Halloweeny Festivities

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
We've been going nonstop with the Halloween festivities around here starting with a trip to the Pumpkin Patch.This was over a week ago but I'm just posting them now 'cause the girls' teacher takes great photos but really lags in uploading them.

Here is the whole school enjoying a group photo,

What a minute, let's get a closeup of that...

They did enjoy themselves the rest of the time!We picked the very best pumpkins in the patch.
And later made old school Jack O' Lanterns with Daddy.

The finished result...
We tried on our costumes.
Athena's baby costume from 2005 on John Patrick in 2009 = FAIL.

Doesn't this look familiar though?Flashback photo...
(psst this is a photo of Athena at 9 months)

We had "Crazy Hair Day" at school and
went for the pumped up bedhead look for Zoe.

The next day there was a Fall Festival and costume parade at the school, Zoe is a mermaid.

Athena is the goddess ATHENA, aka "Greek Princess"
see, she's holding her stuffed owl...

And the dude is dressed as a Boca Raton retiree named Sal who enjoys beach combing and talking about the meatpacking industry. (Not Shown - he was also wearing knee-high black socks and sandals)
At the schools Fall Festival we played great carnival games, like smashing the pinata.

And beanbag toss...

And eyeball scooping.

And then last night, we went to a Fall Festival at our church
as Athena the Greek Princess and Zuper Zoe!

The dude was dressed as Henry Fonda in On Golden Pond.

We had a great time collecting treats.

and making bubbles (I love this photo because it looks like
Zuper Zoe is about to fly off and fight some crime.)

And bouncing through the Bounce Ball track.
There are more festivities to come! Cookies, pumpkin painting, dancing the Time Warp and trick-or-treating tonight. I'll probably have a million more photos tomorrow.

Until then, Zuper Zoe will be busy saving the world.

Zoe Eye View

Having a deliciously quiet day here. Our schedule has been unrelenting lately and today we are chillin'.

Zoe's Party by the Numbers

Nineteen kids

Two babies
Nine Moms
Two Dads
One Aunt Mimi
One big princess bounce house in our backyard
Lots of squeals and giggles
One bloody nose
Countless head bumps
Some tearsOne Dude checking out the bounce house
One Daddy holding a baby while bouncing
(Two middle aged sisters jumping before the guests arrived)
Sixteen googley-eyed pumpkins painted
Eleven taken home
Five remainedEight punch balloons
Ten kids who wanted to play with punch balloons
Four popped punch balloons
Thirty-one people singing "Happy Birthday" to
One little three year old who hid behind her paper plate
Five friends who stepped in to help blow out the candles
One BIG purple and yellow cake with some frosting missing
Nineteen children all demanding frosting flowers
One happy three year old actually getting a frosting flower
Five princess dresses
One mermaid dress
Eight little girls and one little boy who wanted to wear the dresses
Six little girls dressed up jumping in the bounce house
One major meltdown
Two little girls who almost became permanent members of the
family because they didn't want to leave, ever
One little girl who wants the bounce house to stay forever!A thousand smiles
and only a few pictures taken
(We were just too darn busy!)

AND one Zoe who can finally say "I'm three!"

Home

I am your home
Even though you don’t light up like the sun
and kick your legs and feet
when you see me
(like you do when you see your Daddy)
I am your home
Even though I don’t make you laugh and giggle
until you have hiccups
(like your big sisters do)
I am your home
Even though I don’t play new and
interesting games with you constantly
(like your Mimi does)
I am your home

Because you lived inside me
for months and months (and months and months)
Because you fit against me like a puzzle piece
your warm head under my chin
Because I am there when you need me
the moment you make a sound
I am your shelter, your warmth, your comfort
When you're in my arms
You are home

Zoe is three!

Celebrations began last night with a family dinner of Zoe's choice - turkey kielbasa, beans and rice - followed by pink birthday cake with white frosting and polka dot sprinkles,

and lots of presents,

including some kickin' Cowboy boots from Mimi,

a beautiful ballerina jewelry box from Baba and Nana,

and a Super Hero kit from Unca Stu complete with cape, mask, instructions, headquarters sign and Zuper Z power pills.

and Zuper Z was born!

Yiayia called in the middle of the festivities and
asked if she liked her scooter.
She said "I didn't get my scooter yet, so...."
Wow! It was what she wanted most of all.
Thanks Yiayia!

The rest of the evening was spent burning off the sugar calories
by "flying" around the living room (with her boots on)and trying to keep the baby away from the scooter.

Presents from PopPop and MorMor were opened earlier in the week, because, well, we just couldn't wait. And her marvelous Tinkerbell doll from Grandaddio. Thank you!

***

QUEEN FOR A DAY!

All day at school today Zoe was made much of,
she got to wear a special birthday hat

and choose the story, and sit in the special chair. After circle time when it was time for snack, Zoe got to send everyone by tapping one at a time. The kids then had to jump up and say "Happy Birthday, Zoe!" then wash their hands and go to table.

And then she got to make a wish and eat cupcakes with her big Sis by her side.

When I picked her up from school today, she was positively beaming and strutting like a rock star. This is much different from the bashful two year old that cried when too many people looked at her, let alone sang to her, last year.

However as enjoyable as her birthday was so far, she says she's still two because "there are no decorations." Apparently, in her eyes, she doesn't officially turn three until we get balloons and streamers and have a party in her honor. And that's not happening until Sunday...more celebrations to come!