Trick or Treats

This Halloween was so much fun.  There was so much I loved about it.  The first being of course seeing my two in such adorable costumes.  Whitney looked so pretty in her Cinderella outfit.  She sat patiently while I pinned her hair into a bun.  There there was Colin dressed as Kermit.  It was so stinkin cute I could barely stand it.  And he was such a good sport about it all and loved sucking on all the wrapped candy.

Kermie!

 Off to School!

Hurricane Sandy was brewing on Monday morning, so we took advantage and had fun painting pumpkins.  Then Whitney and Aunt M made some Mickey cookies. Sandy did leave us without power starting Monday night at 6pm.  So, we got up Tuesday morning and made it out to Leesburg by 9am.  Thank goodness we have family close by and that they had power!

Luckily, Whitney's school was only on a one hour delay on Wednesday and the kids got to have their Halloween party and Trunk or Treat parade.  My Mom, my Aunt Helen, and little Kermit and I joined the other parents to hand out candy out of our trunk.  You are supposed to decorate your trunk but I just didn't find the time to do that, so luckily Colin did the job!  The school director even came over to include him in the pictures.  The kids filed out in a line and got to Trunk or Treat and get 30 pieces of candy.  Needless to say, we have way too much candy in this house!

All smiles!

Whitney saying, "Mama what is Colin eating"?

 "Patiently" waiting to be dismissed. 

Then after naps we packed up and made it back to Falls Church (thankfully we had power back) to Trick or Treat one last time before we move.  It was kind of a quiet night since surrounding neighborhoods still didn't have power.  But we had a blast starting over at Auntie Ann's, Marguerite held down the fort handing out candy, while we did our Trick or Treating.  As many of you know Whitney is not a fan of talking to strangers (a good thing), but she did an amazing job saying Trick or Treat and saying Thank you.  Tim and I were very proud.

 Colin made it to three houses before it was time for his dinner bottle that Auntie Ann gave him.

We came back to our house to hand out candy.  This might have been more exciting than trick or treating.  Whitney had so much fun handing out candy and wishing everyone a Happy Halloween.  It was so cute!  One of my other favorite things of the night was how she was calling the kids coming to the door trick or treats.  Every time the door bell rang she would run yelling "More trick or treats are here"!  By the end of the night Tim had her saying trick or treaters but it was so funny.

She did get to have a few pieces of candy earlier in the day from her school, and then after trick or treating she knew that two was the limit.  She did a great job sticking with that and was actually in bed by 8:30pm.  A very successful night!

 I want candy!!!

Pumpkin Patch

We made our 2nd annual pumpkin patch trip with the Swearingens to Ticonderoga Farm.  Seems like we have been counting down this Halloween activity forever!

Whitney loved the slides.  Loved the tractor ride.  She and Timmy had fun pointing out all the scary things on the way to the patch.  We searched long and hard for the 3 "free" tiny pumpkins we got to bring home. They didn't have many big ones so we decided to forgo that...maybe I will pick one up at the grocery store.  Though carving at this age seems a little scary to me so I think we will just paint them!   We ended the patch fun on the huge bounce bubble.  Whitney loved this though she couldn't handle it on her own.  Then we headed to the Swearingens for some pizza and candy corn.  Lots of fun!

When did she get so old! 

 Very patiently waiting her turn to bounce!

Laying down was her way of staying in control!  

Little cuties!

6 Months

Colin is now 6 months old.  There is just no way!  Time has been flying and he is such a big boy now.  I feel 6 months is such a milestone from baby that lays around on the floor to baby that wants to get into everything he possibly can even though he can't crawl yet!

At his appointment today we were sure our little, big man would be off the charts.  Though he is a heavy little guy it seems, for this check-up at least, he has slowed down a bit.  He weighed 19 lbs 11 oz (85%) and 27 1/4" (75%).  We are now officially moving into 12 month clothing.  And the food we started a month ago has been a huge hit.  He eats around 8 oz a day of a combination of avocado, zucchini, peas, acorn squash and sweet potatoes.  He is ready for more, so up next on the list is carrots and green beans.

This past month has been a big month for Colin.  Though he had made some small physical advances in his 4th month, month five was a big one.  He is now a rolling, scooting, spinning, sitting and working on getting my knees under me little guy.  I LOVE this sitting up phase.  They finally feel like part of the action and are much more content for a longer period of time just playing on their own.  And they don't go anywhere!  Though I have a feeling that won't be for long...we shall see.

He is a huge "talker".  It is just so adorable how he goes on and on.  He also loves to yell and grunt...the boy is coming out!  And he loves to laugh, too!

Also, this month he was ready to be unswaddled and he got his first stuffy nose.  This combination causing some pretty rough nights.  But we seem back on track and he is happy in his sleep sack sleeping on his tummy.

Here are some recent pictures.

Boating

This past weekend we got to spend the day on my Dad's boat.  My Dad has been clocking a lot of hours since he got it this past Spring. Marguerite and Tim have gotten a ride or two, but the kiddos and I hadn't been on it yet.  With the season coming to an end we set a date.

I grew up spending a long weekend most summers at a small lake in Edinboro, Pa.  This is where my Dad and his brother, Dave, spent all summer growing up.  They were the show stopping water skiers on the lake and taught many people how to ski.  I learned to water ski when I was 12 and have many wonderful memories at that lake with my family.  Sadly, that chapter has come to a  close and the last little cottage of the Ashbaugh family has been sold.  It'll always be a special place to think back on.

This past Sunday we drove down to Occoquon where my Dad keeps it and went for ride.  We stopped the boat around Mount Vernon and enjoyed some lunch.  We then made it all the way up to Alexandria and the National Harbor.  We had a wonderful time visiting and just relaxing.  Whitney enjoyed checking out the boat and waving to all the other boaters.  Colin was a trooper and enjoyed the wind in his face, while getting in a good nap too.  We look forward to many more fun adventures on this boat!

Preschool

Whitney started Preschool!  It is hard to believe.  We have had a lot of anticipation for this day and Whitney did great!  I made it through with a little lump in my throat and a little swelling in my eyes but I held it together!

On Wednesday we got to go in and meet the teachers and have some play time.  The teacher is Mrs. Davis and her assistant is Mrs. Fries.  Whitney said she had a funny name.

The kitchen was her first stop.

Today, Friday, was the big day.  Whitney was ready.  We started the morning off with a special breakfast.

She was so excited she kept asking, "Mama is it time to go"?  Then she was relatively open to a little photoshoot.

Papa joined us for the first day and got lots of good action shots.

She hung up her bag. Which we still have to finish decorating.

 Found her name.

 Put it on the attendance board.

 Name tag for the first few weeks.

 Got busy playing.

 Quickly decided the kitchen was the place to be.

I was so proud of her and she was so excited to be there.  It made it so much easier for me!  I got to then socialize with some of the other Mom's at a coffee hour.  When I picked her up she came running towards me and just about knocked me over.  She had lots to say in the car ride home.  I look forward to many more days like this one!

At the beginning of each school year I plan to ask Whitney questions and see how they change over the years.  Some may change and some may be added.  We will see if she will still be up for it when she is 13 :)

1. What is your favorite color? Blue

2. What is your favorite food? Pancakes

3. What is your favorite TV show? George

4. What is your favorite sport? Soccer

5. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Chalk

6.What do you want to be when you grow up? Pilot

    * Note: These questions were cut down from 10 and had to be asked throughout the day.  I couldn't get her to answer them all in one sitting.  We will try for a few more next year!