October's Last Week

I warned you it was going to be a busy month and it was. The last week of October was filled with a plethora of Fall fun. I could easily have 5 separate posts just about this past week but, for the sake of time and organization, mostly time--I'll stick it all in one. You know, Maggie's birthday is this weekend. Don't fear though...I've got lots of pictures to share!

What better way to kick off Halloween week than with a Fall Party at school? Costumes, cupcakes, games, crafts, oh my, what fun! As the picture obviously notes...Jack loved his cupcake, but not his costume. He shedded it within the first 10 minutes of the party. You see, my poor spider's arms were weighing him down and "bovering" him. Thank goodness Grandma flew in town that night and remedied the costume with her sewing expertise...just in time for our remaining Halloween festivities.

Okay, I just love Mrs. Debbie's class. I could not have found a better match, teacher wise, for Jack. And to top it off...she lets parents plan and come to the holiday parties! Here the kids are in line to play a candy corn relay game--I was in charge of the craft and story--fun, fun! It brought back old teaching day memories *sigh*.

A change of Halloween pace on Saturday early afternoon--we celebrated Wesley Kate's 3rd birthday Mickey Mouse style. And what a precious party it was--awesome job Karen!! Jack just happened to have a Mickey shirt for our upcoming Disney trip--I always love having multi-purpose attire.

And sweet Maggie wore her "Minnie Mouse" dress, as I have always liked to call it, and Minnie Mouse bow. Maggie loved sitting pretty with the other little sisters, as the big bros bounced, jumped and flipped around the gym.

So clearly my kids were not happy with me when I suggested picture time after the party. I just had to get a shot of them together in their Mickey attire. No smiles...but, at least their outfits are cute.

After naps we headed over to Mt. Bethel's Trunk or Treat. Jack needed a little Halloween practice before the big night...geez, it has been a whole year. Very cute event, Jack had a blast with his Grandma and came home with way too much loot.

All was good on the Trick or Treat front. Jack's costume was repaired--not one complaint--and he was working hard for his goodies.

I just love the rare occasion I get a picture with one of my kids and they are smiling. Even if it is the giant "cheese" smile.

Happy Halloween morning! Who needs breakfast?...Just carve a pumpkin. I'm pretty sure Jack is ooohing and ucking over the pumpkin pulp right here.

Out of the 5 pumpkins on our porch (yes, we were conned into going to the Pumpkin Patch 2x this year), Jack HAD to carve this one. It was literally smaller than his head. Thank goodness Grandma was here with her artistic ability to carve the one eyed Jack-O-Lantern face he insisted on. And dear Maggie, she just had to go with the flow. She did, however, sample several pumpkin seeds...oops!

And the big night...it took us forever to get out the door, but we did it and even managed to have a few minutes to spare for some pictures and video. You must see Jack's rendition of "Little Miss Muffet"--we caught it all on tape.

I waited for Halloween night to add the final accessories to Maggie's costume...her curds and whey, naturally! And she played the part beautifully--that spoon spent the night in her mouth.

Big Girl Ansley, as Jack likes to call her, joined us for a little Trick-or-Treating. It was perfect!...with Ansley by Jack's side he ran from door to door while us adults waited at the end of the driveways. Nothing like a super hero girlfriend to make you feel brave!

Maggie opted for the wagon, but enjoyed every minute of watching the big kids run around. She was a PERFECT Little Miss Muffet. Next year, my sweet Mags, next year.

Told you I had lots of pictures to share! Happy Halloween to all! I'll be on the look out for pictures of your little pumpkins!

Costume Sneak-A-Peek

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet eating her curds and whey,

Along came a spider

who sat down beside her,

and scared Miss Muffet away!

The Best Day

Thursday was the best day. It will definitely go down as one of my favorites.

Thursdays are usually my errand day. Abby comes and keeps Jack and Maggie. Many times Jack has a friend over to play and I am on my way to mark things off of my "to do" list. But, this Thursday we hadn't made any friend plans and Jack had been an angel all week (unlike my teething Maggie), so I invited him to go with me. I warned him that we had many stops to make, which included Target, and after mentioning that, he was in.

I loaded my little man in the car and we were off. I will admit, I wondered how this would work, if I could get everything done, and if Jack would have the patience to let me do it. Let me just say, it did work!

Our first stop was a haircut for Jack--always a favorite task for him. He sat in the Taxi, ate his lollipop, and got down looking as handsome as ever. Our next stop was Target. This was a highly anticipated stop for him. I prefaced our entrance with, "Mommy has to get all these things from the list first and then we will go look at toys". Not a complaint in the world came from his sweet mouth. He happily helped me choose gift bags for upcoming birthday parties, toiletries for Maggie, paper towels, bulletin boards for our new mudroom (which is almost finished--I'll share pics soon), Halloween candy, and even laundry detergent. We talked...a lot. He asked lots of questions about items on the shelf and I enjoyed responding to his curiosity. It was really nice...just me and Jack.

We finally made it to the toy aisle and I let him choose one toy. He was thrilled. He went up and down every aisle, inspected everything, just as a 3 year old would and finally made a choice. It was a Little People Ambulance. I love how my little guy is in no hurry to grow up. When all his friends are in to Super Heroes and Toy Story, my Jack has stayed a true toddler--he still loves Little People. I asked repeatedly, "are you sure this is it?" and without wavering he consistently answered "yes". I am happy to say he has already worn that thing out playing with it every chance he gets. Last minute we threw a stuffed Count Von Count in the cart from Sesame Street. It is one of the only characters he is missing and I couldn't resist--not too mention he had been a perfect shopping buddy. His manners were impeccable and when I told him we could add Count, he exclaimed, "Thank you Mommy, I love it!" with a giant hug around Count's neck. It was worth that one little sentence.

