Excuse me? What do you think you're doing?

The other morning I was upstairs going to the bathroom.  Things were awfully quiet downstairs.  All moms know that unless it is naptime, quiet = trouble.  I promptly bounded down the stairs, my eyes scanning the living area until I found who I was looking for.

"On the table with my cell phone?  And just who do you think you're calling?"

I'm a little afraid for when he's a teenager.  I can hear the conversation now, "In my car with the keys during the middle of the night?  And just where do you think you're going?"

It's Easy..Like Taking Candy from a Baby

Trick-or-treating this year was a completely different experience than any previous years thanks to exhibit A.

Exhibit A

He looks cute, huh?  Little man was so excited to be outside and didn't even know what we were going to be doing that Halloween night!  So our little party started walking...Charlotte and Daddy hand in hand (this holiday kind of freaks her out).

We dutifully said our "trick-or-treats" at the first doorstep, and Charlotte took a piece of candy and placed it in her bag.  Being the experienced trick-or-treater that she thinks she is, she proceeded to show Jonas what to do.  We really hit the jackpot with the first house.  They were passing out full sized candy bars. Jonas walked away with a Hershey bar in hand and was in no way going to let go of it.  House number two...each kid grabbed a piece of candy.  Now Jonas had his Hershey bar in one hand and Nerds or something in the other.  He was a happy kid...as long as no one tried to take his candy.  House number three created a bit of a dilemma because Jonas only has two, very small hands.  There just isn't room to carry three pieces.  Charlotte and him both took a piece.

We then took his piece of candy and put it in his bag.  Then the night turned very frightening!  This is the reaction we got: crying, trying to run away, foot stomping, and candy throwing.

We dealt with this scenario after EVERY house.  The poor kid did not understand why his parents kept taking his candy.  We tried letting him hold the bag.  We tried letting him hold a piece of candy in each hand.  But with Jonas, it's all or nothing! 

I would like to have a talk with the person who first said taking candy from a baby is easy because they obviously did not go trick-or-treating with my baby!

It was still a fun evening though.  While we were out we ran into Charlotte's friend and they were joined at the hip for the rest of the night.

Isn't she a cute kitty cat?  I know she's not smiling in any of the pictures.  Like I said...she is a little leery about Halloween.

Halloween Party

Our ward puts on a great family Halloween Party each year.  This year they took some family photos.  Here's our photo with a sneak peek at our Halloween costumes.  I say sneak peek because Adam is NOT in costume (contrary to popular belief).  He came to the party a little late straight after work and everyone thought he had dressed up as a doctor as a joke.

Squire's Castle

This past weekend we took a little drive to Squire's Castle.  I've been wanting to go for a couple years now.  It was built in the 1890's by Feargus B. Squire.  It was never completed and just the shell remains.  We enjoyed walking around and exploring the area.  Charlotte was not happy that we made her come and take a picture when she was so busy being a "pwincess."

It's settled in one of the Cleveland Metroparks and so there are some nice trails to hike as well.

I made the mistake of telling Charlotte to make big eyes when she smiles a few months ago.  Now she tries so hard to make big eyes that she has completely forgotten how to smile on command.  This is the face we get when we say "smile."

And what would fall be without playing in some leaves?

Patterson's Farm

This past Monday we went to a little family festival at Patterson's farm that runs through the autumn season.  They have all sorts of fun things for the kids to do there, and the kids loved it.  We just love this season in Ohio!
Jonas loved this little bike track!  He actually enjoyed pretty much eveything because we were outside.  He loves anything outdoors.  All day long he brings me his shoes to let me know he wants to go out.  It's going to be a long winter with him.

These last two pictures crack me up.  I think they best capture what our life is usually like...Jonas putting up a fight about what we want him to do, Charlotte always off in her own little land, I'm never completely ready, and Adam trying to fit into our activities despite his busy work schedule.  Oh, these are good times.

Time Out for Women

This past weekend was spent in the beautiful city of Cincinnati.  If it was normal to have a crush on a city, this would be the city I would crush on.  Here is the great view we had from our hotel room.

It was so peaceful to sit and watch the river flow by and see the lit up skyline.  I went down with a bunch of my friends to listen to speakers and singers celebrate and inspire women.  Most of the speakers were great.  Friday night Michael McLean performed.  He was the main reason I wanted to go, and he didn't disappoint.  When I was little my mom had his Celebrating the Light casssette.  I remember listening to it and feeling a peace and calm wash over me.  Although I didn't recognize it at the time, it was the first time I felt the Spirit.  Years later, as a teenager I was going through a difficult time.  I kept it mostly to myself and didn't think anyone really knew what was going on. I don't even remember what I was having a hard time with, but I remember feeling very alone.  During this time, a dear young women leader showed up at my door with a Michael McLean CD.  She told me to listen to the song "Ninety and Nine."  It was exactly what I needed.  The combination of that leader following the inspiriations of the Spirit and the message of that song testified to me that Heavenly Father knows and loves me.  So Michael McLean's music holds a special place in my heart.

While I was there I ran into my friend Aubrey.  We went to seminary together in Georgia, and it was so fun to see her somewhere I wasn't expecting.

One of the biggest blessings of our move falling through is the wonderful women in my ward that I get to have as friends.  I learn so much from these women and feel so blessed to be in their midst.  I had so much fun with them this weekend and am grateful for the opportunity it provided me to get to know them even better!

Spending time with Daddy

Daddy hasn't been so busy this month.  We are trying to take advantage of every moment he's around.  The nice weather we had last week was great for going out and exploring with him.

Charlotte has been his little shadow.  I can always find these two together if Daddy is home.

Painting Pumpkins

Sorry for the recent lack of posts.  We were supposed to move at the end of September, but everything fell apart at the last minute.  So we had a couple days/weeks of shock, chaos, trying to figure out where to live, etc.  After living out of boxes and suitcases for the last year (due to externships, subleasing our townhome, anticipating moving to a new home)  I finally unpacked everything and set up house...in the same townhome we've been living in for the past 4 1/2 years.  It was a little a lot disappointing at first, but we're happy about it now.  I am especially happy to be staying in the same ward with all of the wonderful friends we've made here.

Among all the sorting through boxes, we've managed to embrace autumn (my favorite season).  We painted some pumpkins to put out with our Halloween decor!