Saturday, October 31, 2009

October 31, 2009 in Pictures

Our Halloween festivities began with our community's parade. Amaya enjoyed running around checking out all the other costumes and didn't seem to mind that everyone called her a duck when she's supposed to be a chicken. Chase was upset that he didn't run into any Imagination Movers. We did see lots of princesses, pirates and puppies though.

I think this picture has a spooky kind of feel to it. It's really just a smudge on my iPhone lens. Had to use the camera phone because the battery was dead in the real camera. I have preparedness issues.
Then the pumpkin needed to be carved. Chase actually participated this year. He's growing. I can't stop it.



Amaya did not participate. She did contemplate and give her opinions though. She also tried to eat pumpkin guts. Trouble.


Annual outdoor, pre-Trick or Treating photo.



Checking out his handiwork.

Trick or Treating!! Chase was excited for the first 3 houses, and then he said he wanted to go home. At least he didn't welcome himself into anyone's house this year. Amaya just wanted to follow the bigger kids around. She did get a Kit Kat somewhere that she refused to let go of--glad to know she won't be fighting me for the Snickers bars.





Their most favorite event of the day had to be handing out candy to the kids who came to our door. Chase was more excited than I think I've ever seen him. He kept the door open, and he and his sister kept peering through it looking for more visitors. He was very polite, telling people that he liked their costume and saying "You're Welcome" when he was thanked. Cute. Also cute? Amaya's tail feathers.


Who's that walking toward our door?


Why it's John, Jeanne, Julia and Sophi! What a perfect way to end the evening.




Amaya decided it was time for the party to be over, so she closed the front door while we were all outside. Subtle, that one.
I believe that this may be the last of our laid back Halloweens. Chase was definitely more aware of what the holiday meant, and Amaya was just a little ball of energy running around. Next year, I'm sure that I won't be able to only take the little munchkins to 6 houses and call it good. Of course, that means there will be more candy for me to eat...perhaps them getting bigger isn't such a bad deal after all.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

So now you know

Life is getting busier around here. I'm having a very difficult time keeping up with Chase's social calender and he's only three. What's going to become of me when he hits elementary school?

Tonight, we went to a Halloween party at HT's house. HT's basement is like an FAO Schwartz--a toy wonderland that entrances boys and girls. We've been there once before about 10 months ago. But HT's play area is so awe inspiring to a toddler that Chase remembered it in full detail. As soon as we walked in the front door, Magoo informed me that he wanted to go ride Thomas. I thought he was once again making known his disappointment in his costume not including a train, so I reasserted the idea that he needed to pretend to ride Thomas. He gave me a strange look that I understood once we reached the basement.



Right. There's a full scale Thomas train at HT's house. How could I have forgotten? There's also a train table where the boys happily spent the majority of the party pushing and pulling wooden engines along the tracks.

HT's Mama even had a craft table and snack tables all ready for the little engineers. Snacks being the bigger hit of course. All this time, Chase was a delightful little boy. No whining, no crying, no hogging of toys.


But then, the unthinkable happened. Someone wanted to take his picture. Not just any old picture, but one where he had to sit on the couch next to his friends. Oh, the horror.


The only way to answer such a ridiculous request is to throw oneself on the floor and proceed to have a full-fledged tantrum all the while ignoring the fact that he is the only one reacting in such a ridiculous manner.

This is what happens around 5pm nearly every evening--he has a melt down over something completely inconsequential. This is why I say that the 3s are far more terrible than the 2s. This is why the kid really needs to sleep during the day. But he won't. And that would be why I have little hope of ever regaining my sanity. So now you know.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

I die

I know. Rachel Zoe overuses that phrase to the point of inducing mouth vomit on her reality show, but today when I saw the bulletin board that Amaya's teachers made, those two words sprung instantly from my lips. Seriously. I die.


And here's a close up of my little waitress. Couldn't you just keel over from the cuteness?

I'm totally lifting this idea when I go back to teaching--if I survive the adorableness attack that is.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Chugga chugga, cluck cluck!

I let Chase choose his Halloween costume this year. Wait, let me qualify that. I narrowed down the field to five possible options and then allowed him to pick one. Chase decided that he wanted to be a train engineer. I think that he picked that one because he thought that there would really be a train that he would drive around the neighborhood. I am basing this assumption on the fact that he kept asking me where the train was when we put his costume on yesterday. Pretend, we must learn to pretend child.



