Halloween

It was a very unconventional Halloween. Being that we're living in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, trick-or-treating has been postponed to a later date. Many families are still without electricity... including us. We've been keeping busy during the day and spending our nights watching DVDs on the computer snuggled up in our jammies with the candles burning. Lollipop School reopened today, and Grace and Andrew were excited to show off their Izzy and Jake costumes. They had fun celebrating with their classmates, and after school, they were happy to spend time and enjoy some treats with their cousins Jameson, Genny, and Shane.

LuLu treated her little sweethearts to some Halloween inspired Dunkin' Donut treats.

I love Kate's Tinkerbell costume (especially the shoes, which jingle when she walks).

Happy Halloween! Nothing was going to stop these little cuties from getting decked out in full costume!

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy tore through our area this past Monday and Tuesday. It affected the entire NJ shoreline. It seems like almost everyone we know lost their power, and tons of trees came down. LuLu and Pop got hit hard! A tree went right through my parent's house. Thank God they are both okay! It took us over an hour to get from Ramsey to Park Ridge because of all of the debris everywhere! I'm just so thankful that our family and friends are safe!

The upstairs was crushed. The tree went right through LuLu and Pop's bedroom.

Side view... the front of the house wasn't visible.

Creative Carving

While Hurricane Sandy was tearing through our neighborhood, Hurricanes Grace, Andrew, and Katherine were tearing through our house! We watched Scooby Doo, read books, played, and colored. One of our favorite activities was creating our Jack O'Lanterns! Grace and Andrew cleaned them out and selected their designs. Grace chose a witch, and Andrew selected a bat (both had a lunar design). When the lights went out tonight, our Jack O'Lanterns kept our home bright. 

Spooky Skeletons

While Daddy was preparing for Hurricane Sandy at the grocery store, Mommy had fun cuddling with her spooky little skeletons. The winds were crazy today! It truly feels like Autumn. After Mass, we met the Zingarelli's at DePeiro's. The children had fun running through the hay maze, and we enjoyed some apple cider and donuts before we headed home to clear off our deck before the hurricane hits.

Tumbles Halloween Party

Robyn and Chris threw a SPOOKtacular Halloween party in their BOOtiful home last night! All the Mommies and Daddies enjoyed seeing each other, eating delicious treats, singing karaoke, and voting for our favorite costumes! It's too bad there wasn't a "Most Unoriginal" category, because I'm certain Dan and I would have won. We found our "costumes" in our basement closet. They didn't quite feel the same as the last time we wore them! It was such a fun night!

The Bloch's

Jen and I had fun singing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," and we ended our karaoke performance with a stunt.

The Darren's did a humorous rendition of Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

The Ellison's and Crescitelli's

A "Sweet & Sassy" Celebration

We had a "Sweet & Sassy" time celebrating Juliana's 5th birthday this morning. The girls had so much fun being pampered, and the Mommies had so much fun watching their "Magical Fairies" dance and walk down the runway! 

After selecting either a princess or fairy gown from the dress-up area, all of the girls had their nails painted.

Then each of the girls received sparkly face paint and up-do's (they even used glitter hair spray)!

After dancing along to "Call Me Maybe" and "Dynamite," each of our little sweethearts walked down the runway and received a "Magical Fairy Certificate," fairy wings, and a wand.

They all looked like beautiful fairy princesses!

Halloween Party

GOAL!

Look who unexpectedly had on the same outfit at playgroup this afternoon! Great minds think alike:-)

Boo at the Bronx Zoo

Boo at the Zoo was "spooktacular." It was a "boo-tiful" Autumn day, and the temperature was in the high 60's. We were happy to have Aunt Dana and Uncle Vito accompany us! We packed in as much sightseeing and as many activities that we could in a 5 hour timespan. Grace loved the giraffes, "Happy" the elephant, and the Butterfly Garden, which was "just like the one in Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly." Andrew loved the "Congo Gorilla Forest," lemurs in the Madagascar Exhibit, and Children's Zoo. Kate loved watching the Sea Lions and Dora & Diego 4-D Adventure. We had such a great time on the Bug Carousel and Wild Asia Monorail. It was a fun-filled day, and the Bronx Zoo was decorated nicely for Halloween. We enjoyed seeing many children in full costume, and we were amazed by the pumpkin carvers. Grace and Andrew checked out the Hay Maze, and sweetened their visit at the Treat Stations throughout the park. It was a memorable day! I love spending quality time with our little sweethearts!

The sea lions welcomed us with their very loud barks!

2 Little Monkeys

Lemurs

They had so much fun playing in the Children's Zoo.  Can you spot 3 of the cutest little prairie dogs and 1 pretty peacock?

They loved this slide! Mommy even had a go:-)

Fox Ears

The Bug Carousel was quite creepy:-)

Andrew informed us that "Butterflies stick out their tongues."

Prepping for the 4-D Experience!

Giraffes are Grace's favorite animals!

Team Colonna

Kate took a little siesta after watching Dora.

Andrew and his new buddy

Mongolian horses

While we were on the monorail, we passed the Bronx River, which was beautifully framed with Fall foliage.