Halloween Happenin's

Emma has had 3 opportunities over the past week to dress up in her witch costume and enjoy some Halloween festivities. Last Saturday, the 23rd, our church had a "Trunk or Treat" night, with an hour of games and activities followed by a chance to walk around the parking lot and get treats from church members passing them out from their trunks (of course)! Since our trick or treat night was going to be on a weeknight, Grandma Karen, Grandpa Norm and Grandma Sheila all came down for Trunk or Treat instead!
On Monday the 25th, a restored Victorian house in town hosted a "Costume Spooktacular" event. The house was decorated for Halloween in a festive, not haunted way, with costumed volunteers (mostly retirees) passing out candy in each room. At the end of the tour, we went back outside for a hayride!
Finally, trick or treat night was on Thursday the 28th. For some reason, we always seem to have it on a weeknight, so we were lucky that several family members were still able to come, including Grandma and Papa Isch, Grandma Coe, Aunt Linda, and Aunt Kristen. Emma got her cast off that day, too, so I think she was feeling a bit overwhelmed when everyone arrived and had a bit of a meltdown. Fortunately she snapped out of it when she saw the trick or treaters coming up the driveway! It was a chilly night, so Emma wore her coat, gloves, and hat with her costume, but she didn't seem to mind. Then we all came back to the house and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!"

Renaissance Princess

On Sunday, October 17, we went to the Ohio Renaissance Festival with Karen. We'd taken Emma with us last year, but this year she seemed a lot more interested in all that was going on. Even though she wasn't interested in dressing up as many other kids did, she enjoyed a horseback ride, dragon ride, and "carousel" ride (which were more like swings). We also saw a mud show and a full-armor joust. The weather was beautiful...70s and sunny. Todd and I have enjoyed this event for many years, but it was even more fun to share it with Karen and Emma!

One-handed picking!

Having a broken arm didn't stop Emma from enjoying our annual tradition of going to Devine Farms in Hebron. Riding in the barrel train, hayride, playing in the wheat and corn boxes, making a scarecrow, crawling in straw tunnels, and, of course, picking a pumpkin, were just as fun as always! The following weekend, we went apple picking, a new activity that we also hope will become an annual tradition. Of course, Emma still prefers applesauce to fresh apples, but Todd and I were happy to eat her share!

A Day at Dawes

In spite of Emma's broken arm Friday night, we decided to go ahead with a photo shoot we'd already scheduled for the next day. The pictures were taken at Dawes Arboretum, a beautiful park 5 minutes from our house, where we often take Emma to enjoy foliage and wildlife. Sarah Morgan, the art teacher at McGuffey, took the pictures. They turned out wonderfully, and in most of them, you couldn't even tell that her arm was broken. These pictures are just a small sampling of our beautiful day!

Ouch!

Last Friday (Oct. 1st), Emma broke her arm in two places. With all of her trips to the playground, rides on her trike, roller skating, and gymnastics, you'd think she'd have done it in more dramatic fashion, but no, she fell doing what she's done 50 million times...walking down the stairs. Luckily, we were able to get her into urgent care (10 minutes before they closed) where they x-rayed and set it in less than an hour. She woke up Saturday morning saying, "I'm all better, Mommy...can I get this cast off now?" A brief trip to the orthopedic specialist on Monday assured us that she would heal quickly and possibly could get her cast off as early as the 22nd. Thanks to all who sent Emma cards and gifts to make her "feel better"...even though she's just as crazy and energetic as always!

Gymnastics at the Y

Emma started preschool gymnastics on Sept. 7th. It's her first class experience without Mom and Dad! I was nervous about her reaction...she hasn't been receptive to working with people she doesn't know well in the past. We were quite surprised when she joined right in with her little class as if she's been doing this her whole life! She spotted us watching from the floor above, but she just waved and smiled! Each child had a little round mat to sit on while waiting their turn, and they carried them from place to place by carrying them on their heads...too cute! We were also impressed with her skills; she was able to hold onto the bar for several seconds while the instructor guided her through a series of positions. Best of all, she had a big grin on her face the entire time!

Kings Island!

On Sunday, Sept. 5th, Karen, Todd, Emma and I went to Kings Island Amusement Park. Emma was the perfect age for a first visit...at 3'2", she was just tall enough for many of the rides, but she got free admission! Us Central Ohioans always have the great dilemma...head north to Cedar Point, or south to Kings Island? As a roller coaster rider, I generally prefer Cedar Point, but I'd heard such good things about the kiddie rides at Kings Island (previously Nickelodeon-themed, now called "Planet Snoopy"), that we decided to check it out and were very impressed! Emma rode almost every ride she was allowed to, with Todd and I riding with her for the rides stating "those over 60 inches must be accompanied by a child"! The highlight, though, was when Emma and I rode "The Great Pumpkin Coaster"! A cut above the ones you see at carnivals, this kiddie coaster actually had a first hill drop and a few stomach-turning hills, but Emma LAUGHED all through the ride, the little daredevil! We enjoyed the water park, too, which also had several areas designed just for young kids. We finished off our evening with a Snoopy light show (complete with LED lights on the Pseudo-Eiffel Tower) and fireworks!