Halloween.. Two Little Mermaids

There was a little hiccup in our plans on Halloween night, but we made the best of it...the show must go on! We went over to the Slacks house so that Caroline and Ali could tranform into two little Ariels together. Chrissie and I later questioned our idea to put make up on three year olds. Caroline was not wanting to be still, so the purple eyeshadow I was attempting to put on almost made her look like she had a black eye.. not good! We finally managed to get them ready though. Note to self: wait a few more years before attempting make up with a little girl for special events!

Even more exciting than Halloween was the arrival of Ali's little sister, Abigail, the day before. Abigail and Chrissie had just come home from the hospital that morning, so Ali was in awe of having a baby sister. She showed her off to us, rocking and singing to her. Caroline didn't know what to think, and you could tell she was trying hard to figure Abigail out.

It started pouring down rain (there's the hiccup in our plans!) just as we were headed out the door to the neighborhood parade. We opted to wait it out, thinking the parade would not happen, and went trick or treating a little later. We ended up only having to carry an umbrella for a few houses and then the rain stopped. It turned out to be a nice night, sort of balmy and warm. The girls enjoyed going up to the doors by themselves with us observing from the driveways. I was amazed at Chrissie, who had just delivered a baby the day before, as she walked the whole neighborhood with us! She should have dressed up as Superwoman, or even Super Mom. She was determined not to miss out on trick or treating with Ali.

It was a fun night and the girls enjoyed trick or treating more than ever before. Here are a few pics from the night...

Ali, the proud big sis, and baby Abigail

Time for lipstick!

We've got to do something with this hair!

Two peas in pod.. actually two little mermaids, Ali and Caroline

Ariel one and Ariel two

Let's get started!

Whew! I am all caught up on the blogging now! Thanks for checking in!

Party Time at Preschool!

As a room mom, I got to help out in Caroline's class with the Halloween party. Hitting a pinata was on the agenda, and it was so funny to see the difference in the way the boys tackled it versus the girls. Of course, the boys were aggressive when they hit the pinata and the girls took a more cautious approach. So fun to see! Each child got to take a turn and the other kids counted to ten.

The class lined up listening to the directions

Caroline and Ali cheering one of their classmates on

Caroline is taking this serious

Go Ali!

On the way home from preschool, faces painted and all!

Carving pumpkins.. and roasting marshmallows

The last few days of our trip to Little Rock included several "fall like" activities. Of course pumpkin carving was one of them. Caroline wanted to draw the face on the pumpkin herself and actually it was pretty good! She helped Poppy scoop out all the seeds, but then our little project was interrupted by a visit from Lilly and Maggie. Caroline decided she wasn't so interested in carving the pumpkin anymore, and we had the intention of going back to it later. Of course, that never happened. So we ended up with a half carved pumpkin! Somehow toward the end of a visit you are trying to cram everything in at once and never quite get it all in. Oh well, she had the experience of it and tends to lose interest when her part in the project is done.

Drawing the face

Not bad for a 3 year old.. but probably a little hard to carve...

Ready to carve!

Scooping out the seeds...

And that's all for now.. time for lunch with the girls!

The perfect fall weather gave us the idea to sit out by the fire pit that night and make s'mores. Caroline loved this and enjoyed several marshmallows. She got on a roll telling us stories that went on an on. She was quite animated with this. Wonder where she got that from? :) Quite an imagination that little girl has!

Once upon a time...

Uncle Curt joined us.. here Caroline is talking on the phone with her Daddy.

Grandy and my Aunt Barbara

All cozy!

We had to leave on an early flight the next morning and Grandy snapped this picture as we were walking out the door. Caroline loves to roll her little backpack full of entertainment for the plane. Easier on me! We had a wonderful trip, but this time Caroline was really sad to leave. This is the first time that she actually cried when we got on the plane, wanting Grandy and Poppy. So sad! The next visit will roll around before we know it though.

Time to head back to Charlotte!

Little Explorer

While in Little Rock, Caroline spent plenty of time cuddling with Poppy and her favorite dog, Cody. She loved to snuggle with Poppy and Cody while watching a show.


One day we ventured out to downtown Little Rock to do a little exploring. We stopped by the Heifer Institute just to check it out. Entertaining for the adults, but not much to do for toddlers. The Heifer project has the mission of working with communities to end world hunger, poverty, and to care for the earth. The building is designed to use half the energy of an office building comparable in size, and there are many displays and centers to explain their mission. They not only aspire to help those in poverty, but also actually educate the people so that they can continue to thrive. It really is amazing and inspiring and makes you realize how much we take for granted.

Looking at all the "food"

I don't know what to think about all this!

In front of the building. Caroline was getting a little tired.

Waiting on the trolley with Poppy

Trolley ride

Little Rock and North Little Rock are basically twin cities separated by a river. There are several bridges that connect the two cities, but only one that you can walk across. We walked across the bridge and looked out over the city.

Looking at downtown Little Rock.

Riding in style!

The Pumpkin Patch

I found a good one!

We took our October trip to Little Rock at the first of the month and did the Pumpkin Patch a little early. The advantage of that is it wasn't very crowded, so we didn't have to endure the long lines this year. Schafer's Corn Maze has live animals, tunnels of hay to crawl through, and tractors the kids can ride. It is a unique experience to take a hayride to the pumpkin patch. Caroline wanted a small pumpkin and her Uncle Curt helped her pick the perfect one. We went with my Aunt Barbara and her two granddaughters, Lilly and Maggie, and of course Grandy and Poppy came along too!

Caroline surprised me by taking a pony ride. In the past, she has always wanted to watch but never wanted to actually ride. She also enjoyed riding in the little tractors around the corn maze.

Ready to go pick a pumpkin!

Maggie and Caroline

Uncle Curt was along for the ride

Poppy and Caroline

Do you see a good one, Grandy?

Hmm.. Uncle Curt, we had better get to work!

The cutest pumpkin in the patch

Lilly thinks this is an interesting pumpkin

Maggie and her pumpkin

Tractor ride around the corn maze.. it sure was dusty!

Caroline's first pony ride

All smiles!

Fall Fun: Blast Off!

Once again, I am playing catch up after the start of a busy fall! We celebrated Ben's birthday in September. Note the half eaten cookie cake in the picture below. We decided to share some with friends before we had a chance to sing "Happy Birthday".

Happy Birthday, dear Daddy!

The Blast Off at Caroline's preschool was also in September. It was a celebration of the new playground and a way to get to know other families at the school. The kids had plenty to keep them busy with bounce houses, train rides, balance beams and bars, visits from Monkey Joe's and Mr. Nigel's music, and of course the playground. We got to visit Caroline's classroom and she was proud to show off her artwork. She is still not fond of Monkey Joe and got as far away from him as possible when he showed up. It was a fun afternoon!

Daddy and Caroline in front of her coconut tree

Caroline's monkey

Trying out the balance beam

Check out this playground!

Columbia Zoo and Little Miss Cook

One morning, I decided at the last minute to head down to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC. It is about an hour and fifteen minute drive, but worth it. Caroline's favorite is still the giraffes, and we love that they can actually eat out of your hand.  Surprisingly, Caroline was not the least bit frightened of doing this.  She loves that it tickles when the giraffe licks her hand.  I didn't take many pictures because I was just trying to enjoy the moment, and also Caroline was not being all that cooperative in posing for the camera. 

The baby giraffe was so cute!

Caroline was a little scared of the real elephants, but took time to pose on this statue. 

Caroline didn't fall asleep in the car on the way home from the zoo, so it was a no nap day for her. We decided to make some cookies, and of course she loves to help!