this.

I made this after checking out the Hambly Screen Prints blog. Such great inspiration. I'm glad I still had some of their Halloween rub ons left over from last year.

A cute and easy way to share pictures with grandparents.

trick or treat.

 A very grim reaper.

A serious S.W.A.T.

One happy Robin.

(yes, she's aware that Robin is a boy. She still chose it for her costume.)

One sad Robin.

He did not want to wear his costume because it was itchy and he refused to wear his mask. Can we say somebody missed their nap time?

For the group photo Mike stepped in for Will. Not sure he would have made that face though.

Mike got the idea to get some shots of the kids "in action." He also thought that Will would jump at the chance to run towards Daddy. As you can see, that didn't work out.

Then we decided to let them do a trial run at our house.

They were shocked we gave them real candy.

After a little sugar rush everyone was ready to head out for real. It was a slow start...it seemed not too many people were home or just not participating. Then we found the neighborhood hot spot. House after house after house. And so many people giving out candy wore costumes and had the cutest/scariest decorations. The kids got tons of candy and had a great time. We made the long...very long walk home with four tired, but happy kids. (Next year we might take the car though.)



Getting ready.

 We've been slowly getting ready for Halloween around here. Only 4 days to go! The kids can't wait to try trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood. They've been plotting their route for weeks now. The first decoration we put up was this giant inflatable cat Yiayia and Papouli gave us.

 The second decoration(s) we put out were my trick-or-treaters by the front door. My Aunt Betty made these for us. Each time we had a baby she would send us one of these cute little guys for Christmas. I think my favorite one is "Helen" with her hair bow and teddy bear.

Finally, yesterday we carved our pumpkin. We decided not to carve it until it got closer to Halloween since last years pumpkins didn't hold up too well in the Florida heat. We ended up having to toss them almost two weeks before the 31st. In the meantime we're keeping this one indoors.

Happy Halloween!

Back to Nature.

On Friday Alex went on a Back to Nature class Field Trip. Here in his own words is what happened:

"The bus stopped near an auto repair shop.  I didn't understand until we went around the building.There, in green letters it said,"Back to Nature." I thought it would be boring. I was wrong! There were so many animals! There was a turtle missing a leg. Poor guy! The place was so big you could hide a Dinosaur there! I saw some animals I have never seen in person before, including lemurs, pumas, and a bald eagle! Unfortunately, the time to leave has come. We boarded the bus at about 2:00PM. As soon as we reached school, we went home. I so want to go back!" -Alex Land

Three Dog Night.

Right now I am loving this song by Three Dog Night.

Seven.

August 29, 2010

Princess Helen turns 7. She celebrated at home with her family. As requested, Daddy made his special homemade pizzas. Here she is opening some of her gifts. Poor Will is disheartened to learn that none of them are for him. Helen received some Barbie dolls, a new outfit with knee-high boots (from Yiayia and Papouli), sidewalk chalk, an electronic pet hamster, rain boots, her own set of Lego's, a DVD of Igor and some chapter books.

Helen with her favorite gift: a Unicorn Pillow Pet. "It's a pillow, it's a pet...it's a pillow pet!" When the kids saw the commercial for these on t.v. they all wanted one (except for Jimmy, of course).

Helen and Will practicing for their shot on "Minute to Win it."

The end of a wonderful day. Helen blowing out the candles on her cake. Chocolate with vanilla icing and pink roses. Happy Birthday, Princess. We love you!

First Day of School.

August 23, 2010        Helen and Alex

These kids on their first day at their new school. They were so excited, I think, to go back to school. (Really, how many lazy days of summer can you have without totally losing it? ) Of course, they were also excited because they were able to ride the bus for the first time.

This beautiful girl starts second grade.

This handsome devil starts fifth grade.

August 23, 2010         Jimmy

This equally handsome, but way too grown-up, devil starts seventh grade. And the poor thing has to meet the bus at 6:33 AM. It's the second week and he's been great about getting himself up on time. Just once he forgot to set the alarm. No worries though, Mom always sets her alarm too so she can walk him down the driveway. I'm so proud of all of them and I hope they have a great year!