Strawberry for a Day!

Morgan's Halloween started off with her painting her pumpkin.

Sometimes I have a

hard time picking

which pictures to post

so I just post them all.

Her handiwork! The pumpkin on the left is the one she decorated during our trip to San Francisco last weekend.

Next, Morgan put her costume on and we visited Dad at work.

Morgan loves going to Petsmart because she gets to see lots of doggies, kitties, fish, birds, etc. Love the below silly smile. Her face looks more like a baby's face here.

Smelling the flowers...

Maggie couldn't resist Morgan in her get up! Maggie dressed up too.

Morgan did everything in her costume because she wore it most of the day.

She played in her costume.

The below pictures are

a little blurry but,

very cute!

She ate in her costume. (Everything seems so much cuter when you're dressed like a strawberry.)

And finally we took our self portrait.

A couple of trick-or-treaters came to our door before we could make it out ourselves. Morgan watched them and then after they left, I asked her if she was ready to trick-or-treat. She grabbed her candy holder, put it on her arm and said "yes" while heading towards the front door. I didn't even know she knew what that candy holder was for and I really didn't think she had a clue what trick-or-treating was. We walked up to our neighbor's house and she knew exactly what to do.

Last year she wasn't walking yet so we didn't really trick-or-treat but she must have caught on more than I thought because she definitely knew what she was doing. She was frightened in the below picture because there were some scary costumes walking towards us.

The first thing she did when we got back to our house was reach in her bag and grab a piece of candy for me to open for her.

Her loot...

Trick-or-treating must be exhausting!

When we got home we passed out candy. I also didn't know what to expect with this activity but she again did great. She just stood at the door and watched all the kids come and go. I know she had fun tonight but I really had a blast too. I haven't been out amongst trick-or-treaters since I was in high school. It was great getting to walk the neighborhood with tons of people out and about. Watching the kids in all their costumes was fun and people really are creative with their house decorations!

Pumpkin Carving!

Daddy shows Morgan a pumpkin seed.

Morgan shows Mommy a pumpkin seed.

Maggie eats some pumpkin seeds.

Morgan surprisingly didn't mind putting her hand in and scooping out the goey stuff.

Whose idea was it to introduce Halloween candy to her? Can you see the desperation in her face?

Mmmmm....Smarties!

She found taunting the dog with her candy very entertaining.

The finished product.

Great Family Visit

Grandpa and Abi came to visit!

They were surprised at how quickly Morgan warmed up to them.

The five of us got to enjoy a fun Italian dinner together.

Morgan REALLY enjoyed dessert!

We really appreciated them coming out to visit! We had a great time and already can't wait to see them again!

Mother and Daughter Adventure!

Before heading home Sunday, I took Morgan to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. This whole experience was such a treat for both of us! Upon entering the first activity room she immediately got a huge smile on her face and started playing.

I don't normally get to watch Morgan interact with other children. Watching her that day made me very proud. Morgan was happy to play by herself yet she loved playing with other kids too. She'd be the first to comfort a child when they cried. I caught her a few times helping others. She even offered to share her goldfish crackers with the boy sitting next to her. I really was so proud of who she was. Watching her interact gave me some insight to her personality.

She kept pretending to sleep while laying on this soft cushion.

Loved the below activity! Wish they had this kind of stuff when I was little!

I was bummed because half of this place was outside but because it was raining we didn't get to enjoy it. We got to cross the Golden Gate Bride to get to the museum. The view of the bridge was great! That's okay though because I plan on going again so Daniel can experience everything with us!

I really contemplated making this trip for several reasons. I was worried the 3 to 4 hour trip there and back in just two days would be too much for Morgan. I was concerned that I would spend all this money and we'd end up having a horrible time. I was also nervous about navigating San Francisco with only Morgan, but I’m so glad I did. Revisiting that hospital was almost like closure for me and to do it with Morgan was priceless. The past two years have caused me to grow and become a happier and better person and I don’t regret any of it. I’d do it all over again if it meant being blessed with another amazing child like Morgan.