1 Zookeeper, 1 Very Pink Flamingo, and The Youngest Amazing Race Contestant

Those were the costumes for the night!! Our tradition of going to Grams and PaPa's house to trick-or-treat because we don't really live in a neighborhood continued... The kids had a blast seeing Grams' surprises this year - spider webs in the chandelier and candy corn cookies complete with spiders. YUM! Oh, by the way... PaPa, you really need to work on your dusting skills! We quickly realized that Ryan probably didn't remember the trick-or-treat ettiquette. So, a few houses into the night we had a little pit stop and reminded him how to approach the door and what to say after receiving all the yummy treats. True to last year, he then began to announce to us every time he said "thank you" to one of the kind candy givers. I would love to send pictures to his friend in China, but how do you really explain this whole tradition to an outsider!! It is quite bizarre when you really think about it!

Marlo, you won the prize for guessing the costumes from a pile of pink feathers months ago. I about died when you guessed! You are one smart cookie!
We already have next year's costume planned. Sadly, this was Morgan's last year to trick-or-treat! But, we will all dress up next year and plan to do our church's annual Trunk or Treat (weather permitting)!

Treats

Since we don't typically trick-or-treat in our neighborhood, we love to deliver treats prior to the night for our friends in our area. This is what we cooked up this year... You can go here for the witch's brew label. Witch's brew for the big kids and chocolate covered pretzels complete with sprinkles for our little friends!!

From the Pulpit - Or, the Basement Stairs

This is going on behind me as I write... I was doing other work on the computer and heard this going on behind me and just had to dash to blogger to get it written down.

Ryan came in asking for help getting a toy out of another toy (one wooden scoop of ice cream from one set stuck in a plastic scoop of ice cream from another set) stuck - I must do this for them 10 times a day (exaggeration, but it is a lot). So, I did it once and he jammed it in there again two seconds later. This time, I told him he needed to fix it. Well, Rylee intervened and this is what I have been frantically trying to record - Didn't quite get it all, but have to admit I got quite a bit of the conversation:

Rylee: "Let's pray. We are suppose to ask God for help. God, please help Ryan get this toy out."
Ryan tries to get it out and it doesn't work.
Rylee: "You pray this time. God can do anything!"
Ryan starts mumbling.
Rylee: "No, say 'Dear God, please help me get this ice cream out!' "
Ryan repeats what she says and moans and groans trying to get it out.
Rylee: "Okay, do it!"
Ryan: "Okay, God do it!"
Rylee: "He lives in our heart. You need to get a bigger heart. Then, he can live in there. He loves us and we worship Him."
Ryan prays: "Please, please help me. Don't be mad, be happy."
Rylee: "God is always always happy. In the day, at night, in the middle of the night, all the time. He doesn't go to sleep, He doesn't take a nap. He never goes to sleep - He always stays awake!"

Ryan: "I can't hear God."
Rylee: "When we open up the Bible, He talks to us. We don't really hearrr(KY drawl) Him. He lives up in heaven."
Ryan: "He is far, far away?"
Rylee: "He is up in the sky - Not a little down."

Takes Ryan to the door to look outside. Mumbled conversation
Rylee: "You can't see Him, it's very far away."
Ryan: "How is He going to put Him down?"
Rylee: "He doesn't go down, He always stays up there."
Ryan: "There are stop signs up there?"
Rylee: "No, only in the world."
Ryan: "Only, far, far away?"
Rylee: "Yep. God always helps you. He is bigger than us. Bigger than mommies and daddies, grandmas and grandpas..."

I feel so blessed when I am able to hear these types of interactions and for God's reassurance that we are instilling a faith foundation. To hear it from a child's heart...Nothing could be sweeter. I don't know all of the plans that God has for our children, but I hope that they will grow to be as bold and outspoken in their faith as adults. I pray that they will take the time as they grow older to ask God for guidance and direction in even the smallest tasks like fixing a toy!! I pray that they will have faith the size of a mustard seed. I know without a shadow of doubt that He has big plans for their lives! Oooh... I can't wait to see the story unfold further!!

Sweet!!

There is a lot of "sweetness" in this house this week... Last night, the Phillies won the National League Championship and are now on their way to the World Series for the 2nd year in a row. The 2nd year in a row!! You could say that there are happy boys in this house. To top it off, Herbie made his debut and arrived home tonight!! Life is very, very good!! Taa daa... More pictures to come once we have better light...

Final Countdown!!

"T-minus" 2 Days!!! Two more days until Herbie comes home!! He is done and ready to unveil his new look - Only problem, between the dr.'s schedule and ours we can't pick him up until Thursday evening. I am very thankful that Mike has had a busy week preparing (3 messages) for a retreat that he will speaking at this weekend for a christian group on campus, his regular Sunday school lesson, and the Phillies have been playing. This, has made the wait for him much more bearable.

Pickin' Pumpkins at the Pumpkin Patch!!

