Halloween

Cam's second Halloween was much more fun than the first. For one, Cam's dada was in town to celebrate with us, instead of at the Bowder's wedding in GB. In a funny twist of fate, Mr. Bowder himself was here for a visit this week.

This week Cam got some rare Auntie Amy time. Amy came over to carve pumpkins and roast pumpkin seeds with us (Cam seen enjoying said pumpkin seeds above). Lately, if I don't have a snack ready for Cam in the car on the way home from Dolma, she throws a royal fit - sometimes she throws the fit anyhow. Seeing as I only see my girl for about 2 1/2 hours a day, I try to make our time in the car bearable/special. For one, I play the song that Cam has come to call the "mama song" on my iPhone on repeat. The song is "Home" by Ed Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. It's gotten so that Cam now asks for me to sing it as her lullaby before bed too!

In this picture, it is hard to deny that Amy and Cam are related. Cam looks like she could be Amy's babe. Cam should be so lucky to turn out as strong, fun and charismatic as her Auntie! Cam was going to be a squirrel, but I couldn't even get her anywhere near the squirrel costume. I guess Joel was right - it was a little creepy and rodent-ish. We didn't have time to get her dressed up as Cindy Lauper - Joel's idea - and so our girl used Cousin Regan's hand-me-down costume of Micky Mouse, and was quite happy to wear the costume.

When Joel and I picked Cam up from Dolma, Tashi said to us, "I want to warn you that Cambria has eaten a lot of chocolate today!" See below our chocolate smeared mouse.

Our block had a block party. Some neighbors played live bluegrass, we had a potluck, the street was closed off so the kids could run in the street - it was grand. Cam even helped to pass out candy. She sat in my lap in the doorway to our home and said "Ween!" exuberantly to the millions who visited our home. We went through $60 of candy in no time. Our street is quite the attraction. Our home is not necessarily very dressed up or festive, but some of the other streets on the block go all-out. One of our neighbors this year shot out his candy from a cannon and dressed up his home as an evil pirate lair. Pretty crazy. Needless to say, the kids come in by the busload, and we can barely keep up. We always end up closing our doors before the kids peeter out.