Best Halloween Ever.

Cinderella and Ariel!

 

I love these two girls!

"I like your princess dress!"

My beautiful Cinderella!

Kids were allowed to wear their costumes to school today! Anna Claire really wanted to be Cinderella, so it ended up being a great compromise. I knew she'd be cozy and warm indoors, so she could be Cinderella during the day, then she agreed to her Cheer Bear costume for trick-or-treating to keep her warm at night. T

They had a party/fall festival at The Red Barn and loved seeing each other all dressed up!

Amy and Anna Claire...do you think they're excited?

Trick-or-treating in style ;)

Cinderella by day, Care Bear by night to keep warm!

Sweet Amy!

Nothing like sippies full of hot chocolate on a fun night trick-or treating!

Pouring out her stash!

View of her costume from the back. :)

This Halloween was the best one I've ever had. We never did Halloween up like this when I was a kid.

I should start be saying I owe a huge thanks to our friends Paige and Mike who invited us to their spirited neighborhood to partake in the festivities. Their adorable little girl, Amy, is one of Anna Claire's best friends. They go to The Red Barn together and are in the same dance class.

The actual evening of fun was beyond what I could have imagined. There were hayrides and golf carts cruising all over their neighborhood. Most of the homes were decorated for Halloween more than most people decorate their homes for Christmas. Lots of jack-o-lanterns, orange twinkle lights, webs...very cool and spooky. Some had haunted music and dressed in costume to give out candy. Many people, Paige and Mike included, had fire pits set up in their yards or driveways to keep warm while they handed out candy. They also had hot chocolate for the kids to warm up mid-way through their trick-or-treating.

Larry and I brought Anna Claire's Radio Flyer wagon for the girls to ride in from house to house. This ended up being a life-saver. The girls didn't tucker out as quickly and they were able to cover more ground than if they'd done it on foot. We were also reassured that they were contained, rather than walking down the road.

There was a ton of traffic since people come from all over Clarksville to this neighborhood. Guess word got out and they have quite a reputation now for being THE place to trick-or treat! Some people even resorted to caravaning carloads of kids in vans or SUVs with the door slid open, letting kids run in and out of the car. Nice for those kids, but making it unsafe for those of us on foot.

All in all, the girls had an absolute blast. They did a great job saying "Trick or treat!" and "Thank you!" to everyone. I would love a repeat next year. Great fun!

The only complaint from the girls was that they did not have time to play with Amy's toys. Looks like we'll need to have a follow-up play date.

October at Red Barn

October has been a big month for Anna Claire, moving more and more toward being independent. I see her becoming more persistent. She keeps on trying, whereas before she would try and give up. At the Red Barn this month, Anna Claire learned to make her nap mat all by herself and to flush the toilet by herself. She was so proud of both of these accomplishments!

She is pointing to objects when she counts them, and continues to favor reading center above others. She loves reading to her friends.

Most days her teachers report her as being cheerful and cooperative. I am also seeing her reported as sociable, helpful and energetic more often which is encouraging. Each day the children get between 1 and 6 super-friends stamps each day, rating their behavior. She typically earns 5. Out of 11 days at RB, she got the maximum 6 “super-friends” stamps three of those days.

Anna Claire loves the fun activities planned by her teachers and program directors. This month they made butter, wore their pajamas to school, brought their teddy bears to school, had a petting zoo where she was able to ride a pony, and a pumpkin patch and pumpkin walk where the children got to actually take home their own pumpkin. She loved her pumpkin so much, picking out the one with the broken stem that no one else wanted. I love her heart.

The Red Barn is such a wonderful place for kids!

Fright on Franklin

Continued our celebration of one of my favorite holidays with Fright on Franklin. Never been to this before, but I see it becoming an annual tradition. I love that it offers an opportunity to trick or treat in daylight. Kids can get quite a bit of candy quickly. Many of the booths and vendors handing out candy were in costume and had their booths all spooked out. These reasons alone give Fright an advantage over traditional trick or treating. I am a fan, especially for little kids. Larry and I also wonder what the weather will be like come Wednesday. If it does end up raining Halloween night, at least Anna Claire got to have a fun trick-or-treating experience.

When we got home she told Pop we went to "Frankenstein Street." Lol.

