Pumpkin "Scooping!"

I couldn't wait to see how Holden would react to pumpkin carving this year. I got one of those little kits from the grocery store, and he was just thrilled with the little plastic "scooper." He referred to the whole event as "pumpkin scooping." :) At first he was very excited and couldn't wait to begin! As opposed to last year, when he was LIVID after we cut his pumpkin open and "broke it," this year he couldn't wait to peek inside! I think it helped that he has watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" a million times. He stuck his scooper right in and got some seeds out...

...then he started to realize there it was pretty messy! Not quite his forte. He scooped a bit more, gingerly avoiding anything coming into contact with his hand, and then announced, "Mommy, this is GROSS! YOU do it!!" Crack me up. Again, improvement from last year as a toddler when he cried and pulled cleaner out from under the sink! Ha!

Jay is normally our official pumpkin cleaner (gutter?) but he was still under the weather so I dragged him off the couch to take a few shots of Holden and me. I discovered a new appreciation for him as I tried to get all of the guts out of the pumpkin! Whew! It's hard work! I swear this pumpkin had more seeds and goo than any we've ever had.

Tiggy climbed up to take a better look. You know it's disgusting when this cat then walks away without trying to eat anything. I swear she is part dog.

Holden chose a ghost pattern with "boo" in it for me to carve. I was trying to get him to pick a cute monster that was only rated 1 pumpkin in difficulty. Of course he wanted this one, which was rated 3 and was pretty hard. I think it turned out okay. I got done and he said, "Mmm..I think I want the monster instead!" Really, little boy???

I realized in retrospect that it is quite lovely to have the toilet in the background of this picture. But he wanted to see the pumpkin in the dark, so we were in the bathroom with the lights out. :) He's still my little pumpkin even though he seems to look older every day.

A little video of him scooping out the pumpkin and sharing his sentiments. :)

Playground Pals

Holden loves playing on the playground at the school that I teach at. Jay brought him by one evening after I stayed late to get caught up on some things. The two of them had a great time together! I love my little monkey hanging on the bars with his diaper sticking out of his pants. (Maybe one day soon it will be underwear instead?????!!!)

Scooby, Snacking, and Swine

So if you can't tell, I have been a bit behind in posting and am rapidly trying to catch up...especially since it is Halloween and I know I will have more pictures after tonight!

Here is Holden in his Scooby costume. He is so proud of it! I think he looks so cute and cuddly.

I went to the mall to get a winter coat and wasn't able to pass by Mrs.Field's cookies without getting a little treat "to bring home to Holden." Translation: that way I could also get one for myself! :) They had fall cookies and as you can see, he thoroughly enjoyed his.

Lastly, the reason I am behind on posting: last week I ended up in the ER and was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus. Hazard of the teaching job! I have never felt so awful, and I missed parent-teacher conferences. Thankfully, the Tamiflu antibiotic works wonders, and the baby is doing fine. Unfortunately, Holden, Jay, and my parents all ended up getting sick as well. I was out almost all week taking care of my boys. I am happy to say we're all on the mend now...and hoping we've had our share of the flu for the year!!!! (Mom took the picture in the ER. They made me wear a mask.)

Leaves!!

We had one nice recent day amidst all of the rain. It seems like we could build an ark here in Illinois with all of the wet weather we've had! Holden was excited to "help" Daddy with the leaves out back. We have a tree that gets really pretty in the fall. Good thing I snapped these when I did...it is already bare now with all of the wind that has come our way!

Holden loved filling up his wheelbarrow and carting the leaves around. He also took over the raking...and decided to speed more leaves along to the ground by whacking the tree with it! :)

I love this picture! There should be some type of witty comment about breaking child labor laws.

I just love the pretty fall colors. Thought I'd include a few of our other child...who as you can see is growing rapidly in Mommy's tummy! 18 weeks on Monday.

The Haunted Trail

I was so excited to take Holden to the Haunted Trail this year! We have a bike/walking trail in town, and at Halloween time they set up a spooky nighttime walk. They also provide a "non-scary" trail night for little ones. Last year we still felt like he was just a little too young. This year it was right up his alley!

My little Scooby riding in the van with his ghost flashlight.

Our little family. It was a chilly evening, but we were just happy the rain had stopped!

Grammy came along with us. I love her orange coat and fall scarf!

He's off and running...

I am very partial but I think he makes an adorable Scooby!

Scooby and Mommy waiting in line. (That's my principal behind us! He and his daughter just happened to be there, too.)

Getting a lift from Daddy.

Holden got a little cold waiting to start. I love these shots of him snuggling in Daddy's coat!

Starting on our walk!

Meeting some creepy critters.

Just as expected, Holden LOVED the trail! He waved and said, "Hi!" to all the characters...but he didn't like to get too close if they had a mask on. I got him one of those glow stick things to wear.

My girlfriends got me "Snow White" for my bday recently. (I love Disney classics!) Holden enjoys the spooky mirror and the dwarfs, so he sidled right up to Snow White when we saw her. Plus she didn't have a mask! :)

All in all, we had a great time and can't wait to do it again next year! (Can you tell how cold he was here? The poor kid was a popsicle when we got home.) We got to take a hay rack ride back to our cars, but that was really chilly so the camera went away and we all snuggled.

Decorating

Holden is excited for Halloween! Can you tell? He spent at least a half hour decorating our door one recent evening with gel clings. He looked so cute reaching and contemplating the best spots for everything. I love the diaper hanging out the top of the pants.

Bday with Granny

My birthday would not be the same each year without my annual trip to celebrate with my Granny, my Mom's mom. Mom and I always pick a Saturday and head to Eureka to pick her up. We shop and lunch at Washington Square, then head back to her place for tea and one of her homemade cakes with ice cream. They are delicious!!! This year was chocolate on chocolate, with an orange flavor added in. Sooo good! Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. It's always a fun, special "girls only" day and I cherish the time I spend with my Granny.

Return to Rader's

We have made several return trips to Rader's pumpkin patch since the first one I posted about. It is so close, cheap, and fun! This was our return trip with Daddy in tow on his weekend off. We had a great time!

Working towards the 3 foot mark. :)

This time, Holden got his face painted by "The Zoo Lady." She does an awesome job! He chose the spider and webs and actually scared his buddy, Brady, later in the day.

Our friend, Kim, and her cute little one, Lauren, ended up being out there, too! Holden and Lauren have met on occasion but don't know each other that well. So we thought it was adorable that they followed each other around and even held hands without being provoked! Lauren was a preemie and is just a peanut! I love that Holden looks like a giant next to her...and we all know he is a peanut, too!

"Sharing" kettle corn! Sooo cute!

Holden loves the hay bale mazes!

Some video footage of Holden and Lauren eating their kettle corn together.