Halloween Pics

Okay, so I've been a poor blogger, as it's almost halfway through November & I'm just getting our Halloween stuff up! Our Halloween was fun, especially since Chetan is finally old enough to kind of understand what's going on. Well, at least well enough to be excited about candy. Jack & I went as Popeye & Olive Oyl, and Chetan sported a little clown outfit. Here are our pics:

Jack & me at our ward's trunk-or-treat:

Family shot!

Popeye & the Clown getting ready:

A sucker in his mouth the whole day:

Trick-or-treating on Lake Shore Ave:

The 8 weeks are up!

For those who haven't been on the blog lately, a friend & I decided to do a "Lose 8 lbs. in 8 weeks" challenge. It officially ended last week, and I'm excited to report that I lost a total of 11.5 lbs! Woo hoo! I met & surpassed my secret goal of losing the last of my baby fat & I'm hovering in my college range weight. Yes! Also, both Jack & my friend lost 15 lbs. in the same time. I couldn't have done it without them!

The next 8 weeks are devoted to maintaining my current weight. I'm still counting my calories & keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to keep the weight off. Here goes...

Happy Days at Apple Hill

We made our annual trip to Apple Hill with Jack's family this past weekend, and had a blast! Here are some pictures of our fun:

Family Portrait

Jack's big pockets could fit pumpkins!

Peek-y-boo Chetan!

Luke pulling Addie & Chetan in the wagon

Jack with his scarecrow buddy

Chetan chewing on his milk shake straw

Drinking cider from the bottle

Cousins!

I love craigslist!!!

My deals of the week:

• Veggie Tales DVD for $4!
• 3T Clown Costume for Halloween, only $10!

It's not always a sure bet, and there are sometimes scam artists out there, but this past week I've totally scored!!!

Weight loss update

Still going strong for now: 7 lbs. lost in 5 weeks. Woo hoo! Jack's lost 11 lbs. in the same time. Men!

The secret: eating 500 less calories per day. It's supposed to work out to about 1 lb. lost per week. Check out this website to see how many calories you can eat & still lose 1 lb. per week!

http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calculators/calories-required/

Thathama

That's the Telegu word for Great-Grandma, as Chetan learned this summer while my Mom's mom was visiting us from India. She left last week, but not before winning over Chetan's heart. She doesn't speak English, and yet, Chetan always asked for her as he walked in the door at my parents' house, and still pretends to talk to her on our cell phones. We took a few pictures before she left, and I thought I'd post them here (he's dressed up in an Indian outfit for an Indian wedding that we attended):

My Grandmother, Chetan, and my Mom:

In my parent's backyard:

My Grandma & Chetan

2 years!!!

It's official--Chetan's 2! He was finally old enough to sing the birthday song (or at least bob his head and blurt out the words he knows) and enjoy all the festivities!

He loves the PBS kids show Curious George, so we made that the theme of his party. FYI, there are FREE themed printable invitations, games, etc. available here:

http://www.pbs.org/parents/curiousgeorge/activities/

Friday was spent with my family, where he became buried under a mound of presents. My family went overboard. He got books, legos, dinosaurs, a bubble train, a Caillou bath toy and the highlight--a tricycle. Since Friday, he's begged to take his "bicycle" wherever we go. For instance, he'll ride it into our elevator and down into the lobby while I get the mail. :)

Posing on his "bike"

Jack & I got him a little table and 2 chairs from Ikea. We originally intended him to use it draw and play on, but he's enjoyed rearranging his furniture just as much!

We invited Chetan's cousins to come celebrate his birthday on Saturday at Chuck E Cheese. He'd never been there before, but he loved it! He fell in love with skeet ball, which is where he wasted his entire stash of tokens. :) His skeet ball shooting skills, or the lack thereof, made it slightly hazardous to the people around us, with skeet balls flying everywhere!

This is the best pic I could get of him, as playing was more fun than posing for a picture!

All in all, I think he had a fun birthday and was royally spoiled! Here are some of the pictures I took during the prep work:

Licking the cake batter from the beater!

Chocolate batter face!

Curious George Cupcakes!

(Chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting, and royal icing candy inserts)

Making the Curious George candy inserts:

The Curious George cake:

(Sorry, blogger's not letting me turn it right side up!)

Enjoying the sweet treats!

Happy Birthday Chetan!!!