HaPpY hAlLoWeEn!

Anyone who knows Blake, knows his love of Halloween.  He refers to it as his "Superbowl and Christmas all wrapped up into one".  This being said, it's no surprise that Halloween is kind of a big deal in our house.  Our house was decorated pretty much beginning October 1st and Sydney had an outfit for just about everyday.  Again, Halloween is quite the ordeal for us. 

A couple pictures of her outfits:

"Ghouls just want to have fun!"

Our yard:

Grisswald-esque?

We of course did the traditional Halloween things like carving pumpkins and going trick-or-treating, even though that was only to two houses.  We decided to dress Sydney up as a duck this year.  It was an easy decision since "quack quack" is one of the first things she said.  When we went shopping for a costume, she saw the duck costume on the rack and started "quack quacking"....that sold us for sure! 

Ready to decorate some pumpkins!

So helpful (Ok, so she was really pulling the pieces out...)

Mr. Pumpkin Head

Sydney as a ladybug

Vampire Sydney

Look, a pumpkin!

Carving a pumpkin

Our jack-o-lantern

Duck Sydney

Trick-or-treating at MeMe and Pops' house

Blake loves an excuse to dress up

Over the years, I know Sydney will come to love Halloween soon as much as we do!

NC State Fair

We decided last minute to take Sydney to the State Fair the last weekend it was in town.  She continues to love looking at books about animals so we thought it would be fun to take her to see the animals at the fair.  I'm glad we did!  She loved looking at the ducks, goats, pigs, and cows.  I think we'll definitely make another trip next year.

Checking out the ducks

Goats!

More goats!

Looking at donkeys

Prize winning sheep

Saying "mooo" to the cows

Georgia On My Mind

Every year on Columbus Day weekend my dad's side of the family has a family reunion of sorts in a small town in Georgia.  My dad's cousin (that makes him, what?? Sydney's third cousin??) owns a large piece of property in Menlo, Georgia.  Blake and I have enjoyed going to the reunion several years since we have been married.  It is definitely a serene place- somewhere you can go and completely relax and forget your worries.  We are so glad we got to bring Sydney this year, especially since she was able to meet several family members she had not yet met.

We decided to fly since we were able to get a great deal on airfare as well as a rental car.  Not to mention the fact that Sydney isn't exactly the best long distance car rider.  Sydney did great on the flight- 45 minutes went fast!  She was completely exhausted by the time we landed and even fell asleep in the stroller while waiting for us to get the rental car.

Playing in the airport before boarding

Out cold!

While in Georgia, we enjoyed visiting with family, eating (LOTS) of good food, and showing off Sydney.  Sydney had a blast spending time with her Nana and Grampa and meeting new aunts, uncles, and cousins.  She especially enjoyed meeting cousins more (sort of) her size.  She was the center of attention and ate up every minute!

Walking with Nana and meeting Richard

Loves 'walking'!

Near the barn

Checking out the farm

Playing with hay

Tall haystacks!

Swinging with Nana

Playing with some balls

Walking with Grampa

Sitting on the 4-wheeler

Checking things out with Grampa

Visiting with Aunt Darlein and Uncle Roy

Sweet girl on a Big Wheel

Uncle Cliff watching Sydney on the Big Wheel

Swinging with Cousin Anna

I have to say, it's wonderful seeing family, but it's also nice visiting such a beautiful place.