Trick or Treating!

The kids are ready to head to the parade!

Mel was very excited to get the evening's festivities going

Mel is standing on the side of the road yelling "I'M A CARE BEAR!!!!!"  and also pointing out people who were driving too fast

Joey's ready for some parade action!

Come on, Mom, let's go!

I love this picture because Mel is so excited to go get the candy from the firemen she actually wasn't worried about Mom & Dad.  While this might be concerning for some, it shows she can finally leave our side :)  She has Grace in the orange hat running beside her

Joey made sure all the dogs knew he was boss

After a lot of costume drama, Melanie decided to be a Care Bear like Ellie.  While the costume was too small, it solved our problem, and she had a great time!

Someday, Joe is going to love the attention from Melanie and her friends (Ellie, Aya, Gracie)

Wasn't shy at all about going up and getting treats!

She claims she always said "Thank You."

Joey really enjoyed the cheese balls Mel scored at one house.  He's covered in them.

After the parade and trick-or-treating, the real fun came when Mel got to hand out treats to the rest of "her friends."  She was only scared by one set of costumes.

Halloween Party - without the camera

The pictures aren't great, but Melanie and I went to a great Halloween party at Aya's house.  Mel, for whatever reason, decided to NOT dress up; but at least I got her in her pumpkin shirt.  It took her a little while to warm up so she could play by herself/with her friends without me.  She would jump in the bouncy house, watch movies, go back and forth between the two - but she wanted me to stay in eyesight the whole time.  But, by the time Grace got there, she was on her own and had a great time!

Pizza time w/ Grace & Aya!

Watching a movie

Cake Time!

Pumpkin Path

Getting ready to head out on the "Pumpkin Path" - redesigned from the "Prayer Path" at ZPC

They're pretty excited for Trick-or-Treat, Round One

He's not really sure what to make of the whole situation - but he was a great sport!

Just strolling through the woods...

Mel in her classic "Joey, give me a hug!" pose

Finally showing Aunt Julie some love.  He's just lately been stopping and offering his hand up for some guidance.

They were having a very serious conversation in the parking lot.  And then there was a fight.

Sick Days in the Worzala House

It all started two weeks ago, with the previously-reported stomach bug.  Joey had it on Saturday, Mel and i got it on Sunday and missed work/school on Monday.  Jeff ended up with it on Wednesday (missed a half-day of work).  Then, Joey got double pinkeye and stayed home with Jeff one day.  Then Melanie woke up with a crusty eye, we treated it and sent her to school, where she rubbed it, told the teachers she had pinkeye, and got sent home (where we thought she looked fine, and the doctor said, over the phone, that it sounded like a cold symptom).  We thought Joey had an ear infection, so I combined his well-visit check with an ear check.  We all four have been coughing a lot.  Molly had bronchitis.  Over the weekend, Jeff's eye swelled up, and he's been treating it as if it's pinkeye. As of 10/31, I officially had had enough of the coughing, so took myself to the doctor, assuming I'd be dismissed with a "take some cough drops and call me in the morning."  However, I was just exhausted - despite having it several weeks, it only seemed to be getting worse, and I felt the worst today than I had yet, despite two straight days of 9+ hour sleep.  Well, the doctor did some listening, and said I have bronchitis, bordering on pneumonia (as in, if I wouldn't have treated it now, it would have turned into pneumonia).  Now I'm on a Z-pac and an inhaler, and hoping it gets better quickly.  As I was at the doctor, I got a text from my mom saying she just got out of the doctor and she has pinkeye....Jeff went to the doc; his cough is fine, but she renewed the pinkeye meds....

  Despite all of that, I had a fun girls' weekend; Friday night to Cooper's Hawk Winery with Lida, Angie and Amanda, Saturday to brunch & shopping at Chica Boutiqua, and on to see Amanda deliver a message about her battle with breast cancer at a fundraiser at Villagio restaurant in Zionsville.  Peppered in with Halloween festivities, it was a good weekend, I just am not feeling rested after the weekend!

Random Pictures

Mel and Joe making pancakes for dinner

This was the night they went through both their Happy Meals, nearly two turkey sausages, ice cream, and who knows what else.  By the end of the night they were both saying "My belly hurts."

Joey's just excited to be outside in October!

Joey lately has been gravitating not only to his one and only "binky bear," but also to any blankie that is fuzzy.  Sometimes this hinders his walking; but it makes him happy.   He's even been known to latch onto the corner of the rug, and try to carry it around.

Happy kiddos

Joey's kissy-face.  Not sure what that Mel face is.

Happy 18 Month Birthday, Joseph Pierce!

Joey got in for his 18-month well-visit check ON his 18-month birthday, because we (Jeff) suspected he had an ear infection.  He didn't, but he checked out very nicely!  He seems to be hitting all of his milestones (running, following directions, climbing, using a crayon, throwing and kicking a ball, imitating every thing his sister does....)

