Halloween Party Highlights

Some of my favorites (that I have pictures of) from our Church Halloween Party, October 30, 2009. A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle made Baby O the coolest reptile around. He didn't get to eat any pizza though.

Poison Ivy was played by Angela. She was married to Batman and is the mother of the Joker and Cat Woman.

Little Miss B was eager to get into the candy she'd earned as Nemo. So eager in fact, she ate some of it with the wrapper still on.

Baby W was cuddly and majestic as a gray rhino.

Happy Halloween!

I took these pictures at my mom's house last week. Henry also wore his costume (for a few minutes) to the ward Halloween party. I was too exhausted from the long drive and sleep-deprived night preceding the party, so I wasn't much fun or much help. There were some really impressive theme costumes where a whole families participated. One family was on a safari and the baby was a rhino. Another family dressed as Batman and his villains. It would be fun to all participate in something like that but it would take creativity, planning, and Nick actually being there- the very three things I lack.

Nick Called This Hat Child Abuse

Really Flexible

H slept most of the eight-hour car ride home, so now it's two In the
morning and he is ready to play.

You'll notice he is very flexible and enjoys eating his toes.

Drive-by Tourism

We drove by the Michigan state Capitol building on our way out of
town. We ran inside to see the interior of the dome, took a picture
and jumped back in the car. We're headed back home to St. Louis. The
length of the drive is comparable to Salt Lake to Las Vegas. We'll
see how far we get tonight before we have a baby meltdown. If the baby
cooperates, we may drive straight through.

Nick said the interview went well, and Lansing seems like a pretty
nice place to live.

On the Tour

H and I are on the residency interview tour of Lansing, MI. Nick has
already had the interview portion of the day. The leaves here are just
beautiful.

Baby Prison and Toilet Paper Origami

Last night we stayed at the Lamp Post Inn, just a few miles away from the Ann Arbor apartment. It was as advertised- affordable, friendly, and clean. They had taken the traditional folding of the toilet paper (as a signal the bathroom has been cleaned) to new heights. Instead of the tradition triangle, it was almost a toilet paper peacock. We had just picked this place off the Internet, but later found out Brian's parents had stayed in the same motel when they visited. The motel provided a crib for Henry. Our unit also had a mini-fridge and microwave. The crib reminds me a little too much of a baby prison. This morning Nick completely repacked my bags to make them more compact, and Henry happily played in jail while we worked. The car is chock full of stuff. All of us have been away from home for a month, which requires a lot of gear. On top of that, we have the big stroller which takes up quite a bit of space. Nick is great at fitting it all in, so we're fine, but it's a good thing we don't have another passenger.

Ann Arbor Leaf Peepers

My family has been to Vermont quite a few times in the autumn for recreation and "leaf-peeping." It turns out, we could have been coming to Ann Arbor. It's beautiful here, with lots of beautiful fall foliage.

Today we visited a cider mill, which is also a Vermont staple too. We had cider, enjoyed the scenery, ate donuts, and took pictures. Coincidentally, we found out this cider mill was featured on Food Network's "Will Work for Food." I had seen the episode so that was a fun little extra.

Reunited

Henry and I arrived in Ann Arbor Tuesday afternoon. We toured the
apartment Nick's been staying in with Brian Tanner and two other
roommates- the tour took about ten seconds. As a bachelors' apartment, it's functional, but isn't fancy.
We then went out to dinner with Brian to downtown Ann Arbor. We parked
in a very tall, skinny parking structure and ate at a falafel place. Nick loved the lentil soup- Henry did not.

Baby Blister

Henry was so enthusiastic about sucking on his toys, he now has a blister just above his lip (not pictured).

A little gross, and a little sad.

Happy Hauntings

With Halloween just a week away, Henry is ready (courtesy of Grandma Darla).

He's all dressed up as cute as a pumpkin, ready to be the life of the party. He's planning on visiting his version of a haunted house (hearing a motorcycle starting in the distance or a loud high note). Then he'll go trick-or-treating (by tricking Grandma Nettie into giving him a cracker). He'll follow that by bobbing for apples (gnawing on an apple chunk with poor neck control). It looks like it's going to be his favorite holiday ever.

Thanks, Darla. He loves his Halloween treats.

Before and After

His Magic Trick

He loves napkins, and has some stuck to his face.

Another Great Toy

He's had a lot of fun with this box of baby wipes. He's had just as much fun with the box that's not decorated like Winnie the Pooh.

Henry's Christmas List

1. Wrapping paper to crumple and chew on
2. A box to play with
3. Crackers
4. One rolling toy, used from the Goodwill
5. More wrapping paper for previously-listed purposes


I guess our Christmas shopping is done.

Like Taking Candy From A Baby

Maggie thought it was as easy as taking candy from a baby. Only it wasn't candy. It was a little bread crust. At least she didn't eat his fingers.

H's First Campfire

Dallas was in charge of the fire for Family Home Evening's activities.

Michigan 63 Delaware State 6

Henry Eats in Exotic Locations

We went to lunch with Jo Ellen at Curry in A Hurry. No one tried the
Chicken Vindaloo of Red Dwarf fame.

To Kara:

From your loving husband...Hope you have a wonderful day. I wish I were there to share it with you.

Hey Rosie!

Babies H and G loved spending time together. G has become so tall! He continues to become more adorable.

Trying to get a picture of two babies at the same time is nearly impossible.

Six Months Old

Cozy in the Cold

Mont's Halloween party Monday night was a hit. Dallas sang "Werewolves of London," which is now the traditional opening of the event. I sang "Dancing Queen" as part of a trio. Henry spent the entire night riding in the Baby Bjorn, wrapped in a quilt. The cold sneaked up on us so quickly, he doesn't own a coat yet. He was much happier once he agreed to keep his little arms tucked in. We did take several breaks inside Cindy's warm family room.

I have new respect for Travis Shreeve, who showed that a real man can pull off a pink "Frankenberry" costume. (Frankenberry is the sister breakfast cereal to Count Chocula.) It was the best costume of the evening, and I'm sad I don't have a picture to share.

I had a penguin costume for Henry to wear. It was the very first piece of baby clothing I bought when I was pregnant. Only on the way to the party did I realize the hat part of the costume was a size smaller than the rest of it. My mom and Kate had awesome hats. I think they bought them on clearance at Disneyland last November. The things coming off Kate's hat are spider legs with bells on them. Liz purchased her Minnie outfit from the employee store at Disneyworld.

Monument to Bad Decisions

This picture is several weeks old, but I still laugh every time it comes up on the computer. Nick has called this shirt "a monument to bad decisions."

The bad decisions are as follows:

1. Someone had a child and named it "Shamonica."
2. Someone made this brightly decorated sweatshirt for their grandpa, emphasizing the names of his grand-daughters, including Shamonica.
3. The grand-father decided to wear this sweatshirt in public.
4. It was about 90 degrees at the time.

QED

Some Expensive Stuff

Henry's holding the box to his very expensive presciption skin
emolient. One tube costs $85 retail, and his prescription is for six
tubes a month. Fortunately, we only have to pay the copayment.

On the plus side, his skin has never looked so good. At least it
hasn't looked this good in the last three months.