Halloween 2011

Halloween costuming went much better this year than last. Z decided he wanted to be a policeman...and he was...for every event. Fine by me. Emily was a black cat or a lady bug, depending on the event.

Here are a few photos from a few of our "appearances":

Preschool Trunk-or-treat:
Are you ready???

On the prowl for candy:

The policeman giving kisses:

M-E-O-W:

With two of their preschool friends:

The loot:


Halloween night:
The policeman and the ladybug:





Preschool parade:

A picture says....

Since a picture says a thousand words....then I should have to write a lot less! Woo hoo!! Here are some more pictures from earlier this year.

Our little neighborhood Easter egg hunt.:




Grandpa Bear installed a putting green for the cubs' fourth birthday.






New bikes!!





Easter morning.




Friend's birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese.

Thanksgiving 2010...and we're not spoiled!

We spent Thanksgiving at Grandma and Papa Bear's house this year. The "CUB HOUSE" is always in high demand. These cubs aren't spoiled at all. Just a "cub house" dedicated to them, with all the toys they could possibly need. It is even heated now. Nope, not spoiled at all.

Here is a picture of Emily with her newly restored, antique tricycle. With a horn. She asks for it all the time..."I want my bicycle. With the horn.". This was actually my tricycle when I was a little girl. It's pretty cool getting to see Emily ride it.



There is now a newly designed four hole golf course just for Zach. Complete with pins and flags. Nope, not spoiled at all.

Obligatory pumpkin patch photos

Steve wasn't able to go on our annual Pumpkin Patch trip with us this year, and since I still wanted to keep up the tradition even though he couldn't go, I was able to drag Grandma and Papa Bear with us. Thank goodness they were visiting, so they could help me with the cubs.

Papa Bear and the cubs, headed into the Pumpkin Patch.:


Free pumpkin patch advertising.:








We did it!!


Remember this photo of Emily pulling Zach in the wagon from 2008??


Well, some things never change.:

Halloween 2010

Wow - I am THAT far behind. We are currently trapped inside by a raging ice storm, so what better opportunity to update the blog?!

Halloween was interesting this year. This is the first year that the cubs really "got it". They were a bit nervous going to the first house, but after that, nothing could hold them back. They were running from house to house and we could hardly keep up.

We also let them pick their costumes this year. We went to several stores and after trying on at least one dozen Emily costumes, she finally decided on Minnie Mouse. Zach really didn't seem to care about his costume, so we bought Mickey just because it was cute to have a matched set. The cubs had a dress-up Halloween party at their preschool and Emily had to be the cutest Minnie ever.




Zach, however, REFUSED to wear his Mickey costume. REFUSED!!! I wasn't too worried, this was a trial run for the real Halloween. Emily wore her Minnie costume constantly and I figured Zach would eventually warm up to the idea. Boy, was I wrong. One hour before we were to start trick-or-treating, the family was costume shopping for Zach. He finally agreed to wear a Handy Manny costume. We rushed home, got him in his costume and then Emily flat out REFUSED to wear her Minnie costume. You're kidding me, right?? So, last minute costume change for her, and off we were with our little Handy Manny and our Ballerina. Maybe we'll have better luck next year --- no last minute costume changes.

Fourth of July

Our Fourth of July was pretty uneventful. We missed the town parade but it was too hot outside for us anyway. The new houses blocked our view so we walked down to the golf course to stake out the best viewing advantage. However, before the fireworks even began, I had donated a pint of blood to our local mosquitoes, so we decided to take the cubs home before they became mosquito dessert. On the way home we ran into our neighbors (they have 3 year old twin boys) and they offered to let us watch the fireworks with them from their backyard (wine and mosquito repellent included). Awesome! Zach loved the fireworks! Emily took a little more convincing...she spent a majority of the time with her head buried in Dad's shoulder. Every now and then I saw her peeking through her fingers. Steve and I both agreed for such a small town, the fireworks show this year was pretty impressive.


All dressed up in her red dress.:

Our little ham.:

Yes, Thomas is even better when wearing shades.:

Waiting for the fireworks to begin.: