Halloween, Part 3

Not to be held back from trick-or-treating, Coraline said she felt good enough to go out with us tonight (as a wounded dragon).

We met up with Miss Kristina (who used to be one of their teachers), and we had a lot of fun going around her neighborhood with her kids.

Afterwards, Arthur spent a while counting his pieces of candy, shocked at how much he had collected:

Halloween, Part 2

Meanwhile, this was supposed to be the day of the kids' field trip to the pumpkin patch. Running late, Pop Pop had to take Betty and Arthur to the farm. But when he got there, he couldn't find where the other preschoolers were. Asking for directions, one of the farm attendants suggested that perhaps the class had already taken the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch, and Pop Pop should just walk over to meet them. And so Pop Pop, Arthur, and Betty walked through the pumpkin fields. And walked. And walked.

Luckily, they did finally meet up with them, and they each picked out a small pumpkin (and an extra one to bring back for Coraline).

Halloween, Part 1

Halloween morning started with a phone call from Nana, asking if she should take Coraline to the emergency room. Evidently all three of the kids had been watching the news (it was a segment on Halloween costumes for pets), and they had all leaned back on the back of Nana's recliner. Evidently they are too big for this, and the chair flipped over. Coraline ricocheted into a table, and now needed stitches. Five stitches and a brownie later, she's doing much better.

Pony Tails!

The girls decided a long time ago to grow their hair out (similar to one of their classmates). Today we discovered it was long enough to put them in pony tails!

Halloween at Smithfield Plantation

We took the kids to a Halloween celebration at the historic Smithfield Plantation.

Everyone had fun making corn-husk dolls.

Afterwards, Arthur and Betty made a witch's broom, and we all explored the haunted surroundings of the plantation.

Self-Portrait

We had this self-portrait sent home from preschool. Evidently one 4 year old's drawing was different from the rest of the class's. Sigh.

Mr. Incredible

"This is just a costume, you know. See - here's myself (showing his hand). It's my color. And I'm wearing the same socks."

He then went around in his secret identity. He lowered his voice to talk to us, but slipped up once. "Uh oh," he said in his deep voice, "I sounded like Arthur for a bit there. Strange, huh?"

Halloween at CVS

CVS celebrated Halloween early, and when we went in, we managed to get goody bags for the kids, a free picture, 3 free Halloween costumes for next year, and 3 free bags of candy to pass out for trick-or-treaters. Not too bad, even though the cashier thought the girls were dinosaurs.

Our Princess

Carving Pumpkins

The kids had fun carving pumpkins today. Arthur made his look like Dracula (and made him arms and a cape). Betty decided hers would wear earrings, and Coraline's had a tiny square "robot" face.

Bug Fest at Virginia Tech

We took the kids to the First Annual Bug Fest, sponsored by the Entomology Department at Virginia Tech.

There were bug activities everywhere, from loads of crafts, to bug tattoos, bug coloring pages, and even a flea circus!

Arthur even made a painting by having a giant cockroach, dipped in paint, crawl across his paper.

And then everyone got bugs painted on their faces.

School Pictures

Today we got the proofs from the triplets' school pictures.

We've found that with the kids, always one of them is going to be different. 1 out of 3 will be crying, 1 out of 3 will be grumpy, 1 out of 3 won't want to wear their jacket, 1 out of 3 doesn't want to get dressed for school.

And 1 out of 3 won't smile for the camera. Luckily it's never the same kid, but perhaps it is some genetic survival mechanism that they each take turns with their tantrums, instead of ganging up on us all at once.

Playing at the Park

After spending an exhausting seven hours at the State Fair yesterday, today we had a calm day of playing at a park before driving back home.

The Virginia State Fair

Iron Man

We left Arthur home with Pop Pop, and took the girls to the store to have them pick out pants and shirts (that they'd actually wear). When we came back, Arthur was no where to be seen. Instead, Iron Man stood in the driveway waiting for us!

Lion King in 3D

Today we took the kids to their first 3D movie. And yes, we were the family whose kids kept shouting, "It looks real! I can see it!" every five minutes.