A very crisp, fall Sunday afternoon at the pumpkin patch. The kids had a blast running through the field, picking out their prized pumpkins, and talkin' to the animals!

Answer to Pumpkins and Pumpkin Analyses question:
Small Pumpkin Gourd = Ryan. No weighing necessary!

"Princess Pumpkin" (short and squat) = Rylee. It is really a "Cinderella" pumpkin and hers weighed in at 15 lbs.
Larger Pumpkin of the 3 = Morgan. Average run of the mill pumpkin patch pumpkin that weighed in at 5 lbs.

Pumpkins & Personality Analyses

I can't help but wonder if there is not some psychological analysis that can be given based upon the choice of pumpkin that each child selected at the pumpkin patch today! The pumpkins are as diverse as their little personalities... So what do you think? Can you guess who picked out which pumpkin?!? More pictures from "the patch" tomorrow...

Ocho!

Trivia time again... In what Herbie movie is Herbie called "Ocho" (5+3 =8 = Ocho) ?
The excitement is building here as Herbie is nearly complete. We have lots of pictures and trust me I am shown them several times a day. However, we have decided to go with the shock factor and will wait to post or unveil Herbie once he is home! He has his new paint job, stripes, and his 53's. I must admit that Herbie is looking awesome!! Mike went to drop off a few more parts today and caught the "Doc's" wife rubbing Herbie's hood. I think they are having just as much fun working on Herbie as we will have cruisin' around town. The "Doc" has done a great job!!! We anticipate he will be home within the next week or week and a half!!

Bippity Boppity Birthday!!

Salagadoola menchicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo

Put 'em together and what have you got

bippity-boppity bippity-boppity bippity-boppity-boo

Rylee is 5!! Her birthday began with an early morning appointment at the boutique, the Bippity Boppity Boutique, and the opening up of her new gown. (Thanks, Aunt Cindy and Grams n' PaPa). The Fairy Godmother In Training transformed her into a princess. Although she wasn't quite sure about the whole concept at first, she quickly eased into her role. She had the works - nails, hair, make up, and pixie dust. And, in the blink of an eye her Fairy Godmother In Training had disappeared just as quickly as she appeared. Later, she ran into THE fairy godmother who taught her how to curtsy. It was a wonderful day and most of it was spent in the Magic Kingdom.

A Walk On the Wild Side

Today, we walked on the wild side... Animals, a safari, and shows were on the agenda today. The kids were chosen to participate in the Lion King show and thought that what was pretty awesome!! We won't go into the details of how they were chosen, but we will say that Disney customer service is top notch!! So, instead of 9 pictures today we are going to give you a peek into their debut Disney performance.

Obsessed?

I am beginning to think we might have a Disney obsession. Is that possible?!? We just love it here and hope the kids will never outgrow Disney theme parks! We figured out today that we have been to Disney World 5 times in the 8 years we have lived on this side of the country. I will say that the last time we were here Rylee was just 1 1/2 years old and we only spent one day at the Magic Kingdom. The other times, were more lengthy stays, however. We are still running the Disney marathon. My parents and sister bowed out gracefully and did not go with us today. The heat, PaPa's knee injury the other night, and sheer exhaustion caused them to take a day off. Today, we spent our time among the Disney stars at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Hands down, the family favorite was a new interactive Toy Story 3D ride. We saw a ton of things today and did not have much wait time. So, life was good! It is late and tomorrow is another big day. So, here are our top 9 photos of the day.

Disney Trivia

Here is the question... No fair googling the answer. What does EPCOT stand for?

Today, we ran our marathon through EPCOT. My cousin and her family from Arizona also happened to be at Disney World. So, we met up with them and spent the majority of our day with them. The kids had a blast together and were thrilled to have new friends!! More rides, shows, and characters today. Rylee's one wish this vacation was to meet Mulan. As you can see, she met her and was thrilled. Later, Mulan even came over to her while she was coloring and spent some more time with her. It was so sweet and something I am sure Rylee will always remember!

Tomorrow's agenda... Disney's Hollywood Studios and more heat!! Top 9 photos from the day.

When You Wish Upon A Star...

We are HERE!!! Today was our first day experiencing the Disney magic. And, magical it was!! A few bloops and blunders (cameras not working, stroller to disassemble, rain, etc), but hopefully tonight we were able to rectify the glitches. The Littles had a GREAT time and were not at all overwhelmed. And to our surprise, they had no reservations about meeting the characters either. Rylee met the princesses and being the perfect guest she presented them with "hostess gifts." That's my girl! Yesterday, she sat and colored away. Little did we know, she was creating masterpieces for the princesses. She was a little nervous about meeting Cinderella, but after the boys were done flirting with her and with a little coaxing she went up - she was quite nervous. A short and sweet post tonight, but 9 pictures for 2009 to capture the day. Grams and PaPa and Aunt Cindy are experiencing the magic with us.