Halloween

What a Halloween! Sophia could not wait for Halloween. She has been talking about it for months. She started out over the summer planning her Halloween costumes. We had everything from Mickey Mouse, a banana, an elephant, a witch, Dora, a dinosaur and Minnie Mouse. We finally told her she needed to make a decision and stick to it seeing we were going to buy the costume. She decided on a purple butterfly. We got her wings and a purple outfit. She even went to the zoo in this costume. Her mind was made up... until Halloween morning when she decided she wanted to be a race car. She finally settled on Minnie Mouse, a costume that her cousins had given her. Seeing that she had the costume in her closet we decided it was okay for her to change her mind.

She had a blast walking around the neighbor and getting candy. She was very polite, thanking everyone for her treats. It was a great night.

October update

We had lots of fun in October. Nick and Katie came down one weekend. It just so happened that it was the weekend of the Family Day Picnic at the adoption agency we used when we adopted Sophia. It isn't often we are able to do things like this as a whole family. Nick enjoyed himself playing soccer with some of the boys there and Sophia was her typical outgoing self, running around and playing.

Later that month Sophia and I took a trip to visit Grandma Barb. We all had fun. We went out to eat with Grandma Barb, went to the beach (even though it was COLD) and went to Aunt Linda's to celebrate her birthday. Seeing Stephanie, Hollie, Sophia and Auntie Linda all have fall birthdays we had a little birthday celebration with cake. Sophia loves playing with her cousins.

Gearing up for Halloween we went to the zoo for Boo at the Zoo. Sophia went as a butterfly. She loved getting the candy and visiting the animals. Unfortunately it started raining so we weren't able to feed the giraffes but I am sure we will get back there again soon.

We had fun playing in the leaves. I remember the joy of jumping in piles of leaves as my Dad raked them up. Watching Sophia do the same reminded me of my childhood days. Life is so carefree when you are young. It is about enjoying the moment and not trying to finish the task. It made me pause and enjoy the moment without worrying about getting the leaves in the bags and heading in for lunch. It is great to have a four year old around to help us remember what life is all about.

Disney Cruise

Where should I begin? The Disney Cruise really is magical. Believe all the advertisements you see. From the moment we boarded the bus from the airport to the ship Sophia was captivated.

I was a bit worried about her seeing the characters. She was not thrilled with all of the of the characters but she LOVED seeing Mickey and Minnie. She took pictures with them several times. She even took pictures with Goofy and Cinderella.

She loved the pool. The best part was her and Katlyn could run in and swim with Heather and I sitting pool side. They entertained themselves for hours.

Castaway Island, Disney's private island, was amazing. Sophia and Katlyn loved swimming in the ocean and playing in the sand. They went to the kids club for a musical scavenger hunt so Heather and I got to check out the adults only part of the beach. It was beautiful.

I can't think of a better vacation for young children. I can't wait to go back again someday with the whole family.

Sophia says, "No more pictures Mom!!"