Halloween has Gone to the Dogs

At long last, it is time to tell the tales of our Halloween festivities. There has been clamoring for the pictures to be posted, so I can't hold off Evan's adoring public any more. :) Here's a picture of our adorable little puppy dog (well, one of them anyway).


The festivities started off on Friday with a morning playdate, partially to extend the life of the adorable Halloween costumes that would otherwise only be seen once. We headed over to our friends Sarah and Edward's house where we partied the morning away. The kids had a great time, except for when we tried to pin them down to take pictures of their cuteness. Trying to pile them all on the couch was quite the experience. The outing would not have been complete without an attempt at a spooky Halloween dessert. So, I tried my hand at worm cupcakes. I was a little wary about pouring grape jello into holes in my cupcakes, but they were actually quite yummy!

(An attempt to get a group shot-several babies are missing, Quinn is crying, Carson is pouting, and Evan is apparently having a phone conversation.)

(This group shot worked marginally better. The group is-Mary and her kitty Kalina, my puppy and I, Abby and her football player Quinn, Hilary and her pea pod Carson, and Sarah and the Pooh Bear Edward.)

(My worm cakes-not bad actually)

The next chapter in our Halloween adventure story was our pumpkin carving. We had picked up the pumpkins several weeks ago at the pumpkin farm and they had been sitting on our porch ever since just waiting for inspiration to strike. So, on Saturday, we set to work. Unlike last year, Evan wanted nothing to do with the pumpkin guts. He's not a fan of messes. He did however, like the little saws that Daddy was using to carve the pumpkins, lovely. Needless to say, those did not stay in his hand without much guidance. The end result was two beautiful pumpkins. Our porch looked very festive.

(The boys prepare the pumpkins.)

(Dad instructs Evan on the finer points of pumpkin carving.)

(The finished works of art)

On Halloween night, or should I say afternoon, we headed over to our friends Danielle, Justin, and Nathaniel's house for yet another baby celebration. This time it was on Saturday so that dads could come too! Unfortunately, it was about 80 degrees on Halloween so the costumes did not remain on the babies long, but at least they lasted long enough to be seen on a great hayride around the neighborhood. There was much playing and good food eating to be had by all. Evan even got some Halloween party favors, what a lucky boy!

(Carson in costume #2-what a fashion plate!)

(Evan the puppy and Nathaniel the monkey are caught in the act of playing.)

(Mommies and their babies in the hayride)

(We switch places with the boys-Quinn did actually end up enjoying the ride.)

Our last Halloween adventure was Trick or Treating. We decided we'd hit a few houses on our street after the party and before bed time. At first, Evan thought he was supposed to actually go in everyone's house that he approached, but by the last house he knew to politely take one piece of candy and look extremely cute.

It was a great holiday, and a very tiring one! Our little puppy dog slept until 8 am the next morning even with daylight savings, a new personal record!

A Hot Date

Last weekend Ian and I finally got some much needed time to ourselves. Gram and Gramps came to visit from Charlotte and were more than happy to stay at home with Evan while Ian and I had a night out. It was great!

We dressed up and headed out to 411 West, a great Italian restaurant on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. We decided to eat every course that we could to make the night last as long as we could. Ian and I just don't get enough time to talk on a regular basis! The waitress quickly brought us our appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip and asked us for our entree order. We asked if she could wait a little while to put it in, just so we could extend the evening. However, when she did bring it, it was delicious. Ian had black pepper pasta with smoked salmon and I had whole wheat pasta with a marsala sauce, delicious! To top it all off I finished with a dark chocolate gelato and Ian had a pumpkin gingerbread ice cream sandwich.

After dinner, we didn't want the night to end, so we took a lovely stroll up and down Franklin Street. When we got home tired and happy, the grandparents were happily discussing their successful night with Evan. It was a great night, and Ian and I are looking forward to our next date night, probably in the distant future. :)

A Day at the Park

On a beautiful fall day last week, our little boys group decided to head over to Duke Park to explore. We'd never been there, and it was a bit of a drive, but it was worth it in the end. It had some of the most fantastic play structures we'd ever seen. The boys were a little young for some of them, so we can't wait to bring them back when they're a little older. Since the park was so big, it had another play structure which was the right size for our little guys and plenty of grass to run in. The boys all had a fabulous time, except when one of them would steal the toy that another one was playing with. Evan and I can't wait for more beautiful fall days with our friends!

Here are some pictures of our fabulous day!

(Carson, Quinn, Nathaniel, and Evan play ball.)

(Do you hear the airplane?)

(Quinn and Evan repair the stroller.)

(Digging with a stick)

(This is what happens when a daddy shows up at playgroup--toddler mob!)

Fun and Fried Food

On Sunday, Ian and I decided to introduce Evan to one of our favorite North Carolina fall traditions, the State Fair. It was a blustery, cold morning, but there was still fun to be had at the fair!

