There will be plenty of years (Lord willing) for parties and presents, right? Anyway, the cake still has some work to be done on it. But hopefully it will all be done by 6:30Pm when Madeline blows out the candles!