Halloween 2012

Yay for Halloween!  I've never been a big Halloween fan, but the kids really breathe life back into this holiday.  It's so much fun to see all the little ones get dressed up and their joy in the process of going door to door.

The kids had their annual school Halloween parade.  As it is probably our last year to dictate costumes (much less coordinated), we chose a classic... LSU football player and cheerleader!  Fletcher was actually better about saying "Go Tigers" than "Trick-or-Treat."

 Hmmm.  Who is her masked friend???

 Oh, her good buddy Dom, of course!

Oh and the usual attempted photo - with both kids.  Hey guys, look here.

Let's go inside.  And try bribery.  Syd, put your pom-pom down.

Syd, look up!

Yay!  Oh, but wait - Fletcher is blinking.   

Oh nevermind! 

It's hard to believe this time last year Fletcher wasn't even walking.  We hauled him around the neighborhood in our little red wagon.

Fletcher's first real Halloween.  Are you sure about this?

 Back home, ready to greet the rest of the trick-or-treaters!

San Antonio Adventures Part II

Before leaving San Antonio this weekend, we had to make one final stop - at the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch.  This special place brings the African Safari right to your... car door.  

The kids had a ball!  Sydney loved feeding the animals.

She had them eating right out of her hands.

 Fletcher was a bit more skeptical.

 Hey, a little personal space, please!

San Antonio Adventures Part I

Or in other words... lots and lots of photos!

This weekend we took the family to Sea World San Antonio to celebrate all our fall birthdays (Syd in September. Fletcher, Pat and myself in October).  So much fun!

We fed sea lions.

 And dolphins.

Fletcher would have even fed the scorpion had anyone let him!

 Syd rode her first roller coaster!

And got a glimpse of things to come on future trips.

Fletcher and Pat got an even closer glimpse!  More like a splash.

 We took a break to check out the flamingos and ducks (that's right, Fletcher, we do NOT trust you even for a second).

Sydney did some serious climbing.  We lost her for a while in the maze of tunnels overhead.  No way were we letting Fletcher near this thing!

 We took in a show (at a safe distance from all costumed creatures).

 And took a break from the heat in the huge splash pad area.  It may be mid-October but it was H-O-T!

Fletcher was generally much more interested in the finer details.  Like how are these pipes connected (and could I take them apart)?

Well, maybe not always "finer" - this kid will find dirt ANYWHERE.

We watched Shamu swim and splash huge crowds of people - Syd became an instant super-fan!

She has recreated the whole performance with her very own Shamu for us multiple times!

Back at the hotel we roasted marshmallows and ate s'mores (that's Fletcher watching most of our supplies burn after he tossed them directly into the fire).

Oh yes, we celebrated a birthday too!  Fletcher is officially 2... maybe that explains his new menacing ways!

 Are you done yet so I can play with my new toy?

We played hard.  The first night, Fletcher didn't even make it to dinner.  What a great trip!!!