Happy Halloween!

I didn't think Leah would have any say in her costume this year, but she had a definite opinion, and dressed up as a ballerina. Since I couldn't convince Jason to dress up as the Nutcracker, we went as the audience. I've decided that we dressed up fairly true to real life- Leah is center stage and Mom and Dad are always there to watch and cheer her on.

The "program"Ballerina costume = candy!!! Leah was thrilled to meet one of her favorite TV characters- the man in the yellow hat!

We're already stuffed to the brim with candy, but we've got two more Trick-or-Treating events to go!

Need More Time Online?

Ha ha- I think we probably all spend more than enough time online. I have my list of blogs that I like to check out regularly, in addition to family and friends blogs, which I view via Google Reader. I thought you might like them, too!

For Frugal Living and Free Stuff
Freebies 4 Moms
Leaving Excess
Northern Cheapskate

For Food Ideas
A Year of Crockpotting
Picky Palate

For Mom/Wife/Homemaker Sanity!
Rocks In My Dryer
Parenting.com Blogs
Light Refreshments Served

I've found some great information from these blogs- hope you enjoy! What blogs or websites do you frequent?

Pumpkin Party

(L to R: Michelle's scary face, Kevin's gargoyle, Melanie's eyelashy lady, Leah's beaming smile, Jason's glasses guy, Robert's mission pumpkin, Sarah's 'Y')

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Every year we have a Halloween party with whatever Morales ladies live in Provo. This year it's Michelle and Sarah, and we had a blast! I love carving pumpkins, and I love seeing what other people come up with.
Our pumpkin family!

Jason made a Little Mermaid cookie for Leah- yummy!

Pumpkin Family

We picked out our pumpkins yesterday, at the same spot we went last year. We had a lot of fun playing in the hay maze, inspecting every gourd, and sifting through 324 pumpkins before picking the right ones.I was looking at last year's trip to the pumpkin patch, and I was amazed at how tiny Leah was! And I thought she was such a big girl! I have a feeling I'll spend most of my life doing this- looking at pictures from the past and hoping I can hold onto today for a little longer.

2007

2008

What's Cookin'?

I don't know about anyone else, but I feel like the holidays mean twice as much time in the kitchen! We kicked things off this week with a tasty batch of cupcakes. While I had visions of frosting each cupcake and handing it over to Leah to neatly add sprinkles, it was quite a mess instead.

But it was still a lot of fun!

Popcorn Poppin'

We introduced Leah to the old-school air popper this weekend, and she thought it was hilarious! Every time a kernel popped she laughed like a crazy woman. It was a great night of free entertainment for all.

Last night at Family Home Evening, Leah started saying 'hosie! hosie'... thankfully it only took a few minutes before I realized she wanted to play "Ring around the Rosie" like we had the week before! Good memory, baby!

Sentences

Leah loves putting this beautiful yellow hairband on herself, even in the tub!

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Leah's been saying little sentences for a while now. She has a (generally) soft and sweet voice, and she doesn't talk gibberish very often. If she's saying something, it's either one or two distinct words or a cute little sentence, like

*Turn the light on!

*Put the pieces back in. (puzzles)

*Turn it around. (camera- 21st century child, for sure!)

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*Oh my gosh! or Oh my goodness! (I don't love these, but I say them, and so does the Little Mermaid, so what can I expect?)

And the one that melts my heart-

*Good night, Mama.

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*Her biggest non-sentence phrase lately is "new-one-decoration-spoon"- referring to her Halloween pumpkin spoon.

And I found this hanky-panky going on in my living room this morning! Reminds me of Toy Story 2!