Halloween Trick or Treating

This year we went to my cousins house again for the annual Halloween party and the trick or treating. It's always a late night packed with loads of fun and I couldn't wait. It was an unusually warm day, but pleasant for everyone when it cam to the evening activities. Here I am getting ready for the trick-or-treat run.

From The Rankin Family

I was a big time runner, track star almost, as we dashed from house to house. The only problem was, I kept forgetting to stop to go to the house! Good thing there were people there to remind me, or I probably would have missed out on all of the candy! I kept looking for my cousin Will, but he's even faster than I am and I just couldn't keep up.

From The Rankin Family

Mom and dad both came with me this year along with my cousin Chanie and her cousin Keely. I looked a little misplaced among the princesses, but I didn't notice.

From The Rankin Family

It was a great night and I came home with a small bag full of "hot-chocolate time" for my after dinner treats.

Pumpkin Carving 2008

Oh no, not again!

From The Rankin Family

I ran from it, I cringed at it, and then I said "No thank you." Yes, similar to the year before, I had no desire to get messy or participate in the carving of the family pumpkin. In fact, I wouldn't even get close enough this year to feel that it was messy. Dad did the messy part and mom carved the face. It was exciting though that I got to pick the design. It's a pretty good resemblance I think.

From The Rankin Family

Baby Rankin - 28 Weeks

Hi everyone! We had another Dr.'s appointment today to check on Baby Rankin and to see how mom's placenta previa is doing. We are happy to report that the placenta is moving! We aren't in the clear yet (it still needs to move at least 1.3 cm) but the Dr. seems to think that our chances are good for a normal delivery. We'll check again in 4 weeks to see if there has been any further progress. Praise be to God for that wonderful news. We also saw that baby is keeping up on his/her growth, measuring exactly to date and weighing in currently at about 2.6 pounds. Baby Rankin also has some visible hair on their head already!

From The Rankin Family

From The Rankin Family

We want to thank you all for lifting up our family in your prayers. Please keep praying that the placenta would move and mom can carry this baby to term without any complication.

Boo at the Zoo

What a cool idea our Kansas City Zoo has. They do "Boo at the Zoo" where we can go trick or treating and see some of the animals get a few teats of their own. This year was the first time I've gone and boy did I fit in. My favorite animal lately has been...

From The Rankin Family

Yep, you guessed it, a giraffe. And that's what I am for Halloween. I let mom know that my neck isn't quite long enough to be anything more than a baby giraffe. And of course, I also said that I prefer candy over leaves.

I also got a chance to ride my friend the giraffe on the carousel. I thought we made a really good pair. He sure was nice to me. Much better than my friend the live sumatran tiger who was eyeing me up like dinner. Hmmm, could it be because I was in costume?

From The Rankin Family

From The Rankin Family

Mom and I had a good time at the zoo together and then it was off to the pumpkin patch with my dad. Here we got to ride on the train, feed some animals, go one a hay ride, and pick out a pumpkin. But the best thing of all was my big surprise for sleeping in my big girl bed over the weekend, I got to ride a pony! I've been waiting for a whole year since there's an age limit usually, but not here. It was definitely the highlight of my whole week!

From The Rankin Family

Halloween Baking

Mom has started the holiday baking. No, not Christmas, but Halloween. We had a cold spell here and some rainy weather and I've been making pretend recipes for dough so she made some homemade cookie dough, my favorite! We made some Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns complete with orange sugar decorations.

I love rolling the dough. Mom's been letting me help everyday in the kitchen. But this was a real treat, I got to bake with dad. We had so much fun!

From The Rankin Family

And of course, though I love the finish product, I'm just like mom, I really like eating this cookie dough unbaked. For some odd reason, I really like plain flour too. So, I had my fair share of both, in my mouth and on my shirt!

From The Rankin Family

Here's our finished product. These pumpkins sure are a lot friendly then some of the ones I've seen lately.

From The Rankin Family

Faulkner's Pumpkin Farm

Today my play group went to Faulkner's Pumpkin Farm for there special play group time. There were lots of things to play on, a special scarecrow story time, a hay ride, and a pick you own pumpkin at the end. Mom and I had such a good time! Mom also can't believe that these next couple months are the end of the "free activities," a perk of still being just 2 years old. I'm excited to turn three though, a pony ride is in my future at that age as well as that new baby "that's going to come out of mommy's tummy and right into my lap on January 19th". (This is what I tell everyone who asks if I'm going to be a big sister.)

From The Rankin Family

From The Rankin Family

"Check it out, I'm 3 feet tall!"

Some of my favorite activities outside right now are seeing horses and swinging. I was so excited to see barrel rocking horses to play on and horsey swings as well! I spent quite a bit of my playtime on these two items alone! Yee-Haw!!

From The Rankin Family

From The Rankin Family

Here's mom and me on the "red hay wagon with blue tractor." Here lately baby and I have been competing for lap space. Baby pushes out from the inside and I push back from the outside. Mom's been a pretty good sport sharing her lap with the two of us. I love feeling baby so I always make sure I get right in front.

From The Rankin Family

The corn maze was a bigger hit than mom thought it would be for me. I loved running around and trying to find my friends. (Luckily, it was kid-friendly and mom could see above all of the corn stalks.) I got lost a few times, definitely made my own path a few times, and loved finding and being found by my friends.

From The Rankin Family

The highlight of the whole trip though was going out into the pumpkin patch. I got to pick out me very own pumpkin to take home with me. I walked around for quite awhile before finding a perfectly orange, perfectly round, only slightly dirty pumpkin. I checked under all the vines, tested the weight, and then decided I needed to carry it "all by myself" to the car. It was heavy than I thought and mom carried it half-way for me.

From The Rankin Family

From The Rankin Family

From The Rankin Family

I can't wait to go back with dad and pick the pumpkin's we are going to carve this year! Plus, I know I'll get cider and donuts too on that trip.