Trick or Treat!

Luke loved going trick-or-treating for the first time tonight. He was mostly excited about ringing our neighbors' doorbells, and having everyone ooh and ahh over his costume. Oh, and of course there was the house across the street, where the big draw for Luke was playing in the small landscaping stones around our neighbor's front step. The candy that was deposited into Luke's treat bag was completely overlooked until our giraffe found a house that was giving away Dum Dums (his favorite!). Luke immediately tore into the paper to open his lollipop, and Mark ended up carrying him home from there, as nothing could top that grand finale. After a fun-filled weekend of multiple parties and celebrations, we officially ended our Halloween festivities with a special treat, as Luke tasted his first (mini) candy bar after trick-or-treating. He loved it, so my days seem to be over of him not knowing/realizing how wonderful chocolate candy tastes. Here are some of my favorite trick-or-treating pictures:


Posing on our front porch.


Our adorable trick-or-treaters snuggle together!

Showing off the treasured lollipop!

Happy Halloween!

Ready for Halloween!

Recently, we began our Halloween celebrations by attending "Boo in the Zoo," a great program at our zoo where children go "trick or treating" at various stations and enjoy festive decorations. Luke's giraffe costume this year seemed fitting on several levels. Giraffes are among his favorite zoo animals, and similar to a giraffe, our long, tall boy towers over his peers. I think this will probably be the last year that I can choose Luke's costume with his willing cooperation & no resistance, and I enjoyed every minute of my adorable giraffe running around the zoo. Luke was more interested in seeing the zoo animals than trick or treating, but donned his costume happily and we had a fun evening. Mimi was visiting, and she was able to enjoy Boo in the Zoo with us:

The cutest giraffe I have ever seen...


Side view of Luke's costume...

...and the adorable rear view. Don't you love that tail?!

Mimi and Luke look at the monkeys.


Daddy and Luke spot another giraffe.

Unusual zoo animals.

"Hmm, can I climb that haystack?"

Trick or Treat!

I love my wide-eyed boys in this one.


Such a happy boy!



We continued with our Halloween preparations by carving Jack-O'-Lanterns last night. Luke took his job of choosing just the right pumpkin to decorate very seriously.


Mommy thought that putting stickers on Luke's pumpkin was a more appropriate activity for a 2 1/2 year old than carving, and Luke happily agreed, carefully placing the features on his pumpkin's face(s).


Daddy and Grandpa challenged each other to a Jack-O'-Lantern carving contest, with Luke as the referee.


However, Luke decided that helping Grandpa scoop out the seeds was much more fun, and the now our finished Jack-O'-Lanterns cheerfully adorn our front steps, awaiting trick-or-treaters on Sunday night!

Annual Fall Fashion Post

One rainy day last week, Luke decided that he wanted to go outside to play in the backyard. He insisted on dressing himself: "I need a raincoat and boots, Mommy", but refused to replace his pajama bottoms with pants, which made quite an outfit. Luke happily practiced shooting baskets for quite some time while Mommy took pictures, which I think shows serious dedication and promise to a career in either athletics or modeling. Here's a photo sequence capturing our little fashion plate showing off the latest in athletic attire for Fall 2010:


Luke perfects his shooting form and stance with the help of Coach Winnie.


The release... (The crowd holds their breath, and admires the "uniform".)


Two points!! (My opinion is that the victory face completes the outfit.)


Moving on to more professional attire, we present Luke Winterhoff modeling the newest trends in Executive Men's Wear this season:

Here our model shows off the latest in what he calls "work shoes", as he tries on the dress shoes that Daddy wears to GE.


Notice the careful attention to detail here, including the watch, laptop, and leg crossing. This pantless look takes "Business Casual" to a whole new level.


And finally, tips for the guy seeking a more relaxed look for the weekend, when the social calendar fills up with birthday parties, and you need to be comfortable yet stylish. Every boy's gotta have something to wear that is appropriate for giant inflatables and ball pits, right?

You can never go wrong with an untucked Polo and a semi-popped collar, paired with khakis.



If you're unsure about your outfit, just climb the tallest bouncy structure/mountain in sight. The girls will swoon, and no one will care what you are wearing.



