Halloween Dilemma

I was convinced that I was going to make Jack's Halloween costume this year. Costumes are expensive, and since they are only worn for one night I could not see the sense in spending a lot of money. I got on Pinterest and started looking at other people's ideas. I stumbled across a Duplo costume made out of a box and a few round craft boxes. I thought it was the perfect costume for Jack. I made it for under $10. 

About the time I finished the costume, Jack and John built the doghouse for the dogs. That's when Jack decided that he wanted to be a dog in a doghouse for Halloween and NOT A DUPLO!!! One afternoon, we were over at Grandma's house and she asked Jack what he was going to be for Halloween. He spilled the whole story about how he didn't want to be a Duplo he wanted to be a dog. He can be pretty convincing because when this cute dog costume went on sale, Grandma sent it our way. It turns out that if you're a smart shopper like Grandma, you can buy an adorable costume for nearly the same price that I made one for. 

Now, he flip flops back and forth about which costume he is going to wear. It will be interesting to see which one he chooses to trick or treat in tonight. I'm torn. I love the Duplo costume because I know just how crazy Jack is for Duplos, but he is totally adorable in the dog costume.

Luke is wearing this sweet little Halloween outfit with a pumpkin hat that Grandma found at the farmer's market. 

I'll try to take some pictures tonight once Jack makes his big decision. 

Feeding Ducks

Nearly everywhere Jack and I go, we drive past this little pond. On most days, there are several "ducks", aka Canadian geese, floating on the water. Jack and I always talk about how we should go feed the ducks some bread. Seeing some old bread in our pantry this weekend and knowing how excited Jack would be, I decided this weekend would be the weekend we made his little dream come true. The little man was giddy with excitement. I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. I couldn't help but remember the time the ducks at the zoo chased my nephew, Joe. He's never forgotten about it, and is still afraid of ducks to this day. I really hoped that this would be a good experience for Jack and not a scarring one. Fortunately, it was. The ducks were well mannered. In fact, Jack was even convinced that they said thank you. Hmmm.... As we drove off, he asked his daddy to roll down his window so he could tell the ducks you're welcome. I guess I know where all of our old bread will be going from now on. 

Potty Trained!

I thought I was going to wait until a weekend that John and I didn't have anything going on to potty train Jack. Jack had another idea. The stickers I had been collecting and had hanging on the refrigerator were too much for the little man. On Tuesday night, he basically insisted that he would do whatever it took to get one of those stickers. So, Wednesday morning was the beginning of potty training. Luckily, Grandma was able to come out that morning and help get us started. After two misfires, Jack never looked back. It was way easier than I ever expected it to be. Way to go, Jack!

80/20

A week ago I would have told you that the walking/crawling split was 30/70. Over the last few days, that split has shifted to 80/20. Luke pretty much walks all of the time now. I counted him walk 26 steps across the living room today. He can stand up in the middle of the room without needing something to pull up on. He has it all figured out. 

Pumpkin Patch 2011

Lucky Ladd Farm has become an October tradition of sorts for our family. As we walked through the farm today, I couldn't help but think about our trip there last year. 

2010

Jack was such a little guy back then, and I was waddling around the farm days away from delivering Luke. Today, I couldn't imagine Luke not being there with us. It's unbelievable how drastically my life has changed in the last three years. 

Both boys picked out a pumpkin that they liked. If we would have been buying pumpkins today, those are the ones the boys wanted. Jack went straight for the little, oddly colored ones. Luke went for the big guys. 

The majority of our afternoon was spent in the petting zoo. Despite Mom's pig bite, we had a pretty good time. Luke gazed at all the animals from his perch on Daddy's back. Jack kept asking me, "Is that guy hungry?" My answer was always an enthusiastic yes although I'm quite certain that those animals had had their fill by the time we came around. 

We also played in the park part of the farm. Jack loved the tractor tires that the kids were all climbing on. I wish I had about a dozen of those to put in our pasture. I think the boys would be out there all of the time. A sweet little girl invited Jack to try the teeter totter with her. He loved it for about ten seconds and then wanted OFF! 

As if being bitten by a pig wasn't traumatic enough, Jack decided he was big enough to ride the tractor ride all by himself. As I watched the tractor haul him away, I seriously had to wipe the tears from my eyes. He's growing up way too fast. 

Until next year, Lucky Ladd.