Elmo, Princesses and Pumpkins

October was a BIG month for Julia. I've noted before how she is my little helper, but she is just starting to understand some of what we're doing. It is becoming more than just doing what Daddy does. For instance, she knows what a pumpkin is and what a jack-o-lantern is.

































So like every other house in America, we too need to spend money on pumpkins to make sure that their life doesn't end in vein, rotting in a field, but rather are wasted properly as jack-o-lanterns. This year we even saved the seeds to roast them...but I kinda messed that up. Courtney found a good recipe for them and I left them in a bit too long and the delicious recipe tasted only like burnt.

Now a couple weeks prior to this, Julia and I on a father/daughter excursion, drove all the way to Bivalve to get these pumpkins. They were grown by kids in our Westside Summer Camp and I wouldn't buy my pumpkins anywhere else. Jules picked out each and every one of them and got one for mommy, daddy, Julia and Mia. She never forgets Mia!














So now came the day to carve. As you can see, Courtney and I got all dolled up for the event. Good thing that we're not in too many of these photos. Julia jumped right in. She was pulling out seeds, telling me where to cut the eyes and nose and loving every minute of it! For me, this was really the first "holiday" related activity that she's gotten into to the point where I had immeasurable fun watching her.

Earlier in the month, we went to see Sesame Street Live...Elmo's Healthy Heroes! I thought the girl's head was going to spin. The show was later than her typical bedtime, but she was so good! She was totally captivated and was basically vibrating with excitement. I have discovered that "vibrating" is a true description of what a child does when they are really excited. I LOVE when she does it!














Julia is getting pretty independent. She likes to try to dress herself. The other day, I came into the living room where I left her with her pajamas. She was still wearing her clothes from that day. From the kitchen I heard her yell, "Daddy! I did it all by myself!" I ran into the living room to see Julia now wearing her pajamas over her clothes! Here's a shot of Julia playing dress up with some princess clothes!










She is after all...my Princess!!!

-Andy