Joey HATES the word "no."  Well, really, who likes it??  But if there is anything to be done to redirect the kid, rather than saying "no," it is usually beneficial to everyone involved.

The doctor and I had discussed evaluating Joey's speech at his 18-month appointment.  Had the appointment been two weeks earlier, I still would have expressed frustration at how little he is actually saying.  However, in the couple of weeks leading up to the appointment, he gathered enough words to relax my worry.  And, since literally everything else the doctor asked about, he is doing, I've decided to be patient (not my best virtue).  When he asked if Joey knows body parts (ie, ear, nose, etc) - I had to admit I haven't even worked with him on those!  So, I put Melanie in charge of teaching him.  So far, "nose" to him means "Joey picks his nose" - we should start with another part, apparently.

He is still generally taking two long naps on weekend days, while he gets by with just one nap at daycare.  His bedtime is about 7:30pm, and he generally sleeps through the night.  One of the reasons we (Jeff) suspected he might have an ear infection was due to his spotty cries during the night.  He's getting a lot of teeth in the back, so that is likely the cause for his discomfort.

He's slowly graduating into 18-month clothes; he's in size four diapers, size six shoes, and is doing his best to do every single thing his sister does.  He eats approximately a carton of Nutri-Grain bars every week, but likes most all food.  When he's done eating, or is not satisfied with his meal, he will simply throw it on the floor.  Lovely.

In honor of breast cancer awareness month, his Gigi's triumph over breast cancer, and our friend Amanda who, in the month of October wrapped up her chemo and celebrated her birthday, Joey wore pink to daycare on their "pink" day.  I love this picture of him because of that.

Joey's 18-month stats
Weight - 22lbs, 15 oz (33%)
Height - 33.5 inches (85%!)

Fun With Grandma & Poppaw W

After we each went to our respective pumpkin patches the week before Halloween, we convened back at Randy & Cory's for some kid crafts and dinner.  As you can see, the kids really enjoy their time with their grandparents - and are looking forward to their move next summer!  Melanie is already talking about all the overnights she will have with them!

Stoney Creek Pumpkins

There was a lot of barking at doggies going on

Melanie displayed a longer-than-normal attention span while creating her necklace made of sand

Proudly showing off her new necklace made of sand

The kids being monsters

Mel loved this pumpkin tree

Reeling in the big one

I'll take this one!

Enjoying some post-pumpkin-patch ice cream!

We spent a gorgeous Saturday afternoon at Stoney Creek Farms.  We were clearly not the only people with this idea, since the place was PACKED.   They had a ton of stuff for kids - from pony rides to a bouncy house, hay stacks to jump in, I could go on and on.  The kids had a great time, despite the fact we didn't even ride the wagon out to the actual pumpkin patch.  The lines were just too long!  It was a fun family day!

80s and Sunny - In October??

What a GORGEOUS weekend!!  80s and sunny all weekend!  We tried to be outside as much as possible. That is, until the stomach bug took us all - all but Jeff - down.

 Friday night, as we were pulling the kids to the park in the wagon, a dog came out barking.  Joey immediately started barking back!  This was the first time we've heard him 'bark,' so it was hilarious.  It's his often-prompted new trick now.

Look at all of those legs!

Attempts to get a good group picture for Grandma & Poppaw didn't turn out as well as hoped......

Saturday, we spent the morning with Ali at Lion's Park getting our pictures taken.  Joey had been sick at least three times Saturday morning - including in the car on the way to the park.  He was a trooper, though, and, while he wasn't his typical "do anything" dude, he was good for the pictures.  Ali did another great job with difficult subjects!  After the pictures, Jeff and Melanie headed to their annual IU Health North pumpkin patch trip.  This was the bribe for Melanie behaving at pictures :)  Joey and I headed home, to try to sleep off his sickness.  After Charlie's soccer game, Randy and the kids came over, and we all enjoyed the backyard sunshine!

Sunday after church, Molly and Gigi came over to play for a while, and then it was a perfectly-timed afternoon nap for both the kids (and Mommy, of course!)  All of this wouldn't be as reportable if it didn't lead up to the next item on the agenda - the bug that Joey seemed to be over hit both Melanie and me simultaneously about 5:30pm.    A fun evening was had by all; by bedtime, Joey was back to his fully-giggly, happy self, while Melanie and I decided to sleep in the same bed so she could make sure to get to the bathroom any time she needed it.   We were both over it by morning time, but opted to stay home (against Melanie's protests) to rest up from a long night.  Rest we did, cuddling, napping, and otherwise lazing around.  About 4pm we finally headed to the park to get some fresh air; we were still both pretty weak, and it wasn't until dinner time that Melanie got her energy back.  It wasn't until Tuesday that I did!