adventures in mommy-ing: halloween and other adventures

It's been about a month since I posted, which means we've taken a month's worth of new pictures. We've done quite a bit in the last several weeks, I now realize looking back. Not sure how we've managed to squeeze everything in between busy schedules and icky weather (October was the wettest, dreariest, most depressing month ever!) but we've certainly kept active.

Everyone is doing well. Madison is making great strides in her artistic endeavors...she's drawing people with faces and sometimes they are even granted arms, legs, and an occasional lucky so-and-so gets 3 or 4 fingers. Also, she can write her name, all by herself, with no help at all. She's gotten really good at writing letters. I wouldn't be surprised if the girl is reading before she starts kindergarten, too. We certainly don't drill her, but we read to her all the time and she's beginning to recognize words!

Ali is about 2 1/2 months now. She's smiling and cooing a lot, and we think she's maybe laughed a couple of times. She's a cuddle bug and loves to be held. We have lots of pictures of her but since I'm bad about printing pics, her cute little mug has yet to grace photo frames in the house. I feel badly about that, and hope to at least get our family photo scheduled soon. Here are a few snapshots of random photos:

Happy baby (& big sis's hand)

Polka dot girls

Birthday cookout (Mom's & Kevin's)

Smiths/Harts/Rzeszutkos

Halloween was fun this year. There were a few opportunities to dress up--first for the library Halloween story time, then trick or treating on our street, and finally at the mall that evening. We really got our $7 worth out of these costumes! I scored both costumes at Goodwill, paying only $2 for M's Tigger--we made the mask though--and $5 for Ali's pumpkin. Love, love LOVE me a good deal! ;)