Happy Halloween!

This year I decided that we would NOT carve a pumpkin/jack-o-lantern.  This year Meighan would get to PAINT her pumpkin.  So a couple weeks ago we picked up a small pumpkin.  She finally got to paint and decorate it the other day.  She is so serious when she is creating!

 

 

She just "glued" everything on with paint!

 

 

This is the back.  It says "HUSKERS". :-)

 

So this is the character that's hanging out at our house right now.

 

And while I was taking pictures of the pumpkin decorating, Dawson wanted his picture taken, too!

 

And this is just a nice picture.  He likes to hold on to fingers.  He holds on to my finger, too, when I am rocking him to sleep.

 

And today he wanted to try green peppers!  He actually ate a few bites!

 

Meighan made this at school today.  Inside is (get this) a roll of toilet paper!  Then a piece of orange fabric is wrapped around it and it looks like a paper lunch sack is folded up and stuck in to hold it all together!  How clever!

Pint-Sized Pirate & Half-Pint Pumpkin

Well, here it is, at long last!  Meighan likes pirates so I suggested she be a pirate this year for Halloween.  I made the costume.  I'm not a real experienced sewer but this looked like something I could handle.  After asking questions via email and phone to my mom, I finally finished the vest.  I got the pants done and we found a long-sleeved white shirt that she could wear.  Then I made the belt so she could put her sword somewhere and not have to carry it all the time.  We may (or may not) figure out how to have the parrot perch on her shoulder.  If not, she'll just have to carry him.

 

 

 

 

This shows the scarf/hat style.  She wanted this style.

 

 

Dawson is really too young for Halloween.  If we only had him we wouldn't go out this year.  We didn't take Meighan trick-or-treating until last year.  So anyway, I was at a children's consignment store a few weeks ago and happened to walk past the costume rack so I looked for something that is 18-month size and found this costume.  It didn't cost much so I bought it.  Just put it on him tonight and it's a little small.  He's NOT thrilled about it and he kept throwing the hat off the deck.  Oh, well.

 

 

This is what he thinks of his costume.

 

LEAVES!

The leaves started falling off of our trees a couple weeks ago.  They are almost completely off most trees now.  Last week Tony used the leaf blower to blow the backyard leaves into a pile so the kids could play in them.  Yesterday he blew the REST of the leaves into the same pile and it turned out to be a HUGE pile of leaves!  It was so big and soft that he was actually throwing the kids into the pile of leaves!  Here's some pictures.

 

 

 

Dawson wasn't thrilled about leaves in his face!

 

 

 

Meighan loves to lay in the leaves but

I couldn't get Dawson to lay down in the leaves!

 

 

 

 

 

Then he started filling his swing with leaves!

 

 

 

 

Tiny boy playing in lots of leaves!

 

Pure joy!

 

 

 

He didn't really like this, either!

 

 

 

 

 

And here's some video of swinging into the leaves!

 

 

I Don't Think He Likes Peas!

Baby Dawson

Today I had to get into the tote with all of Dawson's paperwork to scan some of it for Holt and on the front of the shelf was the photo album that the orphanage gave us of pictures they took of Dawson.  Dawson wanted to look at it and he actually did pretty good most of the time and didn't mess up the pouches much.  He just turned the pages and looked at the pictures of him.  We had also sent a camera and they took pictures with it and I got them developed when we got home and put them in the same photo album.  So he has LOTS of pictures of himself before he met us.

Anyway, tonight I thought I'd sit down with him some more and look at the pictures a little better.  The first one in the album was of him when he was 6 days old!  I thought I'd share it because it is THE youngest picture of him that we have.  We know he's 6 days old because the date is on the picture!

Dawson Can Do Somersaults!

I read somewhere that kids aren't normally supposed to be able to do somersaults until they are 4 years old.  Meighan has been doing them since she was around 2 (when her legs got long enough!).  Dawson showed us he can do them now, and he just turned 2!  Watch!

Trip to the Zoo and Some Other Pics

Meighan had no school on Monday so we went to the zoo.  We didn't get there till 11 and got home at 3:15 -- much later than I expected to.  Anyway, we had fun.  One of Meighan's goals that day was to see the seals since she didn't get to see them the last time she was there.  On the way to the seals we saw the zebras, giraffes, and bongos.  Dawson did pretty well riding in the stroller most of the day.  We stopped and had our lunch by the seals and then went on UP to see the rhinos, then came back down and saw the tigers, bears and aquarium.  I was worn out!  This zoo is a BUNCH of hills!  I probably should go more often to get in shape!

Greeting a "baby lion"

 

I just think these are really cool-looking animals!

 

 

Meighan vs. a giraffe

The baby born earlier this year is on the right.

 

With the bouquet of leaves she collected

 

 

 

 

 

And other pics...

 

She built a house for her horsey

 

Both of them ... all tuckered out!

 

Riding a panda!