Halloween- Part 2

Pay Dirt! We hit the mother load! We have never before collected so much candy while trick-or-treating. It was quite an adventure this year as it was our first time actually trick-or-treating in our own neighborhood. As more and more houses get built it is fun to meet with new neighbors and they loved seeing the kids in their costumes. There were a couple of scary moments for Maddi as two of the houses had adults wearing "monster" costumes and she was completely horrified. After that, she would ask me at each stop if we were at a monster house. I would reassure her each time that we weren't but she still would not go up to the house for her treat until she saw them come to the door not wearing a costume. The kids are waiting for tomorrow when they get to divy up their candy and start "trading" with each other for the pieces they really want. All in all, the kids had a great time and it looks like we won't run out of candy until Christmas. Maybe Santa can borrow some from us for stocking stuffers.....

Pumpkin Carving

So it was the night before Halloween and we finally decided that it was time to get our pumpkins carved. Lars and Maddi decided they wanted to paint theirs (of course!-anything to make an even bigger mess!) but Drew held out for the more traditional route of scooping out guts and carving up a face. Well, Drew is not a fan of really gross stuff and so the goopy feeling of the pumpkin "inards" if you will, was just about enough to throw him over the edge, or at least almost make his dinner come up. His eyes started watering and it took him a few handfuls of goop before he was moderately ok with it. The pumpkins turned out great and with Peanuts-The Great Pumpkin playing on TV in the background it was a great finish to an "All Hallows Eve"!

Red Sox Win

A shout out to all my optometry buddies and New England friends...Red Sox Rule!! Need I say more?

Happy Halloween-Part 1

So, we hosted the 1st annual Dempster Drive Halloween party at our house last night and it seemed to be a big hit. Since our basement isn't finished, the kids were able to be crazy and do pinatas, bob for apples (or "apple diving") as one kid put it, and just be loud and and crazy. It also gave the kids one more excuse to wear their overly priced costumes so as a parent I can feel a little better about the money I paid for it in the first place. That being said, my dear husband Jamie wanted me to make it very clear in the invitations that adults were not required to wear costumes, mostly because he was NOT wearing one. Later in the evening one of the kids' wigs was laying around so the guys were trying it on and I was able to get Jamie to pose for a picture. I must say, a pretty woman Jamie is not, but if anyone is missing a lead singer in their washed up '80's band, I've got a real looker for them!

Bumps and Bruises

I picked up Lars from preschool last week and found him on the playground with a big shiner on his right eye. The pitfalls of playing tag at the end of a long day. He didn't seem too upset about it by the time I got there and when we were leaving he insisted on stopping in the bathroom to "see it!" He took one look and said, "Cool." and walked away. So, my heart is feeling sad for my little boy that I wasn't there to protect and he is actually kind of proud! Boys. I must say, this guy has had his share of ups and downs as he took several other falls this summer after he learned to ride with no training wheels. There were many instances where I had to run and find my child laying in pools of blood (yes, pools) due to whacked chins (chins bleed forever!) and scraped knees, but none were quite as bloody as the one from this photo attached that gave him the fat lip. I suspect this won't be the last of the fat lip/black eye type of photos, but it still makes your heart stop everytime I hear one of my kids cry out because they got hurt. I also suspect that, as a mother, I will feel that way for the rest of my life no matter the source of their pain.

Frogger

Ok, so frogs aren't really my thing, but they seem to be my kids' thing. A favorite pastime for the kids in our neighborhood is to see how many frogs can be caught and it's always a competition to see who can find the smallest and largest one. I really shouldn't complain as this keeps them busy for hours and they love to just watch them do "frog things" whatever that may be. Who knew-a science experiment right in my own backyard! I have to admit, the really tiny ones are even kind of cute but since I have seen them pee on my children several times I have yet to offer for one to be put in my hand. Not very adventurous, I know, but once you pass the potty training stage the thought of being peed on again is not all that appealing. The best thing about it all is watching their faces light up when they run and tell you how many frogs they caught this time and scream, "isn't that awesome?" I hope you have an awesome day and don't forget to catch some frogs along the way---

Dance Fever

Maddi has always loved to dance around the house and gets off her chair every time a song comes on while watching High School Musical. Now that she is finally 3, she gets to take "real" dance lessons. Every Tuesday morning I wake Maddi up and say, "You have dance lessons today!" and I am greeted with a heartfelt "Yea!!!". This is by far this little girl's most favorite thing to do and it is so fun to watch her every week. She comes home and practices her special positions and walks, and is very focused on making sure she gets it just right. After going to baseball, t-ball, and football games for the big brothers, it's fun to have something just for Maddi.

Fort Fun

The kids love when cousin Cassie comes over to babysit. She's so much more fun than mom and dad, and she doesn't nag them about keeping things clean or picking up messes. Their favorite activity is fort making, and Cassie is quite good in this department. I think she and her sister Jessie, another beloved babysitter, had lots of practice at making forts. This particular fort welcomed us home one night after Jamie and I got to go out for dinner. (We had probably planned on a movie, too, but most likely spent the rest of the night at Target buying household items--but I digress). When we arrived everyone was asleep, including Cassie and both dogs. It's so fun to be reminded of being silly and carefree, and a time to remember that its more important to savor the moment than worrying about the after effects. Cassie recently moved back to Florida and we will miss her tons. By the way, we left the fort up for the whole next day...we just couldn't bear to take it down.

New Tools

Well, Lars has now turned five and when asked what he wanted for his birthday he had some very definite opinions. He wanted ALL and ANY Lego Star Wars sets, a REAL saw, a small hammer, and some nails. Well, leave it to Grandpa Jim to oblige him with the tools, and we now have our very own budding construction worker. He has been very busy nailing together any extra boards he can find in our garage, and he has recently gotten ahold of some extra roofing shingles and has created quite a masterpiece on our play structure in the backyard. He loves to help Dad with any project that he can, and is very focused. In fact the other day he offered to let me take a swing of his hammer to help him pound in a nail. Of course the minute I hit it, it bent sideways. Without missing a beat, Lars replied, "Well, you're not a very good worker are you mom!" So ends my construction career.

Maddi's Hair

From the beginning, Maddi has been a bit

challenged in the hair department. Of all my three kids, she has had the least amount of hair at this age. She has yet to have, or rather, NEED, a haircut whereas my boys would have had several at this point. It was with great pride, for Maddi AND me, when I was able to put the first two pigtails in her hair. Now, I know they are a bit pathetic, but just the fact that a few hairs were willing to cooperate and be held by the tiniest of hair bands was quite a triumphant moment for the two of us. Just look at that proud face!!!

My Husband's a Genius

I am being watched at this very moment and prompted as to what to write as my husband insists I share the news that I am still in fact computer "dysfunctional". After creating my blog the other night I tried and tried to get my background music downloaded to my site but just couldn't figure it out. I begged Jamie this morning to help me and literally with the click of one stupid button, there it appears! I fear there is no hope for me---