Boo!

Happy Halloween!

you may be surprised to hear that even though we had a Halloween costume (a gift from emma's generous godmommy) waiting and ready for miss emma, we did not dress her up this year for Halloween because: (1) she is only 16 months old and can't walk yet; (2) her bedtime is 7:00 pm - the witching hour in most towns; (3) she's sick again and on antibiotics and needs her sleep; and (4) she is just learning to chew and swallow, so candy isn't really an option anyway. and, we both had work to do this evening.

but, never fear.  our little apple cheeks mcgillicutty still enjoyed herself this past weekend.

on saturday, we took advantage of our home town's many (oftentimes, free) opportunities for kiddos. from mid-October through mid-November, the embassies of the European Union are hosting the Kids Euro Festival 2011. This month-long performing arts extravaganza (see here for more info) is hosted by the various embassies of the 27 European Union member states and brings to D.C. a bevy of wonderful performing artists for free-to-the-public, kid-friendly performances around town.

this past weekend, the French Embassy hosted a day-long event especially for special needs kids. it was designed to ensure that they had full access to the festivities, while avoiding the typically large crowds.

it was wonderful.

emma ate and danced and watched a puppet show. witness her happiness as we participated in a zumba dancing class (emma wasn't in to standing up, so we danced while sitting):

 

 

some of the kiddos came dressed in their Halloween costumes, which emma got a kick out of (unfortunately, we didn't think to bring hers). and, she met a new friend - a 16-month-old adorable boy with Down syndrome.

so, while we didn't manage to do the Halloween thing this year (we will next year, i promise godmommy), we did have a blast enjoying one of the area's many Fall festivities.

how about you? what did you do with your little one this past weekend? any fun Fall or Halloween-related events in your hometown?

 

friday fun stuff

hi everyone! applecheeks is officially back from an October-long hiatus. 

as many of you know, little emma has been sick for most of the fall so far.

but, we've managed to squeeze in some fun times that i thought you might like to see.  several weeks ago, in between emma's infections, matt and i took our little apple cheeks mcgillicutty on a whirlwind tour of the area's two larger, more trafficked family farms:  Butler's Orchard and Homestead Farms. 

they both have their own special charms. we visited Butler's Orchard intentionally. we only landed upon Homestead Farms by (happy) accident while we were driving around Potomac, Maryland one lovely, sunny, October Sunday several weeks ago.

both were a big hit with emma because they offered a magical combination of games, farm animals (think sheep and goats and cows and pigs and chickens and ducks, oh my!), hay rides, and pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere. 

Butler's Orchard had ponies though, which made our day there all-the-more special because emma had never ridden a pony before. and, although she didn't seem to love it quite as much as we'd hoped, we had a blast taking our little angel on a pony ride.

in fact, i think we may have had more fun than emma doing just about everything that weekend. it was just such a joy to be outside on two of the prettiest days of the year, celebrating Fall and its bounty with the light of our lives. 

it was one of the best weekends i have ever had and has made the rest of the month, which has been challenging for emma medically, more easily endured.

here are some fun photos of our farm festivities for your friday enjoyment.

happy friday everyone! apple cheeks will be back and running full steam on monday.

until then,
apple cheeks' mama.