Larry asked how she knew about Frankenstein, and I explained she has a Franklin book where he dresses as Frankenstein for Halloween.

Anna Claire dressed as Cheer Bear, one of the Care Bears. I have a Cinderella costume for her too, but it just way to cold for it. Everyone loved her costume! I can't tell you how many people said, "Awww, look at the Care Bear!" nor can I express how much her face beamed each time someone said that. :)

Anna Claire and Daddy on "Frankenstein Street" :)

These guys had some of my favorite costumes.

Happy child, you think?

Loved seeing her friend "Pizza Slice!" Haven't seen him since Riverfest.

Hugs! Too bad the Leaf Chronicle dalmation was anti-hug. We chased him down for awhile to no avail. He would only wave at us.

Pizza Slice's friendliness helped make up for Dalmation's stand-offishness. If you aren't willing to hug or high-five, you shouldn't be allowed to dress as a character. We nearly had tears over Dalmation. Thanks Pizza Slice for making it better!!!

In this pic, AC spotted one of those air inflated dancers that bounce around with the crazy hair. "Look Mommy! There's man just like yellow man we see going to gymnastics!"

In this pic she had just spied bubble gum in her bucket. She was stoked because we don't normally let her have gum.

Daddy and Anna Claire walking down "Frankenstein" to our car.

Wouldn't you think we'd get home and she'd want to immediately plop down on the floor and devour candy? So did we. She wanted her Cinderella costume on. Then she wanted to go downstairs and get fruit. So we had kiwi and peach. Love our little healthy snacker!

Then she pulled three magnets together and said, "This say 'frog' Mommy." With r-o-g lined up. Then she said, "Wait," found the number 7 (there was no F magnet) and put it in front of the R.  four letter magnets on the fridge together to spell "frog." This is the first time we've ever seen her spell.

October Fun

I love October and I love the fall. It's my favorite time of year - not too hot or too cold.

From the pumpkin patch to trips to the park, we've truly enjoyed this year's unseasonably warm weather.

Tonight, while I had to attend parent-teacher conferences, Larry made Halloween cupcakes with Anna Claire. She told me all about it when I got home! "Daddy spoil me rotten!"

This weekend we will likely carve our jack-o-lanterns. I can't wait! We always bake the seeds with plenty of butter and salt, of course.

Looking ahead to the biggest October event, Halloween, we've picked out two costumes: one for indoor and one for outdoor.

I found a snuggly warm Cheer Bear costume at children's clothing sale several weeks back. Anna Claire LOVES Care Bears, so score one point there. I remember how cold it was last Halloween and how grateful I was that we had gone with a warm costume, so that seemed like a good choice.

Then I read that Anna Claire's dance teacher would allow them to wear a costume on for Halloween, IF they could dance in it. So that was the reasoning behind costume # 2, a Cinderella gown.

I am looking at different Trunk or Treats and other Halloween events around town to see if they might be something we'd want to go to. Can't do it all.

Check out some pics of the fall fun we've had so far!

Pumpkin Patch!

Coy Lacy Park

Moving Meme

Moved Meme out of rehab center and into assisted living this week. Took a couple days off to get everything done to keep things as normal as possible for Anna Claire. Worked out pretty great. We did end up taking her along for several trips over, but tried to keep them brief so she wouldn't expire.

When I ask Anna Claire to go to Walking Horse with me, she could easily say, "I don't want to go Mommy," and it would be fair and fine. But she never does. Instead, she says, "I get to see Meme again! I'm gonna take my (insert toy of the moment here)!" She is just precious and full of love.

Today she was so excited to go eat dinner with Meme. Larry and I have decided that is something we can do every Sunday. The dining room is beautiful: cloth napkins and tablecloths, stemware, menus, and really yummy food! AC calls the dining room "Walking Horse Restaurant" because they give you a menu and take your order. How awesome that they allow families to come in and eat with them. I can tell you, Anna Claire sure did put a smile on a lot of residents faces! 

My cousin Joan brought a case of Barbies for Anna Claire to play with when she visits Meme. She absolutely loves them. What a thoughtful gift.

I feel good about where Momma is. Anna Claire even said, "This a better place for Meme, Mommy. It nice. I do like it here."

