For Halloween we ventured back to our old (and one day new) neighborhood. I must say it was rather odd to go trick-or-treating at what used to be your house.
We were blessed this Halloween with a nice cool night – it actually felt like fall. The children had a blast.
While we were very sad to see Doncie and Poppy move back to Virginia, we have been excited to go visit them. We are glad that the girls get to spend some time in the state that their Daddy grew up in. Not to mention visits to our nation’s capital. DC is truly a beautiful and awesome place to visit.
James had a conference in DC, so we dropped the girls off at Doncie and Poppy’s and then headed up to DC for a few days. One afternoon, we were able to meet Doncie, Poppy and the girls at the National Zoo.
As part of the conference, James and I were able to go hear Bill Clinton speak. I must say he was very impressive and I was kicking myself for not taking my camera.
It even snowed one afternoon. James and I attempted to see some of the city, but quickly decided that was just silly in this weather. It was cold. We settled for a nap and watching the snow fall from a warm room. 
Lily has been itching for a visit from the Tooth Fairy, so when she told me her tooth was loose, I didn’t totally believe it at first. Sure enough when I felt it, it wasn’t just a little loose but a lot loose. You would think we told her she just one the lottery. She wanted us to pull it right away. It took four nights of attempts, but we finally got it. I was shocked at how eager Lily was for us to pull it. She barely flinched each attempt and was very disappointed when Daddy’s hand was empty.
ATTEMPT 1
ATTEMPT 2
ATTEMPT 3 – SUCCESS
The Tooth Fairy was very generous. Lily got 10 half dollars. My sweet girl insisted on sharing her money with her sister at the dollar store. We had fun roaming the aisles and picking out our five things.
I must say I have done well with many milestones, but this one hit me hard. How is it that my itty bitty baby is old enough to lose a tooth? I remember losing my first tooth and just can’t believe that she is that old already. sigh….
One of the things we are loving about the rental house is the great backyard. We have a huge backyard that is completely fenced in. The girls are having a blast playing in it every afternoon. We have the forest, “nature” and plenty of space for riding the jeep.
Unfortunately, the girls nature collecting and mud pie making can be a little messy, so this particular afternoon, we decided a major cleaning was in order. And you can’t have a good cleaning without lots of water and sudsy soap.
One of the many great things about kindergarten is that we get to have weekend visits with Dave. Dave is the class sheep and each week the children nominate a classmate for being a good shepherd and that classmate gets to take Dave home for the weekend.
Lily was beyond thrilled to have Dave with us. She took fantastic care of him and he did everything with us.
It’s that time of year again. Time for pumpkin picking, cow feeding, hay riding, and animal watching. 
Lily showing off her pumping skills!
Lily determined the best way to feed these cows with long, slobbery tongues was to set it on the edge and watch them grab it.
EWWWWWWW!!!
Sarah Ellen getting some love from Mrs. Amy. She loves her teacher and insisted on holding Amy’s hand most of the morning. 
