Halloween Spooks 2011

It was Ninja year this past Halloween ... and still! We always get more than our money's worth out of our halloween costumes. The boys love dressing up. This was getting ready to trick-or-treat.

And of course there are the treats!!

Merrik's Art Gallery!

For the past - maybe - year or so, Merrik has been our little artist 24-7. He was getting quite the collection and he eventually decided to hang them on his bedroom wall. Whenever he'd finish another picture, he'd ask for a piece of tape & then run upstairs & add it to the gallery. Since these pictures were taken, he added probably a dozen or more pictures. AND they've also since been removed. Everyone single one. I walked into his room a couple of weeks ago & the walls were bare! So I asked M what happened to all his pictures, and he simply said, "Oh, I took them down." He put them all under his bed, so I put them in a nice pile & put them on his bookshelf. Not sure what he's going to want to do with them now, but ... he keeps drawing and we love it!

More Quabbin!

One of our favorite scenic spots to walk, picnic & bike ride, we visited the Quabbin again last Fall.

The boys & I climbed up the grass side of the dam.

Kitty Sandwich, Anyone?

While making lunch for the boys one morning, Merrik got out & was playing w/ the cookie cutters. He handed me the cat & asked me to cut his sandwich "into this shape!" So ... waah-laa!

 ... all packed up & ready to send off in the lunch boxes!

Entering the world of CUB SCOUTS!

 Jonah began Cub Scouts last Fall. He LOVES to put on his uniform! This was him ready for his first Sunday night Den meeting (Wolves).

 And in October, Jonah & his buddy Jameson worked the Popcorn table at a local fair, The Fall Festival. They were quite the lil' salesmen!

Popcorn is to Cub Scouts as Cookies are to Girl Scouts!

 ... & later we got to walk around & take in the sights, among them we found the Den's "scarecrow" - Mr. Wolf - sitting out on the Publick House lawn in honor of Halloween.

We even got to enjoy a trolly ride around town.

It's Birthday #6 for Jonah!!

*** THIS POST IS ABOUT 2 YEARS TOO LATE! WHEN UPDATING MY BLOG, I NOTICED A NEW SETTING THAT SHOWS POSTS THAT I CREATED BUT ONLY HAD SAVED AS "DRAFT". THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE. DON'T KNOW HOW I NEVER ACTUALLY POSTED IT. BUT BETTER LATE THAN NEVER! :) ***

Sorry - the photos are out of order from how they happened that day.

Here's Merrik trying out the Slinky! (AND the Spiderman suit)

M pulled the mask up onto his head so he could see. LOL!! Looks like a pilgrim bonnet.

Daddy/Jared and Jonah with his new cowboy pistol!

And ooh, Jared has his tough guy face on!

Mommy with the birthday boy!

Merrik's got the all the right moves! Watch out - it's the black Spidey!

Jonah & his new S-l-i-n-k-y!

"Thank you Great Grammy!" -in the back ground. :)

Jonah's so proud - a cool new remote control, all-terrain vehicle - COOL!

(Grandpa Cowden & Auntie Michelle in the back ground looking on.)

G'ma & G'pa Cowden even got Merrik a little something. So sweet!

And YAY - new drawing stuff! And Merrik said, "Aww, this is just what I wanted!"

And a cool remote control 4-wheeler w/ rider!

"Thank you Uncle Paul & Auntie Michelle!"

( Sorry - pix are out of order.)

"Jonah - make a wish!" 6 years old. Wow!

And it looks like Merrik is helping him blow the candles out...

Daddy bringing the cake... (& Merrik there for moral support)

And (the picture that should've been at the top) Jonah's helping to make his birthday cake! (we'd just gotten home from church)

Ah, yes. Here is the happy birthday boy!

This is when Jonah realized there was another present that he wasn't aware of... wrapped up... not knowing what it was. Here he could no longer handle the stress of having to W.A.I.T. until our other guests arrived before opening the presents!

"It's So Hard To Waaaaait!!!"

The Long & Short of It...

So last September I had a crazy idea to chop my hair off. I was thinking about it for months. Didn't think I could actually do it. But while sitting in the chair at the salon, I realized that I could donate it (didn't think I could because I color my hair) but she said I can! SO I DID - AHH!

 The day before my haircut, I wanted to take some pictures, "just in case I decided to go thru with it"! So while Jonah was at Scouts, Merrik, Jared & I did some goofing around on the front lawn & snapped some "BEFORE" photos.

And here's the "AFTER"!

I was in shock & couldn't believe I actually did it. I don't think Jared believed I would. But when he came home from work that day & saw my haircut, he told me that he really, truly LOVED it. (that made me like it a little more!)