'TRICK OR TREAT'

Today was a fun beginning to Halloween. Laney slept in until 9:08am..(that would be her latest morning of sleeping in ever!). So, from 6:30am to 9:08am Logan and I had some good 1 on 1 time. He thought it was so funny how I covered him up in a blanket and pillows on the couch to keep him warm.

Important side note: We are use to having a greenhouse like winter. Every winter we would have our heat up to at least 72 since Logan was always in between heart surgeries, either recovering or getting ready for another one, and we didn't want him to get sick. Now that he hasn't had a surgery in a year and doesn't have any "planned" ones...we are trying to live the normal life of keeping the heat down to a less expensive and normal 68 degrees.

Anyway, once Laney woke up this morning we went to a mall about 15 minutes from us. This mall has THE BEST playland ever! The objects (which includes slides, a bridge, little houses, a little green car, a bench, etc.) are all made up of this hard spongy material.

Also, the play land, called Tiny Town, is boxed in. The kids can't just run off and out into the mall. There is only one way to enter and leave. It is great. Logan and Laney love it. I am sure we will end up there alot of days during the winter.

Later that afternoon we decided to carve our other pumpkin that was still left. We carved one as a family together for family night on Monday but didn't get around to carving the other one. The deal was if I was going to help them carve the other pumpkin they had to help me clean it out. Laney LOVES trying to dig in the goop. Logan however, HATES, the goop, but still helped so we could carve it. Haha...it was so funny, I had to grab my camera for his facial expression. He is trying to smile for the camera, but his inner feelings seem to be taking control of that "smile". We carved a bat pumpkin, have the decor lighted fake pumpkin from gma & gpa Brown, and our face pumpkin we carved at family night. The last picture was of the kids after family night. They were admiring their end results. :0)

These 2 pictures above was of the kids when we were getting ready to leave. It was nuts, Logan was going bucky cuz he was so excited so he kept pushing Laney around (that is what he does when he gets excited) and Laney just wanted me to hold her and "protect her" from Logan but I was busy running around getting our bag and everything else ready for the night. We were meeting Rich up at our friends' house so unfortunately dad wasn't there to calm down the craziness like he is usually able to do. Sometimes I think he would be a better mom than me! :0)

LET THE NIGHT BEGIN...

This is our first Baltimore Area trick or treating. I would have to say it was one of our finest halloweens. We met up at one of our friends' house who lives in THE Hampden Neighborhood (seen 'Hairspray'?). We met up at her house and waited for the rest of the group to arrive. She had great things to eat and snack on in her kitchen that made it feel like a pre-trick or treating night. It was fun getting together with people to celebrate Halloween. The excitement that kids bring in anticipation to trick or treating is so much fun and indescribable.

Below is brief seconds of the gang RIGHT before trick or treating.

The rest of the pictures are from our 'Halloween Adventures" in the Hampden Neighborhood. It was great to see Logan running around with a little group of his friends.

There were so many people and the kids were just running door to door together. Logan was sooooo excited and couldn't stop smiling and running for the next door (that is how I remember Halloween being when I was a kid). I would have to say the only part of the night where Logan stood RIGHT by us was after he got BOO-ified! :0) Down these streets people would go all out and decorate their sidewalk porches. In fact, we didn't knock one door the whole time...everybody just sits out on their porch or on a fold-up chair with a bowl of candy and/or a display to make it more festive.

It was the coolest thing. This one street had many spooky things out and we wanted to take a picture next to one of the displays that looked cool.

After the picture above was taken...that "not so real" looking witch/thing Logan is standing next to jumped up and yelled "Boo" right as Logan was walking away. Logan freaked out and ran to daddy. After about 5 seconds of not being able to catch his breath he started crying so hard. He was really spooked. I was about to think his pacemaker was going to give out. It was sad...but pretty funny. :0) Anyway...we didn't have any trouble with Logan running to far ahead of us after that experience. Logan told how 'he was scared by a witch' to every person we received candy from after that.

Well that was our Halloween. It was just a perfect Halloween. The weather was perfect for it as well. We are all for Baltimore City halloweens. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Halloween is upon us...

Every Halloween we make & decorate Sugar Cookies. Laney learned (by taste testing) that flour is not sugar, nor does it taste like sugar.

As a preface to this paragrah I would like to say "IN HONOR OF MY LITTLE SLOPPY SISTER CINDY"...this year Rich and I (we switched off the box throughout the night)...are a Rubix Cube. This year she mastered the Rubix Cube and passed on the geniusness of skills to an innocent bystander...me. Because of her I can now say that I can solve a Rubix Cube.

