Trick or Treat

Tonight we had a great time getting out in our neighborhood and trick or treating.  Anthony didn't mind the costume (surprise, surprise!) and never once asked to take it off.  (Okay, he wouldn't really ASK.  At least there wasn't any freak outs!)  At first I didn't think it would go so well because he really wasn't into saying trick or treat, getting candy or walking with mommy and daddy.  He was more interested in touching all of the cars in driveways and running through yards.  That is until I gave him the magical sucker.  (I wish I would have thought of that sooner!)  After that he did a great job and had lots of fun.

We originally thought he would be a dog or cow for his first Halloween with us, but Anthony had other ideas.  He saw this costume in Old Navy back in September and loved it when he tried it on.  (I'm thankful that costumes are made much better now than when I was a kid - no more plastic costumes that crack in the cold and hard plastic masks.  The warm, fuzzy, cute outfits are perfect!)  

Anthony hanging out with the neighbor kids - Sophia and Logan.  
Mark's favorite holiday is Halloween and I think he'll have quite the "partner" in the future with Anthony.  In our neighborhood there were two houses that joined together to make their backyards a graveyard with  frightful fun.  (Thankfully they toned it down a bit for Anthony. Okay, I really mean ME.  I hate scary things!) While we walked through the graveyard and other spooky things Anthony just took everything in.  At the end I jumped and screamed when someone popped out of a coffin. Anthony?  He asked for more and wanted to walk through it all again.  

Clearly this father son duo will have lots of fun with future Halloweens.  Who knows what they will come up with.  I prefer cute pumpkin decorations that exude no scariness.  I'm sure that will be vetoed for skeletons, spiders and skulls...

Oh boy.

I love my Tonka

Playing with his Tonka trucks has always been fun; however, Anthony seems to gravitate towards them even more now.  I couldn't help, but snap some photos today while he was playing outside with daddy.  

He's such a cutie!

Carving Pumpkins

Can you guess which pumpkin is mine and which one is Mark's?  

It's definitely not a masterpiece, but I'll claim it!  Last year my pumpkin turned out completely awful.  It was so hard that I couldn't cut into it and Mark ended up getting out the drill.  At least this year no drill was required!

Yup, this one is Mark's 27 pounder that cost him $8.00.  Every year he goes on line and finds a design for his pumpkin.  (I'm not that original; triangles suit me just fine!)  This was the winner for this year.  

Anthony had a good time eating a snack and checking out the whole carving process.  He really wasn't into it at all, but that's okay.  It will be a fun family tradition that he can grow into.

Thanks, Uncle Erik!

Anthony loves the pumpkin my brother picked out for him and decorated.  Of course I love it to because no matter how much I tried I could never create something so festive and fun for our entryway.  Thanks, Uncle Erik!

Flashback

While reading the Star Tribune today I realized that it has been six years since Senator Paul Wellstone passed away.  I actually was able to meet Wellstone weeks before his death when he came to visit Red Wing, MN and the 220 teachers who were on strike.  I remember being very impressed by his visit and completely shocked and sad when we heard the news of his death at our striking headquarters.  

Throughout the day today I have been thinking about the strike and my roll in it as a new teacher. Because I was a non-tenured teacher I wasn't able to be on the front lines, but rather had to be behind the scenes.  Every morning I visited my fellow co-workers with fresh baked goods and then headed off to strike headquarters to work on signs, man the phones, go out on coffee runs, etc. 

Honestly, as I'm typing this, it all seems a bit surreal like it never happened at all.  I do know, though, that I learned some invaluable, newbie teacher lessons.  Unions are important and there is a lot more to teaching than they ever could teach in college.

Hopefully that will be my only striking situation in my teaching career.

Fall Fun

After nap time today we took advantage of the great fall weather and went on a fun family outing to Nathes 101 Market in Otsego.  Mark has been wanting to visit a corn maze since I've known him and we also wanted to pick out our pumpkins for carving.  We were able to do both and have a great time too!

Smile!  Yes, we are dorks who now make our child stick his head through cut out pictures just for the sake of a photo. However, I think you can tell from the photo that A really enjoyed himself. 

The corn maze was really cool and not as "scary" as I thought it would be.  (I always imagined getting lost in the maze and not being able to get out...) Mark did a great job navigating the map and finding our way to the six puzzle clues within the maze.  If you're ever interested in doing the Amazing Race I would definitely recommend Mark to go along with you and be your partner.  He's great with a map as well as a challenge.  I would be much better watching the show and cheering the two of you on!   

Anthony did a great job and only got a bit antsy at the end.  He ended up getting out of the stroller and "helping" daddy find our way.  I love the following picture because they were having a disagreement about which direction we should go.  :)

The shelled corn pit was a big hit for Anthony!  He did more people watching, though, rather than playing.  There were lots of kids to watch and he was excited to do just that.  After he got out we found corn everywhere - we were still finding some after coming home.  

It's hard to believe that the cold is coming and that snow could fly as early as tomorrow after a beautiful day like today.

So BIG!

Last night Mark and I realized just how much Anthony has grown in the past eight months.  He use to be able to walk underneath the island counter top without any difficulty.  When he tried last night he hit the counter.  He has changed so much and is definitely no longer a baby.