Halloween

We have enough Halloween pictures for two posts, so here is the first set. Last Wednesday, we carved the pumpkin that we bought at Motley's Farm. Gabi drew the pumpkin face, Daddy carved it, and all the girls got a chance to help scoop out the insides.

The girls helped bake cookies in pumpkin shapes and bat shapes (and a few other shapes) with our new cookie press.

Gabi and Bella wore their costumes to school on Friday. Gabi was Kai-Lan and Bella was her tiger-friend, Rintoo. Kati was the white monkey, Hoho, from the same cartoon. (I forgot to put Kai-Lan's "jade" necklace on before the first picture. Oops!)

Kai-Lan in Kindergarten

Rintoo trick-or-treating at school

Kai-Lan trick-or-treating at school

Back at home, our little monkey got her own photo session (although I forgot to put her hat on for the first one):

Kati's Monkey Face

Yummy tail!

After school, I took the kids up to Daddy's office so he could parade the girls around in costume. Michael and I put the costumes together ourselves, although most of the credit (for the ideas and for the tails and ears) goes to Michael. We did buy Kati's monkey hat, though.

Shy tiger at Daddy's office

Motley's Pumpkin Patch

The girls have been begging to go on another hay ride ever since the Harvest festival. Last Sunday, after church (and giving blood), we took a family trip to Motley's Pumpkin Patch. First, we watched some pig races and rode a hay ride.

Our kids posed next to the prize-winning giant pumpkins:

We checked out animals in the petting zoo area before heading to the pumpkin patch.

The kids loved climbing the hay mountain and sliding down the slide in the play area.

The girls rode the cow train through the Christmas tree farm. Bella's cow was named Bella!

We had to try to get a family picture...

The kids played on the swings until the tornado sirens went off. I sent Michael to put the kids in the car while I paid for the pumpkin, but the line to pay was longer than expected and I had the car keys - and the wind picked up suddenly - so we changed plans and hid inside the building, crowding by the restroom until the storm calmed.

Bella said her horse was flying as she flapped the ears. She thought she was so funny!

On Thursday, Gabi returned to Motley's Pumpkin Patch for a Kindergarten class field trip.

Harvest

The weekend after Bella's class field trip to Pumpkin Hill, we went back to Wildwood Park for the Harvest festival. We had enjoyed the spring festival so much that we wanted to check out this one, too. Lolo and Lola joined us this time, but Daddy was on call again and couldn't make it.

Bella walking along a stepping-stone path in the woods

Clapping for the band

Gabi won a cakewalk!

Lola showing Kati a pumpkin

Watching the creek flow under the bridge

Big sisters posing by the lake

Kati wants to grab Lolo's glasses.

The garden train was a big hit again

Girls by the train

Even Katarina loved watching the train!