Day 304: Trick or treat!

This evening the kids went trick-or-treating. Elizabeth dressed as a Monarch butterfly, and Edward was Buzz Lightyear. Elizabeth chose her costume when she saw it in Target. Edward was going to be an astronaut, but his costume turned out to be too small. Fortunately Elizabeth's old Buzz costume fit him perfectly.

We went around the neighborhood with our next door neighbor, and they had lots of fun of course. Edward really got the hang of banging on the door and shouting 'Trick or treat!'. He also liked to run into people's houses. They did more houses than usual this year, and got loads of candy. When we got back all of our candy that we had left outside was gone, so we started giving away what the kids had just collected.

Day 303: Homemade Halloween decorations

Dave made all these Halloween decorations himself. He made the web out of rope, and the spider and the Frankenstein heads he made last year out of Tria boxes. He's so creative.

Day 302: Pumpkin patching

Dave had the day off today, so we visited our local pumpkin patch. We go there nearly every year. We don't buy our pumpkins there, as they are way too expensive, but it's fun to visit. They have rows and rows of pumpkins, plus rides for the kids and other fun stuff. It's a nice family trip, and we had fun. And the weather was nice too!

Day 301: Fresh and clean. And cold.

Just out of the bath. It's a bit chilly today, so they were cold. They do look cute in their hooded towels though.

Day 300: Only 65 days to go!

I can't believe how quickly this project has gone. It's been fun, but also a challenge. I'm thinking I'll do something a bit different next year, but I haven't decided quite what yet.

Day 299: Target. $2.50 each.

Elizabeth is a big fan of Nutcrackers, so when I saw these in Target I bought a couple for her. I was going to put then away until Christmas, but she wanted to play with them right away.

Day 298: Edward's favorite game

Edward's obsession with all kinds of vehicles continues. We have to set his train set up at least once a day, and he'll spend hours pushing the trains around the track.

Day 297: Here we go again

The rain is back. It almost feels like it never went away. I took this shot with my cell phone through the windshield of the car while we were waiting at the grocery car. In case you can't tell, they're trees :)

Day 296: My current favorite perfume

Another day where I forgot to take a picture until last thing at night. Since I didn't want my camera flash to disturb anybody, I looked for something in my bedroom to photograph. I liked the way the low lamp light came through this bottle of perfume, and it came out even better after I tweaked the colors and contrast in Photoshop.

Day 295: Getting ready for a big boy bed

Edward has been very good about sleeping in his crib recently, so I decided to take the side off and turn it into a transitional bed for him. As you can see, he was quite pleased about it! We'll see how well he does at bedtime tonight.

Day 294: Must be a classic car rally this weekend

I spotted this car on my way home from school today as I was waiting at a red light. We have a lot of classic car rallies at our local fairground, so I expect there is one coming up this weekend.

Day 293: Nuts

Another little guy I spotted on one of my walks this week. I see a lot of squirrels, but again they usually move too fast to be photographed!

Day 292: Cavities be gone

Today Elizabeth got her cavities filled. This is a picture of her playing in the waiting room. She was quite anxious about it, but she was very brave and did really well. They gave her a sedative to keep her calm, and she actually dozed off a few times during the treatment. Unfortunately, while her mouth was still numb afterwards she bit the inside of her cheek quite badly, and now it's very sore and swollen. Hopefully it will heal quickly.

Day 291: Butterfly

I've been wanting to get a photo of a butterfly for at least a year. Usually they don't stay still long enough for me to even get the camera up, but I spotted this guy on my walk today, and he was settling on the dandelions for short periods, so I was able to get a shot. I've cropped it as much as I can, but I wish I'd had my telephoto lens on so I could get a closer shot.

Day 290: Lily

Just a macro shot of some Lilies we bought today.

Day 289: Theater trip

Today we took the kids to see James and the Giant Peach at a new local theater. It was the first play they have seen, and they really enjoyed it. They were both very well behaved too. Elizabeth sat with her fingers in her ears a lot of the time, but it wasn't really loud. I think she was just a little nervous after our trip to see the Imagination Movers last year, which was really loud. She said she's like to go again to see another play, so I'll be checking to see what else is coming up.

Day 288: School visit to the pumpkin patch

Today Elizabeth's class visited a local pumpkin patch. They got to feed some sheep and goats, listened to some stories, then picked out a pumpkin each. After a quick snack break they had time to play in the play area before we went home. Edward was able to come too, and they all had a great time. It was really hot, but that didn't seem to bother them, and I got lots of cute pictures. Elizabeth was glued to her BFF Ashley the whole time :)

Day 287: A little light reading

I've just joined the team that leads the RCIA program in our church. RCIA is the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, a program for anyone who wants to join the Catholic Church. I went through the same program in 2002 when I became Catholic, culminating in my baptism at the Easter Vigil. I decided to join the team a couple of months ago when we had a ministry sign-up day at church, and I'm quite convinced I made the right decision. When I met with Fr William to discuss what my role will be, he told me he had been praying for another woman to join the team. Then, when I went to my first meeting last Sunday, I could feel the Holy Spirit guiding me and giving me the right words to say to the candidates.

