Tricks and treats and too much cuteness

We had a crazy busy week full of Halloween fun!

MONDAY:  Boo at the Zoo!  Izzie took this very seriously.  Once she realized the more people you talked to the more candy you got, she was all over the place.  We got done and she said, "Wasn't that so fun, guys?!"

Rapunzel and her buddy, Pascal

We took a shuttle bus to the zoo from Lincoln High.  She loved it.
Now every time she sees a city bus she asks, "Is that OUR bus?"

WEDNESDAY NIGHT:  Trunk or Treat at church.  Since brother didn't come along this time, she chose to be Cinderella.  (If you own every color of princess dress in the world, you have options when it comes to dressing up.)

THURSDAY:  Dress up day at school!  Grammy picked Izzie up and took her and Caden to school (Avery was having surgery).  They thought it was pretty cool to get to show Grammy around.

The clock struck midnight for this Cinderella...

FRIDAY:  Halloween for real!  Rapunzel and Pascal showed up again!  We visited some family and then did some trick or treating (while Levi hung out in the warmth with Grammy).  Izzie walked around like she owned the neighborhood.  And she was so confident and polite -- I was so proud!  One time she came back from ringing a doorbell and I asked if she had said thank you.  She said, "Whoops!" and ran back up the driveway to tell the lady.  What a good girl!  She was probably just as excited about the leaves in the yards as she was the candy in her bucket.  She picked them up at every house we went to.  "Look at that one!  So pretty!  This one's red!  I got a big one!"  

39 pieces of candy and 22 leaves.  That a girl!

Happy Outings

Nana bought us all tickets to go see Disney Junior Live!  We met for breakfast downtown and then headed to the show.  Izzie had a marvelous time.  She turned to me in the middle of the show and said, "Mommy!  These are all the guys from my books!"  Probably the only kid in the place that recognized Doc, Sophia and Jake from books instead of tv shows.  That's what happens when you don't have cable!  She was taking it in pretty seriously the whole time, but did manage to bust a move at one point.  The best part was probably when Mickey sat on the box and it broke.  She was retelling that one for awhile!  Isabel also loved the box of m&m's she got for a snack.  She ate the "whole" thing.  Or maybe Mommy dumped some in her purse when she wasn't looking...  To top it off, Callie gave her the souvenir cup she had gotten with her slushie because she didn't want it.  Izzie thought that was pretty awesome.

The next weekend it was off to Rocaberry Farm with the Meyers and my parents.  We had tons of fun eating kettle corn, racing giant tricycles, digging in corn, going through a Disney "haunted" house, feeding animals and picking pumpkins.  Our little darling has become quite the chicken.  She refused to go down any of the slides and wouldn't go on the bouncy pillows.  She just played in the sand next to them until Daddy offered to hold her.  And Levi...well, I fed him when we got there and then he slept snuggled against Mommy for the rest of the time...

Izzie and Daddy Go Camping...

Bryan took our darling camping two weekends ago.  Levi and I stayed home.  Let's pretend that it was because Daddy and Izzie needed some alone time (which they did!), and not that I was too lazy to tag along with a two month old.  The weather was nice, but not quite nice enough to make it fun with a baby.  Izzie and Daddy, however, had a blast!  I talked to her on the phone before she went to bed, and she went on and on forever about everything she'd been doing before saying, "And so... bye." Like, "Kind of busy here, Mom.  Getting awkward...gotta go." 

A walking stick out of Great Grandpa D's collection 

Going on a cabenchure! (adventure)

We made a scavenger hunt before she left, and she and Daddy
went on a hike to find all of the things on her list.

Bryan said she would have probably spent the entire time
throwing sand and rocks in the lake if he would have let her.

Caden and Uncle J stopped by for some of the fun!

A movie in bed?  Doesn't get better than that!

Another adventure the next morning

Izzie had so much fun!  She cried when they left...

Love and cuddles and all things cute

How about a big heaping spoonful of the cutest pictures you've ever seen?!

I'm biased because I am related to all of these people, but I don't care.

(The last three just really take the cake, you have to admit...)

A Side by Side

I don't think we'll have many opportunities for side by side comparisons with these two given that I probably won't dress Levi in much pink and purple.  However, Iz had some gender neutral (and some boy!) jammies that have made their way into Levi's closet.  I put him in these ducky jammies the other day and then remembered a pic of Izzie in them on her changing table.  I quick snapped some photos of him, and when I went back and looked at the date of Izzie's pictures I realized they are within days of being the same age.  Let's pretend I planned that.  When you put these pictures side by side it turns out I am definitely right -- Izzie was way more animated at this age and Levi is way bigger.


She's looking at her bow board.  He's checking out the picture above his changer.


Isabel was SMILEY.  Levi SMILES -- they are planned, well thought out, and short lived.
(Believe it or not, that is actually him smiling.  He takes after his Daddy.)


Did I mention how smiley she was?  And how she cooed?  This boy smiled once and was immediately over it.  This pic is him falling asleep...

And here's a side by side of the striped twins in present day...

We had a couple visits this week from some very special people.  Grandma and Grandpa Harms came to visit and meet Levi for the first time, and of course brought presents and spoiled both children rotten.

And Marcy, one of Grandpa D's dear friends, came for a visit.  We miss him so much, but feel like we get to have a piece of him still with us when we see her!