Halloween Walk....

Last night (Saturday, the 30th), Marc and I took Luke to our city's downtown area for their annual Halloween Walk.

Now, I realize many of you locals who are reading this have probably been down to the annual Halloween Walk, but we hadn't. I knew ahead of time that A LOT of people went to this event, but neither Marc nor I truly realized that A LOT of people do indeed attend this event.

Wow -- what a Z.O.O....Don't get me wrong -- it's a great event, but oh my.

I attempted to take some photos to capture the lines of people, but I'm not sure my photography skills do it any justice.





(And yes, the downtown streets were closed for the event -- so, NO traffic).

Luke actually did very well for being a young 2 years old and NOT having a stroller or a wagon (we decided to make him walk which ultimately ended up in Marc having to hold him for a good portion of the event).

About 2/3 the way through, Luke was D.O.N.E....And, we were NOT one of those parents who keep going even though their child is clearly done. So, we left at that point.

YAY!

But, the highlight of the evening was, of course, seeing Luke and his first "true" Trick-or-Treating experience.

Let's just say he was quite cute in his little train engineer costume. But hey -- I'm a bit biased, I know.

(And before I go any further, Luke REFUSED to wear his train engineer hat. He insisted on wearing Marc's Koch Industries hat -- which is where Marc used to work. If you want to see Luke in his full costume, check out my LAST POST. And, the good news is that, tonight, on actual Halloween night, Luke DID wear the appropriate head attire for his costume).









And, just to prove that I CAN indeed make this particular blog post about something other than Luke -- here are a couple of cute costumes we saw at this event.

First -- in the distance in this photo -- the "shower...." (It's the guy with the polka-dotted shower curtain around him).



And Second....The child in the John Deere combine costume....

Our Little "Choo-Choo" Engineer....

Since Luke was about 6 months old, we've had him enrolled in the Parents as Teachers program through our local school district.

Tonight was their annual fall party, and the kids were encouraged to dress up in their Halloween costumes.

This year, Luke is dressing up as a train engineer or "Choo-Choo" engineer -- and if you've been following this blog within the last six months OR you know Luke in person, you know that Luke is completely and utterly FASCINATED by trains.

We can personally thank my parents (Papa and Mama in "Luke Speak") for both the idea and the outfit for this year's Halloween.

This evening was the first evening we've put it on Luke (and we still have 3 more days of various Halloween activities with which he will be "sporting" this outfit).

Sooooooo, at home -- before leaving for the fall party....

(You'll notice his lips appear "pursed." That would be because he was repeating "Choo-Choo" over and over with this outfit on).

And, did you know that train engineers carry around little blankets? This little engineer certainly did here at home.





Then, we headed to the party....Luke immediately found the little wheelbarrow to push around. Let's just say he was occupied for quite awhile with this wheelbarrow. Leave it up to Luke to push something around.





After a little "free play" there, we all headed into a different room with quite a few tables set up with different activities.

First, Luke and Marc made pumpkins on a stick (which was nothing more than gluing a stick to a pumpkin head)....I didn't get a specific pic on that one; however, you can see the finished product with Luke in the next photo (he really liked what he made).

Second, Marc helped Luke "stamp" a face on a jack-o-lantern.



Then, this Mama got a turn at helping Luke glue a face on an orange plate to make yet another jack-o-lantern (can you see the pumpkin theme?).





Then, it was reading time....



Somewhere in there, we had some "nacks" (snacks in "Luke Speak"). We had some very yummy pumpkin/chocolate chip cookies.

Lastly, Luke spent a fair amount of time being a boy....yep, running around and jumping off of a stage (yes, this was a supervised event) was certainly fun (though, it wasn't part of the "planned" activities).



Tomorrow, the kids are supposed to dress up for Toddler Story Time at our local library.

Saturday is the downtown business "Trick-or-Treating" -- another opportunity for the "Choo-Choo" engineer costume to come out.

Sunday is actually Halloween -- yet another day for the costume.