We actually managed to be up, mobilized, and out the door by 8:30, so we made it to the fair in time to get close parking and headed straight in. The rides and booths weren't open yet, so we headed to the animals. Evan absolutely loved watching all the animals. We went to the children's animals, the bunny house, and the exhibit halls. His favorite was the baby chicky exhibit. He would wander around the hall a little bit and then head back again and again to look at the newborn chicks.

(Evan poses in the exhibit hall.)

After we watched the animals, we headed out for a little bluegrass music and hot apple cider, perfect for a fall day. Evan is always entranced by music! We also checked out the hobbies and craft buildings. Evan was having a great time until we wouldn't let him have a wooden carved airplane, but he recovered quickly.

(Ian and Evan smile for the camera before the bluegrass music starts.)

(Mmmmm, hot apple cider on a cold day)

(Evan is entranced by the music--I love this picture!)

As always one of the highlights of the fair for Ian and I is always the food. Evan was a little more interested in just watching all of the sights, but he did partake of one of our hot fresh yummy cinammon sugar donuts that we had for breakfast. Lunch of a delicious bloomin' onion followed. Ian had a gyro and I was trying to have some fried mac and cheese, but it was sold out everywhere, bummer! However, I did have some dessert, a fried Snickers Bar, one of my fair favorites!

(They're not quite Pike Place Market donuts, but they're close!)

(Fried, oniony goodness)

(Out of all this fried goodness, I picked the Snickers Bar.)

Although Evan was too short for absolutely all of the rides this time, he did watch Mom and Dad win him a stuffed crab at one of the darts games. Unfortunately, he is yet to show any interest in the crab! We did find one "game" that he could participate in, the Lego Experience. They had Lego-building stations for all ages, and Evan loved playing with the bigger legos and train set. They also gave him a sticker on his way out which he actually enjoyed this time.

(Taking in all the fair sights)

(The boys and some Legos)

(Evan loved the trains!)

It was a fantastic morning, and Evan was pretty excited by all the sights. He had to take a snooze break in the backpack for about 1/2 hour during the fair, but that's understandable because it's all very tiring for a baby.

(Evan takes a little snooze on Daddy's back.)

Here's a few more pictures of some interesting food booths that we did not partake of this time. Maybe next year!

(This one actually looked pretty tasty.)


(Gizzards and livers, wonder why we didn't try this one?)


(See the "pig lickers" sign--chocolate covered bacon--maybe not for us)

Kansas Celebrations

Last week, Evan and I hopped on another plane and headed out to Kansas for a fantastic weekend of wedding celebrations for my cousin Whitney and Blaise. We were really excited about the trip! It was the 11th state that Evan's been to, he's quite the traveler. He would not only get to party all weekend, but he would also get to meet my cousins for the first time, meet a great-great uncle and aunt for the first time, and spend some quality time with his Grandma, Grandpa, and Great-Grandma Dot.

We arrived Thursday night after a fairly tiring day of flying-complete with a 25 minute connection in Baltimore. We were definitely glad to be there, and we spent that night relaxing, eating pizza, and hanging out with the grandparents.

The next day, the wedding festivities began in earnest. On Friday at lunchtime we headed down to downtown Manhattan to a restaurant called Harry's for the bridesmaid's luncheon that my mom was hosting. Since this was a girls only event Grandpa and Evan stayed at home. All of the girls had a great time! It was fantastic to see my cousins, Aunt Karen, and Great-Aunt Frances and to hear about how all the wedding plans were going so far. We also had some delicious food! I had the basil and tomato pasta, some fantastic bread and cheese for an appetizer, and a great light lemon cake for dessert. It was a great way to start of the weekend!

(Whitney and her bridesmaids)

(Aunt Karen, Grandma Dot, and Great-Aunt Frances enjoy the lunch.)

(A group shot: Me, Aunt Karen, Whitney, Grandma Dot, and Mom)

That night we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. I was honored that Whitney and Blaise asked me to speak at the wedding, so I headed to the rehearsal to learn my role. Evan had a great time running around chasing Whitney and Blaise's dog, Zadie. They both really wanted to play together and were disappointed that we wouldn't let them get too close.

Dinner was, again, fantastic. It was at the Scenic Valley Inn, which is a beautiful place. We enjoyed good food, listened to great toasts, watched the bride and groom exchange gifts, and had a lovely evening. The room we ate in had all sorts of things for Evan to explore and look at, so he had a great time just wandering around and taking it all in. When he started to get fussy all the needed to do was get picked up by my cousin Courtney and he was immediately soothed. She definitely had a way with him.

(The scene at the rehearsal dinner)

(Evan sips ice tea with his Grandma.)


(My lovely cousins pose with Evan.)

