Zoo Boo

I must have been inspired when I bought Mackenzie's costume on clearance last year. My sweet little 11 month old was anything but a monster but this year being only 3 days off of 2 she fits the costume a bit better :) We were glad we didn't take a stroller this year. Kenzie can walk for quite a long time without getting tired and she loved the crowd and the freedom.

My pictures of the attractions were better last year. We went later at night this time and so most of my pictures don't show the cute decorations very well so you jut get a few:

New this year was a Toy Story area with Buzz and Jesse.

One day a few weeks ago, Kenzie started asking for Elmo. I'm not sure where it came from because we get only a few channels and PBS isn't one of them but she loves him.
Her monster friend
You can kind of see Shrek and Fiona in the background here
Some of the carved pumpkins on display

Ward Halloween Party

Our ward Halloween party was really fun. It was held at the Button Farm just outside our ward boundaries. They had a hayride and grills for hot dogs and burgers. As you can see, we dressed up last minute and threw on the only costumey outfits we have anymore.
I managed to only snap one picture of another couple- the Birds. We'll miss them when they leave us next spring!

My friend Michelle's little girls in their cutu tutus. Those girls are the reason Kenzie will be dressed cute the next two years. My friend Brittney and I took Blake and Kenzie trick-or-treating in Indiana later in the month. They had a lot of fun. Keith and I recently made up a song with Kenzie's friends in it and she always sings the first line "Blakey" over and over.

Bernheim Forest

Deere Farms

On Saturday we went to a Deere Farms in Indiana with our friends Brittany and Tanner and their little boy Blake. It was a blast and we were really excited that everything but our pumpkins were free. Kenz was really excited to go:

The 30 minute drive was beautiful

This girl is obsessed with pumpkins and kept trying to pick up the biggest ones.
The Barratt's
Blake and Kenz loved this bed full of dried corn
Pony rides that the kids didn't go on because our little girl is afraid and we didn't want to dish out $5
The kids maze
Our happy little pumpkin head
The very dirty slide that Keith braved over and over
The giant pumpkin bounce house. Kenz and Blake weren't sure what to do inside but once they figured it out, they had a blast

Into the Woods

We decided to go on a little "hike" a couple of weeks ago with Mackenzie. She never runs out of energy and loves to walk/run so we figured she was big enough to rough the woods with us on her own two feet. She did a great job following behind dad with her bucket in hand to collect some of nature.

Every time she saw me pull out the camera, she plopped down on her bottom and said "cheese"
She got really into modeling and wanted to lie in the leaves for a couple shots. Keith calls them her bridal pics.

Art Sparks museum

Little Mommy and Terrible Two

We are three weeks off of the official "Terrible Two's" but I'm pretty sure it has already hit. This lil' girl keeps me on my toes! The above picture was taken a few weeks ago when her friend Rose was over to play. Kenz thought it would be fun to show her the drawers that are off-limits while I was blow-drying my hair and face painting ensued. She tends to be a lot more daring and naughty when other kids are around to show off for.
For a while there our mornings were a battle. She woke up with a smile and then 2 seconds later turned into quite the drama queen as she screamed over breakfast and thus began my ritual walks the second she woke up. I quickly found out that I could shove a banana in that cute screaming mouth, pop her in the stroller and after walking an hour she was forced to eat the cereal/milk I had brought along with us. On the positive side, all this walking means I am (finally!!!) back to my pre-pregnancy weight.
Despite the morning, mid-morning, noon, afternoon and nightly tantrums :) Kenzie is a very sweet girl. She likes to randomly give us kisses and hugs and is getting into dress up. Check out this cute skirt Grandma Shaw got for her:
And like any other little girl, she is SO into dolls. She loves to dress them and feed them their bottle. I caught her talking to them in her crib the other day. In a high-pitched motherese voice she was telling one baby to say hi to the other and then making them wave. All those sweet moments make the terrible two's bearable!