My favorite day...

Watching one of my favorite people in the whole world...

playing my favorite sport in the whole world...

with my other favorite people in the whole world...

And then taking in the sights...

At one of my favorite places in the whole world...

With those very same people...

Is easily one of my most favorite ways in the whole world to spend my time.



Just another day at the fire station with her adoring public...

A visit to fire station #5 has been on Lily's preschool calendar since the beginning of the school year and after

months of eager waiting, the big day finally arrived.  The only other girl in Lily's class was absent so Lily and her 9 male counterparts settled in for a viewing of the classic fire safety video featuring Little Richard on the piano singing about stopping, dropping and rolling.  I've seen this particular video several times now and Little Richard's appearance in it still baffles me but the kids seemed to eat it up...

 Following the video and required discussion regarding not playing with matches and lighters and how to properly exit your house in case of a fire (interruped only a couple of times with talk of one boy's affection for Thomas the Train and how a person's head could blow off if they don't follow Little Richard's instructions to stop, drop and roll), it was time to tour the truck.  Lily waited patiently for her turn...

 And then happily climbed aboard for a little exploration...

 After her tour of duty and a quick photo...

The class gathered around to be mesmerized by all the bells and whistles that come with firemen and the station...

 

 

 

Suddenly the true bells and whistles went off and the firemen were called away to an emergency.  It was all very dramatic and the class was in awe of the whole visit.

The tour was cut slightly short due to the fire call so I loaded up Lily and the four boys who were assigned to my vehicle.  Watching Lily interact with all of the boys, many of whom are quite wild, was incredibly interesting and I was pleased to see she isn't the least bit overwhelmed or intimidated by all of the testosterone she and her pink leggings are surrounded by while educating her wonderful mind.  It was almost a little hard for me to believe how comfortable she is with the boys until I was able to be a part of a very enlightening conversation on our way home.  One of the boys began talking about how he likes girls and he likes Lily and Lily is his favorite girl.  Suddenly he shouted, "Lily is my friend."  One of the other boys chimed in that Lily is his friend as well and before I knew it, all four boys started chanting, "Lily is my friend.  Lily is my friend.  Lily is my friend." 

And then it all made sense.

Happy Halloween~2010 edition...

Halloween 2010 kicked off this year on Friday with Grace's class party.  They decorated pumpkins, played trivia and ate lots and lots of treats.  While the party wasn't the most exciting Fall party in the history of Fall parties, I think it was sufficiently festive to put the kids in a Halloween state of mind...

Jack o' lanterns were next on the holiday itinerary and the girls dug into the job with gusto...

With a little help from Dad, the master pumpkin carver...

They each had a particular vision in mind and added their own personal touches...

And they were all thrilled with their results...

With pumpkin detail out of the way, it was time to suit up for the much anticipated Whaler Halloween extravaganza...

These guys were there which was sweet...

The girls had a fantastic time with their cousins and Jason and I had a delectable meal at Minerva's so it was seriously a win-win situation for us all. 



Trick or treating anticipation built throughout Sunday.  Ella was feeling a little under the weather but Wonder Woman is tough and wasn't going to let that get her down.  Costumes were donned once again, the wagon was loaded up with any necessary trick or treating supplies and after a few photos...

Away they went, only to return about two hours later with huge smiles...

And almost 15 pounds of candy...

That's some serious candy.

Parties galore, three perfect jack o' lanterns and almost 15 pounds of candy~I think it is safe to call Halloween 2010 a success.  Hope your weekend was as SWEET as ours.