Okay...let's get back on track here. We attended a Halloween Party last night and had alot of fun. Logan is obviously Buzz Lightyear and Laney was half cowgirl/half rubix cube...since she never wanted to wear her cowgirl hat and hung out with me half the night in my costume.

The picture above is of Logan and I (and Laney you can barely see in my arms) as we made our way across the stage in the Costume Parade!
Below is a video of us getting in line to go up on stage.


The last part of the party we went room to room trick or treating. LOGAN LOOKED AT ME WITH A CONFUSED LOOK AND SAID..."WHY IS THERE SO MUCH CANDY?"...obviously we didn't explain clearly enough the details of Halloween. He is having trouble understanding why we dress up in costumes, play games, say trick or treat and get candy. I don't know why he would be confused...I mean it makes perfect sense to me...kind of..well not really at all, but candy is involved, which means I am involved! :0)

I am just getting nervous for when I ask him what the magic word is (hoping for Please)...he will tell me Trick or Treat. It seems it is a magic word if candy appears just by saying it.

YEHAW!! Logan and Laney playing before bedtime.

Here is a video of Logan and Laney playing around with the cowboy hat and boots. Laney actually says her first YEHAW in this video.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Above is what Logan and Laney will be for Halloween this year. Of course, Laney is only in part of her cowgirl costume. There is a story with her boots though. We got them from our neighbor in Indiana and once she put them on there is no turning back :0) She ALWAYS has to wear them now. All of our neighbors love when they see her outside in her boots!

When Logan first put on his buzz costume he was so happy he ran and gave Laney a big hug. Then of course Laney HAD to try it on...and of course Logan HAD to wear buzz to the park and randomly throughout the day.

We got crazy eyes from Gma & Gpa Brown for Halloween. We probably had too much fun with them on family night.

I ran in the Baltimore Marathon this year. It was very hilly for my body...but I did make it across the finish line. I stayed at a very comfortable pace and managed to keep running and eating everything people offered...water, gatorade, gel packets, gummi bears, sweedish fish and bananas. After my first marathon experience I was very wary of running too fast and not giving my body the energy that it needs.

ZOO TRIP! Logan and Laney sitting next to the witch at the zoo. They LOVE suckers. One of our friends had passes there and invited us to come with them.

Logan, Kristen and Jason looking zebras. Laney, mommy and Logan in front of the Elephants.

We went to North Run Farm. This farm was actually only about 5 miles from our apartment. It honestly was one of the most amazing experiences. It was just a perfect day. They had a mini-corn maze for the kids, Hayland, Tireland, a HUGE teepee of cornstalk, tires with dried corn to play in (like a sandbox), hayride, and of course a pumpkin patch. They had a great display of little farm animals. They had sheep, goats, pigs, cows, chickens and ducks to look at. The cows had 2 calves with it and the HUGE pig had like 7 piglets. Anyway...it was just one of those memories as a parent that is unforgetable....just watching Logan and Laney having so much fun and getting excited for halloween and being able to spend some great downtime together as a family.

The kids love every minute that they get to play with daddy!

Daddy and the kids dance for a while every night together. They love chasing him while he is crazy dancing. Logan is going through the "I can dress myself" phase...so it is interesting at times seeing what outfits he will pick out for the day.

For the past 3 years I have been asking for this special Mr. Christmas Music Box that I have been wanting so much. Two out of the three years we bought it and then returned it because we didn't feel it was necessary to have for the money we had to pay for it. Finally this year my dream came true and I got it!! Yeah..and we are NOT returning it! :0) We had a nice birthday night. One of my friend's here suprised me with a birthday cake on my birthday and surrounded the cake by 28 candles. It was so fun to get that visit. Then when Rich came home we did our usual Friday night Bagel Bite/Movie family night and then we all had cake and went out for ice cream at this place called "The Cow" that was at a nearby small town feel place. It was a great birthday. Anyway...I think I have updated everyone with pics and summarys of the last couple weeks of our lives.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND HOPE EVERYONE IS DOING WELL!

Us in front of the Washington D.C. Temple.

We watched and listened to the Sunday Morning Session of General Conference at the Visitor's Center of the D.C. temple. It was a PERFECT day to walk around and let Logan and Laney be around the temple. They even have a very small Nature Trail. We are enjoying our time in the Baltimore area in every aspect. We will be posting some heartwalk pictures in the near future.