HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Happy Halloween, everyone! What a fun night I had with my little pumpkin! The only thing missing was Daddy, but other than that, it was great! She was much more "into it" than last year, and after a few houses she wanted to do it herself. Other than having a tough time climbing up big steps to people's front doors, she did very well and even maneuvered around packs of big kids smoothly. I was so proud of her! We went back to Aunt Jan's house when her pumpkin was heavy enough that she was dragging it on the street. That told me it was time to stop. :) Back at Aunt Jan's she emptied out her pumpkin and explored all that was inside. Thankfully she didn't fuss much when I told her she had to stop after eating two things. I promised her they'd be there tomorrow, although I think Mommy might have to steal one or two things first. :) I hope you all had a fabulous Halloween evening.

Fun with a friend

This morning we had a little play date with a friend of ours, Olivia. Olivia's mom is Lori, and when I met her she was working for our adoption agency. She is the person we had our initial talk with, and we thought so highly of her that we ended up signing with the agency, AWAA.

I'm so glad Lori and I have kept up our communication. I'll never forget going to breakfast with her one morning, shortly after she and her husband had brought home Olivia. I knew our referral was just a few months away, and it was so exciting to spend time with someone who had just returned from China. I brought a LONG list of questions that morning, I'll tell you that! Olivia and Allison play very well together, and I'm already looking forward to another play date in the near future.

On a side note, Allison is SO excited that today is Halloween. Several times today she's looked at me and said, "It's HalloWEEN!" or "Happy Halloween Day, Mommy!" So cute! The weather should be cool but nice. My pumpkin is fast asleep right now, so she'll be well rested and ready to go come 6:00! I hope all of you reading this have a great Halloween night. :)

Too cute for words...

Sometimes I just HAVE to take picture even when there's not an event. Today was one of those days. Last month I had some fun experimenting with Ebay, and I found this adorable little outfit for Allison. I'm quite sure I paid full price, but it was the experience that counts, right? :) We went with my mom to her doctor's appointment before heading to the mall and out to eat, and outside the offices I found a quaint little place for her to play and for me to take pictures. I took over 100, and there were only 2 where she was actually looking at me. Most are of her back, but they are still precious. Two of them were taken at Rain Forest Cafe- check out her expression when the thunderstorm started. :)

Not always a sweet face

This will be a short post, as our big excitement for the day was a trip to Target. I love this picture for two reasons. One is that Allison is now getting into making different faces when you request them. It's a hoot! I can't remember what face I asked her to make when she gave me this one, but it is common these days. I also like the picture because it shows her wearing a cute new outfit I got for her when I went shopping the other night. I just love the little leggings. It really looked cute with her pink shoes, but I failed to capture that picture. Once we get in the house the shoes and socks come flying off! Usually whatever bottoms she's wearing come flying off too, so hey, I was lucky to get a shot of her with most of the outfit on.

A side story- I'm very happy about how well Allison is using her manners- most of the time anyway. We've really been working on the please and thank you comments and also trying to notice when people do nice things for us. The other day my dad opened the garage door for us to go outside and she said, "That was very nice of PaPaw to open the garage door for us!" and today when a neighbor loaned us a fun tricycle to use she said, "That was so nice of Kim to give us the bike to use!" I hope these comments continue. I want her to grow up to be appreciative of what other people do for her. Sometimes the life of a stay at home mom can leave me feeling unappreciated, but today when I wiped her face after a meal she said, "Thank you, Mommy!" in the sweatest voice and that makes it all worth it. :)

Pumpkin Cookies- YUM!

Today had a few highlights to it. First of all, everyone slept until after 7:00. That's always nice! :) During Allison's nap today I was able to meet up with my friend Lisa at a really cool outdoor shopping area close by. In my opinion today was a perfect day, weather wise. It was in the low 60's with a light wind. Just perfect for shopping outdoors. We had lunch first at a fantastic restaurant and then shopped for, what else, clothes for our kids! :) We both found some cute items and then had to go our separate ways. I think we both wished we could play hookey and just hang out there all evening!

Another highlight was later this afternoon, when Allison, my dad and I went for a stroll. I rarely get alone time with my dad, so that was nice. We walked for a LONG time, and it was funny because my normally VERY talkative child didn't say a word the entire time. We didn't really give her a chance, but usually other people talking doesn't keep her from talking. Ha! Then tonight Mom made yummy lasagna. All in all, a pretty good day. If I wasn't missing my husband it would have been close to perfect. :)

Here are some pictures of our evening fun- making pumpkin cookies. Allison loves to bake, but she has a hard time waiting for things to get done in the oven. She thinks as soon as she puts it in the oven it should be done. Ah, patience- a virtue we all wish we had a little more of these days. Enjoy the pictures of Chef Allison.

Fall fun at Uncle Jeff and Aunt Jan's

Last night was so much fun! We headed over to my brother's house about 6:00 for dinner and pumpkin carving. Although I didn't capture any pictures of that event (we were very serious about it- no time for pictures!), I did get a few cute ones of Allison enjoying herself. She decorated her own little pumpkin, and it was so cute. I figure if I let her hang out with her Aunt Jan enough she might end up crafty! She certainly won't get it from Mommy.

