Halloween Photos

Thomas the Tank Engine and a Lovely Rainbow helped pass out candy.
Mickey Mouse was armed and ready to get candy.
Snow White and her Hockey Player
A lovely fairy and Mr Gilly, the trash man, checked each other out.

Shopping Therapy

Sometimes it is nice to get away from the family. Two weeks of just me and the kids lead to me really wishing for some ME time once Bill got here and my sweet husband was amazing and said I could go do some "shopping therapy".

So, with my super sweet shopping master (and fellow mom), Andrea in tow, we hit up Crabtree Valley Mall this past Saturday, before we needed to be back home for Halloween fun.


*Warning, shopping recap below; skip if you find that stuff boring*

And OH was shopping with her fun! Mostly we window browsed and ooh and ahhed over the way-too-expensive-for-us jewelry at Belk. Seriously, I really liked a big ring I saw, but was thinking it would be a fun thing to wear around the house, with my Halloween costume, or just when I felt like adding sparkle to a boring mom outfit.I really had thought it would be $5 dollars, tops, since it was just out on a hanging rack. Oh no, make that more like $100.00-whoa. I quickly put it back before I could break it....

We did splurge and get ourselves some perfume. I so rarely wear perfume (I'm really lucky if I have time for makeup now, let alone perfume) BUT this D&G perfume smelled so amazing and the rep for the company was there giving tons of it away if you bought one bottle of the new scent, so I did.

And all the perfume from D&G can be mixed and layered to create new scents-oooohhhh I have been having fun with that!

Though I have to admit, I had thought I was getting large bottles of all the scents, but instead it was one large bottle of the new one, then a TON of half ounce sizes of the other 5 scents-but for the price I should have known better, we really paid a cheap price for the ton of perfume we got. I think all together I ended up with 3 oz each of the other scents, plus my huge bottle, plus two more huge bottles of other scents, PLUS matching lotions-so I am super happy!

AND I got all the other D&G perfumes and lotions for free. (Light Blue? I dunno, Andrea is my perfume/makeup/shopping Sensai and she was going crazy over what a great deal it was, so I went with her judgment).

*Shopping story over*

Anyways, that was SO FUN to get some girl time, chat about everything and anything (and mostly NOT talk about kid stuff) and on top of it, now I smell SO GOOD!

Halloween was A BLAST-the kids had so much fun and we had a great time over at the neighbor's drinking wine while the kids played. Little Dude was SO cute as a trash man and scored some great candy for us, er, him. Beth and Emily came over, too and Emily was the loveliest fairy ever. My sister was a rainbow and her friend, Ed, was Thomas the Tank Engine (he did that since Little Dude and JR both love Thomas-amazing guy, eh?) Ed was so great with the kids. He and Lisa passed out candy while the rest of us did our trick or treating; then they headed off to another friend's party.

Alright, I must go, this is getting way too long; photos will come tomorrow.

My Home Is Full Of Ghosts

Oh how I love the Ghosts in my home. They don't show themselves often, but when they do, my heart stops, I take a quick breath, and my eyes tear up for only a moment as the little Ghosts I am surrounded by flit in and out of view.

I saw one today, as my son studied his toy train, in the way he tilted his head, lowered his lashes and studied his toy. A Ghost from his infanthood flashed across his face, and my heart swelled up, thinking of how, not so long ago, that beautiful look was one I saw everyday. And then it dashed away, as he glanced up at me I saw, instead of that lovely infant face, the beautiful, mischievous face of my son.

As the days number, and my sons grow older, I see more and more Ghosts. Little baby ballet hand gestures that have all but faded away, come out every so often to visit me. Sometimes I see a little laugh that reminds me of those first baby smiles, before it fades into the bigger and louder laughing fits of older children. Little tumbling waddles sneak out every so often to visit, before bursting into the full on runs my son now loves.

Yes, I am surrounded by many Ghosts. Some are Ghosts of the past, that spring into view every so often, through a look, a sigh, a snore and some are Ghosts of the future, breaking into my present world.

Those future Ghosts I am glad and sad to see, because they mean I will only have more Ghosts of the past to visit me, and some past Ghosts might start to fade completely from my view, as my sons travel further and further to their exciting futures and adulthood.

