Halloween

Before I start this post, I have to say that I really love Halloween. I get into it every year. But, as I woke up totally exhausted this morning, I couldn't help but compare Halloweens of the present to Halloweens 50 years ago....

Halloweens 50 years ago (as described by my mother, not personal experience)

*Moms would use rags, sheets, or old clothes to costume their kids.
*Halloween evening, the kids went all over the neighborhood unescorted.
*Decorations were limited to pumpkins that were crudely cut out by knives.

Halloweens present day...

*Festivites are usually a week long. Not just Halloween night, but also a Trunk or Treat, dressing up at school, and Halloween recitals that need to be dressed up for. It isn't unusual to dress the kids up 3 times for different functions.
*A month in advance, mothers are combing through websites offering the latest and greatest costumes. It is hard to find a cute one for under $50 per child including acessories and shipping.
*Homes and front yards are decked out in Halloween decorations. Forget carving with knives! Just download patterns for cute carved pumpkins with many different faces online. You will need to purchase special tools for the carving.
*Scoop out those pumpkin seeds, but don't roast them the old fashioned way! Make pumpkinseed brittle!
*You know that you will be demoted from your previous position of mother of the year if you bring a store bought goods for Halloween parties. The cuter and more original the treat, the better!
*Every October, the search is on for the best pumpkin patch in which to take a picture of your adorable children getting the great "Pumpkin Experience"! Look at this picture and see how glad I am that I took 2 hours out of my time for such an activity!













*Halloween is just now behind Christmas as the most expensive holiday in America.

All of this is in jest as I get just as much into Halloween as every other mother, but really, is it a wonder why we are so stressed out as a nation?

When Mommy gets on the phone, little Halloween candy theives go into hiding!

Trunk or Treat

We had our annual Trunk or Treat at church last night. Normally, the members park in the parking lot, decorate their trunks, and pass out candy to the kids. It has been raining like crazy around here, though, so the candy was passed out in the auditorium!

The last two years, Bryon has missed the festivities because of work. He was able to make it last night which made things much easier! The kids were adorable and it was a good dress rehearsal for Halloween! Matthew's Bama football costume didn't make it in time because we had to exchange it for another size. He was happy being a Baylor Bear, though.

Today begins the great candy adventure. A few things usually happen during this time. First, the kids get in trouble for sneaking in to get candy. We have already been to the "naughty chair" once with ME this morning! I also hear things like, "But I am so HUNGRY for candy!" Also, I start separating. Reese's, Nestle's Crunch, Butterfinger, go in my pile (the candy theif comes while the children sleep!). Dots, Smarties, assorted other candies that are the messiest or worst for teeth, go to the redistribute on Halloween pile. The kids get their share of the rest!

Checking in.

We had a fun homecoming weekend! Michael and Jilinda met us at our house early Saturday morning to head to our homecoming parade. Baylor has the largest homecoming parade in the country. I had fun remeniscing about the one very cold night I spent as a sophomore in college guarding our float. Sitting on a float in 40 degree weather laughing with a bunch of girlfriends....anything more fun than that? It was fun to see all the college kids having a ball. I saw many people I went to school with and marveled at the large number of people who I didn't know! The kids had a great time and it was worth getting up early on a Saturday morning to be there.

After Thomas's game, the guys went to the Baylor game. I stayed home with ME and put a big dent in the book I was reading. After ME's nap, I went to the grocery store to get ready for dinner that night. When I got to the store, Baylor was down 35-17 with 10 minutes left to play. I figured I better hurry in the store as everyone would be coming home early! When I got back in the car, Baylor had scored their way to a 35-36 lead! I can't believe they won that one! It was the first time in 8 years that we had won a homecoming game. Baylor has had many lean years. Could this be the start of a comeback?

Last night was book club. We had a great time and enjoyed our discussion of Follow the River. I finished next months selection, The Other Boleyn Girl, tonight. What a page turner! I managed to read the 650 page book in a week. I little racy, but very enjoyable. I think I need to stick to magazines for a few weeks so I can get some housework done!

This morning was 2 year pictures with ME. Anyone feeling sorry for me? Two years olds are much more mobile than 1 year olds! I hope we got a few good ones. We spent the afternoon at the dentist with Matthew and my checkups. We had just scheduled Matthew's and mine was tomorrow. The receptionist told me when we got there that the appointment after Matthew's was cancelled and would I like to go ahead and get mine done? The thought of three kids with me at the dentist was only slightly more appealing than using my precious mother's day out time tomorrow to do it. I held ME for most of my cleaning and spent a good deal of time snapping my fingers at the boys to be quiet as my mouth was incapacitated!

Thomas

My sweet Thomas scored his first goal today. This is the same boy who is thrilled for all of his friends when they score goals. Who happily lets his teammates have the ball close to the goal so they can score. He was thrilled! We were thrilled! He came up to me and said, "I can't believe it! Me?" Yes, you sweetheart!