We didn't leave there until well past Allison's bedtime- a good time had by all. She was VERY wired when we got back to Grandma's (a whole block away from Uncle Jeff's house), but when I laid her down for bed I didn't hear a sound. She was OUT! It's now 7:40, and she's still sleeping. Yeah! :)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Laurie

Wonderscope Fun!

Today we met Allison's Aunt Sheila and cousins Abby and Caroline at a local place called Wonderscope. It's in an old school where the classrooms have been turned into all sorts of fun rooms for kids to learn and explore. It was a really cool set up, and I'd love to go back one more time before we leave Kansas City. After playing we headed out for lunch, and of course that was fun too! All the way there Allison said, "We are going to Wonderscope with Aunt Sheila, Abby and Caroline!!" She was very excited to see them- so was I!

Ghost Hunt Party!

Last year we were in KC for Halloween too, and a neighbor of my mom held a ghost hunt party for all the little kids in the neighborhood. It was so much fun! We were thrilled to find that she was doing it again, and it would be held during the time we were in town. It gave us a chance to try out the pumpkin costume before the big day.

Picture one shows Allison relaxing before the party. She loves to run around, but she can chill with the best of them! You'll then see her "at the gate" ready to go on the hunt. There are little ghosts all over the lawn filled with treats and little toys. The kids have so much fun gathering them into their baskets. She had a great time, but again, so funny about her "favorite part". Mandy, the hostess, has a great swingset in her yard, and when I asked Allison what her favorite part of the party was, she said, "THE PLAYGROUND!" :) What a kid!

Oh, I must tell one little story before closing. I want to remember it for my diary!! Yesterday I put my child in "time out" for the first time ever. We introduced "the naughty step" a few weeks ago, but up until now, she would always improve her behavior before having to go to the step. Well last night, probably due to too much chocolate at the get together, she was having a hard time settling down. When I was getting her into her jammies she kept kicking me. I gave her a warning, but she kept doing it, so I told her she had to sit on the naughty step for two minutes. I felt like Nanny Jo (from that Nanny show) was watching me, so I wanted to do all the steps correctly. She sat there while I went into the bedroom (I could still see her) to fold some clothes. After 2 minutes I got down on her level and asked her if she knew why she was on the naughty step. She said, "No". I told her why and asked her to apologize. She did. Then we hugged. I don't expect her to do that well every time, but I was proud of her for listening and doing what I asked. Then I wanted to cry. Yes, I know it's okay and VERY necessary to discipline your children, but that doesn't mean it's easy. :)

I hope everyone is having a great day. We are sunny and 60 in KC, and I'm in HEAVEN! :) Oh, I'm going to make the pictures big because the way I'm doing it from my parent's house makes it impossible for you to blow them up bigger when you click on them- bummer! Hopefully making them bigger will help. Here goes!

Laurie

More vacation fun!

Today we went on a fun adventure to a place called the Deanna Rose Farmstead. This is my third time taking Allison, and each time it gets better. I love experiencing these places through her eyes, and it's so funny to talk about it with her afterwards. We did all sorts of things, but when I asked her later what her favorite part was she said, "The rocking horse". You know those silly little things kids can rock back and forth on, that are located in most large parks? We had goat feeding, goat petting, cows, etc., but my kid liked the silly rocking horse the best. Oh well, as long as she's having fun! :) I could have stayed a LONG time, but we got hungry, so we left to get some lunch. After a late nap that I had to wake her up from (NEVER a good idea!), we headed over to a friend's house where I had organized a little get together with some friends I used to work with that I still keep in touch with. Everyone brought their kids and we ordered pizza. It was great to catch up with everyone! I didn't take any pictures because I just wanted to relax and enjoy myself. We got home a little late, and Allison was WIRED!! I think it might have been the dirt cake I made for dessert? Chocolate does scary things to this little girl. I thought she'd be up for a LONG time before falling asleep, but nope- she zonked out within a few minutes. A good day had by all! :)

Vacation Fun!

Hello!

Allison and I took the train from St. Louis to Kansas City on Sunday to spend some extended time with family. So far we are having a LOT of fun. I just love the fall, and fall is in the air in KC, that's for sure. Allison did great on the train, as usual, although I'm nervous the entire time that she might have some sort of meltdown and we'd be stuck on a train. But we watched movies, colored, read LOTS of books, and looked outside the windows at the changing colors of the leaves. This post will show our first couple of days here- experiencing Nana's hot tub for the first time, riding a new tricycle (she is about 2 inches away from being able to reach the pedals), and decorating a pumpkin. The other pictures are just of her being a very cute pumpkin herself! :)

A visit with dear friends

We were so happy that our friends Kate and Eric, and their daughter Elle, had time to stop at our place for a little overnight visit last night. They are a wonderful family, one we met through the adoption process, and it was great to see them again and catch up.

This morning was another MOPS meeting, and it was especially fun! We played a game called "Speed Friendships" and it was great to get to know the ladies so much better in such a short time. If any of you are involved in MOPS and want information on it, email me (theloudenbacks@yahoo.com) and I can give you the scoop. Everyone really had a good time! I was a bit nervous about it because there are usually 9 of us there that are "in charge" of everything, and today there were only 2 of us there for the entire meeting. However, it went off without a hitch. Yeah!

Okay- off to post pictures. The last one is of my sweetie reading books to her "friends". So sweet! :)