Halloween 2012

For now, I just want to say Happy Halloween to everyone! I wanted to sneak in a few pictures of Halloween this year but I'll add more to the post tomorrow when I don't feel like I'm on the verge of giving birth from a super long day. That, and I need to get some pictures from Mandy due to the fact that I didn't take my camera with me half the day. :) Happy Halloween all!

36 Weeks: Dear Feet,

Dear Feet,

Hello! How have you been? It's been so long since I've seen you! I've heard rumors that you're still there, but I have no idea if those rumors are true as I haven't been able to find you for a few months now. I think I caught a glimpse of you about a week ago when I waddled past a full length mirror in some random place. I was so used to not seeing you that I didn't recognize you in time to do a double take. I know it's been rough these past few months, what with all the random sharp objects being stabbed into you as I've walked without shoes through the clutter of kids toys. And yes. I'm aware that you were obviously in pain after that exceptionally large, pointy spiked dinosaur wandered into my path. Please don't be mad. It blind-sided me and I simply didn't see it coming. The same goes for the mine field of legos I wasn't aware of until too late.

I miss you and will see you soon. I think I'm safe to say that less than four weeks from now we will be reunited again. I'm sure all of the pretty pink paint on your toenails is worn beyond recognition now and that possibly those strange stabbing pains you're feeling are getting hard to handle. But those pains are the only things letting me know you are still there. Hang tight, little feet. I promise that I'll see you again. I'll even buy you a new pair of shoes that actually fit. Until then, I'll tell Alex to give you my regards when he ties those old shoes on my feet next time. Take care.

Your friend,

The giant pregnant mama

36 weeks down...4 to go

The Pumpkin Patch 2012

It's that lovely time of year when pumpkins are out in full force for the upcoming holiday. Pumpkin patches became quite different over the years from since I "went to the pumpkin patch" in school. The pumpkin patch for me was just a big open field of pumpkins that you got to choose from. Today, there are lot's of ways people have made it much more and the pumpkin patch we visit is open for one month out of the year with lots of things to do that don't involve pumpkins at all. For a few years now, we've been going and it's been fun each time. Last year was for Alex's preschool class and this year (as she has the same teacher as Alex) Abby got to go as well.

I will say that it was very strange not having Alex there to be a crazy nut on all of the toys and play areas. We missed the kid, Abby I believe more so than I. Abby is sometimes lost without Alex there to lead her into crazyland. She complained most of the week before about having to go to the Pumpkin Patch simply because Alex couldn't go to. But with Alex in kindergarten, it just wasn't in the cards. Nevertheless, miss Abby did end up having some fun. Not as much as usual, but she got a pumpkin to take home for herself and big brother which seemed to help her through it. If it wasn't so much money to get in, I'd go again with Alex just so they could go be crazy together. It's always fun to watch them play together in places like that.

Even though I had to coax half the smiles out of her, I did get some pictures of her on Pumpkin Patch field trip day 2012.

Abby's never been much of a bouncer. But she did have fun on the big air blog while sitting down getting bounced by others.

There are only two other girls in her class and she became fast friends with them both.

Abby's pumpkin choice...at first. Then she realized at the last moment it had a bad spot on it and traded up.

As tradition goes, here is a picture of me and Mandy at the Pumpkin Patch with our kids. It's interesting to look back on the series of these photos over the years. And pardon the fact that I look ginormous. That yellow shirt isn't flattering at all but it's one of three shirts that fit me. It looks like I was smuggling pumpkins out of the patch.

And just because I don't have a post to fit this in, Abby also had pajama day at school. She got to take her good buddy "the Black" with her which made her stay at school much easier apparently.

Alex is 6!

One day I'll blink and realize that I'm saying Alex is 16 instead of 6. Time is zooming by, at times in a blur. Today, Alex turned six years old! Holy buckets! This past year has been crazy and full of new things and big changes. As I've watched him grow for these six years it's been not only a blessing, but a privilege to be a stay-at-home mama for him. Once upon a time I couldn't imagine not having a job to go to every day of the week, but once I stared at his precious little face six years ago for the first time, I knew that I wouldn't be returning to the job world any time soon. And for this, I'm one thankful lady.

I still can't believe how big my baby boy has grown and how smart and wonderful of a son he is. This year for his birthday, Alex wanted something very special. He wanted to have boys at his birthday party. He has mostly girl cousins and the few boys in the family mostly aren't around him at all. So when he said he wanted to invite friends from school, I figured it was about time to give him his first real birthday party with the works. Games, cake, punch and friends ("I want boys at my party mom." says Alex). It was a bit crazy to plan as I've never invited anyone but family before, but it was a humungous hit! He had lots of little boys come and I don't think that there was a happier kid in the world that day.

Aunt Heather feeding the birthday boy to his shark.

The big shark birthday party with boys!

Alex's big, bad shark cake with the shark eating the candle.

Marshmallow fondant is pretty cool for what it's worth.

Look at the smile on my boy's face. :-)

Alex getting gifts from all his buddies.

