Happy Halloween - Buggin' You

Halloween isn't exactly my favorite holiday.  Most years I feel like a bah humbug when it comes to Halloween.  I rarely decorate; although, this year Eliza and I made some candy corn garland, Halloween finger puppets, and some ghosts out of her foot and hand print.  I find carving pumpkins disgusting.  To be quite honest, I'm not even very fond of the taste of pumpkin.  I usually throw our costumes together at the last minute.  This year was no exception.   Despite the last minute decisiveness, our costumes turned out really well.  A friend of mine from the ward happened to have the costume I was going to make for Eliza stashed away in her basement.  This was much cuter than the costume I would have concocted for her. 

Without further ado....

 

Fly like a ladybug

 

 

Sting like a Beeeeeeee

 

 

And hop like a ......

 

grasshopper.

 

My wings and Bruce's legs were cut out from the huge box our water softener came in.  A little bit of paint, construction paper, and some shoelaces to attach them....Voila!!  Bruce even won the adult costume contest at our ward trunk or treat.  Eliza seemed to enjoy the carnival activities the trunk or treat put on.  I'm sure she will enjoy them more next year when she can be a more active participator.  She was a bit confused at what we were doing walking around trunks getting candy.  However, when she saw all the licorice and suckers her treat bucket held, she couldn't help but dance on the curb at the end of the night. 

 

She absolutely loved her costume.  She cried when I took it off, and has put worn the costume two times since Halloween because she likes it so much.  This really surprised me since she doesn't keep anything (hoods, ponytails, barrettes, etc.) in her hair or on her head these days.  She ate dinner in her costume last night.  It must be the antenaes.  She was fascinated with mine.    Here's Eliza, happy with her treats at the end of trunk or treat. 

On Halloween night, lucky Eliza got to go trick or treating for her first time.  She was trilled for another chance to done her costume and hold her little pumpkin bucket.  I took her around in the stroller.  

 

 

We only went around the loop of our neighborhood, but it was enough for her.  When we first got started, she would smile and wave at everyone.  When candy was put in her bucket, she would pull it out and hold it in her hand until she got another piece from the next house; then she would switch.  She was very gracious to receive the candy (even though she can't eat most of it because of her peanut allergy) - more Snickers for me. 

There are no many kids in our neighborhood, so we get very few trick or treaters.  I think Bruce said only 10-15 came by.  This is both good and bad news.  Good - more candy for me to eat with my sweet cravings.  Bad - more candy that I have to eat despite my sweet cravings. 

Most of the houses we went to were grandparents who were so excited to see a cute little trick or treater.  Three houses even handed out full size candy bars.  :)  Some handed out pretzels and some handed out fruit snacks which Eliza loved.  By the end of the night though, she was worn out from trick or treating.  She didn't even smile or wave at the last couple of houses. 


Here's Eliza checking out her spoil after trick or treating.  This step is her favorite seat in the house. 

 

Happy Halloween from the Richards.  We're buggin' you!

 

Hands on House Half Marathon

On September 28, Bruce, with his friend Josh, ran a half marathon in Lancaster, Pa. Despite the steep hills spread throughout the race, Bruce managed to finish in 2:21 an amazing seven minutes faster than his last one. Way to go Bruce!!! He really enjoyed running through the landscape. I'm impressed that he didn't get too distracted or stop to get a closer few of the "beautiful" Amish dairy farms he ran by.

 

Eliza and I were near the finish line to cheer him on. She even waved her pom pom and clapped for all the runners who came across the finish line.  Who wouldn't do well with such a cute cheerleader yelling for them. 

 

We didn't have to wait long to see dad come around the corner.  From far off, I knew this runner was Bruce before he was close enough to see because of his posture and the way he runs.  

 

Way to go Daddy!!

Bruce getting his victory loves from Eliza who was so happy to see him.

Bruce and his running friend, Josh. 

Our family with Bruce's medal.  

I told Bruce that he should get a free massage afterwards.  At what other time can you get a professional massage free of charge. 

The massage must have really paid off because Bruce wasn't sore at all after his race.  That's pretty impressive after running 13.1 miles up and down hills.  Way to go Bruce!!  I'm proud of you. 

You can follow this link to see additional photos.  These are the ones taken by the professional photographer.  I find it funny that there are just as many of Eliza and I as there are of Bruce.  I tried "running" with him for his last homestretch, but carrying two babies made me a little slow.