A smoother end to the week

I appreciate everyone's comments earlier in the week regarding our schedule. I don't feel like we are overscheduled, just not finding a rhythm to our afternoons. Some things we have tried and seem to work:

*Matthew gets in the car on the way home from school and does his homework. I doesn't take more than a few minutes to do his work and we can easily slip it back in his folder and into his backpack and not wonder where it is in the morning!

*We have also started Matthew reading to us while we are in the car. Whether we are going to Starbucks, to church, or to the dentist, he can get some of his required out of school reading time done. We also read before bed, but it seems like it is a good use of time.

*Matthew ADORES throwing the football with Bryon when he gets home from work. I have told Matthew that if he gets his piano practice done right after school, he can have much more time to play with Bryon at the end of the day.

*We did have a rule about watching 1 show after school every day. This worked out well, but then he would see previews to the next show and it would be a struggle to get him away from the TV. We talked about it and agreed that TV will be watched on the weekends only. This way his free time is used talking to me, extra time playing with Thomas and ME, or going outside to have alone time. Yes, he already asks me to have alone time just to think quite a bit.

*I have attempted to find activities for Thomas and ME to do immediately after Matthew gets home. We have a few minutes to talk about the day, go over notes home, and even get a few minutes of reading on the couch done.

So far, these tips have helped and I hope that they continue to make our afternoons run more peacefully!

ME's dual personality and the hair to proove it.

I loved this picture and had to share. ME's hair is a funny phenomenon. Every morning, the front of her hair is shiny, golden, perfectly in place with soft curls. You turn her around, and the back of her hair is matted, unruly, tangled, frizzy, and completely wild.

As I have mentioned in a few previous posts, ME is going through a bit of the terrible twos. Nothing unusual, but we are going through it nonetheless. Her hair is symbolic of her personality. Perfect, sweet, sunny, golden on one side and unruly, wild, and mess on the other!

Some advise needed from mothers who are a little further down the road than me.

I am needing some help.

This year has really thrown us for a loop. I feel a peace in my soul when things are running smoothly and simply. We just haven't seemed to find our rhythm yet.

First grade started homework for Matthew. Everyday, he comes home with sheets to do and a reading assignment at night. We also have to do piano lessons. Throw in a game or two, maybe a practice, Wednesday night church, etc. and the day is over in a snap.

I also feel like Matthew needs some down time as well. He dreads doing his work at the end of the day because all he wants to do is throw the football in the backyard with his brother. I can't say I blame him, but the work needs to be done as well.

The piano and reading need to be done with me supervising. This is no easy task as I have two little ones who still need me and dinner to make.

Does anyone have any tips to make afternoons run more smoothly?

Two versions of a Willie Nelson hit that have been playing in my head this afternoon:

Mama's, don't let your babies grow up to be 2 year olds
Look at those precious innocent babies in your arms. Try not to think about them growing into two year olds who, in the span of one hour, can spray Round Up on your roses, dump a half bottle of green shampoo all over your carpet, and stick an entire Slim Fast bar in her mouth crying, "I NEED chocolate!" All while you are trying to make dinner.

This is all hypothetically speaking of course....

Mama's, don't let your babies knock out their permanent teeth
We have had to get Matthew's tooth "reapplied" many times since his run in with a tile floor last year. It had been months since it popped off. I thought that last week. I thought too soon. It popped off again Friday at 5 p.m. Why do these things always happen Friday at 5 p.m? He struggled this weekend with a jagged tooth until I could get him an appointment today. I had to take him out of school early, forgo ME's nap to get him to the dentist. After his appointment, we came home. 15 minutes later, he came in with the tooth fragment in his hand saying, "I don't think he put it on too well."

Off to the dentist again tomorrow.

What a day...

A reluctant fan

I'll admit, that when I heard Matthew wanted to play flag football, I wasn't thrilled. I am much more of a soccer fan. However, the team that Matthew has been playing on since last year wanted to play football, so I reluctantly agreed. Little did I know that Matthew was quite the football player! Today, he caught a pass from the QB, blocked the opponent to let his teammate score, and most impressively, caught the ball on the kickoff and ran the entire field to score a touchdown! I couldn't have been prouder. He did a victory dance in the endzone. I am so happy that they didn't fine us for that! ;)

Maybe a future as an Alabama Crimson Tider is in our future?

Friday check in

What is wrong with me? Either I am having fewer blogworthy moments, I am too busy to sit at the computer, or I have blogger block. In any case, it is getting harder just to sit and put my thoughts online. Here are a few things going on with us right now:

*Matthew came to our room at 4:30 in the morning after a nightmare. He was hugging Bryon fiercely and told us he dreamed that Bryon and I were no longer living in the same house and he didn't get to see Bryon anymore. This nearly broke our hearts. There are several kids in his class who have divorced parents and Matthew is just now getting a dose of the sad reality of our divorce happy culture. We spent a lot of time with him this morning reassuring him that we would always be a family.

*We have a big P.T.A. function at school tonight. My co room mother and I have been working hard getting ready for it. It should be lots of fun, but I will be glad for it to be a good memory! I am also working with a good friend on getting ready for our school's Book Fair. That is coming up in a few weeks!