Shark punch. I kid you not, Alex drank at least four cups. Not bad for koolaid and sprite. He had a blue mustache the entire day afterwards.

Hulk fists! Now he has two pairs so he can "fight" with Dad.

This is the box that was used for a game I made up called "Shark Bait." The kids had to crawl through it while the music was playing and when the music stopped, whoever was in the box was shark bait and out of the game. They loved it so much that they hardly wanted to stop!

My fancy homemade version of pin the tail on the donkey was Pin the Scuba Diver in the Shark's Mouth. Also a big hit. The kids had to wear blacked out goggles instead of a blindfold.

He wanted a shark themed birthday party. Strange...I know. But nevertheless, sharks are what he got. I whipped up some invitations and got them to all his little buddies. I made a few games, a shark birthday cake (naturally), blue ocean shark punch (blue koolaid and Sprite with toy sharks floating in it), and fun gift bags for each of his buddies (and him and Abby of course) for after the party. My boy was in seventh heaven on Saturday. I, of course, felt the stress and insanity that comes with hosting a party and have vowed to not do it again for awhile. Or at least until Abby is ready for a friend party. I had to leave my anti-social bubble for two hours, and had quite the crash after it was over, but it's all good. The stress and craziness of it all was completely worth it. The kids had an absolute blast and Alex is still talking about all the cool shark things I came up with. Today he officially celebrated his birthday at school with homemade football brownies. Then it's his dinner request of meatloaf and leftover birthday cake and soy-ice-cream for dessert. What a fantastic day! Happy birthday to my awesome son today. Six years ago my life changed for the better and I haven't looked back since.

The Newest Addition

Though we are to expect our largest new addition in November, today we embark on yet another new animal adventure. Living outside of the country has made our animal options quite limited. If it were up to me, my next addition would be a pygmy goat or a horse. But alas! It's not in the cards at this present time. It all started with two sibling cats seven years ago after my beloved ferret, Mace, died. A year later, when I was pregnant and super-hormonal, I took pity on a litter of three incredibly sick and pathetic looking tabby kittens whose mama died soon after they were born. Then our pack of cats inevitably became five (much to my mom's dismay who thought the kittens should be kicked back outside.) Have you ever bottle-raised a kitten? Yeah. Pretty much can't let go after that. We then got a bunny, which turned into two (sisters of course). Then, back in April, Mandy got Miss Abby a Hamster for her birthday who has been welcomed with open arms. Today, we venture out of the mammal kingdom. Today, Alex got his birthday present from mom and dad and it's none other than a leopard gecko.

After much research and deliberation on what kind of pet would be acceptable for a six-year old boy, it was decided that something from the lizard family would be best. Luckily, there is a nice reptile/creepy crawly things pet shop near by and one of the owners was awesome enough to give me the 411 on all things scaly and slimy. He led me to the decision that leopard geckos make awesome pets and that if we are fresh to the reptile world, then they are totally the way to start. I next took Alex into the store to show him what his options were because he so desperately wanted a pet of his own since Abby's hamster. He got to pick up the geckos and let them crawl all over him and next thing I knew, it was love. That was three months ago and I told him he could have one for his birthday so we could save up to get it. He's been pumped for it ever since.

Venturing into the reptile kingdom brings new things we aren't familiar with. So instead of shedding fur, it's shedding skin. Instead of dry food, it's live food (mmmm...meal-worms and crickets!). Cute and snuggly becomes cool and scaly. What a change! So without further ado, let me introduce you to the newest addition to our pets. Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to Jet, Alex's leopard gecko.

He's really pretty, but the flash of the camera makes it look like he's all white. He's got almost a rainbow look to him with lots of green.

Alex chose green sand which will eventually change his belly and feet green. It's harmless but kids think it's pretty cool according to the gecko guy.

He's super cool and we are glad to have him as a part of the family. Welcome home Jet! I hope you don't bite the crap out of me like Strawberry does frequently. If so, it could be a very long 10+ years. And P.S. No...this will not, under any circumstances, open up the option of snakes to our pet possibilities. Josh would divorce me for even mentioning it. :-)

Past Week News

Wow. Does anyone else feel like last week was just crazy? I'll tell you what. This whole school thing has changed my life entirely. Monday morning starts off crazy from the second I step out of bed. And then once my feet hit the floor, they hit the ground running. I am officially understanding the reason why Monday is notorious for being so dreaded. After a weekend of the kids doing whatever they fancy and sleeping until they wake of their own accord, Monday morning is just plain horrible. Getting the kids out of bed and to school on time is like pulling teeth. Which leads me to my next point.

