A growing bond

Today, as we were coming downstairs, Franny said I want to hold Cole's hand.  He's my friend.  As I watched them walking around the house hand in hand, I couldn't help but think ...and may you always be.

Happy Halloween!

Franny has been waiting for Halloween to arrive again since November 1st of last year.  It is all so exciting--the candy, costumes, pumpkin patches, parties, and did I mention the candy? Even for her daddy, Halloween is still all about the candy!

Today, Franny put on her costume one more time to go to the Halloween party at her preschool.  Lots of adorable three-year-olds in cute costumes.  I don't know at what age Halloween turns from cute to scary, but that is going to be a very sad year.  In the meantime, I will be filling our house with smiling pumpkins and scarecrows; happy cats, ghosts, and skeletons; and even a few hairy spiders, as long as they appear to be friendly.  But regardless, in this house, there will always be lots of candy!

Playgroup Halloween

Franny's playgroup had their Halloween party today.  Lots of fun, with yummy food, a couple of fun crafts, and goodie bags with stickers,  treats, and books to take home.  Both Franny and Cole had a great time!  This was the first year that Franny really chose her costume by herself, and she opted to be a giraffe.  Although she wore the hood while she played in her costume last night, today, she stayed with her tradition and kept it off.  Cole, however, left his ears on for nearly three hours!  We'll see what happens on Friday, though...  It was such fun to see Franny's excitement as she dressed up, and then, celebrated at her party.  After all, she's been waiting all year for Halloween to finally be here again!  Kids make holidays so much fun!

Two silly skeletons

Franny and Cole love their new matching Halloween PJ's. Not only are they just too adorable, but their bones glow in the dark! They both got a great kick out them (in the bottom right picture, Cole is signing light off!) And, this is the first time I've been able to get Franny out of her dance leotard all week! Holidays just get increasingly fun as they get older--I can't wait until Halloween night!

Tiny Dancer

Franny starting talking about taking dance classes about a month ago.  They have a great program called Dance Tykes at her preschool that meets immediately after school hours.; they teach ballet, tap, and a little tumbling.  Once it was clear that her interest wasn't fleeting, and wasn't just about the clothes and shoes, we signed her up.  To say she is very excited is an absolute understatement!  She hasn't taken off her leotard since we brought it home yesterday afternoon!

Franny has had no shortage of classes.  She first started attending Gymboree at two and a half months, and currently still takes music and swim classes.  Dance, however, is unique as it was entirely her idea.  It is extremely fun to see her interest in something grow to this extent.

Tradition resumed

This  year, we resumed our tradition of visiting Kruger Farms.  Although we had already been to a pumpkin patch, we had not had the opportunity to enjoy a hayride, wander through the corn maze, or partake in some wonderful and festive hot apple cider.  So, we chose Sunday to enjoy some more Halloween fun.  And, it was a great time.  Both kids especially enjoyed the hayride and meandering around the farm--we saw lots of animals, flowers, BIG farm equipment, and, of course, pumpkins.  And while I am glad we are exploring some new Halloween adventures this year, it was very special to resume our old tradition.  Some things just can't be beat! 

En vogue Francesca

Head to toe, Franny's style is always all her own!  Her fashion focus, however, does change with the seasons--she has recently traded in her sun dresses and sandals for long-sleeves and tights.  Although she does still run around in her swimsuit from time to time...

Out with the old, in with the new

Today, we emptied Franny's room to set up her new bed.  With the size of it taking up so much more space than her little toddler bed, I wanted to clear the room, in order to find the best location for the bed, as well as to see how much of her current furniture would fit without it feeling too crowded.  And, it was the perfect time to do the thorough cleaning we don't do on a regular basis! 

When we shopped for her new bedding, I selected some cute polka dot sheets which she was not too enthused about.  Since it is her bed, I allowed her to choose what she wanted, and she opted for the princess set.  And there was absolutely no wavering--these were, without question, the ones she wanted.  Now, we call it her princess bed, and she loves it.  I don't expect her to fall asleep too quickly tonight, as it is such an exciting transition for her. (For us too!)  She is becoming such a little girl, it is nothing less than amazing.

 

Little people, big pumpkin patch

Halloween is such a fun holiday to celebrate with kids.  This is the first year that we've really been able to to see Franny's excitement and increasingly mounting anticipation.  Fortunately, we already have our costumes determined, so we can really focus on all the fun activities and adventures we can do this month.

With the first weekend of October forecast of heavy rain, I was a little hesitant to venture out to a pumpkin patch, but in true Oregonian style, we packed up extra clothes and shoes and headed out to Roloff Farms (and yes, we did see Matt, Amy, and Jacob Roloff).  Unfortunately, the recent heavy rains and left the grounds too muddy for a complete tour of the farm, but otherwise, our timing was ideal, as we were welcomed with blue skies and sunshine.  Both Franny and Cole enjoyed riding in the wagon and picking out a variety of different pumpkins.  Since our annual pumpkin patch trip usually falls much later in October, we were thrilled this year to have such a big selection to choose from. It was definitely a great way to begin our lead-up to Halloween, and everyone is looking forward to decorating and carving our new pumpkins!