A Tiny Look Back

Holidays are a gazillion times more fun with excited little ones all around.

Halloween 2005 in Utah

We love sharing holidays with family and friends.

Ella is wearing a dress that Aunt Stephie wore when she was little, very cool!

Grace was a cheetah this year. All my kids wear this cheetah costume the Halloween they are one. Funny note, Maddie wore this cheetah first when she was 7 months old.

Halloween 2006 in St. Louis

No, I was not dressed up for Halloween as a "tired mom". I was, in fact, exhausted. Joseph was one month old and being a mother of three was kicking my trash.
Grace loved the hood of this costume and kept it on ALL THE TIME.
Ella loved her green face and was convinced that no one knew who she was. Our sweet friends played along.

Halloween 2007 - St. Louis
This is us at Boo at the Zoo (just another fun and free thing to do in St. Louis).
Joseph was a new walker at this point and wanted to walk EVERYWHERE.
The girls were very opinionated about their costumes this year. I chose not to fight that battle, gave them free reign and tah-dah!

Sharing

Our girls are quite the little sharers.

Adam wasn't able to go to the Halloween party with us last night. Ella and Grace felt bad that he was missing out on all the fun (aka candy) so they shared.

Grace wrote dad a whole "letter" and drew him "shapes" (that's the rolled up one). For some reason they felt the need to unwrap the candy then add the ice thingies, "So it doesn't melt, mom!" said Ella with a very "duh" tone in her voice. (Yah, in case it melts inside our house. Where the heat isn't on. At night. Right. Duh me!)

Ella, Grace and Joe are all great sharers. They are more than happy to share their candy with each other and with mom and dad. I'm hoping they hold on to this trait for the next 100 years or so.

A Week long Halloween Party

Don't you just love, love, love it when Halloween is on Friday? Halloween celebrations last all week long. Who doesn't love a weeks worth of Halloween? Tonight was grandma and grandpa's ward's Halloween party. We go every year we live here and its always a fun time.

Above: All seven of the grandkids were in attendence: one cheerleader (you can't see it but she's a Memphis Tigers cheerleader), one lady bug, three witches and a pumpkin. All high on sugar!
Ella was bashful about trying the "Dangling Donut" game. I was able to convince her it would be fun. And it was!
Grace also did well at the "Dangling Donut" game and shared her donut prize with Joe. However, this picture is all about the bright pink frosting all over her mouth. Aunt Steph was helping with the "Creepy Cake Crawl" so, of course, we had to play.
I found this shirt at Savers lots of months ago and loved it. No clue when I'd ever wear it but loved it just the same. Finally, a fitting excuse to wear my awesome shirt. I'm gathering the gumption to wear this shirt on a regular basis. I'm not sure I've got the style to pull it off but I can dream. I just might try wearing it to the bus stop (minus the pig tails and not tied in the front, promise)

p.s. I had a little boy in Ella's class ask me today, "Why do you talk like a country person?" I replied, "Because I'm from the country." The burbs, where I'm actually from, don't really qualify as "country" but it seemed a fitting answer for a punk red head six year old (with black painted fingernails, btw).

One more thing, these are my new favorite jeans. Not new jeans but my new favorites. I feel very this in these jeans. And that's a good thing!

Jack

Meet the newest addition to our family, Jack. We are happy to have Jack in our home and think he is remarkably cute. He is the product of a mostly excellent FHE.

The girls discovered, despite being warned, that pumpkin guts are slimy. My girls don't do slimy. The faces were classic. Its at times like these that its a true tragedy that I'm not a better photographer.

Somewhere along the way, Joe had had enough. I think taking his shirt off pushed him over the edge. I was just trying to avoid a laundry disaster. Selfish me!

Jack in all his glory! He even has cute little ears.
Adam is our carver extraordinaire! Another talent its taken almost ten years for me to discover.

p.s. Have no fear, we didn't let Jack's innards go to waste. That's another post for another day. Maybe tomorrow.

Hoedown

There was a "Hoedown" at Ella's school yesterday. Yes, a hoedown! Ella was DYING to go. So half an hour before Joe's bedtime, the kids and I backed up and were off to the hoedown. My six year old has now learned the hokey pokey, the chicken dance, the Virginia Reel and Cotton-Eyed Joe. Ella had a ball!

Above: the Virginia Reel
Above: Grace and Joe had a little less fun, at first. Joseph soaked himself in the water fountain. He got to wear Ella's jacket the rest of the evening.

Grace's evening improved when I let her put on some lipstick, all by herself.

Overall, the evening was a success. The kids got to run amok with friends while listening to "hoedown" music and wearing a lovely shade a lipstick.

I love the back of cereal boxes!

From the back of a cereal box. How many can you correctly guess the movie for?

MOVIE QUOTES

1. "No points for second place."

2. "Noboby puts Baby in the corner."

3. "You'll shoot your eye out!"

4. "You, sir, are no gentleman!"

5. "Yo! Adrianne!"

6. "97X Bam! The future of rock 'n roll."

7. "I'll be back."

8. "Phone home."

9. "Hello, McFly!?"

10. "I've been slimed!"

I put the answers on my other blog so you won't accidentally peak. Accidentally? Right!

Click on "happyme" in my bloglist for the answers.

Question? Did I only know these because I am a child of the 80's?

A Quick Long Weekend

Ella and Grace were out of school for a long weekend last week. We kept busy and Ella said it was the best weekend of her life. So, mom running herself ragged equals kid heaven. Good to know!

Thursday started with the kids and I at the pediatrician's office for Joe's well child appointment and shots. The girls got to wear their witch gear to the doctor's office. The were a hit with the staff. Joseph was terribly pleased with the truck sticker he got on the way out.

We thought a "Wee Witch's Parade" sounded fun for the girls. It turned out lame but at least they look cute.

Friday began with a "Savannah Smiles" movie party with grandma, aunts and cousins and ended with a "Kangaroo Zoo" birthday party.

Then Saturday, Ella had a friend over to play for the day. We went to the library, swimming, lunch then looking for "collections" outside. Those girls collected every piece of garbage, I mean, treasure at the playground. Yuck!Above: Then saturday night we went to an orchard/farm in town for a hayride and an "Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" outdoor viewing. Notice the little pieces of hay (straw actually) floating in the air and the Barbie that "had" to accompany us on our outing. It was great "free" fun.

Finally, check out my little man acting just like my big man. Adam has to keep up with "the market" for work so the news is a constant at our house, especially lately. "The market" better even out or I'm going to loss my mind. I am learning to despise financial news. Nope, I already do! I came into the living room this morning to find Joseph, alone, watching CNBC. Hopefully it didn't scramble his little brain.