Halloween Parties

We had 2 Halloween parties yesterday. J refused to wear his costume, so I didn't take any pictures. Well, actually, he wore his Captain Feathersword (from the Wiggles) pants, but not the shirt. So, he looked very silly in his getup, but oh well. T went to school dressed as Snow White-here are some pics from her school party. I enjoyed watching them sing-this class loves to sing. They even sang while music played during their snack. The little boy in the first picture was dressed up as Mater from 'Cars'. Adorable!

Grampy's visit

We've been busy with a visit from Grampy Russ. What fun we had from hanging out by the fire, a soccer game (T scored a goal!), Fall Festival, going to the aquarium (those are beluga whales swimming behind T and Grampy), carving pumpkins, and lots of rides on the 'tractor' (motorized hummer). Also, it was an added bonus that the Boston Red Sox won the World Series while Grampy was here. I sure was glad because it mean only four days of baseball instead of seven. Anyway, a good time was had by all.

Here are some pics from the visit.

Lucky Seven

No seven year itch here....John and I celebrated our 7th anniversary on 10/28/2007. Love him more today after all these years than ever before (we've been together since 1996). I can't remember life before you, babe. Thanks for being a part of mine.

T loses her first tooth

I mean, she is still 4, but last night in the bath, T lost her first tooth. The dentist discovered it loose a few weeks ago, and tonight, out it came! It may have had something to do with all that pizza she had for dinner. She said now she feels normal again. Loose teeth can be a nuisance, after all.

J's school friend and Miss Princess

J's preschool had a day at the park Tuesday. This little girl, Emma, has captured J's heart a little bit. He is constantly saying, "I like Emma. She smiles". It is so cute. And she is a doll, he is right!! Good choice, J.

And so as not to forget, here is a picture of my Princess T. She loves this zebra print headband. If I can get my hands on a leopard/cheetah one, she'd love it even more-she loves the Cheetah Girls and thinks she is one of them with her animal prints. Grrr....

Children's joy

Many moments in life we take for granted. This afternoon, I was doing some work in the garage and after J woke up from his nap, he and T played nicely outside doing this and that. We have a hill beside the house that the kids run up and down and they discovered this beautiful butterfly on one of the butterfly bushes beside the house. This adorable little creature literally entertained the children for over 15 minutes dancing through the air just above their heads. Their laughter was contagious-they were chasing this butterfly all over the yard, and giggling the entire time. A few times the butterfly flew above the house, only to come back as if it was teasing the children. They couldn't get enough! A neighbor even stopped over to see what all the laughter was about. What a precious few moments as I watched my children enjoy a bit of nature on a beautiful Fall evening.

Busy week

Last week (like every week) ended up so busy! But the highlight of the week was going to Hilton Head for a wedding with my wonderful husband. I ate some good seafood (with a bunch of Marylanders present, we were a difficult bunch to please-we all agreed it was good, but not as good as some of our hometown spots), saw a beautiful area, and had a great time. We were there for a wedding-congrats to John and Donna! The wedding was beautiful and a good time was had by all. In the last year, we've had the opportunity to visit some beautiful Southern cities-Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA/Tybee Island, GA, and Hilton Head, SC. All amazing places, each with their own personalities. Thanks to MB and Dave for watching the kiddies for us this weekend. Here are some pics from the event.

No school today

So, we went to the fabulous Atlanta Zoo. Thankfully we got there early enough to see everything before it got too hot (it is October, right? Because its 85 degrees here today). We went with some friends and ran into another neighborhood pal while we were walking in. A good time was had by all except for the 30 seconds my darling daughter went missing. She wanted to go see that elephant and we hung a left towards the lion. A moment of panic for me (I never thought I'd be that Mom), but THANKFULLY she answered me as I shouted her name (yes I was shouting, I'm sure the whole park heard me) and she wasn't far, just out of sight. Needless to say, we held hands the rest of the morning. Not a good feeling at all. Somebody was looking out for me today-I think I would have fell apart if she had been gone any longer. I've never been so happy to see that kid in my life....except at her birth.

Also, I'm including a picture of our baby panda for you, Mom. The baby panda just turned one in early September, I believe.