Happy Halloween!

We had a Happy Halloween here and hope everyone else did too!

Yesterday, I took the kids trick or treating at the library. They got to hear some stories and sing songs before making a funny trick or treating pattern around the library to collect candy. They both enjoyed the day. Emma loved walking through all the people and hitting them with her wings! And Ryan really paid attention to the stories. They were both excited to get to do it again today. Yesterday, they both got about 5 pieces of candy - and thought that was great! Little did they know.....

Today, we got all dressed up after dinner. Daddy really enjoyed dressing up like the Man with the Yellow Hat. It even involved a trip to Goodwill. I think he looks pretty good. He (and Ryan) asked why I wasn't dressing up - but it's hard to find something with a big belly!

Our subdivision was very quiet this evening. We might have seen 5 other people trick or treating. Ryan kept asking if we were getting 'more candy?' Of course, we could have stopped after 2 or 3 houses with as much as we got. Emma did well for most of the time, her bucket got a little full and she started to spill it with every walk after a while. We did finish our whole sub though - and made it home before 8!

Since we got home, we've divided up the candy into what we'll eat and what we won't eat. There is a local dentist that buys back candy for a $1 a pound and sends it to the troops. We ended up keeping about half of it - and I'm sure most of it will end up in my belly! The baby will be such a sugar junkie!

Nana and Buppa's House

We were at Nana and Buppa's house (my parents) for 10 days over the last two weeks. We all went up for Kyle Beachnau's wedding and the kids and I stayed because of Amy Johnston's baby shower. Kris and I had a great time at the weddding and were actually the last to leave! It was so nice to see a whole bunch of the TX guys again, especially the ones that live so far away. We also had a great time at the shower. We left Ryan home with Buppa, but Emma was a hit. She did amazingly well since it went well past her nap time. Above are pictures of the TX guys at the wedding (with Stephanie, the bride) and a picture of Amy and I. She is due 3 days behind me.

We all had a great time at my parents for the week. We were stuck there without a car for two days while everyone else worked. But the other days, we visited Grandmama, the Scramlins and the Hopes. I also had a small chocolate party at the McCarthy's house. The kids loved the visiting everyone and getting to spend so much time with Nana and Buppa. The pictures above are from the trip - Emma with pudding face and Ryan's self portrait (he got a hold of my camera one morning before anyone got up and took a bunch of pictures).

We were definitely glad to come home and get back to our normal schedule though. It's rough on the kids to not have that set schedule. The picture above is from Monday. Emma was so tired that she fell asleep at lunch while I went to answer the phone!

And below is one of two videos that Ryan took the second time he got ahold of my camera. Most of them were 2 seconds of the bed. But this one was pretty good.

Portland

Last week, Kris and I flew to Portland, Oregon for the MIT/LFM conference. My wonderful parents came down to take care of Ryan and Emma for the long weekend. They seem to have had a great time, minus a little stomach upset all around - although Nana was sure tired by Sunday!

Kris's conference was on Thursday and Friday, so while he was learning about sustainability - I was taking Portland's train around town seeing the beautiful town and visiting the few attractions I wanted to see. Thursday, I went to Grant Park to see the Ramona Quimby statues and to Powell's Bookstore - the biggest bookstore in the country. It was very overwhelming! Friday, I went to the Pittock Mansion and Washington Park. I had a great time not having to live with the schedule the kids are accustomed to - although it was really hard to sleep in! On Saturday, Kris and I visited the Bluebird submarine (where Hunt for Red October was shot) and the Portland Maritime Museum. Later, we took the Portland Underground tour. We had done the same tour in Seattle a few years ago and really enjoyed it. This one wasn't as good, but still enjoyable. Sunday morning, we enjoyed a Voodoo donut while waiting for the train to the airport!

Daniel's Petting Farm

We spent this past Sunday at Daniel's Petting Farm. Both kids had a great time. Emma loved feeding the animals and the animals in general. Ryan loved all things about the farm - except feeding the animals! We went on a hayride and played on their playground. Here are some shots from our day!