Let's hope we can keep him interested in it. Somehow, I don't think that will be a problem. After all, last night, the "Choo-Choo" hat went to bed with Luke.

Simple Fun....

I mentioned awhile back on this blog that I'm wanting to document more of the "simple" and "everyday" things on this blog....Yep, I'll keep you posted of some our "other" things in life (such as the LAST POST on the visit to the pumpkin patch), but overall, I'd like to keep this post "toned down" a bit.

So, with that in mind -- I think I've also mentioned before just how much Luke is fascinated by lawnmowers. He especially likes push mowers since that's what Daddy uses. But, he does like other lawnmowers as well.

My grandparents had a farm located a little over half an hour from here....basically between the towns of McPherson, KS, and Galva, KS (for you local readers).

My grandfather passed away not quite two years ago, but my grandmother is still living. She no longer lives on the farm as she definitely can't take care of it. She now lives in an assisted living in town.

But technically, she still owns this farm. My dad and my uncle do some of the basic caretaking of it (the house is cleaned out), and the actual farmland is leased out.

My dad (Luke's Papa) had been asking me for awhile to bring Luke out to the farm for a mower ride....Nope -- nothing real extravagant, but it certainly was right up Luke's alley.

Let's just say that watching Luke's excitement of a simple thing like a lawnmower ride was completely worth the drive.

As you scroll through these photos, take note of one thing....Can you guess what I'm talking about?











Did you see it?

Luke's hand NEVER left the cap (it was my dad's cap he had on). It was the funniest thing to watch -- just how protective he was of keeping that cap on. Let's just say that my dad NEVER once had to stop and pick up a cap.

Good job, Luke!

And, because I did mention that Luke really likes push mowers -- he did get to see on that day as well....

Ah....the simple joys of life!



**A Little Note: This event actually took place almost a month ago. It's funny because now, whenever Luke sees a riding lawnmower, he talks about Papa.

It's Pumpkin Time....

This past Saturday morning, we took a trip out to Papa's Pumpkin Patch -- not too far from where we live.



We wanted to visit this pumpkin patch for several reasons....

1) It's close to home -- about a 15 minute drive or so.

2) There is no admission charge -- one only pays for what one participates in or what one buys.

3) It's a small, family-run pumpkin patch.

4) Marc knows one of the son-in-laws of the owners (went to school with him from kindergarten through their senior year in college -- even was a roommate with him for a semester in college).

We were pleased when we got there (right after the patch opened) to find out that the first hayrack ride was about to leave. So, with a little instruction first -- we climbed on.

Luke pretty much wanted EVERYTHING to do with Daddy that day....which is VERY sweet for me to see. Luke's getting to the age where he so much wants to be like and do everything just like Daddy (James Dobson warned me of this in Bringing Up Boys so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised).



If you have never visited Kansas and would like to know more about the state, here's a good portion of what it is like -- flat farmland.



**As a side note: But yes, we do also have some very pretty and very hilly parts of Kansas -- they're just not where we live :)

And, through the sorghum field....



After the bumpy hayrack ride through mud (it had rained the night before), we went into the "kid play area."



Luke watched and briefly participated with Marc on the beanbag toss.





Luke then helped Marc de-kernal some corn (I guess that's what it's called).



In this "kid play area," there was a large stocktank filled with corn kernals and a few toys. We worked on getting Luke to get in....



Finally, he did for just a bit; however, he wouldn't ever sit down.



He wasn't scared or "freaked out." He was merely more interested in pushing around an old wheelbarrow. "Come on, Mom and Dad....Don't you know this is much more interesting?"

(And, if you know Luke at all, you shouldn't be too surprised to see Luke more interested in pushing something around).





At that point, we decided to grab one of the provided wagons and head out to the pumpkin patch.







It was pretty muddy, and we could tell the "good" pumpkins had already been picked through on previous weekends.





We ultimately ended up just saying that we'd pick out a good pumpkin that had already been cut out of the patch (the ones at the entrance to the pumpkin patch).