DVC Homecoming

We went to the homecoming parade so excited for a good old fashioned parade - one that throws candy.  After arriving on campus, we were crushed to find out that Doylestown township for some reason unknown to us banned throwing candy at parades.  Drat!!  I haven't been to a parade that actually throws candy since the 4th of July parade my senior year in high school 10.5 years ago. 

It made Eliza so distraught, she fell asleep in the car on the way to the parade right in the middle of eating an apple slice.

When she woke up, she ate her sandwich quite distractedly in her stroller while watching the parade.  She really enjoyed clapping and cheering for all the floats that came by. 

 

Homecoming floats this year were supposed to follow a game theme.  Some were more creative than others.  Here is the Ag fraternity playing Farm-opoly

 

 

This is the float I really wanted to see.  Bruce told me that people would be dressed up like cows.  Here is the Dairy society "playing" Hungry Hungry Holsteins. 

 

And one of my favorites.... IMPACT (the Christian student group) as Dutch Blitz.  I enjoyed the Amish clothing they all wore.  One of Bruce's students, who is Mennonite, borrowed all the clothing from her neighbor back at home.   

 

The parade was so short that after it passed by us, we had time to walk across the 6 point intersection and see it all again.  Extra clapping for Eliza.  She really enjoyed the pep rally afterwards.  Everytime the students cheered, she would stand up, cheer, wave her pom pom, and dance to the music.  I wish I shot a video. 

#7 Camping

We also used this as a birthday retreat for me. I've been wanting to go camping all summer.  I guess with buying a house, moving, and having guests, we didn't get to do as much of it as we want.  Next summer we are going to make plans sooner. 

Eliza and I shortly after arriving at our camping spot.

We drove to Lake Locust State Park (about 2 hours northwest of here), and enjoyed a night of camping. Bruce (and Eliza) got a fire started, while I began setting up the tent.

When the tent was up, I started working on our dutch oven chicken pot pie dinner while Bruce and Eliza unrolled our sleeping bags.

Eliza enjoyed sitting in her little camp chair (for a little while) while Bruce and I continued with the camp ground preparations. 

Our campsite all set up.  Unfortunately, because we booked so late, we were only able to stay one night.  One night is better than none I guess. 

It started to get a bit dark before dinner was finished.  However, it was well worth the wait.  Eliza sure enjoyed eating dinner from both mine and Bruce's plate. 

The dutch oven was full of chicken pot pie.  This is all that was left when we were finished with it.  YUM!!

After dinner, it was time for some yummy smores.  Eliza sure enjoyed hers...

 and dad's.... and mine!! I'm afraid we got the girl hooked on marshmallows.  She knows where they are in the pantry and tries to open the bag to get some. 

 
Then, it was time to put Eliza to bed.  She was pretty excited to sleep in the tent. 

I am quite surprised at how easily she went to bed considering it was really dark, and she was in a new place.  She settled down very quickly and went right to sleep.  I made a "bed" for her out of blankets and pillows.  Bruce and I stayed up a little later playing a game.  When we finally went to bed, the weather had gotten a bit cooler.  Eliza never keeps blankets on throughout the night, so I was worried that she would get cold.  Even though I covered her with 3 blankets, I would wake up periodically to make sure she was covered.  At some point in the night it started to rain.  At first it sounded like huge hailstones were coming down.  Later we realized that it was probably acorns falling from the tree our tent was under.  The temperature dropped a bit when the rain started.  Partway through the night, Eliza woke up.  When I turned the flashlight on, she was sitting up in the middle of her blankets.  Still lying in my bed, I asked Eliza if she wanted to sleep on mommy's bed.  She immediately crawled over, found a place in the top corner of our air mattress and fell right back to sleep.  The problem was, her feet were right where my head was supposed to go, and the sleeping bag couldn't reach where she was without being pulled completely over my head.  So much for the warm snugly night.  I did my best to keep the blankets on her throughout the night, but the girl moves around way too much in her sleep.  The little bit of sleep I did get, I was sandwiched in between Bruce and Eliza's feet.  Not the best night's sleep in the world, but I had fun anyway.  We managed to stay dry through the night, and Eliza slept pretty good considering.

By morning, she was eager to get out of the tent.

Early the next morning (it felt early but really Eliza didn't wake up until 9:00), Bruce was able to get a campfire going despite the damp wood.  We didn't expect it to rain so we didn't cover up our wood.   I made sausage and eggs over the campfire. 

Since eggs are Eliza's favorite breakfast food, it didn't take long for her to gobble them down.

