Halloween fun

Halloween was a great day. After our fun activities and a nap (for the kids and Brad), we had an early dinner and then got into costume.

We set out to trick or treat around 6 o'clock. In Pennsylvania, you can only trick or treat during a certain two-hour window (6 to 8) on a certain day (usually not the 31st of October.) In Texas, there are no such rules. You can trick or treat on Halloween every year at whatever time you like. So we decided to start at 6 along with a few friends, but for quite a while it felt like we were the only ones.

The kids started out racing from house to house but couldn't keep up that pace for too long. There were lots of breaks to rest and play and look at candy (and for adults to refill their cups.)

The fun was nearly over by 8 and completely over by 9. But between the relatively late night and the time change, we're all a bit out of sorts today.

The kids in costume: Susanna is "vampire dog" and Ben is "Bat Vader"

My parents, who are in town visiting for a week, ready to pass out candy
Five-minute jack o' lantern #1
Five-minute jack o' lantern #2
The candy, most of which was left for the Halloween Fairy, who took it away and left a box of Lego.

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween everyone!

We are having a busy day getting ready. Ben played tee ball this morning, then we all went ice skating (because soccer was cancelled yet again.) Now the kids are resting so that they can party hard this evening.

We still have to carve pumpkins, but since we aren't planning any elaborate designs, we should have no trouble getting that done. Then it will be time to eat some healthy dinner and get into costumes.

Hope everyone has a great night!

Learning to skate

I decided to sign up the kids for ice skating lessons. We'd been thinking/talking about doing this for a while, but I was finally prompted to do it for two reasons: a) there is a brand new rink just a couple of miles from our house; and b) my friend signed up her boys, and I thought it would be fun to do an activity with them.

The first lesson was tonight. Susanna and Ben are in different classes, but the classes meet at the same time. (This was yet another motivating factor for me.) I made sure to leave early so we'd have extra time to get skates, etc., but still I wasn't quite prepared. When I signed up, the girl failed to mention that the little ones need helmets. Lucky for me my friend brought two, and her 6 year old was happy to lend his to Ben. I also forgot gloves, but there is a shop that sells them. (Yes Ben has pink ones. That was all they had.)

Susanna and Ben both did great. The little ones didn't get as much chance to skate (there was a bit of hanging out on a chair as you can see.) But I did see Ben standing and even moving independently. Susanna did very well and only fell twice. They both loved it and didn't want to leave. The price for the lessons includes a weekly open skating session, which means extra practice for all three of us!

Texas State Fair

On Sunday we went to the Texas State Fair. Being new to Texas, we were excited for this great cultural opportunity.

It was busy at the fair, but the fairgrounds are so huge that it wasn't too bad. We went with another family and Ben had a great time running around with his buddy. I think their favorite part was the auto show, where they climbed through many cars. They also got a chance to try rock climbing.

There were also a lot of agricultural exhibits. They had animal barns, a petting zoo, and a farming experience for little kids.
One of the biggest attactions at the fair is the deep-fried food. This photo shows Oprah heading toward the deep-fried butter stand. (She's in the brown cowboy hat and gold hoop earring.)
We didn't try the butter ourselves, but we got a peanut butter, jelly, and banana sandwich, and cookie dough, both deep-fried, from the same stand. We had to wait a while due to the crowds Oprah brought. That was the only deep-fried food we tried. It was good, but you only need a little bit.

Overall we had a good day and both kids fell asleep promptly upon getting back into the car. It worked out well that Monday was a school holiday - we all needed a day to rest!

Feeding time

On Saturday we took the kids to a pumpkin farm. There was a small collection of farm animals to see and feed, including several longhorns.

Both kids tried to feed the longhorns, but I don't think either of them actually got any food into the cows' mouths. The longhorns seemed mostly gentle, but you really have to watch out for the horns when they put their heads over the fence!

On 2 wheels

When the movers brought our things from England, Ben told them that they didn't need to put the training wheels back on his bike. (Of course, I don't think they were taken off before we moved, but the pedals were, so we had to switch.) He decided it was time to learn how to ride on two wheels.

It didn't take long for him to get the hang of it. Our neighborhood has sidewalks that are mostly flat and straight, with a some slight slopes mixed in, so its a good place to practice.

Not only has he gotten good at riding the two wheeler, he also moved up to Susanna's bike, which is a bit bigger than his. Which means Susanna will soon be getting a new bike, and we promised her she could get a girly one this time.

Americanization

Its now been more than two months since we left England, and we are starting to feel more settled in Texas.

While some people still hear an accent when my kids speak (even Ben, who to us hardly seemed to have one), Brad and I have noticed that Susanna's English accent is fading fast. I was sort of surprised it held on as long as it did (I was expecting full American within a week!) But six weeks of school seems to have [mostly] done the trick.

I've also noticed a change in her handwriting. She learned to write with little curves at the bottoms of the letters, which is to help with cursive writing when the time comes. But in her recent writing samples, all the letters go straight down and stop. This change surprises me much more than the accent change.

And Ben has taken to correcting me when I use an English word instead of an American one, just like he did after we moved to England, only opposite.

All just a few more signs that we really are here and not there. But Susanna still insists that she is an English girl!