This past week was filled with all sorts of new developments. The kids had their 6 month dental appointment. Since Alex's horrible dental drama of the past with his 13 or so cavities and sedation dentistry (thank you medication), I dread these appointments far, far worse than the kids do. In fact, the kids actually enjoy them. We got a pediatric dentist as a result of the sedation dentistry and never went back to my dentist for them. They have nifty overhead TV screens and their dentist is absolutely the nicest guy you could ask for. They look forward to it. So while both kids are lying in their chairs, I am mentally biting my nails with a smile forced onto my face. So it was time for Abby's first x-rays and that alone had me worried. Upon Alex's first x-rays, things just went downhill for the little dude. Alex needed new x-rays too so off they both went to get their teeth photographed. I'm happy to say that Alex came back with zero cavities. He's brushing his own teeth most of the time these days, so I'm proud that he's doing so well. Abby, on the other hand, did not walk away with such luck. Miss Abby has her first cavity. Granted, they said they never would have caught it without the x-rays because it is so tiny and in between the teeth. But they think she'll do fine getting it fixed in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, my kids are blessed with their mama's teeth. And I've always had issues with my teeth. Their teeth are squeezed so close together that even the dentist has trouble fitting floss between them without a struggle. Close teeth are notorious for getting cavities. Oh well, maybe I'll luck out and they won't inherit my horrific vision as well.

There is also huge news! I am proud as punch to say that miss Abby finally had two days at school that did not start with crocodile tears. I dropped her off and, though she had slight moments of hesitation, she did fantastic! No tears! Yay! Granted, the recipe that makes a tear-less Abby is complicated at best. First, I made her a really nice necklace that has a heart "locket" on it with a picture on one side of me and her and a picture of her and Alex on the other (her choices). Second, you can't forget to put on her new pink, digital lady-bug watch and remind her that pick-up time is at 2:55. Or as I have to say to her, "Remember. I'll be back to pick you up at two five five." This suggestion was from her teacher to use as a coping technique. Third ingredient: Before leaving, I must give her two hugs, two kisses, one verbal promise of my return and one pinky promise that I won't forget to pick her up at two five five. But the most important ingredient is number four. I'm an early leaver. Meaning I like to arrive wherever I'm going early rather than right on time or late. It's just how my brain works. With Abby, I must adjust my neurosis slightly. There are only two other girls in her class and they arrive after we do generally. But I discovered that if all the kids are already there before we are, she does much better. So I now leave quite a bit later so we can arrive last. It's odd and slightly discomforting for my neurosis, but Abby's mind is the one I'm trying to keep at peace here. It's a crazy recipe, but so far so good. I'll run with it. No tears makes me feel much better too.

Lastly, let me just say that I signed up to be the Room Mom for Alex's class. I'm not sure I've mentioned this before. So I am the one responsible for getting class parties together and such. I signed up so that I could make the parties safe for his food allergies. Turns out that it adds quite a bit more to my ever-growing mental list. I am glad that I did it though. I feel like it's helped my nerves a bit for his safety at school. I've already done a popcorn party (which was a hit) and my next party that I'm in the process of planning is for Halloween. It's added a bit more crazy to my life, but it's all part of the job!

Avenger's Movie Night

The Avengers! Best Movie Night Ever!

One thing we've done with the kiddos for quite a long time now, is have something we have lovingly deemed "Movie Night". We absolutely love Movie Night. It's probably my personal favorite day of the week. Almost each Friday or Saturday (whichever night the kids are less tired from school and such), we all curl up on the couch and watch a movie together. Sometimes it's a new movie that we've never seen (or at least is new to the kids) and sometimes it's just a good ol' movie we all enjoy to watch. We sometimes have other snacks for special occasions but mostly it's just one main ingredient. Popcorn. I pop a big pan of popcorn on the stove. It's the best popcorn you'll ever eat if you were wondering. Oil in a pan, popcorn kernels on the oil, popped on medium heat and lightly salted. Yum! We can't eat bagged microwave popcorn because of the milk content and thank goodness for that! I tried some awhile back and realized how fake it tastes. Can we all say preservatives galore? Yuck. I've strayed from the subject at hand though.

So movie night has become tradition in our home and I hope it stays that way well into the future. I hope that when the kids are grown in high school, that they will still enjoy our family night together once a week. It's a great night to just spend together and enjoy being a family. Movie night will also morph as the years go by. It might become board game night or bowling night. Who knows. But it's a blast and we look forward to it every week. This week, though, was super extra special. The greatest super hero movie ever came out on DVD. The Avengers was released and we couldn't wait to watch it from the moment Josh brought it home on Tuesday. Every day the kids were counting down until Avengers Movie Night. We took the kids to see it in the theater this summer (only two scenes required a 'close your eyes kids' warning). Since then, we've all been eager to watch it again.

Abby, bless her heart, was dead tired by the time it was over but she kept her eyes open not wanting to miss a single thing. She loves super heroes. That's my girl! Alex, on the other hand, went nutty on his bed pretending to be each of the Avenger's in turn. He is still currently riding the Avenger's high and was Hulk all day yesterday. It's great. I love it! It was a fantastic night and we all had a great time. Even our reclusive princess cat, Leia, came out and joined us by sitting with her only true love, Josh. She's mostly Josh's cat and hates the kids. I'm not sure this week's Movie Night will be quite as memorable in comparison, but I look forward to it nonetheless. Movie Night - Best night of the week. 

Who doesn't love snacks during a movie?

Tonight we had special snacks. Not just popcorn, but Avengers candy, cookies, and pop. Yum!