After breakfast, it was time for a hike.  I figured I was already carrying one so I made Bruce carry Eliza in the Baby Bjorn.  When Eliza gets excited, her entire body especially her limbs move like crazy.  After the hike Bruce told me that he kind of has an idea of what it feels like to be kicked by a baby.  :)

During our hike, we stopped for a break at the camp playground.  Anyone can tell that this girl loves being outside.  We played on the slide...

 And then on this jumping thing.... Eliza was a bit too short to reach, and daddy was a bit too tall but they made it work. 

 And then she climbed on the ropes (with daddy's help of course)

And back to the slide.



I purposely chose this campground because swimming was allowed in the lake. (You'd be surprised at how many lakes don't allow swimming around here).  Unfortunately for Bruce, it was a bit chilly for a swim.  He probably still would have done it, but I wasn't too excited about letting myself or Eliza get in.  Since he didn't want to play in the water by himself, he declined the actual swimming part; although he did wade for a little bit.  Here's Eliza sitting on the bank by the lake. 

We were asked by a few other campers how we managed with a baby.  I didn't think it was that hard; Eliza is such a good girl.  One camper had four girls, but they left the youngest (2 years old) with grandparents at home because he didn't know how she would do camping.  Next summer we'll have one even younger, but it still won't stop me.  I enjoy camping too much.  While we packed up, Eliza enjoyed another marshmallow on her camp chair.

She fell asleep immediately after I strapped her into her car seat, and slept the whole way home.  All that playing and hiking completely tuckered her out. 

On my actual birthday, we went out for lunch at Olive Garden.  The girl loves eating at restaurants. 

  The waiter made a mistake when putting our order in.  We ended up with an additional entre.  We had enough food left over to have an Olive Garden dinner at home.  Not bad for a birthday meal.  It was a great birthday weekend. 

#6 The Iron Pigs baseball game

The Iron Pigs are the minor league team affiliated with the Phillys.  Despite the rainy weather (sprinkling), we drove the 40 minutes to Allentown to watch the Iron Pigs play on Labor Day.  We were all pretty excited.  I thought Eliza would love to watch the crowd, cheer when everyone else was cheering, and dance to the music.  I anticipated a great time.  Unfortunately, the sprinkling turned into a down pour and we sat through a rain delay.  Eliza was surprisingly easy to keep entertained. 

 

 

 

While we waited, we dined on the obligatory ball park hot dogs.  Eliza dove right into hers.  40 minutes later when the game was still delayed and rain was still coming down, the food prices were discounted 50% off. 

 We had to enjoy some chicken fingers and fries for that price.

As our luck would have it, the rain didn't completely stop and according to the radar wasn't going to let up anytime soon.  The game ended up being cancelled.  Double whammy for us is that this was to be the last game of the season.  They don't give refunds; instead they give ticket exchanges.  If we want to get our money's worth, in a couple of months, we will need to pick up tickets in person to see a game next March or April.  Drat!!  I was looking forward to the game.  Hopefully we can find a game that fits into our schedule. 

But to prove that we were really there.... here we are waiting in the empty stands to see if the game would start.  There were quite a few people there, they were standing near the concessions under cover.   I personally didn't want to stand and hold Eliza for who knows how long so we sat in our chairs under umbrellas. 
Eliza and I standing by the field with the tarp.  She is a pretty chipper and well behaved girl considering the dreary weather. 

Go Iron Pigs!!  We hope to see a game next spring!

#5 Cross Country, Volleyball, and Soccer matches at DVC

Yes, we spent an entire afternoon at Delaware Valley College to cheer on the Aggies. 

Eliza especially enjoyed clapping for all the cross country runners as they ran by us.   She is used to going running with her dad, so it was a change to have the runners run past her.  Honestly, cross country is kind of boring to watch - sure we stood near the finish line so we could see their last stretch, but the participants run past you one time and that's it.  There isn't a whole lot of action.  We didn't know anyone on the team so we were just kind of there taking up space. 

We had a picnic lunch near Bruce's building, and then it was off to the volleyball match.  Bruce has two students on the team.  I don't know why she is chewing on her shirt, but she didn't really watch much of the game.  She had a lot of fun spinning in circles on the gym floor, pushing against the gym door, and practicing her walking skills with dad. 

The 20 minute nap she took in the stroller between games must have been enough - she was pretty happy through the soccer game.  One of Bruce's students is on the team.  Although she didn't watch much of the game, she sure enjoyed sitting outside and playing with my shoes.  What a cutie!!