Birthdays, Halloween, and More Birthdays!

Quite the weekend here in Westerville, Ohio. The end of October/beginning of November is always a crazy time. Halloween, of course, plus tons of birthdays to celebrate. And I do love birthdays. My house was filled with family, laughter, crazy screaming running children, cake & presents on Friday night. It was a wonderful night. To say that Lila was excited to see her Mimi & Papa, Auntie & cousin Dylan is a MASSIVE understatement. There were times when I was sure her head was just going to spin right off out of sheer happiness. The birthday party was a success, and I think that Mimi liked her bird-themed presents:

Saturday we braved the cold, wet weather and headed to Boo at the Zoo. Lila, snug and warm in her lion costume, seemed to be the only one completely oblivious to the inclement weather. While the Halloween-themed aspect of the outing was a bit of a disappointment, the kiddos had fun, and so I marked it as a success. Pictures to come. I, of course, forgot my camera.

And finally, Halloween! Ya Ya & Grandpa came over for the big event. I think that, unlike last year, Lila understood (to some degree) what was happening. So, her excitement was infectious...not to mention she was able to wear her lion costume for the millionth time. Seriously, we've gotten our money's worth out of this costume - the fabric has actually begun to pill! Here is our little lion:

We didn't hit many houses, but we had a great time. Lila would become suddenly shy when approaching each house, but would warm up quickly once the candy transaction began. If I didn't love this neighborhood already, I do now. Our neighbors are gracious and friendly. One house was even handing out coffee, cider, hot chocolate & baked goods to the adults!

Happy Birthday to Mimi, Em, Heidi, Susie, and my Kevin. And Happy November! The autumn has been absolutely gorgeous...I'm actually looking forward to the winter with Lila. Last year she was a bit too small to really play in the snow. We had a lot of "Christmas Story" incidents where she would fall over in her snowsuit and be completely helpless...like a flipped over beetle. But this year! I see snowmen, snow angels, and snowball fights in my future! Hooray!

In closing, GO PHILLIES!