busy bee

Happy Halloween!

Last year Dan got to pick Mae's costume (and she was the cutest little football ever.) This year I got to choose, so I made her this adorable bumblebee costume!

The romper is the Happy Frog Romper by Puperita which I pieced together with strips of black and yellow poly/cotton blend fabric. I finished the closures with my brand new Kam snaps set. I was looking for an excuse to buy plastic snaps and a snap tool, since they are so useful for baby items! The hat is the Purl Soho sunbonnet without the visor. I added little antennae topped with homemade pom poms. Pom poms are super easy and fun to make!

Mae got to wear her costume several times: to the zoo last weekend, to her day care party this week, to a Halloween party with Ollie on Saturday, and of course while trick-or-treating around our neighborhood!

In preparation for Halloween, we've and been practicing bee sounds. I say, "Bee says Bzzz!" and tickle her belly with my index finger. Now if I ask Mae, "What does a bee say?" she doesn't make any noise but tickles her belly with her finger. I guess we're half way there!

divide and conquer

Dan, Mae, and I each had our own social commitments this past weekend, and each of us spent Saturday in a different city!

Thursday afternoon, we all got together at Mae's day care for her toddler Halloween party. She looked super cute sharing her cup of goldfish crackers with the other little girl buzzing around in a bumblebee costume. Then, Mae and I said "bye byeeee" to Dada and drove to visit my family for the weekend. We arrived just in time for Christopher's birthday dinner. Friday morning we went to the Children's Musem with Mom, Emily, and Oliver. The little ones loved playing in the dinosaur caves and train tunnels (and getting completely soaked at the water table).

Saturday was when things got a little crazy. Dan went to see Penn State play at Ohio State. The loss was heartbreaking, but he had a good time visiting with friends and living the college kid party life for one night. I drove to Notre Dame with Mom, Dad, and Kevin to see the game against NC State. We froze our tushies off tailgating in the misty rain, but we witnessed a good game and stayed pretty warm in the stadium. My tickets were in row 6 of the end zone, so we were protected from the wind (and enjoyed an interesting view of the field).

Mom finished chemo a few weeks ago and had her surgery on Monday, so she was moving a little slower than usual. Since she's usually operating at a super-human pace, this just means she's acting like a normal person now and has to take (gasp) breaks during the day. She still managed to prepare tailgate food for 20+ people, hang out in the cold weather for 8 hours, and stay awake with me the whole drive home!

Mae spent Saturday with Christopher, Emily, and Oliver. They had a blast playing with Oliver's cozy coupe and play-kitchen, getting lunch at McDonald's, and going to a Halloween party in the evening! The babies looked suuuuper cute in their costumes. Mae's bee costume even sort-of coordinated with their Pooh, Tigger, and Christopher Robin costumes. (Pooh bear, honey, bees... it's a bit of a stretch but I think it works).

We got home pretty late from the football game, but I stayed up to wait for Christopher and Emily to drop off Mae on their way home from the party. It felt so funny to wait up for my kid to come home from a party, even though my kid is a 17-month-old! I'm so thankful that Christopher and Emily agreed to watch her all day and that she had such a fun time playing with her cousin! She has been asking for "Ah-yee" (Ollie) frequently since the weekend. Sunday afternoon, we drove home where Dada greeted us at the door and received a big, smiley hug from Mae. We are happy to be all back together again!

fall fun

We had a few fun-filled fall days last week! Friday evening we went to dinner at Ben and Jen's house for some baby playtime and a tasty dinner of pot roast and apple crisp (excellent fall food combo). Saturday we went to a local farm for the usual autumn festivities: pumpkin patch, corn maze, and of course donuts and apple butter! First, we had to take the requisite "baby surrounded by pumpkins" photos.

Mae just wasn't herself during the morning, but she perked up while were exploring the corn maze and while riding on my lap in the barrel train. We also played in a sand pit, walked through some tunnels, and checked out the petting zoo. Mae enjoyed grunting at the noisy pigs but was verrrry unsure about the big, strutting turkey.

While we selected a tiny pumpkin for Mae to decorate, she was much more interested in trying out the big rocking chairs and playing hide-and-seek in the pumpkin pricing board. (Holy moley - She's only $16!)

On Sunday, my whole family came to visit for a trip to the amusement park. We alternated between roller coasters and stroller pushing. It threatened to rain the whole day, but the downpour didn't start until later in the afternoon, so we got to do plenty of rides!

Mae and Oliver were able to ride on a little car track all by themselves. Emily and I were pretty nervous, but both babies stayed put in their seats and loved it! Mae excitedly yells "beep beep!" every time we see a car on our walks, so she was absolutely thrilled to be in her own little vehicle.

Everyone came back to our house when the rain started. Mae and Oliver had fun coloring at her little table. Such a fun weekend!