Tree Hunt

We love meeting all our friends at Spilker Tree Farm. Even if the real tractors were too iced up to ride on, we still had fun with their play train and tractors. Here's Lenora driving while her idol, Johanna, rides and eats snow.
Lenora is now regularly licking my snowflake dishtowels saying "I Jo-Hanna, eatin' thsnow!"
She made Dusty carry her most of the trip, even smacking my hand away when I offered him some relief. Watch out, Stacey. Jonathan was a sweetie and complied with holding her hand when she felt like walking again.

Auggie stayed nice and warm in his handy carrier. Erin makes it look easy.

It was kind of nice having to walk around the farm for our tree this year, and I was proud that Ernie wasn't too upset about the tractors being inoperable. He picked a great tree, seeing the potential even under the huge heavy snow piles.

First Snow

Remember being a kid and how exciting that first snowfall is? How you wanted to do EVERYTHING snow-related immediately and before you got too cold? Well, that's Ernie right now. He wanted to make a snow fort, make snow angels, shovel a snow pile to dive in, go on a sled walk, and make a snow man. We tried hard to comply, but his only snowsuit is 2T size, so cold seeps in quickly.
We got the snow angels made.

We made a snow dwarf. A full-sized man just seemd too ambitious. Ernie named him Tim, because he's tiny.

Two kids = stackable kids!

The snow got too cold for a fort immediately. You've got to save some fun for the second snow, after all.

Winter day at the zoo

The Children's Zoo had a special day they were open for winter, with free train rides and a visit with Santa. The day also coincided with the first real snowfall, so it wasn't crowded at all.
Ernie had decided that it would be a good idea to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas, so we were curious how the deal would go down. They were pretty excited about seeing him through the gift store window, but a bit hesitent when they actually met him. Ernie asked the requisite, "Are you the real Santa?" and he generously offered for Ernie to pull his beard. Having no reference for fake bearded Santas, Ernie just said "no, thanks, though" and was clearly perplexed at this strange offer.
The reindeers were out, and Lenora really liked seeing them. She got a picture of herself the online paper as a result.

And we didn't need to go to the zoo for this, but Lenora learned the magic of catching snowflakes on your tongue. It was heavy wet snow, and when she decided she was thirsty and we hadn't brought water, I instructed her to stick out her tongue. Right away a big wet flake fell right on target. The rest of the trip she was at least 15 feet behind us all, standing still with her tongue sticking out.

Holiday pajamas

Our kids are delighted by pajamas, so I couldn't resist on a recent girls' weekend shopping extravaganza getting them some sweet holiday jammies. And Len's very first night dress ever! We let them open them on December 1, along with a new book "It's Christmas" by Tina Burke. They basically freaked out, danced around forever, pretended they were Santa and Mrs. Claus, and generally had a jolly old time.
I love that something so simple can make them so happy.

Pfeffernusse

Get ready, Great-Grandma Hall, because Lenora has made some pfeffernusse cookies for you! Happy Holidays!

Proud Parenting Moment

You know you've modeled patient listening when a two year old who hasn't been allowed a morning pee yet listens and comments attentively to her older brother's dream.

Ernie couldn't wait to share with Lenora his exciting nightmare, so he interceded her on her way into the bathroom first thing this morning. "Lenora! I had a nightmare, and I was in a dark, haunted building! And there were one HUNDRED bees, and SIXTY GIANT wasps, and they all had stingers and if you got stung by their stingers you would get sick! And I moved a mirror and went in a trap door, like the one in my Haunted Mansion Scooby Doo Goo Touret at Grandma and Grandpa's and that was REALLY smart because the door was too small for the giant wasps to fit in, and it was really scary."
Lenora listened all the way through, and when Ernie paused would say "Oh!" "Wow!" "Dat's Scawry!" "Did Snug Puppy see it?" "Were you scawred?"

I love my kids.

New puppy!

Here's Aunt Laura's new puppy! No name yet.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a lovely, relaxing Thanksgiving with the Mohrs. Grandma and Grandpa had the track ready for the Christmas train. After the kids found all the cars they were ready to play with it the rest of the day. Ernie was the main train operator, and Lenora kept the animals playing in the holiday village and loading up on the train. Whenever the train would pass, so as not to destry any deers she had crossing the track, we'd say "hands up!"

No feast pictures? Was I too busy eating?
So for a special treat I decided the kids could go for a walk after dinner in exchange for skipping bath. We knew there was a super-rad holiday light display about four blocks away. Lenora was a nightmare all the way down. In that, she kept saying "Imma Nightmare! I bite! I scawre you! I scawre eveebody in dis world! I suck bwood." We all got chased on the way down by the nightmare. It's ok, it meant we moved faster.

And the next day we checked out the gingerbread display. Ernie got some very specific ideas about the gingerbread house he was going to create later that day. We had to document some very specific elements. Luckily this all went out the window when Mom and Dad discovered how hard it is to make graham crackers stick together with frosting. And basically, when it comes down to it, Ernie just wanted frosted graham crackers.

Lenora went cray-town in the gingerbread play house.

