Isabel got some exciting news today!

"Big..."

"Sister..."

"Who, me?!?!?!"

It's a little...boy?!?!?! GREAT, I love boys!

Wow, I am going to do such a good job as a big sister and Mommy's little helper!

A Ladybuggy Halloween - 2009

Click here to view these pictures larger

Let me start off by saying I am happy to be able to title this post "A ladybuggy Halloween." I bought Isabel's adorable ladybug costume over a month ago, and for the past month, when I have occasionally asked her to put the costume on, she has very politely said "no." I think the bulkiness of the costume was freaking her out a little! But finally on the Wednesday before Halloween, right before her bath I was able to get her to try it on with no problems, and toddle around in it for awhile. Whew! What a relief especially because it was SO adorable as you will see from the photos. I do not think I could have chosen a cuter costume on our petite little girl!

So, Isabel the ladybug had a blast on Halloween this year! On Friday, she got to bring her costume to school where they had a Halloween parade in the morning, and a party in the afternoon (parents were invited so of course we went!) At the party, she got to make bubble bats, color and decorate a Halloween crown, and (this was the best part) frost and eat a Halloween sugar cookie. Well, to be more accurate, once Isabel figured out that the orange-and-black sprinkles and frosting were edible, she proceeded to eat those while Daddy ate the cookie that she had partially frosted!

Saturday we got her back in her costume and headed out trick-or-treating to a few houses in our neighborhood. The first house we went to was our good friends the Ryans, and we were welcomed by sidewalk chalk signs and drawings in their driveway and sidewalk that said "Ladybugs wanted!" (They are some of Isabel's biggest fans and she loves them too!) And after we visited their house and Isabel selected a few pieces of candy for her "puh-ple" pumpkin, we were pleasantly surprised to find ANOTHER little ladybug walking around our neighborhood (our other neighbors were out with their daughter Natalie who is 6 months younger than Isabel). The two ladybugs were a little shy of each other at first, but at the end, they warmed up to each other and were definitely invading each other's space (as you can see in the photos) and Isabel was pointing at Natalie's spots! How darling!

Then it was back home again to welcome all the other trick-or-treaters to our house. Of course, Isabel would always point out the "boys" that came to the door (she loves to say "boy" but will not say "girl" - hopefully this is not a sign of boy-craziness in the future - oh dear). Isabel got her first taste of candy, since she had, of course, done all the work of saying "teet-teet-teet" (translation = "trick or treat") at each door. So, I may shock you by saying that we, the sugar-averse parents, broke from our rules and gave her a piece of a Kit-Kat and a piece of a Reese's (both of which she was most fond of!)

So last year...the crawling Squirt the turtle, this year, the toddling ladybug...what will next year's Halloween bring? We shall see!