We went to our annual Halloween play date on Sunday. Sadly, Joshua was unable to join the party this year, so it was just Chase and the two girls. I don't think Chase minded having the ladies to himself. Amaya was happy to partake in the festivities in her chicken costume. I'm thinking of photoshopping Joshua's face over hers so that we can pretend that he was there. Do you think he'd mind being a chicken? Of course, I'd have to learn how to use photoshop first, so I think maybe that won't happen after all.



Sam is a super woman. She is recovering from having her gall bladder removed but she still was able to host the festivities and make cookies for the kids to decorate. Makes me feel bad for all the slacking I do given how 100% healthy I am. Chase just ate knife after knife full of icing and of course little copy cat Amaya had to mimic his every move. Then neither one wanted to eat dinner--can't imagine why.



After the work was complete, the bakers indulged in a tea party. Amaya was in heaven with all of the girly stuff at her disposal. She kept trying to sneak Tinker Bell figurines into our bag. I have visions of many princess Halloween costumes in my future.


I have no idea what Allie is doing in this picture, but whatever it is the other three find it to be quite entertaining. I love the look on Tessa's face. Cracks me up.



And just cause I simply can't resist--a montage of Halloween play dates past.






Sunday, October 25, 2009

M-I-C See you real soon! K-E-Y Why because we like you!

M-O-Uuuuu-Ssssss-Eeeeeee!
Mickey a Mickey Mouse,
Rock the House!
Mickey a Mickey Mouse
Rock the House!

Does anyone remember that "cool" version from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse? You know back when Britney, Christina and Justin wore big ears and neon pants? Anyway I have to say that we rocked Jenn's baby shower. I mean the Mama to be looks pretty happy here, right?



Not that the soiree didn't have its fair share of bumps along the way. Lesser party planners may have given up hope when their dog ate 15 hand-decorated Mickey Mouse cookies in one giant bite, but not me. Nope. Nor did I throw in the towel when the neck of the wine bottle broke when I was mixing the Sangria. So, I certainly wasn't going to abandon ship just because I knocked over a vase full of daisies completely soaking a prepared tray of goat cheese, sun dried tomato and basil crackers. I won't lie--I did almost lose it when one of the cakes slid into the side of the box leaving a giant icing-less hole, but I practiced my deep breathing techniques, and focused instead on the bigger picture. Why should these minor catastrophes bother me when I know that looking at the pictures, no one would ever have the slightest idea that the party hostess was this close to self destruction? You see, our memory is only as good as the pictures tell us it is. So just forget I ever mentioned any of the above, and no one will be the wiser. It will be our little secret, yes?







For entertainment, we made the guests get up and act silly while I took pictures. No, no. What I meant to say was that we played charades and win lose or draw with all Disney themed clues. Tell me the Sangria wasn't a good idea.

Danielle was in charge of the games, so my mother-in-law can only blame her for the photo opportunities that were provided. Of course, I'm probably the one to blame for posting those pictures on the internet, but let's wait and see if she figures that out on her own.








There didn't seem to be a lot of artists among the guests, but there were some huge Disney fans in the mix. Somehow, this drawing led to someone correctly guessing Cinderella.

Huh, always thought she had legs. And a face. My mistake. But judging from the contestants' faces, I wasn't the only one confused.



Jenn did an okay job acting out her Pirates of the Caribbean clue. At least good enough that I felt no embarrassment in claiming her as family.



But then it was Jan's turn again. Not only did she do this to mime The Lion King,

but she also growled while doing it. Cheater. Not a blood relative, thank goodness.



Were the Village People the Miley Cyrus and High School Musical Disney machines of their time? Nope, it's just fun to stay at the YMCA when you're trying to get people to guess Hercules.



Presents! I love presents. Especially when they're wrapped in pretty colors and contain things like cute little socks and shoes.



Everyone kept calling me Martha Stewart at the party, but I'm going to have to pass the title on to the chick who put a giant sticker in the middle of the inside of her card. Now that's clever. Pretend you've never seen this when you get a card from me that looks exactly the same.



Have you ever witnessed such a show of feigned surprise when someone was presented with a gift that she picked out herself? Mad skills.


I guess trying to pack up all of those gifts was a more arduous chore than I expected. Holy Shine Batman!
As I was looking at the pictures, I mentioned to Andy that I wished I'd have looked in the mirror sometime during the day before the photos were taken. Do you know what he says to me? "Yea, you do turn into a grease factory when you're stressed." Thanks Drew for that delightful insight into my bodily secretions. Next time, just hand me some blotting papers and keep your trap shut!






Favorite picture of the day. Only would have been better if she would have stood up and danced the cancan for us. Now that's entertainment.




Let them eat cake!



Adam and Jenn look all happy don't they?I hope they enjoy these last few weeks of being a childless couple.




Of course, the best is yet to come.