Oh, the difference a few days makes!  We have been blessed with beautiful weather this fall, enjoying temperatures in the mid-seventies through the beginning of November!  It's been beautiful to see the leaves in the valley change color since they weren't stolen prematurely by any big storms.  

On Tuesday Alaina and picked up Connor from kindergarten and went to the blue park to have a picnic.  The kids enjoyed the warmth of the sun, the cool breeze, and the beautiful scenery.






(Notice her "I Voted" sticker?  She was very excited to have helped me cast my vote by pushing the green button.)





This picture...




...reminds me of this picture, taken three and a half years ago. :*)




We said a fond farewell to a gorgeous autumn, then welcomed the snow on Friday.  Alaina was itching to get out in it!  Connor prefers the warmth of the indoors, but it didn't take too long for him to feel like he was missing out on the fun.  He and Anthony came out to enjoy it, too.




We tried to make a snowman at first, but I made the balls too big.  Three days later, and my back is finally starting to feel better after straining to lift the second ball.  I'm a wimp.  We refashioned the balls into a slide, which was more fun anyway!




Self portraits are hard with a 35mm lens!




"Alaina, sit on top of the slide and smile so we can have a picture of what we made!"




Uh oh!  This thing is slippery...




There she goes!




This is what it's all about!













Alaina went down the slide at the neighborhood park.  It was so slippery that it flung her a couple of feet from where she was supposed to land.  I don't think she was displeased.




My resolve has been firm this year to not listen to any Christmas music until after Thanksgiving.  My, how the fates tempt me!




A much more manageable snowman.







Over the weekend, we've had some breaks in the snow, but between Friday morning and Sunday evening, we've got a foot of snow on the ground.  I used to think I hated winter, but my bunch of crazies have definitely put the fun back in it!










The views from my bedroom window






Give me a snowy winter over a dry, gray one anyday!

This year's Halloween has been the most fun yet. The kids are into it, and they're so excited about it that even my humbug-tendencies are put to the wayside. About a week ago, we attended the Broadhead Halloween party. I didn't take too many pictures; we were so busy having fun that we didn't even get to jumping in the leaves until well after nightfall!


The kids both had great days at school on Halloween. Connor had a class party (that I didn't even hear about and I felt awful when Connor told me that lots of other moms came to school that day!) and Alaina had a pajama party and trick-or-treated around the school.






Even though it was only noon by the time we got back from school, the kids were exhausted, and we still had a birthday party and all of Halloween night to look forward to! We layed low for a few hours until it was time to get ready for the party. When it was time to get dressed, I put a little bit of blush, lipstick, and mascara on Alaina to complete her fairy princess costume. Do you think she felt pretty?


Time to go! Connor chose to be Jango Fett from Star Wars, but refused to wear his mask at all. The Cars rain boots add a nice touch, don't you think? :)




She had a "widdo bit of twoubo (trouble)" walking in those heels...


...but when she found her stride, she beamed with excitement!


As usual, Connor didn't have time for pictures and scootered on down to all the action. He has a personal statute that he must always be in front.


Poor guy, the lone boy in a sea of fairy wings!


I don't think he minded too much. He was just happy to be included!


After an hour and a half, we picked them up and started right in on the trick-or-treating.




After two solid months of working on his Darth Vader SUIT, Anthony finally got to parade about in character for a couple of hours. He loved it, and so did everybody he surprised. He may have lost a little bit of credibility holding hands with a cute pink princess, though.


Connor has been surveying the neighborhood, taking down notes about people's decorations in his notepad. Every door but one was traditional, and I could tell he was confused and creeped out by the one "spooky" thing he saw.


This guy was so impressed with seeing Darth Vader at the end of his driveway that he ran out to give Anthony a treat.


Even Darth Vader likes some candy on Halloween!


It was cracking me up that people were stopping to have their pictures taken with him!


Getting a little tired from all that walking...


Before we were to head home, and I wanted a picture of the three of them. I got some resistance from Connor and craziness from Lains soI said, "Can't we just have some smiles so we can have a nice memory and picture for the photo book?" I'm happy they pulled it together and managed this one!


Here's the "behind-the-scenes" shot. So descriptive of these two when they get tired. Connor becomes a bump on a log and Alaina goes a bit batty.


Going home. Beautiful scenery.


Our pumpkins. Connor's spider, my ghost, Alaina's fiery scary face with a piece snapped out of his upper lip, and Anthony's Vader with Tie-fighters.


The best part of Halloween!




Before we had gone out for the evening, I asked Alaina what candy she hoped she got. She wanted lollipops, and came home with the best ones EVER!


Even when you know it's your daddy in the suit, having Darth Vader sit behind you can make anyone feel uneasy!


I hope everyone's Halloween was as awesome as ours! Happy Halloween from the Dietrichs!