Ghost and Bunny Halloween

Halloween was greatly anticipated at our house and the evening did not disappoint! Our little bunny and ghost had a great time. 

Nora even had a fluffy tail to go with her pigtail bunny ears. It was cold and she wore her coat, so I don't think many people got to see her tail. 

Zeke and Aaron had a grand time painting this little pumpkin on Halloween afternoon. 

Zeke even had a Boo sign, which we forgot about until after we had taken an initial round of pictures. Fortunately, we remembered it right before we left home. 

Our first stop was to walk a neighborhood of older people we know and love, who are generous with both their treats and their love for us. This year we did the walking part at dusk and not after dark. It was perfect for being not too dark and cold but still in the spirit of the night. 

Then off to see grandmas and grandpas and cousins, pose for more pictures, and get more treats. 

Fluff, fluff, fluff. 

Potato Harvest

We enjoy digging potatoes for a lot of reasons. Time spent with our Loertscher family. Satisfaction of working hard and accomplishing something great. Joy in digging the dirt on a sunny fall day. And of course, anticipation of eating yummy potatoes all winter long (at least for me and for Aaron....we're still working on the kids). 

The kids also love potato planting and harvesting because they get to play in their great-grandpa's backyard, which doesn't happen often. They also like looking around his old house when they go inside for bathroom breaks. This time Nora was fascinated by the fact that the doors have actual keyholes. 

We felt like we didn't get much accomplished in the potato-producing department because -as Aaron put it- we're growing kids. It was a constant teaching process. Showing them how to clean off the potatoes and where to put them, reminding Nora to walk where we had already harvested ('the fluffy dirt'), teaching Zeke to stay with the work even when he didn't want to, correcting Nora when she called the potatoes 'tomatoes', and showing Zeke how the potatoes grow off the roots of the plants. We talked to them about digging for potato treasure, and that made everything a little extra fun! The kids even got a turn to dig. 

Zeke the scarecrow.

Nora in the house. I took this picture because she is just so cute, dirt and all. When I told her she was adorable, she said 'Yes, I am.' Then she pointed to her shoulder and added, 'Look I have beautiful dirt!'

Making Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate, chocolate everywhere!

My mom has pictures just like this of us :)

Posing kids.

Parchment paper 'treasure maps' were a big hit!

No pictures of cookies, but they were yummy! I took them to work for a coworker's birthday, Zeke took a few to his teacher, and everyone loved them! Recipe here.

Backyard Fun

A few weeks ago my sister offered us her little climber/slide/playground, because she had gotten a sweet deal on a big playhouse-style one. Given that our kids love to slide, and this little one was the perfect size for our patio, we went and picked it up right away!

The kids have both loved it. They have sent toys down the slide over and over. 

They are both big Jake and the Neverland Pirates fans right now, so they climb aboard to play pirate ship and even had a pirate picnic of saltine crackers and milk one afternoon. Nora keeps saying 'It's Bucky and the Jolly Roger!' While I'm not quite sure how it's two ships in one, I'm glad it's such pirate-y fun.

And of course, lots and lots of climbing up and sliding down. 

When Nora wants to go out and play, she says 'Can I go have fun?'