Afterwards we made our way to the beauty supply shop. We needed to get some ringlets for Maggie's Halloween costume bonnet. We both laughed at the silly hair hanging on the wall and he even tried on a few pieces. Again, he inquired about almost everything on the shelves and again, I loved answering him. Jack made best friends with the store clerk (he was that irresistible) and she let him "help" her restock the items he had been inspecting. I couldn't help but tell him over and over again how much I loved him. I don't even think he got tired of hearing it.

Jack and I then walked down to one of our favorite lunch spots. It's his favorite because they have Cheetos--a very rare treat for him. I ordered our lunch and he found a table for 2 and waited patiently for me to come sit with him. When I got there he announced, "Mommy I saved this seat just for you". Obviously, there were only 2 seats and he was in one of them, but oh, how sweet it sounded coming out of his mouth. We ate lunch and talked about all the fun things we had seen and done that day. He was such a gentleman--it might have been one of the nicest lunch dates I have ever had.

After leaving lunch, Jack and I decided to make an impromptu stop at Fresh Market. We both love their Pumpkin Bread which is in season. We loaded up with 3 loaves and a couple other goodies. In the produce section, we both spotted the biggest apples we had ever seen in our lives. For him that doesn't say much, but for me 33 years is a long time. Jack picked out the largest one he could find (it was almost as big as his head) and we headed to the checkout counter. We washed the apple and he chomped on it all the way to our final destination.

Our last stop was ordering food for Maggie's upcoming 1st birthday party. Again, Jack was a jewel. He did get a little antsy in those last few minutes, but it was nothing my iphone couldn't handle.

We both came home with giant smiles on our face and bags in hand. Jack had been perfect all day--and there is no exaggeration in that. We had amusing conversations, held hands everywhere we went, and his manners were top notch. I fell in love with my oldest all over again. It really was the best day!

Before heading upstairs, he set up his Little People ambulance and Count in the living room and told them he would be back to play after his nap. Just as promised he returned after his nap and had plenty of time to enjoy them until dinner. Both toys are still housed in the living room, days later, and he does not allow them in his toy box, I'm assuming for easier access.

And though this day may sound like nothing to you, it meant EVERYTHING to me. As I went to bed Thursday night with that same smile plastered to my face, I told Clay, "I will always remember today, it was the best day". And if I ever do forget (which I don't think I possibly could), I have it all written down now.

Two Little Pumpkins

We made our annual pumpkin Patch visit this fall. The weather was fabulous. Not too hot (for me anyway), and definitely not too cold. Such a drastic change from last year...October 09 was freezing!

My kids got to wear their festive pumpkin attire. Looks like we will be getting plenty of use out of those suits this year. And I just love that I finally found something to go with Jack's orange shorts. We spent all summer trying to match his tees to those things and nothing worked. And here we are in the Fall and he is finally getting some wear out of them, who knew? If it stays this warm, he might even be able to wear his Turkey shirt with them too. I'm not counting on it though--this weather almost seems to good to be true.

We loaded the car and made the trek to the closest and most decent patch I knew of. We can't venture too far from home with Maggie's nap schedule. Nap jail, anyone? As we were pulling out of the driveway, we heard a thump. Clay and I both looked at each other, what did we just run over? And the answer is...my camera...of all things! Shockingly it still worked--a little crack in the body of the lens, but it is functioning. I'm assuming the case is the only thing that saved it. I have a feeling it's going to be in the repair shop before I know it. I can't bear the thought of being without my camera though--we have way too many events coming up this season. Ugh!

Happily, I got many pics of my kiddos playing in the pumpkins. Maggie didn't let her separation anxiety get the best of her. No, that sweet girl sat in the midst of pumpkin heaven and enjoyed herself. She was very curious about the orange "balls" surrounding her. A few times, she heldup her hand, just wanting a little touch--she always needs a little reminder that Mommy and Daddy are still there and we aren't leaving her.

Jack, well, he was in a mood. One of those "I have better things to do than take pictures kind of moods". It was fine by me, Maggie needed some time in the camera spotlight anyway! We came home with about 30 pictures of Maggie and about 10 of Jack. At least I know it was his choice, so I can't feel guilty. He was too busy enjoying the bounce house and climbing on, over and through pumpkins...such a boy. Love it!

We came home with two beautiful pumpkins for the front porch. And we let the kids choose 2 tiny pumpkins for themselves...Jack opted for a gourd instead. I think it was his way of trying to be difficult, did I say "difficult", I meant different:)...such a 3 year old. Still trying to decide if I "love" that one.

Okay, so I got Jack to pose for one picture. It was well worth the struggle that took place before hand, because look how cute my biggest pumpkin is!

Then it was back to his business of scaling the Pumpkin Patch.

We tried for a family picture, and you can see how well that went. After take 3, we finally gave up.

Getting Maggie to pose was easy--this immobility thing has it's perks sometimes! Not to mention, checking out those pumpkins was serious business for our little Magpie.

She may not be able to crawl, but she sure loves to stand!

This is Maggie's little "are you still there Mommy and Daddy?" move. It usually just takes a tiny touch and she is okay.

Maggie was thrilled with her tiny Pumpkin purchase--a replacement for the lost one from the Fall Festival.

And here is Jack's infamous gourd, which ironically turned out to be "too bumpy" for him. How bad did I want to say, "I told you so"?, but I didn't.