(A shot of Grandpa taken by Evan)

The next day was the big day! Unfortunately, the Kansas weather was not going to cooperate giving us a chilly and gray day, but we wouldn't let that stop us from having a great time. We dressed up in our finery and headed out to the wedding. Everything looked beautiful with fall arrangements and flowers everywhere! I managed not to mess up when I was doing my reading during the wedding, and the ceremony went beautifully. Afterwards, the party began. Evan especially liked making his move on the dance floor which you couldn't get him off of. We ate more delicious food, listened to more toasts, talked, danced, and most importantly, watched the happy couple who looked very much in love! It was a great night!

(Evan in his wedding finery)


(The happy couple!)


(Courtney works her magic with Evan, yet again.)


(Aunt Karen and Evan's Great-Great Uncle Neil)


(We're so glad we could be there to celebrate with Whitney and Blaise on their specia day!)

Evan also had a fantastic time just hanging out at home with his Grandparents and Great-Grandma. I could really tell this time that he recognized my parents and felt really comfortable with them. Everyone was nice enough to let me sleep in when Evan decided to get up early and remain on East coast time so that they could have some quality time with him. He definitely thinks his Grandpa is the funniest person ever and would try to mimic the faces that he made. He also fell in love with his Great-Grandma Dot's cookies, as any sane person would!

I couldn't believe when it was time to go home. Time seemed to fly by so quickly. It was so great to see everyone, and we can't wait until we get to come back for another visit. Congratulations to Whitney and Blaise!

I was browsing through my pictures, I found this one and I had to post the comparison. Here's Whitney on my wedding day and hers-

What a Difference a Year Makes

In looking over our pictures from the pumpkin patch this weekend, I had to post these. These are pictures from the pumpkin patch this year and our visit last year in Washington. Can you believe our little boy has grown up that much in a year?

(October 2008)

(October 2009)

Hill Ridge Pumpkin Farm

On Sunday, our little family made the trek up north to Youngsville, NC to visit Hill Ridge Pumpkin Farm. We had heard all about all the toddler fun there, so we had to go check it out! Even with the hour drive to get up there, it definitely did not disappoint!

I think calling it a pumpkin farm is a bit much. The pumpkins were definitely just a side attraction. When we got there, it was great because we could just set Evan loose and let him roam. First, he hit the baby maze, but after making it about 20 feet, he decided he didn't want to be in the baby maze!

(Daddy and Evan in the baby maze)

Next, we visited the animals. He loved heading out on the dock to feed the fish. At first, he would just throw one pellet of food in at a time, but after a while he got the hang of it and would happily throw a handful of food at the big, ugly, hungry catfish waiting in the water. Next door to the catfish were the goats. We didn't feed the goats, but we certainly enjoyed watching them climb up and down in their house.

(Feeding the fish)

(Yay, goats and chickens!)

Next, Evan just wanted to roam a little. Some of his favorite attractions were the people trying to make kettle corn behind their stall, rocks and mulch on the ground, and a bench. Needless to say, these were the most popular attractions at the farm, HA!

Once we got Evan to move on to a real attraction, we went to the hay jump. This was just a big building filled with hay and hay bales so that the kids could jump and tumble as much as they wanted. Evan wasn't quite sure about standing up on the bales to jump off, but he loved falling over and tromping around in the soft hay. It's funny how cautious he's become about things like that.

(Evan and I playing in the hay)

(Hay is awesome!)

Next, we breezed by the bunny house and stopped at a tunnel that they had made out of a big corrugated pipe. Evan absolutely LOVED the tunnel. I think it was one of his favorite things at the whole farm. He laughed and giggled as the crawled from one side to the other. Since he had liked that pipe so much, we decided to take him to the big slide next. The slide was several stories high and sloped down a hill. We didn't know how Evan would like it, but we decided that he could try it together with his daddy. The first time he went down he buried his face in his daddy's chest. We didn't know whether he liked it or not, but he immediately turned right back around and started to run back up to get in line again. So, we figured he wanted to go again. Actually, he just wanted to stand in line again because this time the trip down the slide produced some fussing. It was time to move on.

(Evan speeds through the tunnel.)

(He wasn't too sure about the slide.)

Next, we decided to accomplish the purpose of our visit and take the hayride out to the pumpkin "patch" to pick up our pumpkins. Evan really enjoyed the hayride through the farm, but the actual picking out of the pumpkins was a little anticlimactic. We just grabbed two off the ground and headed back for another ride on the hayride.

(Evan munches as we ride on the hayride.)

(So many pumpkins to choose from!)

Once we returned to the farm, we were all a bit hungry and tired. So, after a lovely meal of burgers and chicken tenders (and Evan actually ate a chicken tender!) we headed to the car for the trip home. It was a fabulous day, and we all enjoyed it. It definitely wore our little boy out who was asleep before we left the parking lot! We are looking forward to carving our pumpkins!