We've been trying to enjoy the season, despite being busy. We took Willow to the zoo for a trick-or-treat event. We decided not to wait in ridiculously long lines for candy we didn't need, but we did enjoy the animals and the many cute costumes. We saw an ostrich that was trying to eat the fence, and giraffes, which Willow really liked. Willow took a few rides on the carousel and a train ride. We had a great time. We let Willow decorate the face on her first pumpkin, and then we went to Oregon to go trick-or-treating. We enjoyed visiting with Karen, Bob, and Kyle, as well as going around the neighborhood. Willow was adorable, of course, and extremely polite. She said "Trick or Treat" to most of the people and "Thank you" as well. It's always satisfying to see your daughter learn polite behavior.
Life is passing so fast, it's hard to believe. This month we watched the Badgers barely beat Minnesota, lose to Ohio, lose horribly to Iowa, and then make an amazing comeback with the shutout game against Purdue. Willow can now identify football and tells us the Badgers are red and white. We were able to watch the Homecoming game at Rocky's, which we don't do too often. At the beginning of the month, we took Willow to the Children's Museum; it is an amazing place, but Willow is so shy around other people and the place was packed with lots of loud and rambunctious kids. We had a great time picking apples at a local apple orchard; there were these really cool carved troll figures, it was nice weather, and we let Willow pick a little pumpkin. Mandy participated with a mock interview and taught her own lesson to four high school classes. In a few months, she will be done with her last classes, for awhile anyway. Willow has become a regular chatterbox, at least with us and in familiar territory. She is still pretty shy around strangers. Early in the month, Willow was able to tell us she was two and count to three; now she can count to five, and still learning. She is constantly amazing us with new knowledge she has picked up. Willow has become just a bit bossy with Mom and Dad, but she's also pretty polite for a little girl. She is currently showing us all the W's she can find; she has learned the letters O and W so far. We took her to the Madison Zoo for Trick-or-Treat at the Zoo and actually trick-or-treating in Oregon on Halloween. On the 29th, Willow's latest cousin was born, Amadeus Liam.
