A real Jack-o-Lantern

Natalie and I made a real Jack-o-lantern last weekend. Look, Mom, that's a big pumpkin!

I was surprised that Natalie didn't really want to help take out all the seeds and fibers from the inside. Normally, she dives right into whichever project we have going on. But the "pumpkin-guts" must have been a little too scary-looking, because she kept a two-step distance thruout the removal process. But only two steps, after all a girl needs to be able to see what's going on! And she loved talking about it and seing the finished result:

Natalie told me all night "Big-one pumpkin light on!"

Halloween party at daycare

Last week, we went to a Halloween party at Natalie's daycare. It was so much fun. Each room had new adventures to be discovered, like decorating cupcakes, searching for spiders in a tub of spiderweb, and throwing bean bags thru a setup with pumpkins painted on it:

Natalie quickly got the hang of this one, and she wanted "more":

Another favorite was the room where we decorated cookies.

Orange frosting, and sprinkles, what more could a girl want...

Gotta love that orange grin!

The craft box

The big box behind Natalie in this picture is usually full of her craft supplies... But it's soo much fun to empty it out. Look, Mom, I found some pink sticky-tape!!!

Homemade pumpkins

Earlier this month, Natalie and I decided to make our own pumpkins, using paper plates, red and yellow fingerpaint (and the next day some glue, felt, and googly eyes):

Hmm, if I mix yellow and red, I get orange...

Look Mom, my hands are all orange!


The finished result

Zoo-boo two

Here are some more pictures from the Halloween party at the Zoo. Aubriella and Natalie loved sitting on this zebra-striped "Footsie-Wootsie" (And come on - a ladybug and a bumble-bee, how adorable is that!?!). I'm sure they were discussing all the candy that Natalie had gotten in her Elmo-basket:

Aubriella: What do you have in there?

Natalie: Let's see...

Natalie: It's soo far down! Aubriella: Hmmm... Natalie: I think I can reach it...

Both: Candy! Yay!

Kiss it better

Natalie understands the concept of "kissing it better". If she gets hurt, she'll come to me and say "Mommy kiss it better". And it always works - the "ouwie" may not go away, but it always seems to get better.

She's also very generous with her kisses. In one of her books, there is a picture of a crying pig (a book of nursery rhymes with "this little piggie went wee-wee-wee"). She always says "pig crying" and gives it a kiss.

I find this soo sweet. I love her kindness and sweetness. But sometimes it is also a little bitter-sweet. Because I know there will come a day when I can't kiss it all better. Whether it be a broken fingernail, a broken toy, or a broken heart, there will be "ouwies" that hurt more than a kiss alone can handle. Still, I'm sure I'll always be willing to give it a try. And who knows, maybe it really does make things a little better, even if it can't cure it all...

And I hope that Natalie always will have that sweetness in her - that willingness to show kindness to others to make things better. After all, doesn't kindness always make others feel better, even if that's all you can give them?

Zoo-Boo

Last weekend, we went to a Halloween party at the Zoo. Aubriella, Natalie's friend, also came (and she brought her parents along for good measure, too..). Natalie was wearing her bumble-bee outfit. She had a great time:

Going thru the "haunted" haybale-maze was a treat!

I love the reflection of Natalie and Aubriella in the glass. They were both very fascinated with the lions.

Natalie was her usual, curious self.

And she got her first sucker! Of course, that was a hit.

Look, Daddy, there's a bear in there!

Natalie the Artist

Last week, we were trying on Natalie's Halloween outfit (a bumble-bee). She liked the hat that goes with it, so she kept it on even after the costume came off.

The hat complimented her outfit so well (well, in a weird kinda way)...

Doesn't she look like a painter just waiting to pick up a brush?

Football commentary, Natalie style

This weekend, we had the Packer game on. Here's Natalie's commentary:

Play Ball.
Running.
All. Fall. DOWN.

I think she understands the game very well!

The joys of being a Dad - part two

Here's a scenario from a couple of weekends ago...

Natalie thinks it's really funny to run from one end of the room to the other and knock us over (we'll be sitting on the floor waiting to catch her). On this particular Sunday, Karsten was the target. And Natalie's knee hit a certain place - well, let's just say that it would have been perfect for "America's Funnies Home Videos". While Karsten was recovering, she pulled out another trick that she loves:

The video is from another day, but you'll get the idea.

Oh, and by the way, this was during a Packer Game, and while we were listening to Natalie's favorite song on CD for about the 100th time that afternoon...

And the best part: It looked like both Karsten and Natalie had a blast! Can you say "Super-Dad"?