Prepare for the Battle of Water-boo!!!!!!!!

Happy Halloween from our family -- Empress Josephine, Napoleon Bonaparte, & his trusty stead, Munk-engo to yours! (Haha!  Getting?  Water-boo? Instead of Waterloo?)  I found Finn's costume first.  It was super-duper cheap and I expected it to look cheap when it arrived, but it was spectacularly made!  I made Fish & Munk's costumes.  Fish's pants and vest were purchased, his boots were Finn's from last year, and the hat & jacket I made from scratch.  The jacket turned out better than anything in my wildest dreams.  It is completely lined on the inside to keep him warm in the colder weather and is SOOOO sharp.  The costumes turned out to be perfection.  Of course, Munk didn't want to wear his, but he isn't going trick or treating, so it's not a huge deal.  He sat enough for a single photo or two and that's all I asked of him.  Fish takes a little coaxing.  He did wonderfully in Leurenkill, wearing the hat the entire time we were trick or treating.  The photo shoot was a little challenging as the neighbors on our other side were out and he was distracted, but there was also no candy in any buckets.  So the jig was up quite quickly.

As you can tell, I'm a holiday freak.  And just for throw-back sake, there are links to our last three Halloweens...

Halloween 2014 -- The Wizard of Oz
Halloween 2013 -- Two lobsters and a stick of butter
Halloween 2012 -- Our favorite cow in the pumpkin patch

A Trip to the Firehouse

Long time, no chat!  I've been really busy making costumes, reupholstering furniture, and trying to unpack the final boxes.  All of which you will get to see in due time.  But first!  October is Fire Prevention Month.  Finn's school devoted an entire week to fire prevention.  So I thought it would be great if we visited E's old firehouse.

Back in the day, when we lived in Princeton, New Jersey, E was a member of the volunteer fire company.  And now that we are only 45 minutes away from our old homestead, we drove back to see the old friends at the firehouse and to let the kids climb in their firetrucks.  To say that Fish was excited was an enormous understatement.  We asked him if he wanted to see "big trucks!" and his head would shaking "yes" enthusiastically.  This kid loves "big trucks".  In fact, he brought out the stool that Finn uses to wash her hands in the sink in the bathroom so that he could climb up and look out the window to see the garbage truck every Thursday & Friday (neighbors have different garbage pickup companies, so we get two mornings in a row of garbage truck sitings).

Finn was excited as well, but not as over-the-moon as Fish.  She is really enjoying school and is excited each morning that is a school day.  We have our own little song that we sing when it's a school day.  She always comes home with a new song to sing or a new project that she did at school.  And she is very proud to show off what she knows.  She is growing up before my very eyes and my heart pangs that she isn't a little baby anymore.

A Week in the Life (v.2015.13)

 School Daze 3.3

 Must wear his backpack to go pick up Finn -- even when he has just woken from a nap and needs his blankie and bink as well.

Finn always has a "surprise" for me after school and gets really excited to show me.  So we also have to hide a "surprise" in Fish's backpack for him to show as well.

He has been trying to wear Finn's undies around the house, so we bought him his first underoos. 

Totally a monkey see monkey do.  

School Daze 4.1 

We hit up the Halloween store to finish off their costumes and I found it quite amusing that he bee-lined to the Sophia the First baskets.  I have a photo of her at the exact same age, trying to tote around all the Sophia the First baskets as well! 

School Daze 4.2 

School Daze 4.3

We have been having crazy weather -- high 70s one day and low 50s the next! 

Being goofy before school

We spent the weekend in Leurenkill (E's childhood home away from home) for Halloween.  The kids' costumes were a great hit and the kids have an excellent time!  And we got to see Granny, Opa & Auntie Anita!  Plus some of Granny's close friends!  Fish was all business behind the wheel of the wine tour bus.

School Daze 5.1

She was very proud of her Hello Kitty vest.

School Daze 5.2

This photo led to the photo below. 

Can you see any resemblance?!?!?! 

The kids realized last week that asses love bread.  (A fact that I was very familiar with.)We have a small farm next door.  This is Mrs. Elderberry, the donkey.  There is also a billy goat, a girl goat with a baby, and two sheep.

School Daze 5.3

School Picture Day!!!

Fish looks up to Finn so much.  I love seeing him look at her to see exactly what she is doing and try to replicate it.

He wanted it!  It was Ponytail Friday and a unicorn sighting!

Fish is already feeling at home on Daddy's bike.

Head out on the highway...  Lookin' for adventure...

Daddy & Fish 

This is how he dances to his favorite song.

My first wingback recliner!  Almost finished!  The right is what it looked like before.  I now have that one left.

Culture night in our household.  Chopsticks and potstickers!!! 

Sleeping babe.

Awake babe. 

Getting excited about colder weather

School Daze 6.1

It's never too early for Christmas music.

She was learning about fall and put her binoculars that she made in class to good use on the way home. 

Happy Halloween from Finn & Fish! 

Finn had a field trip on Wednesday for school which needed a parent's supervision, so we made it a family affair!  It was a trip to DelVal Farms.  Everyone had a great time!

"I'm outta here!"  It was past Fish's normal nap time so he was definitely not cooperative near the end.

School Daze 6.3