Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! It's rainy here today and I'm at work so Dan hasn't decided if he will try to take Kip out for trick-or-treating this afternoon (it happens after school here instead of at night). But here is another picture from Saturday that I didn't share.

Mandy found us t-shirts so she went as Bo Peep, I was Jesse, and Dan was Buzz. The photo doesn't show the full costumes but we're working with a two-year-old here who is not a fan of photography. He is shoving his face with candy in this photo which is the sole reason we got the shot.

And one more of the cutest Woody around. Yeehaw!

Hope you have a festive day and get lots of Reese's peanut butter cups because those are the best!

See our past years family costumes here:
2018 - Goldilocks and the Three Bears
2017 - NYC theme: tourist, MetroCard, and cream cheese bagel

Weekending it

We have been so incredibly blessed with such good weather the majority of summer and fall. All the rainy days have come during the week or on Sundays, leaving most Saturdays filled with sunshine and that is truly wonderful! This week we were worried as the forecast said rain on Saturday and we had plans to go to Governors Island for the last time this season and take Kip to the trick-or-treating event like we did last year.

Fortunately, the weather changed and Saturday was warm and sunny! Mandy stayed over on Friday and we all got dressed-up and took the ferry to Governors!

Star of the day is Sheriff Woody!!!

Kip looked SOOOOO cute in his outfit. Grandma Johnson handmade his shirt and vest (it's a memory box keeper for sure) and Mandy got him the hat and boots. He was loving the outfit just as much as everyone else who saw him.

We had a picnic and then ran around.

Checked-out the carved pumpkins.

And then off to the pumpkin patch!

Kip had very specific plans to move all these little pumpkins and shortly after a group of older tourists were swarming him like paparazzi and taking their pictures with him. They didn't even really ask us they just started snapping away and eventually squatting down next to him for selfies. Kip was sort of oblivious to all of it and we just kind of stood there and laughed at the whole situation.

The tourists moved on and we continued to explore the area.

Eventually it was time to trick-or-treat and Kip caught the hang of it pretty quick and would climb the stairs and hold his bag open. Then he would climb down the steps and say "next one." He didn't ever say trick-or-treat but he noticed other kids sticking things in their mouths and eventually tried to do that so we unwrapped a piece and let him try a sucker for the first time. He loved it and soon started saying "candy, candy, candy" over and over.

It was pretty crowded and he was so small it became difficult to get him up and down the steps safely so we left the area with only a small amount of candy. The event was much more well attended than it was last year, likely due to the nice weather.

We rented a surry bike, went down the slides, shared some Popsicles, and then headed back to Brooklyn. It was a great tradition and we're all glad the weather made it work.

Sunday it poured rain nearly all day but that was okay because we had church inside and all our Sunday chores. Kip went to Sunday School for the full class no problems and I got to hear the sermon all the way through for the first time in at least a year. It was really nice and I'm glad Kip enjoys his class.

You've Got a Friend

Kip is a very social kid despite his lack of social speech at this age. Every single time we go to the park or church, he seeks out other kids and wants to be around them. This is very different than I was as a kid. Mandy and I were painfully shy and we would NEVER approach a kid we didn't already know (even struggled approaching people we did know). I still don't feel comfortable introducing myself to new people. So watching Kip run right up to other kids is sort of a wonder to me. He is so effortlessly brave.

Kip typically brings some matchbox cars to the park and uses them to trade with other kids to either get them to play with him or to play with something they have that he wants. He is pretty good at sharing in this sense so long as the kid sticks by him and plays next to him. He seems to just like the company, they don't necessarily play anything together. I'm curious to see how this evolves the more he learns to talk and if he will be one of those kids organizing games with everyone or the one other kids are irritated by because he wants to butt-in. In either case, I'll be the mom terrified he'll be rejected. But I'm trying not to let my own insecurities and fears bleed into him and let him just be himself and help him navigate any outcome. At least he puts himself out there.

This is just a collection of photos from his many park friendships from this summer. We don't know any of these other kids.

This is the little boy that taught Kip the art of the trade. Bring a toy to share and other kids will play with you!

Face of a kid rejected by the big kids.

What does a parent do if a child is far more confident than they are?!?