Halloween Dress Rehearsal etc.

 Last weekend, we took advantage of a beautiful fall day and a visit from Meme and Pa by spending the afternoon at Gibb's Gardens.  

 We enjoyed all the fall color and the photo ops, plus Avery made a new friend and Pa went home with two new trees!

We've spent most of our month getting ready for Halloween, a holiday I've loved ever since celebrating it as an "adult" on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.  Avery has been especially excited about Halloween this year and, after much indecisiveness, decided to dress as Scooby Doo.    Obviously this was my Halloween dream come true, so I couldn't resist joining in on the fun!   We had an opportunity to show off our costumes at Canton's Great Pumpkin Festival Saturday afternoon.   Avery got lots of attention as Scooby Doo and can't wait to wear her costume again on the 31st to trick-or-treat!   Happy Halloween!

 

American Idol

Avery had a blast making videos this afternoon to showcase her singing and songwriting skills.  Listen closely for my favorite lyrics about Daddy going hunting and having white cheese for breakfast.   What a goof!   

It's Fall Ya'll!

In celebration of October, my most favorite month of the year, we put some fall fun on our weekend agenda and hit Yahoo Farms.   After picking out pumpkins,  Avery enjoyed a pony ride and the bouncy house, but for another year, wanted nothing to do with the hayride.   I have no idea what she has against hay!

As for me, I liked seeing how much she'd grown since last year.   Check out this link:  Fall 2011

To keep with the fall theme, we decided to make some Halloween cut-out cookies, too.   I'm getting better at this cut-out cookie process and this time, about half of the bats, witches, and pumpkins turned out.  Avery had just as much fun decorating the blobs as she did the shapes.   As you can see, she's really only in it for the sprinkles application!

I can't wait for next weekend for more fall fun!

Bribes

Here are some recent examples of how I use bribes in my parenting "repertoire."   In these situations, I offered up rewards to encourage Avery to eat healthy foods and dress appropriately for the weather.   Am I proud?   No.   Did Avery try asparagus, broccoli, tomato, apples, and guacamole in order to earn enough stickers on her rewards chart to earn a prize?   Yes.   Did I spend $30 at the Disney store on a sweatshirt swathed with princesses to prompt Avery to ditch her summer dresses and dress warmly for fall?   Guilty as charged.   Bribes aren't all bad, and Avery does look pretty darn cute in that sweatshirt!