Princess Tea

We were excited to hear that Gram and Pa's favorite spot in Salem, The Hawthorne Hotel puts on an annual event for little Princesses (and Princes) in their gorgeous banquet hall!  Grammy treated Gwen, Nathan and me to a lovely afternoon of dress up, dancing, and lunch.  Gwen and Nathan were announced into the hall when we arrived and we were brought to our table by one of the "Hawthorne Princesses".  Gwen seemed a bit overwhelmed at first but she had what I call a quiet excitement.  She was in awe of the big Princesses and she followed her Princess around for a good portion of the time, holding her hand and swaying slowly to the music while staring up at her in wonder with a shy smile never leaving her face.  Of course, with about 20 minutes left she became completely comfortable and was "that girl" running around the dance floor and twirling like it was her job.  I wish I could've bottled that day, it was such a special one for all of us.

we loved sharing the day with our friend Emerson :)

Happy Halloween!

This year we've spent pretty much all of our October weekends at my parents' place in Salem.  It's always a lot of fun because the town gets really into it and Halloween ends up being a month long celebration.  There's always something fun to do!

Annie Annie and Amber came to visit the weekend before Halloween and we had so much fun with them!  Gwen was especially excited to see them and I'm so glad that she gets to see her Vegas Aunt as often as she does.

Gwen has had a pretty long-lasting obsession with the movie Monsters, Inc.  So we decided that she and Nathan would dress as Sulley and Mike from the movie.  I was half expecting her to lose interest in the movie by this point and no longer be into wearing the costume, but any time anyone asked her who she was going to be for Halloween, she was excited to tell them and she ended up wearing the costume VERY proudly!  She got to wear her Sulley costume on 2 different days, and each time she stepped into it she shrieked with excitement!  I'm pretty sure if I don't hide it on her, she'll ask to wear it out on any given day.

Halloween fell on a Thursday and it was a little rainy this year, but that didn't dampen the party!  Both sets of Grandparents and Justin's brother's family were all with us.  We walked around town for a bit in the rain and by the time trick-or-treating started, it had cleared up.  We all had a blast, and Gwen and Nathan's costumes were a total hit!

 

Halloween

At my NY Baby Shower, one of my favorite gifts was this giraffe costume from Annie Annie.  At the time it seemed MASSIVE, like it was never going to fit the baby in a million years.  But that was the smallest size they had.  Well, fast-forward 21 months and, what do you know, I guess we made it a million years, because here she is wearing the costume on her 2nd Halloween!

We stayed in Salem for almost a week to take advantage of all the festivities, not to mention Hurricane Sandy.  We were lucky to have not been majorly affected by the "super-storm", but unfortunately, many on the east coast were.  By the actual day of Halloween, the rain and winds had subsided and we were able to take our little giraffe out to fill her pumpkin.  Her favorite thing about trick-or-treating? Coming back home to dump out her treats and *smell* each piece as she lays them all out around her on the ground.  I haven't mentioned this yet, but the girl smells everything she can get her hands on.  People joke and compare her to Robert Barone when he touches food to his chin before he eats each bite.  She's that way about smelling.  But she's so passionate about it - she breathes in so deeply, lifting her shoulders and expanding her chest, and then holding it like she's analyzing every scent.

Anyway, here are some pics :)

Gram & Pa - Spaghetti & Meatball Dinner, and Waiter!

getting ready for the trick or treaters!

2010 Baby Shower gift from Annie Annie

my little giraffe

I realize now that I looked ridiculous.  But can we talk about Gwen smelling those M&Ms??? 

a family of serious faces, I swear we had such a fun time! lol

at the end of the night, sorting her candy (after smelling each one)

First Halloween

It was a Halloween of many firsts!

• The most obvious was that Gwen was here to share it with us, and she just makes everything more fun.
• It was the much anticipated first Halloween at mom and dad's condo in Salem, MA.  Anyone who knows that town, knows that it is the number one place to be on Halloween.
• It was the first Halloween weekend that the K family was all together in who knows how many years! maybe 13?
• There was uhhhhh SNOW(!).  But thankfully, we didn't lose power like many homes in the area did.
• Gwen finally cut her first tooth - it's her bottom middle.  I haven't even tried to get a pic because it's hard enough to see in person.  

baby got quack 

and on this farm we had a duck.  EIEIO

of course we needed more than one costume!

with Annie Annie

group shot! Thanks Amber for taking the pictures!

...and the first trick or treat!