Piper's Second Halloween

There's a Kentucky Fried Chicken Christmas commercial on in the background as I type this.
What?!
I know Christmas is only a month and a half (okay, less than that) away, but come on now...
we just finished Halloween!!

Okay, even Halloween was already almost two weeks ago!
I don't know how it's possible that we'll be eating turkey in close to two weeks.  I mean, seriously, I feel like time is just racing.

It needs to slow down.

Speaking of slowing down...
This little girl - not a chance.
 But, she has a way of getting me to stop, slow down and breathe in some of the most amazing moments and minutes...even seconds. 

The week of Halloween was a good one - filled with sweet memories and lots of sweet treats!

Monday

Huggin' her festive mural made by her Aunt J

We headed to one of our favorite little parks, where Piper tested out every swing 421 times.

She picked leaves and handed each one to me.  With every"Mama!  Mama!" I'd add another to my collection.

#pippyvid

Buildin' towers is serious business!

#pippyvid

Twinkie's face is priceless.

Part of Piper's costume in the works, during nap time, while I watched my beloved LMN movies.

Dee Dee brought over some early Halloween treats.  

Piper snooted at the clothes.

"Where's the candy, Deeds?"

If you read in the last post, the first Elmo pumpkin that Dee Dee painted for Pips

got stolen. 

Deeds surprised Pips with an extra big, beautiful Elmo "punkin!"

Piper stopped her snootin' when she got a look at him, and then went on to try and eat every single one of the packing puffs from the box Elmo was in.

Elmo is still kickin' and hanging out in the kitchen.  He's not going anywhere until he starts stinkin'!

Tuesday

More treats from Deeds.

Piper says - "It must be Christmas morning!"

GiGi and I went to music time at the library, where Piper put on quite the show.

She did more than just shake those shakers.  She rolled around on the floor, giggling, eating her shoes (and losing her headband).  

Oh, and can't forget, flirting with Dylan!

Check out that hairdo!!  GiGi and I were laughing so hard we couldn't breathe.

Piper walked up to the front of the class, all dizzily, like she had too many pumpkin martinis for breakfast, sportin' her new 'do and smirking at everyone.

#shesamaniac

Afterwards, a gorgeous summer-like day at a gorgeous park with GiGi, Dylan and Betsy.

I think I was just as thrilled as Pips!

Once Piper laid eyes on the slide, that was that.

This was probably right before slide number 4 (and the 8,323rd step).

There's Geeg at the bottom, waiting for us.

Going down that slide was exhilarating!  

Each time we reached the end, Piper would shout "Again!"

And again and again, we went!

#pippyvid

WAHOOO!

Pips discovered a table in the shade.  And that table was covered with mulch - Score!!

Mulch pants are so in style this season!

Pics from Daddy always make me smile.

I got this text from Dee Dee that night, letting me know that there was another treat for Piper at our door...

Hilarious.

Last October, Dee Dee watched Piper while Steve and I were on a dinner date.  Steve and I got these pictures sent to us that night.  Poor Pippy Parton was too young to fight off that wig, those tennis balls (and that crazy Dee Dee).  

I can't take her expressions.  

The next morning.  And those treats.

Wednesday

I love her "Ohhh" face!

"Hmm, socks...great!  Are they edible?!"

I wish she could wear this sweatshirt all year 'round.  

I'm thinking it's perfect for her pictures with the Easter Bunny next year!

We had such a fun afternoon painting pottery with Kelly and Karina.

Piper even tasted the paint, gave her booster seat a makeover, and herself, a pretty paint goatee!

Picasso Pippy on the loose!

I don't think they liked their treats!

Chillin' 

Six feet, a remote, a toy and a crayon

This went on and on and on.  She loves having her booster seat on the floor, so she can play with her baby dolls.

#pippyvid

In honor of National Cat Day...Twinkie and Piper - her first week of life

$3.88 Walmart turtleneck that I chopped up - Before

Part of Princess Pippy's (I mean, Anna's) costume for Halloween

note - hot glue guns are not my friends...neither are scissors.

Nachos and Breaking Bad binge-watching with Steve until way too late

Thursday

That Dee Dee...

#pippyvid

Lunch with NiNi

Fun at NiNi's.  She loves Woof-Woof, Gibby

#pippyvid

Piper talked about our day with NiNi and Gibby until she went to bed.  In fact, when I put her to bed, she said "NiNi, Woof Woof, ball!"

oink, oink, oink, Cheese!

A trip to Target with Mama and Dee Dee

Elmo is Piper's newest love.

Santa Dee Dee knows it!

In honor of last Halloween - Merpippy

Halloween morning with Good Witch Mooncheekins was a happy one!

I know I was more excited than she was.  She totally didn't know all that was in store for her.

Good Witch Mama Moonchie

Kim and Nellie KiKi and Nay Nay were coming over, so we make some cupcakes!

"Okay, let's see, Mama never reads the directions...I better take the reigns here!"

This was the gift from Dee Dee that Pips snooted at earlier in the week.
Only appropriate that I get a "Snoot of the Day" in it.
I'm gonna store this with the sweatshirt...she's gonna have to wear it again!

Mama Pips feedin' baby goat, Nay Nay

Love these girls

After Kim and Nellie left, Piper went down for a nice long nap.

