Wes and Carissa both like sitting in baskets.

Carissa likes to drink from cups with straws. Or any cup that Wes is drinking from.

I have a hard time getting chores done with the kids around, mostly because the kids are always there and they want to “help” (code for: “interfere”). A while ago I bought a mini broom so they can “help” while I work.

Carissa has four pairs of shoes. And a pair of boots. And she’s only 14 months old. I wonder what kind of expectations I’m giving her for the rest of her life and her closet.

The thing is, she LOVES her shoes. She asks for them on whenever she sees them on the shoe shelf. Her favorite is the red sparkly pair.

Wesley has one pair of shoes. I think he is sad.

Wes trying on Dad’s hat.

Carissa in her new winter jacket. I know John said I could reuse Wesley’s old jackets, but this coat is PINK.

Wes would not keep on his hat, hood, or mittens.

If you’re not from around here you probably don’t know about the biggest Halloween tradition: trunk-or-treat. It’s an alternative to going door-to-door to homes of people you don’t know at night. Instead, people in a church congregation gather in the church parking lot and kids can go car-to-car to receive candy.

I decorated the trunk and set a bowl full of wrapped cookies so people could help themselves while John and I walked around with the kids.

This year Wes was a cowboy and Carissa was Little Red Riding Hood.

Wes was supposed to be the Big Bad Wolf, but that changed when I walked into a fabric store, felt overwhelmed, and walked right back out again. He is a cowboy courtesy of Walmart.

John carried Carissa while I walked with Wes. At first, Wes was a little slow following the crowd of kids, but after the third car or so he clearly understood that at each stop he could hold out his bucket and someone would give him candy. After that we went really fast! Wes is not really into candy (he likes M&M’s, period), but I think he liked accumulating a bucket full.

Carissa wasn’t into it so much, so John carried her around. I gave her a small basket, but maybe I shouldn’t have given her one at all because it was overflowing before we were even half-way through.

We have ample sugar in our house now.

Wes got a camera for his birthday this year from Grandma. It’s a Kidizoom brand–bright orange and highly indestructible.

Here are a few picks from his first set of pix.

Eating bread.

And yogurt, double-spoon style.

Wes reading scholarly stuff.

…or maybe it’s a comedy.

Carissa out front. I love her little polka-dot tights with the ruffly skirt. Dressing a girl is so fun.

But what to do with her ever-growing hair when she won’t keep a hair clip in?