Happy Halloween!

Earlier this evening, we went trick-or-treating.  Sophie has been looking forward to this day for weeks!  She was very excited to help me choose the theme for this year's costumes.  Sophie ultimately decided on superheroes.  Here are a couple of shots of the girls in their costumes (I especially like the first one because Helena looks like she's getting ready to take down a bad guy):

Pumpkin Carving

This afternoon, we did our annual pumpkin carving.  This was a special year because Sophie actually touched the inside of a pumpkin for the first time (she normally refuses to participate in anything that involves getting dirty):

Helena, on the other hand, would have loved being in the middle of the mess, but we had to keep her contained for safety's sake (I did carve a baby pumpkin for her, though):

Of course, Nick was excited to be able to use power tools, although he did do some of the work by hand:

All in all, I think the pumpkins turned out pretty well.  We can't wait for everyone to see them next weekend!

10th Anniversary

Yesterday was our10th anniversary!  It's hard to believe it's been that long already.  We celebrated by spending some time alone (without kids), which is something we rarely do anymore.  The most exciting part of the day was our helicopter tour of the city.  Although we've already visited all the landmarks and I was very nervous about being in that tiny helicopter, it ended up being a pretty amazing way to see everything:

Here are a few of our favorite shots from the trip.  The Arch:

The Budweiser campus:

Busch Stadium:

The Botanical Garden:

Soulard:

Lafayette Park:

Cooking

Last weekend, the girls and I decided to whip up some Oreo truffles while Nick worked in the yard.  Sophie is always very excited to help me cook or bake, but only as long as she doesn't have to do anything that would result in her getting dirty.  This means no kneading, mixing, egg cracking, etc., but if you need someone to hand you a utensil that's still clean, she's your girl.  So, Sophie mostly ends up watching but it's fun having her there nonetheless and she always asks a lot of questions so she can learn what I'm doing.  As for Helena, I'm pretty sure she was only hanging around because she spotted food.  And in case you were wondering, our counters really aren't super short; the girls are both standing on stepstools:

Reptile Party

This past weekend, Sophie and I attended a birthday party for one of her friends.  It was held at a reptile store.  I was a little skeptical at first, but it ended up being pretty interesting.  The party included a one-hour meet-and-greet with some of the animals:  

Sophie especially enjoyed the tortoise.  I don't think the tortoise was too excited about all the attention, but the kids really liked him:

And even though Sophie wouldn't even pet most of the small creatures, she had no reservations about petting this giant 8-foot, 70-lb python:

Although the snake looks very intimidating, he was actually very calm and mild-mannered.  Several of the kids even held him (with some help, of course), but Sophie was content to stay back and watch.  Actually, Sophie refused to hold any of the animals - with one exception.  Strangely enough, the only one she wanted to hold was the giant hissing cockroach (definitely the creepiest animal there):

Sophie and I both had a blast at the party, and it was very educational as well.  We both really learned a lot about reptiles.  Even though I wasn't sure what to expect when we went (I have to admit, I was pretty sure I would end up sitting in the back of the room, very bored), I ended up enjoying it as much as Sophie did.

Kindergarten Field Trip

This morning, Sophie had her very first kindergarten field trip!  Her class took a trip to a local farm to pick pumpkins and we were both very excited about going.  Here she is on the bus with her "field trip buddy":

When we got to the farm, they introduced to some of their many animals and even let us feed them.  Our favorite was their pig, Biscuits (unfortunately, we couldn't get a good picture of his buddy Gravy):

After visiting the animals, we got to spend some time in their play area:

When we were done playing, we took a tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch: 

Everyone got to pick their own pumpkins and when we got back they even gave us some of their homemade apple cider.  Then, before we left, the kids all posed for a class picture:

Sophie and her class seemed to really enjoy their first field trip together and I think we're all looking forward to the next one!

Let's go for a spin!

This afternoon, we had to disassemble the dryer for a little repair and maintenance.  When we removed the drum, Helena decided it would be an ideal place to hang out.  She had so much fun we could hardly get her out.  Silly baby: