Spooky Halloween Greetings!

We've had a fun week of Halloween festivities. Like Christmas, Halloween is one of those holidays that is much more with kids around.

Tess has been a little oblivious to it all--except for the funny pumpkin face on our door from when someone spooked us. Every time we go out, I forget it's there and she starts laughing, clapping and reaching for it. So, she likes the jack-o-lantern face, and she's been a pretty good sport about everything else.

Wed. was our Halloween Primary Party, which was really well done--so many fun ideas and activities for the kids. Ry was still feeling sick, so Tess and I joined together in costume as (drumroll please). . .

. . . Siamese Cats! Because we're practically joined at the hip--get it?! If you don't get it, don't worry--nobody else did either. But it was Mer's idea and I thought it was funny, so I decided to go with it.

We forced Tess to perfect her "cat arch"
so she would be in character for this shot!

Nana has had this cat costume stashed away in her closet since before Tess was conceived! It's perfect because when I was 18 mos old, I was a kitty cat for Halloween, too!

Don't you love my gingham tail? My mom says she fashioned it
from the blue checked material she used to make
curtains for my nursery (for some reason she was
convinced I was going to be a boy).

Yesterday, my friend Stephanie's little girl, Maia, came over to play. Maia had a Halloween party at her preschool and she didn't want to take off her fairy costume. She was really good with Tess. They played house. Maia was the mom and Tess was the baby. Maia fed Tess lots of Cheerios, which Tess thought was great!

Last night, Dad was feeling better and practiced his carving skills on our pumpkin. He picked out a funny face that Tess would like and he did a great job on it! Tess was so tired, but we kept her up for the lighting of the jack-o-lantern.

Tess, in this family you'll have to learn to LOVE Halloween, whether you like it or not! Once she can eat candy, she'll probably require less convincing.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Tricks and Treats

So much for my great hopes for the exersaucer.
This is how she gets the most enjoyment out of it these days.

Tess loves to steal food off of Dad's plate.
For some reason, she never seems to go for my food.
Although, she has developed a taste for Ak-mak crackers.

On Sunday, we dressed Tessie up as the "Lake Ridge First Ward Halloween Spook"
and took treats to some friends in the ward. I know she looks like a tiger,
but don't be fooled. Tigers and Halloween Spooks look a lot alike.

All Dolled Up

I put makeup on today.

It was such an event, I decided to take a picture!

I think I need do it more often.
Tess did not recognize me when she got up from her nap!

New Duds

New duds from her Dip!

This baby is a little bit spoiled!

Chop & Bop

Tess and I had such a fun day at Nana and Papa's house yesterday. Tess went over for some good grandparent time and I went over to "chop & bop" with Wendy!

This nutrition plan Wendy and I are on requires an inordinate amount of vegetable chopping throughout the week. I hauled over all my veggies for the week and we chopped away in her beautiful new kitchen. If you have to chop bushels of peppers, onions and carrots, now that's the way to do it!

After dicing up a week's worth of veggies, we put Tess down for a nap and headed to downstairs to their new gym for our "bopping" session. Now, if you have to exercise, that's the way to do it! We pushed each other through a good workout (Wendy's a fierce competitor!). That afternoon we picked out French art for her house and Tess got in her grandparent time. We had such a good time, we may do it more regularly.

These pics are from this past weekend. Tess is starting to pull up on things more. She's usually pulled herself up on her crib when I get her in the morning. Using this skill, she's found access to many things she's not supposed to have. Her favorite--don't ask me why--it's SO GROSS--is her nose bulb (that little squeegee thing you use to suction all the goobers from a baby's nose). She adores sucking on it whenever she can get her hands on it. Yeah, pretty gross.

Here's Tessie enjoying a weekend of spaghetti, ice cream and football with Dad. Now who does that remind you of?

On Sunday, Tess wore her early birthday gift from Nana & Papa. It's size 12 mos. and supposed to be for her first birthday, but it already fits her like a glove! The little ballerina got so many compliments, including "She's sheer perfection!" I couldn't agree more!

Into The Sea With You!

There are no happy endings, because nothing ends.
~Schmendrick