Happy Halloween 2012!

The Madore-ables have certainly had their share of some cute Halloweens.

Samantha started off as a princess in 2007, then was Snow White in 2008 (I was very "out to here" pregnant with Sarah at that time and completely forgot to take photos.  I vaguely remember just taking Sam out to one house before she decided to call it quits).  A cute little spider in 2009, Minnie Mouse in 2010, and Dora the Explorer last year.

Sarah was dressed in matching Halloween pj's with her sister for her first Halloween, and a cowgirl in 2010 and the most beautiful butterfly last year.

What do you think the Madore-ables are going to be dressing up as this year? 

Any guesses?

I'll give you two hints:

and

Providing Hurricane Sandy vacates our area by Wednesday, hopefully the Madore-ables will be able to go Trick or Treating.

Stay tuned!

The Faces Of Halloween

Fall has bitten us!

It's caused us to deface our pumpkins on our front porch...

Samantha Drawing the "Face" So Daddy Can Carve



Sarah Giving It A Try With the Sharpie

Daddy just had to take it a step further...

"Daddy?  What is that?"

The final product

We have never carved pumpkins with the girls before, so they loved the concept.  Not too mention we also introduced the girls to toasted pumpkin seeds.  Yummmmmm.

Fall Is Here!

Fall is my favorite time of the year.  I don't know if it's the apple picking and the baking, or the colored leaves or those cool days and wanting to wrap up in a blanket.  It's just a beautiful time of year and I look forward to it each time it arrives.

So far this year, the Madore-ables have been apple picking at least 2x and pumpkin picking once.  We thought we would bring a little bit of color into the house.  All you need is wax paper, some of nature's best leaves, an iron and some paper towels.  Just wrap the leaves around a piece of wax paper, and fold paper towels around the leaves in the wax paper, and just run the iron over the papertowel.  The heat from the iron causes the wax paper to "melt" and "trap" the leaves inside.  The Madore-ables loved it.

Five Things Friday

Five (or so) Things That Have Happened In the Past Month That Have Made Me Smile:

1. I was able to go with Sarah and her preschool class to Ingaldsby Farm for pumpkin picking.  Sarah had a great time!  Unfortunately, there was a frost the night before we went, so all the produce and crops weren't very green and lush.  Luckily, the pumpkins were still perfect though to take home.
2. Samantha had her school pictures taken.  I can't wait to see them!
3. I met with Samantha's teacher for a conference.  I was informed by Sam's teacher that Sam is doing EXCELLENT in school.  Her handwriting has improved.  When asked to write down words, or try to  put sentences together, Samantha was one of the few students who took a minute to think before she put her pencil to her paper and wrote.  Now granted, some of the words written weren't the correct spelling, but Samantha's teacher was very impressed with the fact that Samantha would sound out the word a few times and then write.  I'm anxious to see how her progress continues, and how her next assessment will go in February.
4. Halloween for the second year in a row has been postponed due to crazy New England weather.  Last year, it was a snow storm.  This year, Hurricane Sandy.  So, not to fear!  Jeremy still dressed up the girls and took them to the nearest Mall that ran a trick or treating program from 5p-7p.  The girls received a TON of treats from all the store vendors.
5. I usually have Tuesday and Sunday nights off from work.  So I can always count on putting the Madore-ables to bed on those nights.  Very rarely do I get to put the girls to bed by myself.  After dinner, the girls colored for awhile, and then we did bath night, then into bed.  We were able to read several books.  We barely got the 3rd book out to read and the yawns started happening.  Prayers were said.  Hugs and kisses and "I love you's" were given and I never heard a peep afterwards.  It was such a relaxing night.

Oh the Funny Things Kids Will Say

Sarah is going to be 4 in just a few months, and I'm amazed at the things that her brain is capable of.  She loves to sing songs, and is very good at memorizing things.  Sarah is also going through a rhyming phase as well.  We attend church every Sunday morning, and Sarah really responds well to the music responses, the hymns, and the prayers that we say during the Mass. 

So during the week, when Sarah starts singing, "Alleluiah Alleluiaaaah!  Alleluiah Alleluiaaaaah!" around the house and in the car, it's nothing out of the ordinary.  It's so sweet to hear that little voice sing something so happy and positive.

