This Post Brought to You by Hurricane Sandy

We feel so blessed that Sandy hit further north than expected.  Although some areas around us lost power and some roads were closed, our home remained intact and with power the whole time.  Nevertheless, Adam was off of school and Phil was off of work, so we enjoyed some family fun and a bit of productivity while the storm raged on outside.  Thanks everyone for your concern, and we continue to pray for those who experienced a much angrier Sandy.

My big grown-up boy.  Almost 4 years old!  He missed his friends and teachers, but we had some good fun during his surprise long weekend.

This is the productivity I was referring to above.  Phil has taken on the guest bathroom (a much tamer project than the master - thankfully).  I'm so excited to show it to you...it looks fantastic so far!

Had to find lots to do indoors with the kids.  You can tell Clara was a little excited about painting :)

Happy Halloween!

This was our best Halloween yet!  As the kids get older and more aware of what's going on, we have so much fun.  Adam decided to be a monkey again this year (I think because he saw pictures from last year and thought it was cool) and he also decided that his sister would be a butterfly again.  Luckily, both costumes still fit (close enough), so we were in business.

Clara and I went to the gym in the morning and the kids got to wear their costumes for a parade.  Here is the little butterfly on her way inside.

She loves wearing her costume!

Parade time!

The kids got a couple of Halloween gifts.  One was from our friend Olga (also our awesome realtor who helped us buy our house).  She brought the kids some great new puzzles and some pumpkin cookies.  Yum!

They also got some really exciting mail from Grandma Ann.  They each got a bucket with some neat treats inside.  Here is Adam holding his new Thomas DVD.  Other highlights in the bucket were flashlights, pumpkin sippy cups, and M&Ms.

Clara is really into pumpkins.  She also loved the cat on her card.

Drinking from their sippy cups and eating off of pumpkin plates.  Thanks Grandma!

Finally, the night had arrived.  They were raring to go.  Adam was eagerly anticipating trick or treating (the first year he has really understood what we were doing) and Clara just wanted to do whatever her brother was doing.

Have to stop for a photo.  They used their buckets that they got from Grandma Ann.

There they go!

Keeping up with Brother.  Serious business!

Our first house.  Adam and Clara were excited to see their friends William and Sophia.

Making his selection.  I was so proud of him - he said "Trick or Treat" and "Thank You" at each house.  You see Clara got tired after a few houses, but was still interested in the candy (you can see her little hand pointing).

We had a great time!

One funny thing: when I took Adam's costume off at bedtime, he said, "I'm Adam again!"  So funny the way little minds work  :)