Happy Halloween!

Last night, we had a blast trick-or-treating with the girls. We decided this year to go as a family, each dressing as a character from The Wizard of Oz. We had so much fun! The girls did great! They each left their costumes on for well over two hours. They were alittle unsure about the whole concept at first, but quickly got the idea! We didn't make it to every house in the neighborhood, but we did get a lot of candy! They each very much enjoyed sampling their goodies at the end of the evening. We are already looking forward to next Halloween and continuing this new, fun family tradition!

Pumpkin Carving Challenge 2008

Last Halloween, Ryan and I decided to challenge each other to a pumpkin carving contest. We each carved a face as well as a haunted house. We had so much fun that we decided to make it a yearly tradition. This year, however, Halloween was here before we knew it, and we only had time to create our own pumpkin face. However, this year we are asking family and friends to vote for their favorite pumpkin face! So please take a minute to cast your vote at the top of our blog. Happy Halloween!

Twin Picasso Pumpkins

Last week, we took the girls to the nearest pumpkin patch (aka A&M Greenhouse) to pick out their pumpkins. It was fun to see them running around from pumpkin to pumpkin until they found the perfect one. As we watch them now, it is so hard to believe that last year at this time, they were still crawling and would have rather eaten the pumpkins than decorated them.

Since it was such a beautiful day, we decided to decorate the pumpkins in the backyard. The girls each chose from a variety of features to create their very own pumpkin face.

Leah & Abby were so proud of their beautiful masterpieces! (A little Picasso looking, don't you think?)

Outer Banks '08

Several weeks ago, we headed south to the Outer Banks for a family vacation. Along with the Fanelli family, we stayed for a week in the beautiful town of Southern Shores. The weather was absolutely wonderful and the girls had a great time! Leah loved the ocean (even though it was a bit on the chilly side) and Abby loved collecting seashells and digging in the sand.

Our beautiful house for the week....

A short walk to the beach ....

Our first steps on the sand in '08. As you can see, it was extremely crowded!

What a wonderful week!

Gymnastics

On Monday, we took the girls to gymnastics class at LTD Academy in Duncansville. This was their first class, and they both did really well! They tried every activity (our biggest problem was teaching them that they had to wait their turn.....they wanted to try everything again and again!).

Here they are waiting for their special treat. At the end of class, their teachers give them a treat (usually a lollipop) if they were good participants and listeners!

Hollidaysburg Haul

Yesterday, Ryan ran in the Hollidaysburg Haul, a 5k race through town. He did great, finishing in second place in his age group!





After cheering for their daddy, the girls participated in the "Fun Run," a 1/4 mile run in downtown Hollidaysburg. They only actually ran about 1/2 block, but they had a lot of fun!

After the run, Leah enjoyed her lollipop while sporting her ribbon of participation.

The Simple Things In Life

One of Abby's favorites things to do while outside is play with dirt and rocks. She is always collecting rocks of all shapes and sizes. She now even has her own rock collection that she plays with inside. Despite all the fun toys in the family room, she always goes for the rocks first!