So instead, we went and saw "Ted" the donkey and "Silky" the horse (I only have a pic of the donkey).



We also saw some pigs.



Luke completely wanted his turn at pulling the wagon -- with Daddy, of course.



And then, Marc took his turn with an air-gun (I guess that's what you called it -- it's kind of a "modified potato gun").

And Luke had to stand right by him (where it was safe) and just watch.



By this time, Luke was BEGGING (in his own Luke way) to go and play with the wheelbarrow again (remember -- the "kid play area").

So, we obliged. Luke was happy.



By that time, it was close to lunch. We made our pumpkin purchase and headed out to a family lunch at Applebee's.

It was a really fun morning to spend together!

My Randomness (Again)....

I seem to use the word "random" in quite a few of my blog posts. Perhaps that would be because I don't seem to be any more creative about coming up with a post name.

Anyways, here goes....

Number 1) Luke eats almost all of his meals here at home in these wonderful little compartamentalized plates from Tupperware. Obviously, they're not breakable, and they're a perfect size for him. I know many of you have them because I've seen them in your homes :)

Luke has recently taken to being very particular about which compartment food goes into. He's learned to say, "Up Here" even though "Up Here" can also refer to "Over There" or "Over Here."

In the mornings lately, he has R.E.A.L.L.Y. enjoyed toast with butter and jelly. In fact, most mornings lately, he's R.E.A.L.L.Y. enjoyed two whole pieces of toast with butter and jelly :) When I cut the toast up in pieces for him (he doesn't take bites off of big things very well yet), he most definitely directs me to which compartment EACH piece of toast goes.

It's a bit time-consuming, seriously.

But, at least at this point in time, we find it cute because it's our little guy!

If you look closely at this photo, you'll notice pieces of toast in each compartment.

And, you'll notice that Luke has some photos of some lawnmowers with him in this photo. It's his excellent homemade book of pictures that my friend Tammy made him for his birthday. Normally, we don't let him eat with books. But, that day, Luke's friend, Lily, was over. She insisted upon giving it to him for breakfast because she remembered that he liked it. Smart Girl!



Funny Little Guy!

Number 2) I am by no means a coffee expert. I'm not a big coffee drinker, but admittedly, over the last several years, I've started to learn to drink and to like the stuff. I absolutely will not drink it black. Yes, I most certainly "doctor" it up. We don't own a Keurig, and I don't see that happening in the near future (though, admittedly, it would be fun to have -- I'll have to enjoy your's, Debby).

Recently, though, I was perusing the coffee aisle at Wal-Mart. I happen to really love the smell.

I came across these....



They're North Sea Coffee Company iced coffee drink mixes. They were priced affordably, and so, I gave them a try.

I have to say they're pretty yummy for merely mixing one cup of milk and a few ice cubes together with the mix.

They're on the top shelf of the coffee aisle at Wal-Mart, if you think you must try them.

And yes, for the record, I realize I'm being completely and utterly unfashionable by recommending a COLD coffee drink as we are leaving the cold drink season. I know, I know -- it's HOT coffee time :)

Number 3) I did NOT grow up with my mother using an electric skillet in the kitchen. Her thought was that one didn't NEED one if one had a perfectly good stove and some cookware. I couldn't agree with her more.

But, for our wedding, one of the Dairy Queen owners I used to work with gave us one as a gift. Admittedly, I ended up really liking it though I truly still didn't NEED it.

A few months ago, this said electric skillet died on me.

Finally, last week, I broke down and bought a new one.

I'm really happy about the purchase -- as you can see by my making of this past Monday's Enchilada Casserole.



Number 4) This morning (Thursday), Luke and I met my friend (from college and beyond), Alissa, and her little boy, Ian, at the zoo in Wichita.

We spent a couple of hours there. It's become the "catch up" place for Alissa and me, and it's a great place to take the boys.

Sadly, my camera stayed in the bag for most of the visit.

But, I managed to snap this photo of Luke -- as he was trying to escape.



And, Ian flashed a good smile for me :) (Ian will be 16 months old next Monday).