Monday, October 31, 2011

Dino-mite Halloween!

Happy Halloween!  Our little dinosaur had lots of fun with Halloween activities this fall.  It was very special for Zander to wear the same costume that both Cousins Luke and Brady wore when they were toddlers. Here he is earlier today at his school costume party:
You can see his tail in this shot:
Mmm... cookies and cupcakes! 
We had a fun dinner at Cousin Luke and Brady's to start out the evening.  Then it was on to Trick-or-Treating!  Zander started out pretty reserved again this year, but eventually warmed up and got in the rhythm... he did pretty well with both his "Trick-or-Treats", as well as his "Thank Yous".
 Zander especially enjoyed visiting Baby Amanda - she was dressed like an adorable kitty cat!
Zander couldn't believe how big Amanda is getting!
 All smiles...
Closing out the evening with Cousins Luke & Brady:
What a fun night! 
A few weeks ago, Zander stuffed pumpkin tree-hangers at Luke & Brady's - here the boys are putting leaves into the bags.
 Nice work, Luke!
 ...and Zander.
 Aunt Heather hung the pumpkins in one of their trees while the boys played:
Nana Pat asked Mommy to take a picture of the three boys with the pumpkins for Great Aunt KK (KK and Nana coordinated the supplies - thanks!) - photo: much easier said than done!
This past weekend, Zander's school had a Fall Festival, complete with Trunk-Or-Treating.  Here we are on our way to the party:
 Dino-N-Daddy:
 Picking a treat!
 Checking out some of the many decorated trunks:
The school brought in some animals for the festival - here Zander is checking out a kangaroo!
 The camel was really interested in Zander, especially once he noticed Zander's bag of treats!
 Look at those fancy trunks!
 Zander picking a pumpkin to decorate from the pumpkin patch:
We decorated the pumpkin with a silly face:
Checking out the Cookie Walk with Mommy & Nana:
Taking a quick breather to enjoy a pumpkin cookie:
 Playing a little kickball before heading out:
Mommy and Nana in great spirits after enjoying some delicious hot chocolate served with savory doughnut holes - mmm!
 Woo Hoo!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Grand View

Zander took Mommy & Daddy to Grand View Lodge last weekend to celebrate Daddy's recent 'big' birthday.  The lodge is located in Brainerd (Nisswa), MN, a little more than two hours northwest of where we live.  Here is Zander with the welcome pumpkin (reminder - this facial is Zander's typical response to "Say Cheese!")
Ready to enjoy a leisurely family weekend!
Zander loved the cabin we stayed in - in fact, this week he has continued to request, "I go cabin..."
Here Daddy is sitting on the front step - you can see how close the cabin was to Gull Lake - the view was beautiful and Zander had so much fun playing in the sand!  (Mommy forgot to pack a shovel, so he had to improvise a bit with a big spatula.)
Playing a little football:
In front of the Main Lodge:
Daddy enjoying the tail end of the sunset:
Zander checking out some of the pumpkins after a big carving event:
We had lots of fun playing basketball in the pool the next morning:
Zander picked out a pumpkin to take home at a nearby (tiny) pumpkin patch:
Then we took a big adventure to Fritz Loven Park, just a few miles from the lodge.  There Zander completed his very first hike - a full three kilometers!  We weren't sure how far he'd make it - he did great, and we only needed one snack break!
On the trail:
Taking a break by the babbling brook:
Yippee - one kilometer down!
Posing (yes, with his spatula):
There were a few obstacles on the trail, but Zander was up for the challenge:
A trail smooch!
Daddy almost took a really cool photo:
Snack time!
 Running:
Enjoying the bridge at the end of the hike:
Yay - we made it!  Yes, Pumpkin, you are Number One!
Enjoying our last night on the beach:
A few more pics before we headed home.  Zander, thanks for making our weekend so memorable!