I am so joyful to see my sons accomplish new things, reach new goals, exclaim proudly, "I DID IT!!!" To meet their futures as strong, confident men, loving husbands, adoring fathers-I enjoy all these days leading to those events in their lives.

But I know, that even when they are fathers of their own, there will be Ghosts haunting me, bringing me back to the past. A look, a sigh, a laugh, somewhere at some point, the little Ghost I know so well will pop out, and I will recognize my sweet infant in the face of a strong man.

My heart will stop, I'll take a deep breath, and I'll want to cry because I am so grateful to be surrounded by so many Ghosts.

Orignally posted on 10/17/08 and submitted to Scribbit's October Write-Away Contest.

Happy Halloween!!

Mr. Gilly is a Trashman

My oldest son is obsessed with the trash men that come every Tuesday. He LOVES trash trucks, helping me put things in the trash, finding items he thinks should go in the trash, and waiting for the trash truck to come.

So, when I asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween, I wasn't very surprised when he passionately declared he wanted to be Mr.Gilly, the trash man character from his favorite book, Trashy Town.

But where do you find a trash man costume? Those aren't exactly on store racks, so I had to get a little creative. Oh, and I had to make Little Dude's outfit green, because, well Waste Management (who picks up our home trash) is green.

Well, after digging around our house and doing some creative moves, this is the costume I came up with:

He is in his pj bottoms, but he will wear real pants on Halloween. JR was excited to get in the picture, too.
I made the "safety vest" out of an old towel.
Added the writing to a green shirt I found in his closet.
And put "Trash Man" on his vest, just to help out everyone that meets him. He will also be carrying a small garbage bag of paper, some black gloves and his baseball cap (Mr Gilly wears one in the book) to help complete the ensemble. Pretty cool, eh?

Pumpkins and Fall

I love fall; it is my favorite time of the year. If I could combine Disney World and the NC fall season year round, I'd be in heaven.

Today I saw my first "Pumpkin Patch" sign -always a great intro to the fall season! I am SO excited to take the boys in the wagon all through Ken's Corn Maze here in Garner. AND I found some more fun Halloween stuff to add to our yard this year!

Ohhhh I LOVE Halloween. And it is ALMOST time to dig our stuff out of the attic and set it up. I'm getting giddy just thinking about it. Of all the holidays, Halloween is my FAVORITE. Mostly because we never were able to celebrate it as kids; that's the down fall of living in the middle-of-no-where up a long mountain driveway. NO ONE came trick r treating and there was no way to talk the parents into taking us.

Another reason I love Halloween? It is a season relatives don't fight over. No one cares if you're having Halloween night dinner at their house, or Aunt Alba's house, or the in-law's house. No one asks you years in advance or "calls" the holiday. Nope, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, birthdays, even the 4th of July, get all the attention and need decisions on who we visit when and where and for how long and what will I cook and where-will-I-put-everyone?

And Halloween? Mine. All mine. And it is ALMOST time to decorate. Love it.

I never got to go Trick or Treating as a kid, so now that I get to do it with MY kids, it is SUPER fun! And yes, I dress up. I usually would wear an old prom dress and b a princess, but this year, because of being in Mobile without a costume for a Mom's Night Out event, I decided the investment in a REAL princess costume was worth it. Esp since it was on a 1/2 off sale! Little Dude's dragon/dinosaur costume (Yes, it is a dragon, but he called it a dinosaur)I got on 75%off from Old Navy after Halloween LAST year. And JR's Pumpkin outfit? A gift I got when I was pregnant with Little Dude. Bill usually goes as a football player and wears his NC State Football jacket, but same as me, his usual costume was in NC. SO, he went as my prince charming by just wearing a dressy work outfit.



Little Dude showing off his frog candy basket
Miche, JR and Little Dude getting ready to go trick or treating-yes, Jr is crying and Little Dude suddenly decided to hide his face from the camera: "NO PICTURES!!"-even crazy moments like this are fun to look back on.

Our Little Dude all grown up and marching to another door for candy. I would've thought he'd be a little scared of the decorations in the dark, but once he learned of the candy he was getting, there was no stopping him!


Knocking on a door for candy.


Bill explaining the candy rules to the boys. They are listening attentively....

