Happy Halloween!

What a beautiful fall day for trick-or-treating! Jocelyn dressed as a bear. We were hopeful she would go for a costume with a headpiece (she hates hats) and we talked her into it by telling her she was dressing up as "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" from one of her favorite books to read at night.

Ian dressed as a pumpkin and was tolerant of his headpiece too...

...for a while anyway, until he decided he preferred Pepere's hat.

While our house is being torn down we are renting in a neighborhood where they had a Halloween parade, in which all the kids in the neighborhood marched down the street together before trick-or-treating started. Before the parade everyone got together for a group shot that was pretty darn cute.

Jocelyn wasn't too sure what she was supposed to do once the marching started and pretty quickly was bringing up the rear.

Of course, that didn't stop her from hamming it up for the camera...

...while Ian was just hanging out, soaking up the scene.

Jocelyn also discovered that she loves playing with all the leaves on the ground (last year at this time she wasn't quite mobile yet). She was a ball of fire, running on to lawns while we should have been marching in the parade with everyone else.

And here she is heading home after a long hard day of playing, marching and collecting treats. :)

Childrens Museum

Julie's sister Jenn and nephew Zachary came up for a visit last weekend, so we took them to the Children's Museum. It has recently become one of our favorite places to hang out. Julie and I decided to get a membership a couple of months ago - it is some of the best money we ever spent. It pays for itself within just a couple of visits, you can visit during members-only hours to beat the crowds, and the kids just love the exhibits. We highly recommend it for anyone with young children.

Jocelyn loves the climbing ramps near the museum entrance. They alone are worth the price of admission. Even if it means that I need to play sherpa because she is a bit small to be in there by herself!

Zachary was able to get a bit further on the ramps - all the way to the top I think, with Pepere hot on his tail to make sure all was well...

It's a little difficult to make a graceful exit, as we both learned!

Ian isn't yet able to full take advantage of the interactivity of a lot of the exhibits, but is fascinated by the bubble chamber. I think he would hang out there for hours if we let him.

He did, however, take full advantage of the opportunity to hang out with Grammy and Auntie Jenn and I think loved all the extra attention.

Overall it was a great way to let the kids have fun while we all caught up. Good times had by all.

Extreme home makeover

So we have finally begun the project we waited almost two years to start: the tearing down of the present structure at 74 Oak Street and construction of a new house. We are going from the 1200 square foot, 4 bedroom, 1 (tiny) bath Cape you see here...

...to the Craftsman style home you see here. Just one more bedroom, but 2-1/2 more baths, and a lot more space for a growing family.

We are very excited. We love the location. It is right across the street from the elementary school Jocelyn and Ian will attend, with a beautiful park and playing fields, and within easy walking distance to the shops at Linden Square in Wellesley. We also feel we have a great lot with ample space for play and entertaining.

We hope to be able to post regular updates on our progress. If all goes well, we should be able to move in early next summer!