We have about 12 people in the group at the moment, and 4 more should be joining next month. We meet twice a week, On Sundays after mass to discuss the readings for that week, and on Monday nights to talk about other topics they need to know about. There will be a retreat for the 4 new members in a couple of weeks, and I've been asked to share my story as I've been through the program quite recently. I'm looking forward to it.

Fr William lent me these books to guide me in my new role as a team leader. I think it's going to take me a while to get through them!

Day 286: Happy Feast of the Miracle of the Sun

The Miracle of the Sun occurred at Fatima in Portugal on October 13th, 1917. Mary had been appearing to three shepherd children Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco, every month since May, and had promised there would be a sign on October 13th. The sun grew larger and larger in the sky, appearing to touch the earth. When the event was over, the ground and the people, who had been soaked with rain, were completely dry. Dave made this cake to help us celebrate. He put candles around the edge of the sun, and we recited the Hail Mary before blowing them out.

Day 285: Pink kitty

Kishka came home today a slightly different color than usual. She has been rolling around in one of Elizabeth's chalk drawings outside. You can't quite see in this picture, but her head is pink too. I tried to brush it out but it wouldn't come off. I'm sure it will eventually.

Day 284: If you're going to do Halloween, do it right

This is one of the houses I pass on my daily walk. They had the big spider up last year too, but I think the pumpkins are new. Both the kids love seeing this house, and there are more and more decorations going up each day as we get closer to Halloween.

Day 283: What's the date today?

Every year when the day, month and year are the same it's fun to celebrate that fact. Only two more years left to do that though this century. This is just a shot of my computer screen.

Day 282: Daddy & Me soccer

Edward had his second Daddy & Me soccer class this morning. Unfortunately he's not really into it. He HATES wearing his sneakers, and doesn't have much interest in kicking the ball. He would rather sit in the shade and play with the babies! I should have signed Elizabeth up, she really wants to play!

Day 281: Preschool pizzas

Today was my second co-op at Elizabeth's school. We had a fun day. My main task was helping the kids make these pizzas (it's 'P' week). They had a great time making them. We cooked them and ate them for snack, and they were very tasty. After that we had chapel, which is always fun. Elizabeth was VERY vocal this time, shouting out all the answers before the questions had even been asked! At least she got them all right :)

Day 280: How to make a 5-year-old happy

Elizabeth woke up with a sore neck this morning, and was quite upset about it by the time it was time to go to school, so I took her to the doctor to get it checked. The doctor was able to 'cure' her with a lollipop, so it looks like it was nothing. She was sad to have missed school though, so I made her this sandwich, which she loved.

Day 279: Tree Face

I pass this tree every day on my walk, so I had to take a picture of it. I don't think it's for Halloween, I think it's there all the time. It makes me smile.

Day 278: Love

Elizabeth and Edward were sitting nicely together watching a movie on the bed, but as soon as they saw the camera the started acting goofy. I told Elizabeth to give Edward a hug though, and got this cute picture.

Day 277: New walking hat

I lost the baseball cap I usually wear when I go walking to keep the sun out of my eyes, so I had to get a new one. I actually wanted to get a nice straw one, but of course it is the wrong time of year for that. I spotted this one though, and thought it looked cute. It fits really well, and does the job.

Day 276: New BFF

Today Elizabeth went to her friend Ashley's princess birthday party. She is her new best friend at school, and Elizabeth was the only person she invited from her class. Apparently they play together all the time in school, although I haven't seen it yet myself. She's a very nice girl, very smiley, and Elizabeth had lots of fun at the party. I think it's interesting that she has curly blond hair, just like Elizabeth's best friend from last year, Lindsay.

Day 275: How to celebrate your anniversary in style

Today was Dave's and my 6th wedding anniversary. It coincided with the annual Leap Sandcastle Competition. We've never been before, but I really wanted to go, so we did. The weather in San Francisco was horrible - cold, windy and foggy, but we still had a good time. We met a friend there and spent about an hour on the beach checking out all the sandcastles. I took lots of photos, and I'll post a link when they're all uploaded. The kids weren't that interested in the sandcastles, but they had fun playing in the sand and the water (yes they wanted to go in the water, even though it was so cold!). Afterward we went to the Beach Chalet restaurant to have some food and warm up. It was a great way to spend our anniversary.

Day 274: The scent of England

I pass these roses on my daily walk, and the scent really reminds me of England. I don't know why. I don't even know what species they are. It's very nice though.