"Treat Please."

Those are the words that Kara strategically used to get candy from the folks in Colorado on Saturday at a Halloween party we went to, although a couple times, she used the shorter, more effective phrase: "Candy!"

We headed up to my dad's this weekend for my brother's birthday, and we lucked out by getting up there in time for the Trunk-Or-Treat. Kara was reluctant to wear her owl hat at first, until I told her that when she wore it, she'd get candy. After that, she couldn't put her hat on fast enough. We had dinner, played games until it was dark enough to go Trunk-Or-Treating (although, Kara grabbed her bag and pulled me around asking me for "candy!" about 20 minutes before it was time to go outside and actually get the candy), and by the time we had visited all the "trunks," she was ready to go around a second time. When we told her she could only go around once, she wasn't too thrilled, but we remedied her mood by telling her she could eat a candy in the car.

First, she was in a parade around the building. 

 She won a cookie, and she was so excited about it. She had to show "bapa" (what she calls my dad).

"I've got my bag, and I'm ready to go. Where's the candy?"

"Kara, if you wear your hat, we can go get candy."

"Nana, look at all this candy!!!"

 

"I love candy!"

 (I'm noticing a theme with the captioning on my pictures. Yes, we talked about candy, a lot).

Halloween (Kinda)

You can't really tell from this picture, but we had a great weekend. 

(Can you see the awe in Kara's face? You mean this is a holiday all about CANDY!?!)

I'll tell you all about it later this afternoon!

P.S. 

How cute was my little owl? Complete with feathers and "whoo-whoo"ing.

Stay tuned!

Good Days and Sunshine

Today was a good day.

We did a little sewing...

Played outside...

Pondered the universe...

Giggled and laughed...

Enjoyed the sunshine...

And went for a walk.

Hope your day was great too!

Autumn is Coming

Whenever someone asks me what my favorite season is, I always have a hard time coming up with an answer. I love ALL the seasons. Recently though, I figured something out... The truth is, what I really love is the change of seasons. I love looking anticipating the adventures and newness that each season brings.

And now, I am loving the advent of Fall. The air smells different. The weather is different. I know we may have a few more days of warmth left, but I just love the feeling of change.

Here are some of the things that Fall brings (to me):

Saying goodbye to the summer greenery, just for a time

Packing away my sandals to replace them with closed-toed winter shoes

Romping in the yard now that we are free from Summer's sweltering heat

(And maybe taunting the cat while we are at it)

 Laying in the grass to watch the clouds drift by

Greeting my sweet dogs as they wait in anticipation at the door for me to come home from school

Seeking the comfort of a warm blanket as the mighty afternoon thunderstorms roll in

Prickly pine-cones and crunchy leaves drifting downward from their homes high in the tree tops

Are you ready for Fall?

Good Night Sweetheart

Hi everybody, it's me, Kara. Now that I'm sleeping in a big-girl bed, I thought I'd share with you my 10 easy steps to tricking your parents in to thinking you're asleep (when you are REALLY playing with the toys from your toy box). Are you ready? Here goes!

1) Gallop (yes, I said GALLOP) to your room. Mommy will think it's cute.

2) Ask your mommy for a song (my favorites are Itsy-Bitsy Spider and Old MacDonald). Your mommy will probably do the hand motions or dance around, and she might look silly, but that's ok. Just smile and go along with it--it will make her happy.

3) Ask for your blankie and your puppy and your kitty and have mommy (or daddy) snuggle you in under the covers.

4) Sometimes that does the trick and your mommy will start to leave the room. Sometimes it doesn't work though, and she will look at you and think you need another story or another song. DON'T PANIC. Just keep following steps 5-9.

5) Give mommy a big kiss, look really sweetly at her and then...

6) ...Shut your eyes really tight when she says "go night-night" so she can tell you mean business!

7) Wave to mommy when she starts to leave the room.

8) Wave again for good measure. Once she's gone, you can lean over the edge of the bed and pull out some toys! Just remember to play quietly to avoid step 9.

9) If you forgot to play quietly, chances are that your mommy might come in to check on you. If this happens, close your eyes and put on your sweetest sleeping face so she thinks you're asleep! This will probably do the trick, but be careful, because if you're REALLY convincing, you might actually fall asleep and...

10) ...your mommy will find you like this the next morning.

Love,

Kara

A Letter From Kara

Hi! My name is Kara. You may not be able to tell, but I am a little girl with a BIG personality.

I love to play dress-up with my crown, wear mommy's bracelets and necklaces, and I love to put on shoes. I also love putting on lotion and brushing my teeth. And of course, I love my blankie.

But don't let those things fool you in to thinking I am a super-girlie-girl. I also love my car...

...and I love to run and gallop EVERYWHERE. Mommy doesn't think I have any speed but FAST.

I also like to keep life interesting by climbing on everything within reach and jumping on it. Mommy usually tells me to stop before I hurt myself, but I think mommy is a worry-wort.

Ever since mommy started going back to school, she is always busy with homework. I tried getting her attention in the usual ways (climbing on her, yelling "mommy," making messes, and putting toys in front of her), but she still wasn't paying enough attention to me. So I thought and thought, and finally I realized that I had to dial up the cuteness.

Last night, I put my plan to the test. Just when mommy started doing her homework, I decided to be extra extra cute--nobody can resist a cute little girl, especially not mommy, right??

At first, mommy didn't notice me. But then I dressed myself up really cute, ratcheted up the charm, and started saying "zoom, zoom," on my car. After a minute or so, mommy had no choice but to come play with me.

When mommy told me that she needed to go do her homework again, I was a little sad...

... But then I remembered a trick I do that always gets everybody's attention--I lifted my shirt up and showed mommy my "button."

Mommy laughed and sat down and played with me for a few more minutes. What can I say, I am a genius!

So, if any of you ever need your mommy or daddy to pay more attention to you, put your big girl shoes on, get down to business, and be really, really cute. It works like a charm!

Love, Kara