And so, later today I am heading out to look for costumes for the boys for next year and then to start on some Christmas shopping. Yes, I know it is early, but I really can't stand shopping after Thanksgiving, so I've got to hurry and finish all my shopping before the crazy crowds of Black Thursday.....

Painting With The Little Dude

So, my son loves to paint, draw, run around, play ball-really anything that involves getting dirty is super to him! Taking pictures though? NOT up his alley! So, I tried to sneak in a picture of him finger painting because he looked so happy. But this is what I got:



I am hopping tonight he will be a little more friendly with the photo taking because I really want a picture of him in his dinosaur outfit and JR in his pumpkin outfit!!

Halloween is one of my FAVORITE holidays, mostly because it is one we can spend just as our nuclear family' instead of trying to figure out where to go or who to visit. It is a very nice neighborhood celebration and I LOVE that. Along with the great old scary movies (no gore for me, thank you) I just love spending the night with my sweet Bill, playing with the kids, spending time as a family, watching old black and white scary movies, and greeting all the neighborhood kids and neighbors with candy. No stress, no travel, and really very little cost for the amount of fun. Yes, I have to say it is my top holiday.

I really hope I get some good pictures of our first year with both the boys, but we will see; if I get caught with the camera all the Halloween pictures might have Little Dude frowns in them....

Happy Halloween!!

Halloween Tips For a Safe Night

It is fast approaching to be

Halloween

! And with all the fun it brings, it also brings (sadly) a little danger.

Yes, as parents, we must beware Halloween and make sure our kids stay safe, because though it can "take a village to raise a child"*** sometimes that village has crazy people in it.

**(wish I could remember who said that..I think it is an African Proverb, but I'm not sure....I'll blame mommy brain for my lack of knowledge here)

So, here are my recommended tips for safe Halloween Trick or Treating with your kids:

*Don't use costumes with masks-this hinders your child's ability to see clearly and could cause them to fall, get hurt, not be able to breath well, etc.

*Don't allow children under the age of 18 to go alone. Yes, I know the older kids will fight you on this; HOWEVER, the older kids are also the ones that would be targets of child predators, or more likely to give to peer pressure, prove they "aren't scared" and do something dangerous. Thus, GO WITH THEM.

*Same for Little Kids. NEVER let them go alone, there should be an adult for every 4 little guys 6 and under and add one kid per age group or as you feel comfortable keeping your eyes on

*Don't go to neighborhoods that aren't lit up. My street back home is fully lit, and all the neighbors I know fully participate in fun decorations and lighting to help the kids see clearly. NEVER go up to houses that are hard to walk to, hard to see in, or dark except the one porch light. Though porch lights being on is supposed to be a sign of giving out candy, I would still never go wander to a house where there are not other trick or treaters coming and going or a lot of bright street lights and activity

*Don't go out too late. For little guys, go out right as it is getting dark, make your rounds to 10 houses or less, and then head back so you can let them participate in handing out candy to the older kids. They will get as much fun out of that as they did getting candy-if not more! For older guys, (again, under 18) make them be back by 10pm. As my mom always said, nothing good is going on past 9pm. As much as I hate to say it, she was right. I'm pushing it to 10pm for this holiday, but really, there is no reason for a high schooler to be out past 10pm. Esp since you or hubby or a trusted relative/neighbor will be with them-us parents need our beauty sleep!

*Try hosting a party for the teen children back at your house. Send out invites to the parents to let them know that they can let the kids "stay out" past trick or treating by hosting a sleep over for them. But don't hover too much at the party; try to remember being their age parents=not cool. But do hover a little, that's the point of the party, you know where they are and what they are doing (which will be eating popcorn and watching a non gory scary film. I love the black and white Dracula myself) and keeping the temptation to get into trouble at bay.

*Ration the candy. The kids will hate it, but really, no person needs that much candy in one night. If you don't, you'll never get them to sleep and you'll end up with a huge cavity bill later down the road.

