Boo At the Zoo

Mia, fearful of becoming too waterlogged, took a break from her role as Ariel and dressed as a ballerina for her trip to Boo at the Zoo. We spent some quality time with Uncle Brian, Aunt Chris, Cole & and Avery, as well as Grammy and Papi who are in town to join us for some trick-or-treating. After all that fun, Teagan, Mia & Otter (who did not join, but is able to channel others' exhaustion quite effortlessly) were pretty tired:

Bundled Up

Later in the day, it was all sunshine and hot temperatures, but when David and Teagan took a walk this morning, we had to pull out the winter hats:


After it warmed up, Teagan tossed the hat, but kept the smile:

Halloween High Five

Today was the fifth year we celebrated Halloween with the playgroup. We had an Astronaut (Riley), a Slinky Dog from Toy Story (Dash), Tinkerbell (Tessa), Ariel (Lily), Luau Princess (Kiana), Ariel (Mia), Sister Pirate (Cora), Brother Pirate (Liam), Monkey (Oliver), and Crab (Teagan):


Teagan, very focused on the camera and trying hard not to live up to her crabby costume:


Ariel, apparently going to a masquerade ball, and her sidekick, Crabby:

How Big Is Mia? Soooo Big!

From this, to this, to this!

Clap Happy

Having conquered the wave, Teagan has moved on to clapping, and boy is she thrilled about it:

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night ...

Well, looking for the positive in this outfit, one can see that at least Mia is prepared to handle pretty much every kind of weather Mother Nature can throw at her.

Boo-tiful

Grandma sent this festive number in the mail. It is far preferable to the scary chicken she sent a few years ago. Turns out that babies aren't so into animatronic poultry dressed like the devil that run after you whilst doing the chicken dance.

In other grandparent news, we're happy to report that Grammy and Papi will be joining us for the neighborhood trick-or-treating again. Mia has a few costumes in the works for them -- come at your own risk!

She Sees You

Teagan has been having lots of fun with peekaboo lately. Here she is playing at dinner tonight, much to the laughing delight of her big sister:

Sunny Sunday Trio

Taking advantage of some wonderful San Francisco weather, Mia and two of her playgroup buddies caught up over some bbq and ice cream.

Her Own Spin On Soccer

Having complied with her soccer team's required shin guards, Mia took some creative license with the rest of the "uniform":

Munching and Making Noise

Teagan is enjoying her finger foods:




And did anybody ever think we'd be introducing Mia, our quiet daughter?:



And in our literacy report, Mia continues to read up a storm. She is now enjoying books billed as reading intended for second graders and tonight even made it through half of a book labeled for ages 6-9 (she gets a bit tired after all that work!). Her Spanish teacher apparently tracked down her teacher, excitedly wondering if he was aware Mia was reading -- she had given her a book in Spanish about animals and was shocked when she started reading the words (in Spanish). We're pretty shocked, too!

Encore

Teagan is always ready for another helping of Music Together.

Sister Storytime

Once upon a time, there were two sisters who enjoyed sharing bedtime stories together...



...until one little sister realized that big sister's book might be a tad more interesting.
But they lived happily ever after. Promise.

The Long Road to Halloween 2011

This weekend marked the unofficial kickoff to Halloween 2011, with Mia dressing up in her Little Mermaid costume pretty much the entire weekend. On Saturday, she even embraced the long (scratchy) wig to great effect at the Discovery Museum's Goblin Jamboree, where small children mistook her for the real thing, coming up to her for hugs and photos. Today she scaled down a bit (natural hair) for a trip to Disney On Ice with her buddy, Dailey. The clash of two worlds -- thousands of preschooler princesses and thousands of black & silver Raiders fans walking side by side -- only added to the spooky atmosphere.

Out and About

A certain grandmother thinks we keep Little Miss Teagan at home 24/7. Here is our rebuttal evidence:

Just Saying No...

... or at least just shaking no:

Lounging Around

Teagan and her tremendously squeezable legs love hanging with Christian and Otter.

Pumpkin Patch Kids

Yesterday was the annual field trip to the pumpkin patch. This time around, we trekked to Petaluma to a "real" patch where the pumpkins were attached to vines. In addition to picking their favorite gourds, the kids got the chance to milk Betsy, the cow, dig for potatoes, try some farm-made ice cream, go on a hay ride, and pose from some silly pictures. A lunch trip to a playground also gave Mia a chance to try out her new solo swinging skills. A fuzzy caterpillar made an appearance, too, but remained at her home on the farm.

Ready For Her Close Up

Today is picture day at school and Mia was all too pleased to pick out a new dress -- and "fancy fragile headband" -- for the occasion. She has declared her new frock perfect for twirling and suitable for the castle she lives in, a (fictional) castle you may recall exists in China. A castle which, you should know, contains many fragile things (except a fluffy piggy bank), including a fragile bed made of ice and all of her jewels. And so long as I'm recounting some of the gems from the mind of Mia, I note for the record that she has deemed one of the closets in her room her "party closet." It contains her fancy dresses and costumes, which apparently hang at the ready, prepared for any last minute ball.