While in the car this morning driving to school, Sarah started to sing "Hosannah" which is a response that we sing just before communion.

Sarah:  "Hosann-ya, Hosann-ya in the hiiiiighest!   MOMMY!  Guess what?"

Me:  "What's that Sarah?"

Sarah: "Hosann-ya sounds a lot like lasagna!  They could rhyme!  Hosann-ya and lasagna".



She does have a point : )

Pumpkin Picking 2012

Yesterday, Sarah's preschool class went on another field trip this year:  Pumpkin picking at Ingaldsby Farm!  Sarah had such a great time, and the weather was just perfect for us to walk around.  Just a perfect Fall day.

As you may remember, last year, when Samantha's class went to Ingaldsby Farm last year, Sarah was able to come.  This year, Samantha is a big girl and a Kindergartner, and wasn't able to come because she was in school while Sarah and her class went on their field trip.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the day:

Sarah reading a Clifford book waiting for her classmates to gather so we can leave.

"Mommy!  We're going to pick BEANS!"



Sarah was very proud of the big bean she found...

...And her tomato too!!

Hunting for the perfect pumpkin

All that hard work, and we were rewarded with cider and cider donuts from the Ingaldsby staff.

When I Grow Up

I asked the Madore-ables recently what they wanted to be when they grow up.  It looks like things haven't changed all that much since the last time I asked them back in May.


Samantha:

• "A nurse.  I want to work days so I don't have to be tired.  Then when I get home, I can work at Panera Bread with you Mommy."
• "I want to be an airplane pilot so I can fly to work and not have to worry about finding a parking spot."

Sarah:

• "A blue jay because they have such pretty blue feathers!"
• "A bunny rabbit so I can hop everywhere."
• "A teacher."
• "A donkey so I can play pin the tail on the donkey all the time."
• "A nurse so I can work in the same hospital as Sammy!" 

Photo Dump

Life has been busy here in Madore-able land.  Things are going GREAT!  Mommy just needs to catch up on many blogs, so hopefully soon.  The girls are loving school, and Mommy and Daddy are doing very well. 

Here are some cell phone photos from over the Summer and even recent photos.

Surprise trip to Imajine That!



My 3 favorite people on this planet

"Mommy & Daddy" by Samantha

(I love the fact that we're both smilling, and the fact that I look like a Size 6)

Picnicking in the yard

What a nice reminder to come home to : )

"Which way to the samples Mommy?  Right or left?"

A perfect way to end a day

Reading stories with Nanny Olive

It's hard work swimming in the pool!

Sarah and her BFF Shannon at the library

Samantha receiving a post card from her teacher over the Summer welcoming her to Kindergarten.  Sam read the entire post card out loud with minimal help.

Silly girls

Five Things Friday

Five Things That Happened This Past Week That Made Me Smile:

1. Samantha surprised me several times this past week at school.  We have gotten to the point where she's ok with me just walking her to the edge of the playground in the morning.  Most mornings, we meet several of her friends along the way while we walk.  At first, I was sad that all she would do is say goodbye and just take off, but then I realized that she was so confident in heading to the playground with her friends.  I only wish I could have been that confident at Sam's age.
2. Sarah is really enjoying school as well.  She only goes two days a week, but on those school day mornings, Sarah wakes up with a jump and with an excitement in her voice.  It's a great way to start the day.
3. Our photography business has certainly been keeping us busy.  Each time we turn around, we have a client emailing us to inquire about meeting with us.  We were once told, "If you find something to be passionate about, you'll never work another day in your life".  Jeremy and I really enjoy what we do, and we're so blessed to receive the wonderful and kind words we receive from our clients.  It's so moving to be a part of someone's special day.
4. This past Tuesday night, I hosted a Pampered Chef party as a fundraiser for my Avon Walk for next May.  The party isn't closed yet, but so far, I've raised about $150.00 to go towards the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer!  I'm so excited to get the final total.
5. We will be traveling to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving to visit my brother in law and sister in law.  The girls know that now we're in October, we just have about a month to go before we make the trip out west.  I told the girls that we should start a countdown.  It's been awhile since we've traveled long distance with the girls, so we're really excited!