Happy Halloween!

We had so much fun trick or treating yesterday! We started right at 4PM, and Natalie kept going until it was almost 7PM! By then she was so tired that she could barely walk, but she still wanted to go to just one more house...

Most of my pictures from yesterday look like this, though: Natalie going full speed ahead, just enjoying it and having fun.

Most of the time, she walked around at her own pace, just looking at all the decorations and the other kids' costumes. I think she enjoyed the whole experience as much as the candy. And she was really good at saying trick-or-treat at all the houses, and she always remembered (with just a little coaching) to say thank you.

I did get a little video of her sitting in the wagon, after we had gone to the end of one street and were heading back to the car to go to another neighborhood:

As for the candy, well, her Elmo bucket got really, really full, and quite heavy. After she got to bed, we sorted the candy a little. Here's what she got - or rather what she brought home, as she ate quite a bit while we were out and about, too:

Now, I don't think a 2 1/2 year old really need all that candy, though I'm sure Natalie would disagree...

Remember to brush your teeth - or else...

A week or two ago, I was traveling for a few days on business. Karsten did a great job taking care of Natalie while I was gone. He must have been struggling a little with getting her teeth brushed, though, so he told her that if she didn't brush her teeth they might fall out... Well, she makes deductions of her own, so here's what Natalie told me when I brushed her teeth the first night after I came home:

Natalie: We have to brush our teeth. Otherwise they will fall out.
Me: Uh-huh...
Natalie: Then they will fall on the floor and get all dirty.
Me: Uhm, okay...
Natalie: And then we would have to put them in the dishwasher!

At the apple orchard

A couple of weekends ago, we went back to one of our favorite places - the apple orchard. They were having an "Apple-Palooza", so there were extra many fun things to do.

The wooden train is always a hit

And they had facepainting! Natalie did such a great job sitting very still...

Natalie chose a rainbow - very pretty!

There were these fun photo-setups. "Look, I'm a witch!"

Natalie's friend Aubriella met us there. Look how big these girls are getting!

The ring-pop

One of Natalie's friends from daycare brought in treat bags for his birthday. One of the things in there was another first for Natalie: A ringpop!

Yummi!

Dressing up

While Grandma was here, the weather was nice enough for a short summer dress for Natalie. That didn't stop her from dressing up in winter clothes, though: Ta-da!

"What are you looking at?"

Treasure Hunt

One of the days while Grandma was here, we did a treasure hunt with Natalie. While she was napping, I took pictures of various places in our backyard, and I packed up little trinkets (stickers, small toys, a few pieces of candy, etc.) with the pictures. The pictures were "clues" to where she would find the next treasure and the next clue.

I wasn't sure if Natalie would understand the game, but she got it right away, and she was sooo into it:

Looking for the next clue!

Animals

While Grandma was here, we went on many short little trips. Just short little half-day things to do.

One one of those outings, we went to the local amusement park. We met one of Natalie's friends and her parents there. The friend really wanted to ride the horsies. I wasn't sure Natalie would go for that, she's usually a little uncertain about getting too close to any kind of animal. But I guess peer pressure works at an early age, and Natalie actually got to ride a horse:

Look, Mommy!

Afterwards, she was soooo proud! I'm so glad she did it.

Later in the week, we went to the local apple orchard. They have a little walking trail that takes the kids past a lot of different animals. And Natalie got to touch a sheep:

Bah, Bah, white sheet!

Again, she was soo proud! Maybe she's starting to be a little less reserved when it comes to animals...