This Thanksgiving ...

My cup runneth over.

Reindeer Games

Thanks for the new PJs, Birdie!

A Couple of Lasts

This week Noah had his last music class, and Ben had his last soccer game. It's probably fair to say that Noah will miss music more than Ben will miss soccer, but he did come around in the end. Here are some shots of Noah's last class ... He loved tap, tap, tapping the rhythm sticks, dancing with scarves,

and exploring the instruments.

Thanks for a great class, Ms. Danielle!

And Ben made it through his first season of team sports. He definitely needed coaxing to get out onto the field most of the way through, but in the last game he agreed to be a starter and had some really great kicks. We're so proud of him! A real kick - progress! We celebrated the end of the season with pizza and shark cookies. Receiving a medal from Coach Anthony. Team Sharks

(notice Ben's enthusiastic expression)

Fall Festival

Ben's school had its Fall Festival on Sunday. The weather was perfect and there was so much to do! The boys had a great time playing games, eating ice cream, painting pottery, and listening to music, but their favorite part was the petting zoo ...

(I assure you we washed Noah's hands before he ate his snack.)

Trick-or-Treat!

We were so glad to have our friends Ava and Eli join us for trick-or-treating last night. Ben definitely remembered what it was all about, and he and Ava waited anxiously for darkness to fall so they could hit the streets in search of treats. Pilot Ben and Tinkerbell AvaDaddy and his little goblins are ready to go! (Noah didn't quite understand why, at bedtime, instead of putting on his pajamas and putting him to bed, we stuck him in a big green frog suit and paraded him up and down the street.)

Noah took a less conventional approach - the sideways dive (we'll have to work on his technique for next year).

Back at home, the eating (and rationing) began. Happy Halloween!

It's Not Easy Bein' Green

Today was our playgroup Halloween party. The kids had a blast dressing up, cracking up, and loading up on sugar! Rrrrribit! Pilot Ben and Froggy Noah all ready for the party. Playgroup Halloween 2008

This extraordinary group of Moms has been meeting since our kiddos were just babes. This was our first Halloween party ... Playgroup Halloween 2005 Playgroup, 2nd Generation

On Sunday we carved pumpkins. When we asked Ben if he wanted his to have a happy face or a scary face, he answered, "A naughty face!" ... he's SO 3.

Scooping out the guts. Noah had to get in on the action.The final "naughty pumpkin."

Daddy and 3 naughty faces. Jack-O-Lanterns!

Our Little Pumpkins

We took our little punkins to the pumpkin patch today. Noah was too little to remember getting them last year, so he was intrigued and had fun exploring. Ben was too busy to be bothered with pictures (I had to bribe him with candy to get him to take the two with Noah), but he had fun picking out some baby ones that he intended to use as gas for his police car - interesting alternative energy source, I do say.

Ben's police car, all filled up with "gas."Since Ben wouldn't let me take any today, here's a picture at the same patch his first Halloween - October 2005.