The Great Catch Up

October was a busy month so I have definitely neglected the blog.  This post will be a little long, but I just need to catch up and start fresh.

Earlier in October, Rebecca and I went to a beach house in Cayucos (near Paso Robles) for a couple of days with my mom and dad.  Aside from Rebecca not sleeping well, we had a really fun time.  Here are some pics of that adventure:

This was at our house before we left for my parents' house.  Rebecca sat on her suitcase and was just looking out the door.  I thought it was cute.

Walking down the stairs with Grandpa.  She loves stairs - I think mostly because she doesn't have any to play on on a regular basis.

walking down to the beach with Grandma.

Playing in the sand

She was too afraid to go down near the water (I think the sound of the waves crashing scared her a little), so it was up to Mommy to bring back bucket after bucket of water for her!

Rebecca was having some major separation anxiety that weekend, so I didn't have much of a chance to walk away by myself - but this was a pic I took in one of those moments.  

Burying Rebecca's legs

Headstand in the sand anyone?  Yes, I was washing sand out of her hair for days after!

At the park with Grandma

After we got back from the beach, Rebecca helped Grandpa with the yard work.

Rebecca and Grandma

So the next most notable happening in October was Halloween.  This girl was fascinated with all things Halloween.  As soon as she would wake up in the morning she was asking for "whyeen" (Halloween) shows, books, crafts, etc.  She would spot pumpkins or pumpkin decorations from far away.  In fact, she's still looking for them all over the neighborhood - even when I tell her Halloween is over.

Here are some pics of Halloween and other events surrounding Halloween.

Halloween crafts 

This was the aftermath of one of our crafts - she got hold of an orange marker and ran down the hallway before I could get her - this was the first time she ever colored on the walls on purpose.  Luckily the washable markers are actually washable!

Decorating a giant pumpkin cookie!

About a week before Halloween, her school hosted a Fall Festival.  There were little games and crafts - she loved it!  There was also a bouncy house.  She has never been in one before.  She was too scared at first, but then she wanted to go in.  The trouble was, there were a lot of older kids in there so it was a little scary for us.  She was laughing the whole time and didn't seem to understand how close she was to getting trampled.  I don't think she was ever able to get up on her feet for more than a second or two!  Hopefully we can try one again some time where there's only little ones in there.

Here she is in the bouncer

The Big Day:

Here's our little Tinkerbell!  She looked so cute!  Thanks to Auntie and Nino for the costume!

Because I'm me and I'm a glutton for punishment, I decided to have me and Mike in coordinating costumes to Rebecca.  So, I made him a quick Peter Pan hat and bought a green shirt, and I was Wendy - easy - blue nightgown!

As usual, my office hosts a party/trick-or-treat for the kids.  Here she is making her way through the halls!

Trick-or-Treating in our neighborhood that night

We visited about 7 or 8 houses in our neighborhood and then we came in to hand out candy.  Rebecca didn't really want to come in.  I explained that now it was time to pass out candy to other kids.  She got upset for a minute - I think she thought I meant we were going to pass out her candy.  Once I explained, she was o.k.  We told her the other kids would come to our door and she could help.  So, she was waiting at the door (pic above) for the kids to come.  When we could hear them coming up the sidewalk she'd
 say "more kids" and run really fast to get to the door.  SO stinkin' cute!

This one has nothing to do with Halloween, it was just cute!

And finally, just a quick update on her development.  She's doing so well in school - she loves it!  We will be going to our first parent/teacher conference in a week.  Her speech is just about where it should be - lots of 3-4 word sentences and she's getting really good at telling us what she wants and needs.  She really enjoys helping - especially in the kitchen.  I'm trying to let go of my control issues and let her help (even if it's messy)!  Just last night she helped me mix up waffle mix and stir.  I love the look on her face when you can tell she is so proud of herself for helping!  She LOVES the ABCs.  She knows all the letters and now we are working on upper/lower case.  Lower case letters like b,p,d and q are tricky...but I guess that's normal!  She has started singing the ABC song with me and that makes me so happy!

I love this little girl!  She is very trying - and I will admit I lose my patience on a regular basis.  But, I try to apologize to her when I'm in the wrong and I try to give her what she needs.  She amazes us with how smart she is and the things she knows. She is beautiful and smart and funny!