Shrine Circus

Anna Claire and I loved going to the Shrine Circus. I have many, many wonderful memories of going to the Shrine Circus with my mom and dad. Daddy was a Shriner so we would get free tickets each year.

How excited was I to find out Freddie and Mom had free tickets for us! I couldn't wait to share the magic with Anna Claire. I knew she would love it. I also expected her to want everything. I was right on both counts. ;)

I wish Larry could have gone, but having just returned from our vacation and coming to an empty fridge, he opted to get us stocked up for the week while I took AC.

That left me with an extra ticket. I prayed God would show me who to give it to. Someone who needed it. We got to Municipal and I zeroed in on a lady in line for tickets with 5 kids. She was the one. She refused at first explaining she didn't have any money to give me. I told her I didn't want money, that it was free to me and for her to just pay it forward. I think I saw a tear in her eye. God bless her inside because shit was crazy-expensive.

Highlights of the big show? The "princesses" and their costumes (trapeze artists), tigers, elephants, clowns, and the motorcycles on the tightrope were Anna Claire's faves.

At intermission, they offered pony rides, inflatables, face painting and more for a price. We went for the pony ride and tried inflatables, but there were too many big kids being rough so we asked for a refund.

Anna Claire really wanted a butterfly glow stick more than anything. I could see how much she wanted one and many of the other children had glow sticks. I bought it, despite the price tag and had one very happy little girl. She loves is so much. It also plays music.

As we were leaving, Anna Claire pointed to the clowns handing out Shrine Circus coloring books, and said, "I want one those, Mommy!" So of course we got one.

I thought to myself at that point, "What would Larry do?" He would wait until the crowd dissipated to even attempt to go to our parking garage. So, I asked AC if she'd like to sit on the steps outside Municipal. This allowed her to people watch and munch popcorn, so she was a happy camper.

After about 10 minutes or so she handed me her popcorn and said, "I don't want anymore Mommy." Then about 100 yards away I saw a couple of homeless men sitting on a bench. I said, "Hey, why don't you take those men the rest of your popcorn." "Yeah! They might be hungry!"

She took it over to them. They looked at her and their eyes lit up. They said, "Thank you!" and then I have never seen anyone inhale popcorn quite so fast in my life. Bless their hearts.

The rest of the way to the parking garage I answered questions about homelessness:

Mommy, why they sit on that bench?
They sit there for long time?
They don't have food Mommy? Why not?
Where they live?
Why don't they have a house?
Where they sleep?

I love Shrine Circus, and even more than that I love opportunities to teach my little girl how to show love to others.

 

Clown attempted to give Anna Claire a hug, but she run away.

Then she turned around and gave him this big smile.

Pony ride!

The ever-important butterfly glow stick.

Fall Break in Destin, FL: Day 5

We go home today, but that doesn't mean the fun has to end!

Decided to squeeze the most we possibly could out of our few hours left in paradise. But first, we had to put in the time. Had to pack up and get everything loaded into the car.

From there, we took a final walk down to the beach for a short stroll. Got some sand to take back with us.

Next, after a little research on my part, we decided on Gilligan's. Why you ask? It's by the water, and had raw oysters. Yes!

Our little seafood lover took out 6 all by herself! So proud!

What was surprising and a hit with everyone at the table, were the hushpuppies with orange marmalade butter. So yummy. Unbelievable.

AC ordered mac-n-cheese and pizza, I got a shrimp po boy and Larry got a burger.

After stuffing ourselves, it was off to get yummy royal red shrimp and lobsters to ice down and take home with us. We can take a little FL back to TN.

Then we were off to get AC's teachers presents like she promised them. We picked out Destin flip-flop keychains, but cannot find them anywhere. Decided to give them sand dollars instead and hope that the keychains turn up one of these days.

Oyster fan.

Fall Break in Destin, FL: Day 4

Another morning at the beach and pools! Had yet another picnic on the beach. Floated around on our pink innertube. Anna Claire loves to sing her ABC Music song while we float, "We're floating down the river, we're floating down the road, we're floating down the river, to the O-HI-O."

Then more fun for AC - we got out and about after her nap!

