Halloween!

Before Aubrey was even born, Daniel's coworkers bought her a cute little giraffe costume for Halloween... and a full-size adult one for Daniel to match. Last year the costume was too big for Aubrey, so we had to wait until this year. It was a little too short for her, but it was worth it just for this:

Now here it is full-size. You're welcome.

And, finally, here's the whole family. I was the zoo keeper. We debated having me be a hunter, but we decided not to freak out our neighbors.

This was Aubrey's first year trick-or-treating. She didn't quite understand what was going on, so we only took her to a few houses to show her the ropes.

Then we went back to our house to pass out candy. It was such a nice night that we decided to just sit in our camping chairs in the front yard and let Aubrey run around.

She loved watching the other kids parade around in their costumes,

I love this photo.

 Here's a closeup of just our pumpkins from this year.

After the kids stopped coming, we went back inside and took more photos. 'Cause Halloween.

We also took a video of Aubrey trying to say, "Happy Halloween!"

And then, of course, she wanted to see it... after which she wanted to hold the camera. This is what came of that.

I think she really has an eye...

Anyway, that was Halloween! After Aubrey went to bed, Daniel and I watched the final Harry Potter movie to finish our month-long marathon. Oh, and we ate leftover candy. Duh.

Fall Fun

Fall is definitely my favorite time of year. I love the changing leaves, the cooler (but not cold) weather, and the beginning of the holiday season. It just feels like a magical time.

With the beautiful fall foliage we get here in New England comes the inevitable yard clean-up and leaf disposal. And with piles of leaves come photo opportunities for those of us with young kids.

I actually did the whole cute-kid-in-a-pile-of-leaves photo shoot twice. The first time was when we went to the park. I had... mild success.

At first, Aubrey was distracted by a group of three dogs out for a walk.

Then she indicated that she was bored with this whole sitting around thing and would prefer that I get on with it.

Finally, she cooperated as much as she was willing to. No smiles, but hey, she's cute anyway.

But then I pushed it too far and made her lie down in the leaves. She did not appreciate it.

And if you were wondering, yes, she is crying and kicking her feet.

So that was that. Then we raked the leaves in our yard, and we had much better success. Though I must admit that we had to show her a video on Daniel's phone to get her to sit still. Whatever it takes, right?

And then I snuck a photo with her too. 'Cause she's just so cute!

Anyway, we also broke down and finally paid someone to do family photos for us. We found someone on Groupon that was very affordable. 

Unfortunately, it ended up being a super cold afternoon, so Aubrey was NOT having any of it. She cried nearly the whole time, in spite of having snacks, Mr. T, and Grandma and Grandpa there to comfort her. She just kept saying "All done! All done!" It was sad and frustrating.

But we were able to get some shots, though they didn't showcase the fall foliage like I had wanted. Here are some of the favorites:

Then started the sadness. So Daddy comforted Aubrey.

Then we wrapped her in my jacket to warm her up a little. Check out the crazy blueness of her eyes!

I like this photo because Aubrey's actually smiling...

...but I like that this one is closer up.

Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, for getting Aubrey to smile here!

This next one is a personal favorite... it's very indicative of how Aubrey was for most of the time.

A daughter with her Daddy... too sweet.

Okay, Aubrey's face and hair here are awesome...

Finally, we ended up on the carousel indoors, where it was nice and warm. Plus there were lights, music, and fake animals, so Aubrey loved it!

And there you have it! One of these photos will be sent along with a Christmas card this year. Really, we're going to do it this time!

Ooh, Pumpkins!

While Grandma and Grandpa were visiting, we went to a pumpkin patch/farm with Aubrey. With all the cute photos and videos we got, I thought the trip deserved its own post.

When we first arrived, Aubrey lost it over the pumpkins. She was beside herself.

Her first action was to sit among the sugar pumpkins, which is quite fitting, considering she's my sweet little pumpkin.

 Then she tried to pick them up. Unfortunately, they were just too heavy. Solid effort though!

Then, when some cute boys walked by, she momentarily forgot about the pumpkins and turned the charm on full blast. Who could resist this face?

The boys went off to do the hay maze, and of course Aubrey followed. But she soon decided that all of the twisting and turning and following the trail was boring, so she forged her own path.

Then, as a family, we took on the corn maze. Aubrey led the way.

If only her eyes weren't closed in this picture...

After the maze, it was time for a pumpkin sitting break.

Next it was time to check out the animals. With Grandpa's help, Aubrey fed some corn to the chickens and pigs.

She also took a peek at the cows... until one mooed so loudly in her face that she cried and ran away.

Isn't the whole place beautiful? Note the cows.

But on this particular day, the ducks were definitely the fan favorites.

Finally, it was time to pick out our pumpkins and go. Aubrey grabbed a perfect little sugar pumpkin, held it up, and said, "Bag?!" So how could we not put it in the bag to take home? Then, while Mommy looked for the perfect carving pumpkins, Aubrey grabbed a wagon for us.

She also, at Grandma's encouragement, picked out some gourds, two tiny pumpkins, and an ear of dried Indian corn. all of which currently adorn the table in our living room. Yay, Fall decorations!

Grandma and Grandpa Visited!

At the beginning of October, we were lucky enough to have Grandma and Grandpa come visit us! To my great relief, Aubrey immediately took to them and wasn't at all afraid or shy. Here she is with Grandma at the airport!

The leaves were starting to change all over New England, making for lovely walks in the neighborhood.

Aubrey loved spending time with "Packa" (which is somehow Aubrey-speak for both "Grandma" and "Grandpa").

Grandma even taught her how to play picnic, which she now asks me to do with her at least once a day. It's absolutely impossible to say no to her when she tells me, "Picnic? Sit!" I love watching her play pretend!

And luckily, Grandpa always had his camera handy, so we got lots of cute Aubrey moments.

But we were able to get Grandpa on the other side of the camera, too. Here he is introducing Aubrey to the world of dog and cat YouTube videos. She's a fan.

And, in true Grandma and Grandpa fashion, they came bearing gifts, including two ridiculously adorable winter dresses.

Don't the purple socks look great??

Aubrey was actually such a fan of the dresses that she cried when we took each one of them off.

But the tears were short-lived, thankfully, and they gave way to fun and frolic again. 'Cause, you know, bubbles.

And finally, we got a Groupon for some family photos, which my parents were there to help with (though Aubrey still cried and fussed for nearly the entire shoot). Here are some of the behind-the-scene shots my dad got.

Aubrey was in love with the carousel, so Grandma and Grandpa let her ride it over and over and over again. 

When it was time to leave, Aubrey gave the animals goodbye hugs. She's just the sweetest!

Though their trip was too short (It always is!), we had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa. And best of all, we get to see them again for Christmas!