*Find out if there are registered sex offenders in your area. This is huge for me. I know where the registered people are around me, and luckily there are none in my immediate neighborhood. Thus, I just will always avoid the neighborhood where the one I know of lives. Now remember, registered sex offenders could be for any crime,like statutory rape (which even if the girl is consenting but the boy is 3 years older, the parents can file against him, not particularly fair for a young man, just thought I'd throw that out there) not just child molestation, so don't go after that person with torches or anything, BUT I would take care to not allow my children around his/her home PERIOD. Because you don't know, and honestly, to me a little stereotyping in that department for me is worth it since it involves the safety of my children and me. You can search the national sex offender registry to find out what offense they have and where their home is (though please don't go harass them because really, they have to live somewhere-just don't let your children play there)

*CHECK ALL CANDY before letting your children (or yourself) eat it. Like I said above, there are some crazy people in this village of ours! Anything that is opened, might have been opened, has a tear, was homemade -unless I specifically know them and trust them, like from a dear family friend-THROW OUT. This is the one time I say go for the packaged processes stuff and nothing else. Sad, but safe. Besides, you will have so much candy on hand, following this rule will be a great way to downsize.

*Carry flashlights and have reflective tape on the backs of your costumes so cars (and people) can see you. You can find this cheap at wal-mart or even a dollar store.

*Have a charged cell phone with you. 'nuf said.

*Tell other people what route you are taking and stick to it-no deviating-then if something happens, like you sprain your ankle and can't walk AND your cell dies, someone can find you.

*Tell someone what time you will be back, so they know when to start worrying or coming out to find you and your sprained ankle

*That said, wear tennis shoes, even if your costume would look better with high heels, walking in the dark in heels is ASKING for a sprained ankle-wear the tennis shoes and make the kids to so too.

*Make your children wear age appropriate costumes. Since we are going to worry about predators we should also try to not make our children appear "sexy" or "older" than they are. No low cut/short hemmed dresses or over the top makeup for girls, no chest bearing outfits for boys and nothing that sexualizes them, even for those older guys and gals in high school. They will have plenty of college/grown up years to decide if they want to wear such costumes.

*Everything should be fun and enjoyable, so just go out, have fun, relax, and go to a few houses. Then, go back home, enjoy the candy and snuggle as a family (or try to hover over teens without looking like your hovering).

The Best I Could Do...

I took the boys to a pumpkin patch as part of a mom's club meeting! It was super fun, but after the activities, when I tried to get pictures of the boys together, well, this is what I got:


Little Dude would not go anywhere near his brother for a picture, much to my dismay and annoyance. JR posed sweetly for me, while I tried my hardest to talk Little Dude to coming at least in the background of the picture. Nothing worked.
Here is JR starting to not enjoy the photo taking as much
Here is when Little Dude decided to start running back to the parking lot-I snaped the picture as I was jumping up to chase Little Dude and drag him back over to the pumpkins, and did not realize I had captured JR falling over until I went through the photos later. So, guys, this is what happens when you have two kids-One runs off and the other falls over as you try to catch the running one-either way you feel like a very skilled mama. heh.
Here I FINALLY got Little Dude to go near his brother, but had to take this picture without him knowing it. And, you'll notice, JR is now propped on BOTH sides so he couldn't fall over again.

Out of desperation, I caved to the will of a two year old, and offered candy as a reward for sitting with his brother. Do you know the little hose bag was immediatly all smiles and even put his arm around JR for numerous photos? I was a little irked I had to bribe him, but hey, it worked for what I was wanting. Though, as you can see in the photo, by the time I caved to bribing Little Dude with candy, JR had had enough of the whole pumpkin patch experience and just wanted to be put back in my carrier. So, even though Little Dude was happily sitting and smiling, saying cheese and being a ham, this is the only picture I got of the two of them before JR just started screaming.

So, this was the best I could do, and of all the pictures, I think this is my favorite, because it just makes me laugh! It has my little ham playing it up for candy and my other son protesting the picture taking I was putting them through. Oh the humanity.

Mom's Night Out!

The Mom group I joined down here has had a few playdates so far, and I am getting to know a few other people in the area, which is so nice for helping me to get out of the apartment and find things to do.

This weekend, I get to do something I have never done before WITHOUT kids-A Costume Party!!! For only the Moms!! Whoo hoo! Bill was so sweet and offered to take the kids before I could even finish telling him about the party!

I had one problem though-since all our stuff is back in NC, I didn't bring a costume down with me. So I searched around, but nothing seemed right until I found this in the adult section of Disneyshopping.com




It's Snow White!! I just had to have it, so I ordered it a few days ago, and it arrived yesterday! Ohhhh, I am soooooo excited!!!