I laid out her costume on the couch, smiled, and even got a little teary.  I couldn't wait to see it on her.  I'd tried each piece on her separately, but had yet to see the full ensemble together.

When the monitor went off and I heard "Mamamamama" I ran upstairs, scooped Pips up, got her some milk, let her relax for a bit, and then...it was time to get Princess PiperAnna ready.  We didn't have much time until Daddy got home (and until trick-or-treaters started knocking).  And, we didn't have any candy to give out, so Mama was on a mission to get Princess P together fast.

As I put each piece on Piper, I giggled more and more.  The hat and braids (that I ordered on Etsy, along with the cape) had me laughing out loud. And then the boots that Steve so kindly ran out for the night before, because we discovered the boots we had were too small...

Well, the new ones were too small, too.

It wasn't until I took Piper in the back of the house to snap some pictures, that I realized the boots weren't gonna work.  She could barely walk.

But Mean Mama made sure to snap a few before a slight wardrobe change.

Miss Princess PiperAnna

My heart was exploding.

 

Pissy Princess

"Get these boots off me, MAMA, before I whip you with my braids!"

Ahhh, that's better. 

Comfortable tootsies, and an awesome expression.

Pippy endured quite the post-nap workout, transforming into Princess PiperAnna!  So you better bet when it was "Take 2" for photos, after her shoe-change, that I broke up half a  Kit Kat and tucked the pieces in my bra strap for her.

Enjoying her Kit Kat and checkin' out a Woof Woof close by

#canttakeit

She loved holding onto her braids. 

I told Steve to let me know when he was just minutes from home.

So when he called, Piper and I stood at the end of the driveway to wait for him.

We saw the SUV at the top of the hill, and seconds later, his face saying "Ohmygoodness" over and over again.  She ran to him, shouting "DaDa" when he parked. 

Yes, of course, I kinda cried.

First stop - Dee Dee's.  We had to pick her up fast.  It was minutes before the trick-or-treating was going to begin, and she was candy-free, too!


PiperAnna's first snoot of the night!

"TEE TEE, Dee Dee!"

Next stop - Aunt Lorrie and Uncle David's

Piper picked out one of everything, had an appetizer of half a Little Debbie oatmeal cream pie, and hung out at the candy/cookie dish for half the night.

She greeted Aunt Lorrie with one of her baby dolls.


NiNi was there waiting for her.

Love the face, Pips!

"Hold on, I don't think I got one of these chocolate thingies!"

Aunt Lorrie surprised Pippy with some sweet ice cream money.

Next stop - sweet Sharon and Fran's (Aunt J's mom and dad)

Piper got lots of hugs and candy.
She got to meet a talking tweet-tweet.

And she got to help sweet Sharon pass out candy, skirt-less! (Pips had a not so sweet treat for us :))

  She loved seeing who was making all those knock-knocks at the door!

Next stop - Aunt J and Uncle Ed's

Look at her grin!  She knows somethin' good is about to happen!

Aunt J had the sweetest baskets of goodies for Princess P...stickers, candy, her favorite "hop hop" treats, beautiful outfits...I kept on saying all night, "Is it Christmas or Halloween?"

"Hmm, and what do we have here?!  Enough candy for an army of trick-or-treaters...all for me?!"

"Abby"

She mastered building Reese's towers (and unwrapping and eating 492 of them).

I love this picture.  Piper's face and legs crack me up!

Last stop - GiGi's

Christmas or Halloween? :)
An Elmo chair, a potty training Elmo for the future, Christmas books...
Piper actually skipped the candy, and went right to the washer and dryer- she needed to wash her chocolate-stained cape.

A feast was waiting for us, as we all sat down and ate a very late and awesome dinner.

note - Steve ate 399 pounds of bologna

Kisses for Santa GiGi, a spooky feast, crossed piggies and a happy Pippy

#pippyvid

Tradition of dancing to the tunes of Mr. Singing Lizard/Iguana Man

Fun with Lesia

#pippyvid

One of her favorite gifts from Geeg, was a purse full of Sesame Street characters

And then, one more stop to drop off Dee Dee.

It was only almost midnight, so we went in for a cup of coffee more treats.

Piper had to do a few dishes before she opened her gifts.

A Sesame Street Christmas DVD (that Steve and I love just as much as Piper) and
a sleepy-time Elmo, that is now one of Piper's favorite crib cuddlebuddies.


This is how she greeted me the morning after Halloween.

And this is the morning of Christmas November 1st.

I know Halloween isn't supposed to be a big warm and fuzzy holiday, but I look back on it and feel so grateful and blessed.  Making a cheap box of festive cupcakes with my daughter, watching her Daddy, Dee Dee, GiGi, aunts, friends and family, light up when they see her...watching Piper concentrate so hard as her tiny fingers unwrap a Reese's peanut butter cup...
all of those moments, and the people in them, mean so much to me.


They make me look forward to the upcoming months and holidays
 with our Princess P.

So I'll say goodbye to this year's black and orange, 

and get ready to soon prepare for lots of red and green.

Still, we'll always remember Pippy's sweet second Halloween.

(Like my corny poem?  Totally unintentional! )

Wishing everyone a very happy Wednesday!

Halloween Lovin',