*ME is really getting good at naming her colors. When I ask her what something's color is, she usually says, "Pink". Then I ask her again and she usually says the correct color with slight variations. For instance, "orange" is "orange juice". She loves her soft orange juice sweater. "Brown" is "chocolate". "I wearing my chocolate shoes!" And green is "Baylor". "Daddy has the Baylor towel."

*I am always ready for the weekend! We will be at the ball fields from 10-3 and have a birthday party tomorrow afternoon.

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Monday morning

A few things going on in our world right now...

*It's Columbus Day which means a very light schedule for Bryon today and no school for Matthew. Usually, when Matthew has a day off, Bryon loves taking him to work with him. He sits quietly in the back and likes to talk to the judges. Today, Thomas got wind of this and wanted to go as well so Bryon took the boys to court this morning. Being the sweet mother that I am, I couldn't help but tell the boys that if they fought in court, there was a good chance that the judge would throw them in jail!

*We had our first dinner guests in our dining room on Friday night. The way it worked out, there were only little girls who came with their parents. Matthew was at his first slumber party, and Thomas spent the night with my mother. This meant that ME was in a room full of girls for one of the first times in her life. I have never seen her more giddy! She laughed. She did what she could to make the other girls laugh. What a cute sight that was.

*My garden continues to fill out. I was rewarded this week with a hummingbird who has been coming every morning. What a gift!













*Matthew continues to love flag football. He ran in for a touchdown the other day and scored a "two point conversation". Thomas continues to love soccer. My favorite part about watching him is that he giggles anytime the ball is in his possession!

*We had a family date watching The Little Mermaid last night. The kids and Bryon were amazed that I knew every word to all the songs! I think it was just as much a treat for me as it was the kids! At the end of the movie, the chef hits his head on something and all of his teeth fall out. Matthew said, "Wow. That was just like when Ben Roethlisberger got in a motorcycle accident and all his teeth fell out!"

*I have a busy week ahead getting ready for a big P.T.A. event at Matthew's school. I am in charge of getting a basket ready from Matthew's class and coordinating parent volunteers. It should be a busy week with that.

*A funny little story Lauren told me...Thomas was eating a sandwich at school the other day and a few bites were taken out of the bottom. "This looks like Indiana!" he told Lauren. "Oh wait. It needs a river on top." So he ate a nibble off the top left hand side of the sandwich. She had forgotten the story until Saturday night when she asked me if there was a river on the northwest side of Indiana. Sure enough.....

It did need a nibble on the left hand side! Maybe I have a little geography whiz on my hands?

*I am in my last 30 pages of Follow the River. Maybe with the boys gone, I can finish it today?

Happy Monday Morning to everyone!

2 years old + an addiction to chocolate= HUGE MESS!

I walked into the kitchen only to find my darling 2 year old with 3/4 of a french silk pie in her hand chowing down! In the picture, you can see the other handful had just fallen on the floor. I just had to laugh. How can I stand in between a girl and her love for sweets? When I was cleaning it up, she kept protesting, "I NEED my pie! OK, Mommy?" How dare I clean up her pie on the floor?! Mom has several pictures of me at different points during my toddler years with a stolen cake in my hand, flour over my entire body made into a paste with drool (yum, yum!), and climbing to the top of the refrigerator to grab bananas. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

Weekend in review

Ahhhh, another weekend come and gone! Here were a few of the events:

*My parents had Matthew and Thomas spend the night on Friday night. They had a great time going to see a movie and out to eat. Since we still had ME, we decided to have a date at home. I kept her up during the afternoon so I could put her down early for bed. Then, we grilled out steaks and had a romantic meal in our backyard looking up at the stars and hearing the crickets chirp. It was such an unexpected good time and we have vowed to do that more often!

*Saturday morning was game kickoff at our house. Thomas had his first soccer game and Matthew had his first football game. Both were a blast to see! Thomas was very eager to play and hated sitting out. His only fault is that when other people are coming for the ball, his sweet nature makes him want to let others have a chance to kick it! We are working on that killer instinct! On the other hand, it was quite an experience watching Matthew play football! He did a great job at blocking and the other team put their biggest guy up against him. Where does that rage come from? ;)

*After running too many errands that afternoon, the guys went to the Baylor game and I stayed home with ME. I started an incredible book that I can't put down. Follow the River is based on the true story of Mary Ingles being abducted by Indians 9 months pregnant. She has a baby on the escape trail and travels 500 miles only to escape and travel back 500 miles. I would highly recommend it!

*Today after church, Bryon and I headed out with the kids to see his great aunt Bernie. This week will mark her 85th birthday. She still owns and operates her own cattle ranch and we all adore her. The kids had fun playing with their cousins and feeding the cows. ME particularly loved the cows. There were several baby cows that had just been born and she loved mimicking their noises.

It was a fast and furious weekend and the end of a fast and furious week. I pray that this week is a little calmer and not so much going on!