Halloween

So here it is - Harper's Captain Hook costume! It was quite a bit more elaborate than Andre's so it took me a little longer to sew it. To our surprise Harper kept his wig and hat on!!! Who would have thought!

I am being attacked by Peter Pan armored with Captain Hook's sword and hook! Oh no!

My cute guys. I really wanted to have our whole family dressed as 'Peter Pan' characters, but I got burned out making the kids costumes - maybe next year (I will have to start early :)
We got to go to two Halloween parties. On Friday the boys and I drove out to Claremont to visit our old friends. Unfortunatelly Jeff had to work and couldn't go with us.

Andre and his friend Crson. Those two were pretty inseparable the whole night. They kept trading their hat and helmet, their swords, and were really cute playing with each other.

Happy captain Hook
(this picture makes me wish I had a better camera)

Andre playing one of the games (notice he got one of the rings onto a pumkin, not too easy of a task if you ask me)

Trunk-or-treating
Checking out the goodies

The joy of candy

Since it was hard to find time during the week to carve our pumpkins, we did it on the morning of Halloween. Here are the boys hard at work.

Jeff and Andre made a little Jack Skellington pumpkin (Andre is totally obsessed with Jack Skellington, and already picked him to be a theme for his birthday party in 8 months!!!)

I carved a dragon, but wasn't able to take a good picture of it lit.

Walking to our ward's Halloween Party

Andre rolling the pumpkin
Bean bag throwing

Real trick-or-treating. Andre love it (as was anticipated) and as soon as he got the candy he would say "Okay, let's go to the next house!". Harper caught on to the whole thing rather quickly and would say "tick-o-tee"

Too bad Jeff's head got in the way, but still a cute picture

The loot

One costume - DONE!

Actually I am alomost done with both of the costumes, I only have to make shoe covers for Harper's costume. I bought a pattern for the costumes, and hated it, so I had to re-design all of the pieces. , of course some of the seams could have been straighter and neater, but given the time crunch and all I am very happy with the outcome. Here's my Peter Pan:
Я абсолютно дошила и закончила костюм Андрея. В этом году Андрей попросил быть Питером Пэном, и я будучи такой хорошей мамой :) согласилась. Первоначально, я купила выкройку по интернету, но когда она пришла по почте, мне она вообще не понравилась, поэтому мне пришлось, в основном, самой делать дизайн. По-моему получилось очень даже ничего:
Andre loves his costume and asks me to help him put it on multiple times during the day. He is very excited to go trick-or-treating.
Андрею очень нравится его костюм и он по несколько раз в день просит меня помочь ему одеться. Андрей ждет не дождется пойти на добычу конфет.

And here's a little video of Andre singing "You can fly" and demonstrating how he can fight with Captain Hook.

Это видео Андрея поющего песенку из мультфильма "Питер Пэн" и демонстрирующего бой на мечах с капитаном Крюком.

peter pan

Pumpkin Patch

We got to go to a REAL farm pumpkin patch with Andre's preschool. I know, shocking for L.A., where most pumpkin patches are made by simply throwing some hay over the asphalted parking lot of some grocery store. We did however have to drive about 40 miles north to get to the place (Underwood Family Farm in Moorpark, CA). We all loved it there, and though it was a bit too hot, the kids didn't mind it. We got to see farm animals and go on a tractor hay ride (we opted out of the big corn maze), the boys rode ponies, played on fun wooden vehicles, climbed hay bale pyramid, picked out their little pumpkins, and I guess the highlight of it all was that we got to pick our own raspberries and strawberries.

В четверг мы с малыми и Андрея классом поехали на экскурсию на настоящую ферму. Ферма находится в 45 милях к северу от нас. Нам всем там очень понравилось. Мы посмотрели на животных, прокатились в повозке трактора, дети покатались на лошадках, поиграли на детской площадке, лазили на сенную пирамиду, выбрали маленькие тыквы (к Хэллоуину), и гвоздем програмы был сбор малины и клубники.

Andre conquering the pyramid, his choice descent was jumping down

Андрей забирается на пирамиду, а спускались мы прыжками

Harper also enjoyed climbing the pyramid
Харперу тоже очень понравилось забираться на птрамиду

Both boys enjoyed the pony ride
Любители лошадок

Andre is a natural

Прирожденный ездок

Decisions, decisions...

Аж глаза разбежались...

Andre with his pumpkin

Ура, выбрал!

Strong...

Силач

Harper picking out his pumpkin

Харпер выбрал его тыковку

In a wagon with their prized posessions

Cute playground where they had a bunch of John Deer ride-on tractors

Andre was so helpful picking raspberries, and was proud of himself : "Mom, look at these big raspberries. Andre found them HIMSELF!"

Андрей был замечательным помощником. Он очень гордился своим достижением, и часто говорил: "Мама, смотри какую большую малину я САМ нашел!"

Harper reaching for a raspberry, all that he picked went straight into his mouth or onto his shirt (thank goodness for Oxi clean)

Харпер все что рвал, моментально клал к себе в рот :)

Hard at work

Трудятся

Strawberry field with Andre picking some yummy strawberries

Поле клубники с добытчиком Андрюшкой

"Check these out!"

"Смотри что я нашел!"

Harper ready to go home

Устал

Picking out a big pumpkin

Выбираем большую тыкву

"Ok, let's go"

Лошадка махноногая - "Поехали домой!"

Buzz

Harper's hair was getting too long and didn't look too good, so I decided to give him a haircut. Instead of the usual way I cut my boys' hair (with comb and scissors) I decided to use the clippers. As most of you mom's out there know our memory and attention to detail is not what it used to be. As I glided the clippers across the middle of Harper's head, with what I thought was #6 attachment happened to be a #3. Oops, Harper almost got a true buzz. Good thing it's hair and it will grow out in no time.

Я решила подстричь Харпера, так как его волосы отросли и часто путались. Вместо стандартного метода - расческа и ножницы - я решила воспользоваться машинкой. К сожалению, только после первого проведения машинкой по середине головы Харпера я осознала, что вместо №6 насадки я случайно надела №3. Хорошо что это всего лишь навсего волосы, и быстро отростут.

Harper with his locks

Харпер и его локоны

Nothing like a Sunday walk

Ничего нет лучше воскресной прогулки