But wait! Did I mention that we caught the ice cream man? Oh yeah. Heard that high pitched music up in our condo and literally took off running. I told Larry and AC to try and come as fast as they could. CAUGHT HIM. He was about to take off when I finally made it to his truck. AC and Larry were about five minutes behind. She ended up getting a Tweety Bird ice cream pop with gumballs for eyes. ;)

Loved taking her to Destin Commons. Not sure if she remembered it from last year, but her number one request today was to go to a bookstore. So Books-a-Million was a logical choice. She told us she wanted an Aurora book (Sleeping Beauty), but as soon as she spotted the Minnie Mouse stuffed animal, it was love at first sight.

After purchasing Minnie, we were off to Bass Pro Shop to see the fishies.

Played on the soft playground. Took a tumble because some kids were playing too rough. Mommy applied a band-aid and Daddy bought her an Icee which made everything better. Next up was the ride on the little train.

Then  it was time to change into her swimsuit and run through the sprinklers that shoot out of the ground. She had a ball, until she took another tumble. Applied another band-aid.

From there we gave lots of hugs then took off to The Track. AC loved riding the racecar and the kiddie rides. There was a carousel, train, swing ride, and airplane ride. Thanks to a sweet family that was leaving and unable to use all of their points, Anna Claire was able to ride all of the rides she wanted.

"Floating Down the River..."

Eating her Tweety Bird pop from ice cream man!

Playground at Destin Commons

Larry and AC in the red train car.

sprinklers at Destin Commons

Airplane ride at The Track

Carousel at The Track

Race car with Mommy at The Track. So fun!

Swings at The Track. I swear she liked it despite the look on her face.

Icee!

Minnie!

Afterward, we made our way to Sexton's and got yummy seafood for dinner. I love Royal Reds with all my heart. Seriously.

Fall Break in Destin, FL: Day 3

Today was so much warmer! We decided to revert back to our morning routine that we abided by last year: beach and pool in the morning, and getting out and about after AC's nap.

This routine is our favorite and works out perfectly. We go to the beach around 9 am. We practically have it to ourselves. We take a "picnic" lunch with us for AC. She loves eating on the beach! Then we go to "all the pools." There's a big pool, baby pool, and 2 hot tubs. At three-years-old, Anna Claire is old enough to get in the hot tubs and loves them.

Next is our REAL lunch back at our room, then Anna Claire's nap. I love my personal routine during her nap of watching Flipping Out marathons on Bravo, sitting on our bed with a heating pad while photo editing.

After waking up from her nap, we decided to take our beach buddy's recommendation and try out Dewey Destin's located at the harbor. We again hoped to see "fishermen mans" bringing in their daily catch. Anna Claire finally explained to me that she calls them that because of Little Bear. His grandfather is a "fisherman bear," so it only makes sense that a man would be "fisherman man."

It ended up being a letdown, but we were not disappointed at all with Boathouse Oyster Bar! Loved their oysters. Anna Claire even had a couple. It was a dive, but nice to be by the water eating our favorite treat of oysters. AC loved her mini hot dogs. They were yummy Nathan's dogs.

Next we headed back to Baytowne Wharf. We were hopeful that AC could ride the carousel that supposedly lit up at night, and I also had hopes of sushi. 

I was crushed to find the carousel was not operational. So was AC. Man. What a bummer. Never would have mentioned it to her had a fellow vacationer not talked it up to us yesterday. Why do I listen and trust complete strangers without question?

The sushi hopes were realized, though disappointed in the quality of the ikura. Loved the hamachi and the spider roll was yummy. 

Anna Claire has wanted to do the harnassed euro-bounce since Gatlinburg. We turned her down there and put it off, but caved here for some reason. She LOVED it. Twelve bucks well spent. Pics below. Made up for the carousel, IMHO.

There was live music at Baytowne, enjoyed by all. We also enjoyed looking around at the little shops there. Fun times.

playing in the sand with Mommy

Loves her Daddy!

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Picnic on the beach!

We made friends last year with a couple of grandpas. They recognized us right away when they spotted us this year! Such sweet guys!

Giving grandpa #2 big smiles. (we feel weird asking their names at this point as much as we talk to them. #awkward.)

180 from last year! not scared of the water at all!

Important to get in "all the pools" everyday, if only for a minute.

Watching the "fishermen men"

dock to Dewey Destin's

Getting harnassed!

Going up!

Higher!

and higher! She loved it!