Turkey

I honestly don't know what possessed us to turn a brown paper bag into a turkey costume one day. I think it was because I was sick of refilling miniature marshmallows for ammunition for our yard-made slingshots. Or maybe it was because we were trying to finish raking leaves and keep the kids happy outside. In any case, here's Janet and Lenora helping make Ernie into a turkey.

Ager Play Place

Ernie was invited to a birthday party at the indoor play place, and Lenora was invited too! It was basically non-stop running for this to that. 90% of the time I didn't know where my kid was. He and Lenora still played with each other much of the time. Here they are going on a family camping trip in their motor home.

Lenora was hesitant about entering a play structure her parents couldn't follow her into.

She didn't stray far, until somehow an older kid convinced her to climb to the second level of the play structure. Pretty soon we just heard "Mommeeee! Daddeeee! Ernieeeeee!" Ernie had to find her in the tunnels and pits and lead her out through the maze. It was pretty much EXACTLY like Indiana Jones.

Since it ended late, we grabbed dinner on the way home. The kids found the noisemaker party favors on the ride home. We're so lucky we live close to the Ager Play Place.

HALL-o-ween!

If there's anything Hall kids love more than being able to stay up to see darkness and the moon, it's being able to stay up for darkness, the moon, and begging your neighbors for candy. WITH your grandparents!

This year Ernie requested a ghoul costume of Grandma Bonnie, and basically told Lenora she was going to be a witch until she believed it was her own idea. Ernie found a "Scream" mask at a neighbor's garage sale, fell in love, and dictated his special-order design. He wanted a black tunic with raggedy sleeves and "gross stuff like maggots and dried ship's biscuits" on it. He wanted a black cape "long like Darth Vadar's but not touching the ground." Well, Grandma Bonnie did all that PLUS a detatchable hood and with nice touches like a spider on the cape's shoulder. When he saw that he declared it "Exactly what I wanted!"
Lenora was the most adorable witch in the world. She looks amazing in black and orange. She loved it when people would ask about their costume plans, saying "I witch! Ernie ghooooooul!"


And naturally witches carry cauldrons.

See the embroidered "gross stuff" on the front? The woman is genius.

And the g-rents Halls got festive, too!

Always a favorite stop on the trick-or-treating route: The Buchanans. Ernie politely asked "Would you like me to scare you?" before putting on his mask and saying "Blarhogojheohboheojgobjhogogh!" Lenora was worried she might have been too scary for Rob, so she took off her had and said "Is juss meeee! Tye it, tye it!" making him try it on.

We're still a bit slow going up steps, so the nine houses we visited took over an hour. But we're so darn cute and our neighbors are so generous we'll be eating candy until next Halloween.

And we can't wait to see the moon again.

Pumpkin Carvin' Par-TAY!

This party is becoming a standout for both kids, it seems. Ernie remembered so much about last year, and we had to do a daily countdown until the pumpkin carvin' party. I'm beginning to get worried I won't ever be able to vary the treat menu, because he always wants everything, and more!
Here's the boo-fet this year. Witches' hats, spooky smiles, pumpkin cupcakes, acorns, mini caramel apples, and frankenstein and ghost marshmallow pops.

Some serious carving people. This is a contest, you know!

A new tradition that we definately HAVE to repeat after its success this year: the haunted garage. We just had glow-stick ghosts hanging about with spooky sound effects and a ghoul in the doorway. Kitt insisted several times "I'm not going in there" before Ernie won him over. The boys spent most of the time ghostbusting after that.

In-between attacking hanging balloons and loading up on the unsupervised sugar-fest in the house, Ernie stopped to make a few stabs at a pumpkin.

Lenora loved the haunted garage as well. She mostly asked gentleman to accompany her "Tommon, Dussy, tommon." Replace Dusty with Joe, Grandpa, Rob. You get the idea. But her favorite party feature was the pile of leaves. Good thing Mom took care to remind Dad that we wanted a "no poo" pile.

The winner of "Best Sport" AND "Most Likely to Have Gone Home with Crushed Leaves in His Underpants" awards go to Dusty Walsh!

Here's our neighbor friend Janet carving her first pumpkin ever! She picked one with a super-thick rind, but did a great job and WON "Spookiest!"

Here's our pumpkin line-up. Other award-winners included Lisa Wells for "Most Traditional," Grandma Chris Mohr for "Most Original," and Grandpa Darrell Mohr for "Silliest." Way to go, Carvers!

And we've already got more ideas for next year . . .

Boo at the Zoo

The gang all met at our house once again for the stroller/wagon train to Boo at the Zoo. Can you imagine our newest crew member, Auggie, being any more adorable as Charlie Brown?

Making the trek and waiting in line.

I like to think I'm unbiased, but we bring the cutest kids to Boo at the Zoo. They are so lucky we come every year. Ernie wore his ghoul mask only when he felt like being scary, but Lenora was faithful to her broomstick accessory. When she said "tick ow teet!" to someone they asked if she had any tricks. After about a second's though, she straddled her broomstick and showed them how witches ride.

Spooky good times!

Duplo Architect

Ernie's been really into his Duplo lately, making all kinds of interesting new things. Here's one of his more highlyl-developed creations: a multi-zoned one-level living quarters for people and cows.