Saturday, October 31, 2009

Little Gobblins





We started out our evening down at our local Trick or Treat along the storefronts of our very wet and rainy downtown for about 30 minutes. E's really become quite anxious about adults dressed up, she skipped well over half of the doorways due to a ghoulish costume (and in one case a dopey man in an Eeyore get-up at the funeral home!).

Then we came home for a wardrobe change, and to meet up with Mabel for some kiddo pic's. I had to take quite a few to finally get one where all 3 were holding still...here we have Tinker Bell, Duckie, and a Ballerina.



It's the Great Pumpkin!

E's been inundated with autumn, pumpkins, and Halloween this last month. She's come home singing songs, reciting poems and tons of art projects! This morning I put N down for his nap, and we set to work deciding on a face for her white ghost pumpkin and then carving it up.



And we finally "lit" our pumpkin (with a flashlight) and waited for the doorbell as we ate dinner.



("H is for Halloween")

Friday, October 30, 2009

All Dressed Up With No Place to Go


E's really been back and forth health wise lately. School has added a whole new barrage of germs that her little system has yet to be accustom. It's runny noses, coughs, and on-and-off fevers that don't ever amount to anything serious. And of course today was no exception. When I picked her up from school yesterday her teacher mentioned that she was complaining of being really tired all day, so we had an easy evening, she got a good nights rest and seemed fine this morning. She put on her costume (did a quick video chat with Daddy), we painted her little kitty-cat face and mine and I sent her to school without a thought. But, when I showed up to help out at her class party, she was warm and pale, so I took her home early for a long nap and down time. She was acting fine, eating everything I gave her and keeping up on fluids, so I haven't really worried, but her fever was around all day. So I've been hesitant to really get crazy for this years festivities. It's hard enough to keep her away from her little brother, so we'll see.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

I See the Moon and the Moon See's Me...

We're heading into the final stretch. D's been gone for 4 weeks, and we're expecting him at the end of next week. His tour van skimmed down the west coast, dipped along the southern regions, plowed up the east shore and into Canada, then finally made the turn to head west and home to us.

We miss him, and find our own special ways to stay connected. A few weeks ago while we chatted one evening after I had put the kids to bed and he was making the ever-so-long drive from Tucson to Austin I pulled back the curtains to glance out the window. I noticed how big and beautiful the moon was, and cringed as the theme song from the 1986 animated hit, An American Tail started playing in my head. I couldn't resist and asked D if he could see the moon, and he could. We were looking at the same thing at the same time, and as tacky as it may seem, it really did bring him closer.

E loved hearing this when I told her the next morning and she's been dying to do the same thing over the phone but to no avail. It's either cloudy here or where her daddy is, or we just can't get ahold of him before he takes the stage. So we wait, we video chat some mornings, we talk during the day, and I try to every once in a while shoot him a picture of the kids. We make it work. We wake up, take each hour as it comes, and then do it all over again the next day. It's too overwhelming to keep track of 'how much longer,' or even which city he's passing through. We just take it day by day and as the light dims each evening we keep our lookout for that moon.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

I Just Killed a Spider with my Phone!

A rather large specimen tried to make a break for it across our kitchen floor from under our fridge. I just so happened to be standing at the counter I gasped, and dropped my phone right on top of it.

So glad I have one of those protective sleeves!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

A Day Off

E's been going strong this school year. We had one hiccup when she got sick right around her birthday. But aside from that she's been hitting the school thing hard; 8:40am to 3:10 everyday. We really try and use our weekends to relax. We get things done, but they're mostly for regrouping. This week E's school has parent/teacher conferences so no school today or tomorrow. It really surprised me how much I've been accustomed to having her gone for the bulk of the day, and I found myself dreading the hours. But we've kept busy and both kids happy. This morning we met a friend at Jump Planet and for $6 the kids bounced every last ounce of energy they walked in there with. Can I just say that off the cuff these places annoy me. A bunch of sweaty, mouthy & wound-up pre-teen kids with strawberry soda-stained faces literally bouncing and ramming off the walls and knocking smaller children over as they cut in line; not what I'd call a fun time. But this morning was great, I'd say there were maybe 15 people total (including parents) in this gi-normous warehouse space filled with those bouncy house/slides/obstacle courses. No lines, no kids there above the age of 6, and really clean. It afforded me and the other mom plenty of time to chat, and still easily follow our kiddos around (and N was continuously fascinated with all the movement and bright colors).

All of this to say E was exhausted when we got home. Coupled with the fact she's been fighting a bit of a runny nose today, she grabbed her pillow and cozy quilt and promptly snuggled up on the couch. I turned on Enya (hearken back the JCC days), and she was sawin' logs almost immediately while I got dinner prepared and caught up on the computer.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Orangette on the Radio

Take a listen on KUOW

*Thanks for the heads-up Karlee

First Field Trip

Although a little disappointed to not be riding the bus with a few of her classmates, E was oh-so excited to be going on her first real school-associated field trip (coincidentally the same pumpkin farm we visited last weekend)! The kids had to wear matching school sweatshirts, they had great listening and were remarkably well behaved. The entire outing was a real joy.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Color Splash


Found this iPhone application today, and have been having fun!

Cutie Pie Weekend

E's class does an ongoing project with their teddy bear, Cutie Pie. Each child brings the bear home for a weekend, the parent documents their days with photo's and then they fill in a few pages of the class journal. A fun activity, but as my mom says, "Way more work for the parent than the kid." Here are the shots & E's journal entry:



E and Cutie Pie had a great weekend together despite the very wet and windy weather! After school on Friday they came home for a snack and some downtime on the couch. Then it was off to the art cabinet to see what they could come up with for a Halloween project - a hanging ghost! That evening they snuggled under E's umbrella on their way into Buca di Beppo for a huge meal of salad and pasta, YUM! Upon returning home E introduced Cutie Pie to her other stuffed animal room mates and then it was lights out!

The next morning E's dad got to meet Cutie Pie via the computer for a video chat (he's away on a trip)! We then brought our new friend down to our regular Saturday morning breakfast spot to meet our
baristas. The weather was so rainy and windy E needed to warm up in a bath before we left to check out the pumpkin patch she and the class will be visiting this upcoming week. Saturday night Cutie Pie got to meet E's mom's whole family; E's cousin Laila really liked our new friend.

Sunday was pretty much spent at home relaxing with N and her mom. They did dress-up, gave N a bath and went for a walk. Whew! What a pleasant weekend with her family
.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Pumpkin Patch

We finally made it to a pumpkin patch this year. It was rainy, windy, muddy and stinky (in that order). As per tradition we met up with the Many's for the outing. Because the destination we've attended the last 5 or so years shut down, we were in need of a new patch. But the weather wasn't great, in fact the rain and wind the night before were making such a racket I woke up often (even more than usual with a 4 month old across the hall), and in the morning it seemed exhausting just thinking about packing up the kids for 1/2 hour drive north to muck around in a muddy field, and then drive home again in wet clothes. So, I decided to look up the location of a small working farm near by that also boasted a modest pumpkin patch along with their long list of animals. It was pretty run down, but as promised filled with lots of animals we were permitted to feed, pet (& smell) and yes, pumpkins. Although I love supporting those local businesses it was a slight let down and paled a bit in comparison to our previous October Adventures, we'll have to keep on looking...

(geese)

(lil punkins)

(baaa)

(kids)

(the fam)

(turkey in the straw)

(corny)

(new piglets)

(chicks and ducklings)

(wheel borrows + mud = hard)

(it's cold & wet)

(muddy pumpkin socks)