So Many Good Things

October for us was filled with all kinds of good things. First, we had good intentions of celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving but it kind of crept up on us. Instead of our traditional turkey dinner we spent the afternoon having family pictures taken, and with the knowledge of low lobster prices had an impromptu lobster feast with some friends. It was great! I would choose lobster over turkey any day, and who needs three turkey dinners between October and January anyway?

Here's all the critters, completely unaware of their fast approaching fate.

We unfortunately missed out on apple picking this year as we set a day to go and got rained out, but we didn't miss out on caramel apples. Mmmmmmm. As we all enjoyed and got much caramel stuck in our teeth, I suggested to John that as a dentist he could insure the return of patients by handing out these delicious treats after each appointment:)

Though it saddens me that the weather is changing (I'm sure most of you know how I feel about cold temperatures) the New England foliage is incredible at this time of year. John is so busy lately but did have a chance to get out to take a few pictures. He couldn't find the place I suggested but instead found this cemetery bursting with color.
Finally, on to Halloween. This holiday became a bigger deal for me when I married John. He LOVES Halloween as it's filled with so many happy family memories. Because of this love of all things Halloween, we generally go all out with costumes. Normally we would also spend hours on carving pumpkins but there didn't seem to be time for that this year. It was either pumpkins or costumes. Not to worry, I don't want to deprive my children of carving pumpkins and eating toasted pumpkin seeds this year so it looks like we'll be taking advantage of the post Halloween pumpkin clearance sales.
Our festivities began with our wards Trunk or Treat party (sorry forgot the camera) on the 30th. We followed that up with gathering at a friends house on the 31st for apple cider, scones and trick or treating. These friends of ours live in the historic Boston neighborhood of Beacon Hill. For a reminder of this amazing neighborhood, see this post of last years family pictures. There are a couple streets that get closed off to vehicles and the residents go all out with decorating. The temperature was wonderful and required no more than a hoody for warmth. It was very windy but being on the narrow streets with the buildings to shelter us from the wind we hardly noticed. Aiden wanted to be a planet this year and decided on Earth. The decision was then made that Abby would be the moon, John Jupiter and my belly the sun. John started the paper mache a month ahead of time and he gets full credit this year.

Waiting for us to unload the costumes from the car.
Look how cute they are!
The effect wasnt' the same with the use of a flash, but I'm not the photographer John is.

A little help required for stairs, thanks friends for helping with the kids!

Our little moon got tired out about half way along.

The crowd.

Mom got a toe cramp.

Abby helping out.

Dad and Aiden, real troopers.

A little tough bending down.

SO DONE!

Still one more stop to make, Abby would only put her costume back on if someone was holding her. Melissa was a lifesaver.

A slightly better family shot.

The kids trying to sit, the result, Abby toppled back. She wasn't a fan of being stuck.

Aiden's already thinking about what he wants to be next year.

Baby Belly

So I had big plans to do a big post filled with summer pictures but I think I need to start fresh and keep it current so if you want to see summer pictures you'll just have to keep an eye on facebook (if you're a facebooker:) Not that I've put them up yet, but soon, I promise.

I also had big plans to snap a picture of my growing belly every 4 weeks with this pregnancy to see the progression. Well here's where those snap shots began.

12 weeks

Every 4 weeks was a good thought, unfortunately here's the next belly shot taken.

29 weeks (sorry it's so dark, the lighting in our place at night is not ideal for photographing)
Abby showing Dad where the baby is (for some reason, she can't point out where the baby is without lifting my shirt)

Happy Birthday Aiden!

I can't believe my little man turned 5 today! We adore this little guy. He is sweet, sensitive and thoughtful. He has a great sense of humor and makes us laugh everyday. We feel so blessed to have him in our family. We celebrated by having his first real party with party games and everything. I put more into it than I've told myself I would ever put into a birthday party, but he was ecstatic and he and his friends had a great time which made it all worth it. We gathered with his buddies from church at a playground for some birthday fun. It was a beautiful day until shortly before the party when the wind picked up. The kids didn't care though and it didn't even bother Aiden that we couldn't keep a match lit long enough to light the candles. We got through with only a little sprinkle of rain, not even worth mentioning really. When it was all over the wind stopped completely and the bright blue sky returned. Our luck with weather has never been real great. The verdict though, it was a very successful party. Check out the pictures, to see for yourself. A big thanks to Marie for several of the ideas for this party!

The invite

Playtime

Aiden can't have too much fun without a bloody nose, he's still smiling under there though:)

Pizza and cake time (for those who have been waiting for a belly shot, check out this first one. You can click to enlarge)
You can tell which way the wind is blowing by looking at the way those stars are leaning.
We ran for that distant tent when the tiny rain drops started falling, just in case.

Pin the fire on the rocket, Aiden nailed it!

Ready to munch those star cookies, no hands (my kids cheat).

UFO pinata, we had great fun making it as a family.
Stab or swing?

Gift time.
He takes opening presents very seriously:)
Train setThanks Grandma and Grandpa for the box full of craft projects!