Happy Halloween!

The Four Sheltons' four pumpkins...

Carter, Bryan, Cassidy, Jenny

Trick or Treat

Our little ladybug and Buzz Lightyear were eager to hit the streets to collect their loot.  Carter had the hang of it this year, yelling out "Trick or Treat!" to most of the houses and even said to one house..."Do you have any candy?"

Heading out...

Checking out the goods!

Our Pumpkins on Parade

Cassidy and Carter got to wear their Halloween costumes to school today for the parade and party.  The chill in the air did not cool their spirits.

Pumpkin Preppin

Like parents...Like pumpkins...

In the spirit

The kids are looking forward to Halloween and are showing off new decorations...although Carter does not look as sure about the ghosts as Cassidy is.

"Niu" friend

We were recently able to spend some time with some friends of ours and meet their newly adopted daughter, Niubei (pronounced New Bay).  Cassidy and Carter had been looking forward to meeting her and loved getting to finally play with her.  Niubei loves giving kisses and even planted one on Cass.

Cass giving a book to Niubei

Niu friends

Carter getting help with the "laptop"

Jennifer reading to C&C

Big Boy Bed

This weekend Carter graduated from the crib/toddler bed to a big boy twin bed.  While he was starting to look so big in the old bed, he looks so small in the new one.  He was very excited to sleep in it for the first time and said that it was very comfortable.

More pumpkins

While Cassidy's class had a trip to a pumpkin farm this week, we also went as a family to the pumpkin patch to let the kids pick out their own pumpkins.  After some careful searching, they found just the right ones.  

Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

This week Cassidy had a preschool field trip to a pumpkin patch.  The weather was perfect and Carter and I enjoyed accompanying her on this adventure.  Upon meeting her teachers and classmates there, we were joined by many more schools with many buses there.  Even with all of the kids, it was well organized and allowed for all of the kids to have fun.  We started with a long hay ride that went well into the woods and around a pond and fields.  The kids loved it!  Then we looked at some huge piles of pumpkins before moving onto a short "class" experience in a barn sitting on straw bales. The kids then got to see and pet some animals.  Cass fed a goat and when I handed Carter a few kernels of corn I had found, he proceeded to put them in his own mouth.  I quickly advised him that was for the animals.  Next it was on to the maze where the kids got to stop along the way and pick out Indian corn, gourds and small pumpkins.   The kids had a great time!

Camping...quietly

While we enjoyed camping with the kids over the summer, it was not exactly relaxing.  This past weekend Jenny and I got to go camping without the kids.  Grandma and Grandpa got the kids and we got the camper.  It was great weather...although much warmer than expected for mid-October.  We did not do a lot...just a lot of relaxing and a little walking and seeing the leaves.

 

 

How was school?

One of the things we love to ask the kids is how their day was at school.  The responses we get sometimes sound more like those from teenagers than those from pre-schoolers.  When asking Cassidy what she did today, we generally get "nothing".  When asking Carter how school was one day recently we got a response of "good enough".  I can't wait to see what they say when they actually are teenagers.  
Here is Cassidy posing like a teenager...

Jeeps and Leaves

Ok...so just one jeep and a lot of leaves.  
While spending the day with Grandma and Grandpa the kids were treated to checking out an old Army Jeep ambulance.  One of Grandpa's neighbors bought it and is restoring it.  The kids loved getting to climb in and pretend to drive it.  Not sure about the frog on the side.  They are going to take that off in the restoration.
After looking at the Jeep, it was on to the pile of leaves that Grandpa had made for the kids to play in.  They threw them, dove in them and ran through them.  
The joys of Autumn!