HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloween!

This is our first OFFICIAL family Halloween. Last year we didn't celebrate because we had just moved to North Carolina days before.

Last night we all dressed up and headed to church for some good food and 'trunk or treating'.

Jake dressed up as a hockey referee, I was a witch (not very original, but I was totally sold when I saw some awesome purple and black leggings. LOL) and Luke was a pirate as you've already seen in my early post!

We decorated our trunk and gave out more candy than any dentist would approve of, and of course took Luke around to gather up his own stash, which like any good parents would do to save their kids from obesity, sugar addictions and tooth decay, we then divided up between Jake and I. LOL (don't worry, Luke isn't at all deprived... he eats more sugary junk than any 17 month old should)

All in all it was a fun Halloween!

In other events... today Luke pointed out by taking a tumble out of his crib that perhaps he will be ready for his big boy bed sooner than we had planned. Jake and I had decided that the big boy bed would happen at his 2nd birthday... after hearing a hard thud and finding Luke crying and lying on his back on the floor in his room, we will probably get that bed sooner! My heart didn't stop pounding for quite some time after his topple out of his crib.. it's a long way to go, and his room isn't carpeted either.

He is also getting so smart and so cute. Jake was loading the dishwasher tonight, and then walked out of the kitchen, leaving the dishwasher open for a minute. Next thing, we hear Luke making some clinking, clanking sounds in the kitchen... the smart little cutie pie had gone and opened the silverware drawer (we have 7 drawers in our kitchen to choose from) and was getting all the spoons and forks etc out of the dishwasher and putting them into the drawer... albeit they were the dirty ones that Jake had just minutes before loaded, we thought it was hilarious, super smart and so totally cute that he had known which drawer to pack it in! Our little boy is growing up so fast and surprises us with his intelligence and cute face everyday! We love him so much! :)

A PIRATE LIFE FOR ME

Last October, would have been Lukes first Halloween, but we moved to North Carolina just days before Halloween, and getting together a costume and attending Halloween events wasn't very high on our to do list quite then! After the chaos of the move, when things settled down, I felt a little guilty, that we didn't get any cute '1st Halloween' pictures of baby Luke dressed in something adorable, like a snuggly little monkey, or something equally cute... Halloween pictures are so typical for the growing up years of every American child. lol.

So this year, I decided to make sure that Luke had a costume, and a really cute one at that. At first I was just going to buy one, but then I decided I would like the challenge of making a costume myself. I decided to start simple... a Pirate Costume.  Jake bought me a sewing machine just a few months ago... I was completely clueless how to use it... he had to read the manual, and then help me figure out how to even thread the thing, let alone actually sew something on it. LOL.. I did not come from a 'self sufficient' family... my mom generally stops wearing something if a button falls off... so needless to say, sewing was not a skill I inherited! But, here I am, proud of my first official sewing project (not included the pants and curtains I hemmed... I hardly think hemming in a straight line counts)
I made Luke the red and gold vest, the black pants and the stripe sash he is wearing! The bandanna and shirt were borrowed from a friend! Luke usually refuses to wear anything on his head.. so was pretty sure that a hat or bandanna were going to be out of the question, but I was able to do things smartly... I didn't even attempt the the bandanna and earring on, until right when we arrived at the party, and got out the car... Luke got so distracted by the other kids and new environment to wreak havoc in, that he didn't even realise he was wearing them. LOL


Don't you just love the pirate earring. lol

Yesterday, was the first Halloween party of the season...



School was out for the day, so my friend Rachel, the 'Martha Stewart of Kids Parties' threw together a fun Halloween party! Rachel has a great talent and amount of patience for organizing kids parties. She picks a theme and runs with it, full force.. from invitations, to games and activities to themed food... everything fits the theme. It looked so great yesterday! I don't have the patience to do all of that... making Luke a themed birthday cake was about as far as I have patience to go. LOL...

WITCHES BREW: Green slushy punch stuff with a sour worm in it


MUMMY PIZZA'S

BUGS ON A LOG

BLOODY FINGERS


MONSTER MOUTHS


SCARY GHOST 'SWEET CAKE ROUNDS'
My friend Sandy, makes these, and they are so yummy! She makes just about any flavour and colour/decoration you want, and you can get them either on or off of a stick. They are a cake of whatever kind, mixed with frosting, then dipped in chocolate. SO DELICIOUS!

It was the perfect day, and such fun! All the kids costumes looked adorable, and the themed food was just brilliant! Thanks Rachel for such a fun first ever Halloween party (first for me and Luke. lol)

HILL RIDGE FARM

Last Saturday, we decided to do a family day at Hill Ridge Farm. It's about an hour away, and they have a pumpkin patch, hayrides (for my South African readers, a hayride is when you sit on bundles of hay, in the back of a large wagon, pulled by a tractor), a kids maze, corn house (big 'sandpit' but with corn kernels), an awesome 80ft pipe slide, and lots of other fun things to do! Luke really enjoyed the time outside... it was a surprisingly HOT day considering the weather lately.

We had a great time, and lots of fun!

Walking through the little kiddie maze!

The animal enclosure! He was fascinated, but not nearly as excited as when he sees a dog... we're still trying to convince daddy that Luke needs a dog!

 Stopping for a drink

 The Sand Pit... Luke mostly just loved the truck. I hate the feeling of sand all over me too!

 How Tall This Fall?

 The 80ft Tube Slide... sooo fun! Jake went down first so he could get pictures from the bottom of me coming down with Luke... Luke cried when he saw daddy disappear into the black hole. LOL.

Fall wouldn't be fall without enjoying some corn on the cob... this was the  most delicious, buttery corn! SOOOO good! (We had awesome apple cobbler too)

 Picking out Pumpkins in the pumpkin patch!

In other events, Luke is learning how to use a spoon. We didn't push it much, until he started showing signs of wanting to feed himself.. he would grab at the spoon/fork etc and insist on holding it himself. We showed him a few times how to scoop up some food and put it in his mouth, and now he enjoys trying himself.

 This is how Jake gets the mowing done. Luke goes completely crazy if he hears Jake outside with the mower, and he can't be out there with him.

Some cute pics of Jake and Luke 'playing golf' in the yard!