Lastly, make sure you surround yourself with good friends and fun, and remember that you're never fully dressed without your smile!

WFU Homecoming

We had a fantastic time at Wake Forest this weekend for my 10-year Homecoming celebration. It was our last trip before Sprout arrives, as I am not permitted to travel any longer (due to risk of pre-term labor), and it was such a beautiful fall weekend and a lot of fun. Luke looked forward to our trip all week long, telling Mark and me that he was going to "play football with Demon Deacon...", "dance with Demon Deacon...", and best of all, "Demon Deacon sleep with me?" I was worried that we may not be able to track down and obtain one-on-one time with Luke's beloved mascot, but we lucked out and found him on campus on Saturday morning. Luke, with football in hand, ran up to the Deac, tossed him the ball, and we spent several minutes giving high fives, hugs, and profusely thanking Demon Deacon for being one of our son's favorite things (and first words that he ever spoke!).



Luke was so excited to stay in a hotel, which he called our "small hotel", based on his current favorite children's book, Big Dog, Little Dog (featuring Fred and Ted, as you parents may recall). The big draw to the hotel was pushing the elevator buttons, which I realize we can do in the mall without the $100+/night charge, but it was worth it! Luke also learned how to use "Room Service" at the hotel (he saw me ordering take-out on the phone recently, and now pretends to call for bagels frequently). Here's a video of our refined (pantless) traveler:

Click here to see how room service should be ordered.

Another highlight of the weekend was the Festival on the Quad, which included many activities for children. Luke, in an attempt to impress the WFU athletic director, dabbled in all of the sports offered, and showed off his superb athletic skills (no doubt inherited from Daddy vs. Mommy). Along with the below photos, we've included a video of Luke trying out for the Wake Forest baseball team:

Click here to watch the future of WFU athletics.

Future quarterback?


Becoming a golfer would make Grandpa and Poppy so proud.


Daddy helps Luke refine his batting technique.


The quad provided a nice open space to practice those soccer skills.


There's always high jump for our future track and field star.


And best of all was spending time with our good friends and as a family at our alma mater. My college roommates, the BBs, now proudly boast 4 BB baby boys (or BBBBs), and it is really neat to watch my friends become parents and have the kids play together:



Luke was entranced by the marching band (led by the Demon Deacon, of course), as they made their way through Tailgate Town and into the stadium before the Homecoming football game. Even now that we are home, Luke hums the fight song, and walks around the house, shouting "Go Deacs!" every now and then. The poor child doesn't have a chance to go to another university since he has been brainwashed by his parents since birth!

Click here to watch the marching band video.


And finally, here are the rest of our pictures from the weekend, also found under our Winterhoff Family Photo Albums link:

Go Deacs!

In hopes of showing Wake Forest how to improve their disappointing football performance this season, Luke would like to give the Demon Deacons some tips:


DO: Remember that in FOOTBALL, the quarterback uses a tight spiral to pass the ball to his teammates...

...and DON'T be tempted to throw it like a FUTBOL, European-style.



DO: Have your hands together, ready to catch the ball...


...but DON'T close your eyes when the ball is thrown your way.



DO: Practice your victory dance so you can celebrate in style...


...but DON'T get so distracted by fame and the camera that you miss the ball and it flies over your head.



And most importantly, remember that although being adorable may not put any points on the scoreboard, it goes a long way with your adoring fans!

Pumpkin Patch

We spent a beautiful fall morning with Luke's play group at the pumpkin patch yesterday. The kids ran around, played on the outdoor toys, checked out the apples and pumpkins, and took a hayride ("on the farmer's tractor", Luke told me). It's still quite a challenge to have any/all of the children look at the camera and smile for pictures, but the Mommies did our best to take some photos of our cuties:


My sweet little pumpkin...

The kids thought it was fun to hide and climb in the boxes of giant pumpkins.

Luke and Thomas searched for the perfect pumpkins.


Posing with the scarecrows. This cheesy expression is too much!


Mommy and Luke on the hayride. He looks like such a big boy to me in this one!

Luke tried to impress Brooke with his arcade game skills on their pizza lunch date after the pumpkin patch. At one point, Luke picked up a heavy object and said, "Brooke, I am very, very strong!" What a man!