IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY (AKA WHAT THE WOG'S FATHER WORE TO WORK TODAY)

SOMETHING WOGGED THIS WAY COMES...

We headed out over the weekend to take The Wog's (and now The Doodle's!) annual Halloween picture. The poor Wog was genuinely confounded when The Doodle did not immediately transform into a prince with the pointing of her wand and an emphatic, "Bippity Boppity Boo!" Despite repeatedly lamenting, "It not working! It not working!", she maintained her spritely spirit throughout.

CHOO CHOO BOO!

We went on the local scenic railroad's "pumpkin express" this weekend--which included a trip to the pumpkin patch, a treat, and a stop-off at the local cider mill. The Wog and The Doodle were among the rare few who donned costumes as encouraged. In case there was any doubt about what The Wog would be this Halloween, she is a fairy princess. And The Doodle is, conveniently, a frog prince. Here is just a little foreshadowing of their Halloween getups. Actual pictures will post (when else?) on Halloween.

Plotting some spritely antics:


Wide-eyed Doodle:


Ruling is hard work!


Catching flies (with sugar), of course:

HAY IS FOR....

The Wog has a tendency to "hey" at people so we've been working on more polite ways of attention-getting. We like to tell her that "hay is for horses." I didn't really think she was getting what we meant until this afternoon on the ride home from school when she knowingly declared, "Hay is for people. Excuse me is for horses."

WHAT IS ON THE WOG'S MIND AT HALLOWEEN (AND ALL THE TIME)

A volunteer firefighter delivered a presentation on fire safety at The Wog's preschool today. Because many children get frightened and run away from firefighters during fires in their homes, he wore his full uniform to familiarize them with the look while instructing about 911 calls, the importance of smoke alarms, and the concept of "stop, drop and roll," etc. At the conclusion of his talk, the teacher asked if the kids had any questions or concerns for "Firefighter Pete." The Wog immediately raised her hand and when called upon happily declared, "I'm a fairy princess!"

THE DOODLE AND NOTHING BUT THE DOODLE

The Wog commands a lot of attention around these parts, but every once in a while it's all about The Doodle.

Loved:


With Minnie and Mommy:


Even when we manage to keep two socks on The Doodle, they don't match:


He's such a snuggler:


Just being his Doodle-y little self:






(And why is it that a baby wearing a hat is cute, but a baby wearing a hat with little animal ears on it takes "cute" to a whole new meaning?)

ANNUAL PANCAKE PILGRIMAGE

We made our annual pilgrimage to Polly's Pancake Parlor this past weekend, and the leaves were just right for the beautiful scenic drive.

The Wog enjoyed her pancakes, and a ride on Trot Trot:



Note to self for our next visit: While the folks at Polly's Pancake Parlor are very nice, they do not seem to care when you tell them that they are in the company of a namesake of their founder.

SNUG AS A WOG (AND A DOODLE) IN A RUG

Don't they all look so comfortable?

QUALITY MOMMY-DOODLE TIME

The Doodle is one sweet little dude.

GOODBYE AND THANK YOU, MINNIE & POP-POP!

Below are our traditional farewell portraits with Minnie and Pop-Pop. (With each new child, it seems, the chances of getting a picture with every person looking good decrease factorially...)

SNOW WOG AND THE NON-POISON APPLE(CAKE)

The Wog and her father picked apples from our tree which Minnie, The Wog and I baked into muffins for her school birthday celebration. I don't imagine many apples are picked in such styling attire.

PATIENCE, YOUNG DOODLEHOPPER

Kung Fu Doodle:

THE WOG PAINTS A PUMPKIN

The Wog's preschool hosted a pumpkin decorating social over the weekend. Glitter = a happy Wog.






The Doodle was there too but, alas, did no painting of his own.

THE WOG FIGHTS FOR HER RIGHT TO PARTY!

The Wog vastly enjoyed her birthday celebration. This is truly the first year she "got it," and she reveled in every single minute of being the birthday girl. In the middle of her party she asked if her birthday could be over; I asked why and she responded, "So I can have it again."

The theme was "Princesses and Pirates":


Minnie festooned every inch of our house with elaborate pink and purple crepe paper bows:



The spread:



We realized pretty quickly that the sweets needed to be moved out of the reach of the hands of our petite princesses and scalliwags. (Note the half-eaten cupcake in the foreground.)

The likely culprit:


Much like Beyonce at the VMAs, The Wog had several changes of clothes throughout the party. She began the festivities wearing her tutu and sparkly shoes, but looked dismayed when her friends began arriving in adorable princesswear. Minnie saved the day with a Barbie nightgown she'd been saving to give to The Wog later. But during the present-opening, The Wog received a full-on Princess costume from her friend Jett. She stripped down right then and there!
Outfit #1:

Outfit #2:

Examining Outfit #3:

Stripped down and ready for Outfit #3:

Outfit #3:


The Royal Court:




How many Princesses and Pirates does it take to open a present?







The Doodle observes:


Pirates napping mid-party:



Partying:





The Princess and The Queen:


The Pirate and the Captain:


In awe of her cake and candles:




A tired Princess rallies to play with her new castle:




A happy birthday girl: