Hallowe'en Night

Richard arrived at our place while I was packing up to bring the boys (and Richard) to my mom's place for Trick or Treating.

Problem #1 - AJ did not take a nap.  He must've been just too excited.  I can count on one hand the amount of times that AJ has not fallen asleep when put down for nap.  He did snooze on the way to my mom's, but for all of about 15 minutes.  

When we arrived at mom's, I fed the boys their dinner.  Once it was finally beginning to get dark, I started getting the costumes on.  I brought make up.  I knew AJ would be willing to have a grey or black face to be a spider.  I was putting on lotion on their faces and then brushing on eye shadow all over their faces.  That was the plan, anyhow.  

Problem #2 - Dexter was in no mood to co-operate.  Oh the memories of my little baby brother with his folded arms, furrowed brow, and blood curdling screams came racing back.  He DID NOT want to change into his 'underclothes'.  He DID NOT want his costume on.  And despite that fact that EVERY MORNING, he is desperate to 'put on make up' with me, taking my hair-and-make-up time from 8 minutes to 20 minutes, he would NOT let me put the eye shadow on his face, but he was more than willing to jab himself in the eye over and over with gray eyeshadow.  Good grief.  So, I wanted to wash some of it off, which of course makes him cry more, which of course makes Gram all upset.  Now I'm the evil witch.  And I don't even need a costume!  I thought at the very least I could use my eye liner to draw his whiskers.  I got one on and I got smacked for that.  He went to naughty spot for that.  

New plan - leave without Dexter.  He hates that and he'll be dying to come with us and get his costume off.

That worked.

Then, we were off.  Two houses into it, he had the routine downpat saying 'Khrick a keek" (trick or treat) and "kee queue" (thank you) and lots of "bye bye eeeboay" (bye bye everybody).

If past years were any indication, I expected AJ to be trick or treating until 9:00pm at the earliest after about 15 blocks, and that Dexter would be a challenge to drop back off at home after going down the street and back because he'd still want more.

Instead, although the boys were not pooped, they were more than happy to head back into Gram's house after a modest trick or treating run.  We were back at Gram's for like 7:30pm.

Richard was just barely feeling good enough to come outside with us.  He came.  He even carried Dexy a bit.

Spider.

The first house.

Papa holds him after for some reassurance.

Now he's off on his own.

Skunk.  Lil' Stinker.

Outside Paul's friend Brock's house.  Brock was hiding behind a statue at the front door, and peaked out behind it wearing a scary mask.  Dexter (who has recently become more sensitive to things that could be construed as 'scary' lately) began to cry and scream.  He was none-too-pleased.

Oddly though, a leg-eating pumpkin didn't phase either of them. Darned desensitizing television programming!

It was so nice and warm tonight that AJ kept having to remove his hood because he was sweating.  I put gloves on him, but they weren't needed at all.

Running to keep up with big bro.

So glad you could come, Daddy.

Dexter keep swanting to get carried at this point, so we head back to the house.  I'm thinking we're heading back to get the stroller, so Dexter can just rest while AJ finishes trick or treating.

But they were both finished and ready to start eating their treats!

Some Hallowe'en Excitement!

Sonja's writing code!

I did computer coding all by myself!  I wanted to load these pics.  There were a lot. I have to resize them to put them on the blog and that's time consuming.  Richard usually resizes them in big batches for me in some slightly complicated manner.  After him teaching me again the other day, I actually remembered this time and was able to type the computery language myself.  It was very exciting.  To me.

Daddy's Coming Home!

Richard just couldn't bear (is that the right spelling?) to spend Hallowe'en alone and not see the boys in their costumes.  So, he's coming home in a couple hours to spend Hallowe'en night with us and sleep over!

Or, he really needs laundry done.

Or, he just really wants to drop off the car which he's realized he really doesn't need while he's there.

Or, he just wanted some 'kisses and hugs'.

Depending on how well or how badly he's feeling, the plan is that we'll head to my mom's and he'll hang out at the house while I take the boys out trick or treating.  I think Auntie Kim is coming out too.  And maybe Gram.  I'm not sure.

Today

We had a late start to the day today because my two boys slept in until 8:20am.  Thank goodness.  I've been pushing their day later and later to get ready for the time change.  Lunch today was super late at 12:45pm.  Dexter went down for nap at 1:30pm.  AJ's just having some 'quiet room time' right now and then I'll put him down to nap at 2pm and have some lunch, myself.  

After looking at Zellers for a comforter for Dexy this morning (to no avail) and then picking up my morning coffee, AJ asked if he and Dexter could play out in the front yard.  I really just wanted to get inside and get some dishes put away, but... twist my rubber arm... Okay, I'll sit on a adirondack chair sipping my morning coffee watching my two boys play outside in the fresh air.  Such torture.

Here's some playtime pictures.  I just love watching them play with figurines, so I had to sneak and get the camera.

That's the day so far.

I'm off to disrupt AJ's 'quiet room time' to put him down for nap, then make a list of what I need to pack up for the boys tonight, eat my lunch, and put away some more laundry.

Hallowe'en Preparations and Missing Daddy

Missing Daddy

Yup, we miss them.  It's been a busy Hallowe'en week.  Richard will not be here for trick or treating, but we will go visit him on Sunday.

Richard's ben on anti-biotics for a couple days because he had a cough and some sniffles, of course, a fever.  They all freaked out and made him wear his mask.  They quarantined him in his room until they could be sure it wasn't H1N1.  As suspected, his diagnosis......

A common cold.

Poor guy was stuck in his room, except for going to the hospital.

He has updated his blog, so you can get official news there.

Hallowe'en is almost here!  And by the time you read this, it will probably be Hallowe'en day or the day after. 

This entry, as usual, is me jabbering on about nothing and everything.  You could really just look at the pics and you'll get the picture.  But if you love to listen to me go on and on about my daily drivel, then by all means, read on!

Monday

AJ and Makenna were supposed to wear their costumes for gymnastics.  Of course, it's pouring rain.  Jen was picking up her mom from the airport, so I was taking AJ and Makenna (with Dex) to gymnastics.  The gymnastics teacher had said that they were just going to wear their costumes for warm up.  So, I'm in the change room with the two kids (and Dexter waiting patiently in the umbrella stroller because otherwise he'll dart).  I'm helping AJ and Makenna get their costumes on and AJ starts saying, "Um, I don't want to wear my spider costume for gymnastics."  I'm telling him that everyone's wearing their costume and it's only for warm up.  He says, with his costume on and hiding behind me, "But I don't want anyone to see me in this!".  Where did that come from?  Anyway... with some casual light peeling of him off of my leg, I throw him to the wolves...err, ummm, I mean, send him to have fun.

They had fun.  But they wore them the whole time!  AJ was sweating like a madman.  All the kids looked really cute.  It was fun to see them swinging, rolling, and jumping on the trampoline in their costumes.

Tuesday

I had Erica's kids.  Didn't take too many pics.  To tell you the truth, for the life of me, I can't remember what I did this morning with the babies.  I think I went somewhere, but I can't remember where.  

Jen had her mom at her house to watch Emerson and Jaxon, so Jen was able to pick up the boys for me and drop them off at my place which was so great.  I wanted to fold some laundry and clean my room a bit which meant I didn't want Rya to sleep in my room.  Plus, I knew that Richard would be returning from getting his anti-fungals and would need a nap.  So, I decided to see if Rya and Dex would sleep together in Dex's big bed.  They seemed very keen on the idea, but when I closed the door, Dexter would stand up and start goofing off and then Rya would get up too.  So, I gave them the ultimatum:  Go to sleep, or I'm taking Rya out of here.  They goofed again, so I took Rya out and she slept in AJ's reading bed instead.  This worked fine because AJ and Jack were playing in the playroom for the whole time!  They played great too.  They wore every dress up hat down there.

Oh ya, and Jack fell down off a stool and cut his lip.  Oops, sorry Erica!  He was in denial about this cut and the blood too.  It was pretty stinkin adorable when I was cleaning him up and he was pointing at the blood I wiped off of his shirt and to his lip and saying, "This isn't from today.  This was all here yesterday.  This is the way God made me."

Wednesday

It was Auntie Kim's 'nanny day' while I was at work.  This time, Auntie Kim brought her friend Kareen, of whom, I oddly have no pictures.  The girls were ambitious and filled the boys' day with cuddles and cookie-baking.  Bright green icing. Bright black icing.  The boys are still pooping blue and green and it's Friday!

Bones, circles, and hands.  Yum.

That's right, Auntie Kim, you wash those dishes!

Thanks for tilting your head!  This time to the right!

Look at all those cookies!  Look at that mess!  And it was all clean when I got home.  And, dinner was waiting for me!  What a great nanny!

Thursday

Auntie Erica had the boys.  I was quite pleased that Auntie Erica was not going to be sending Jack to school in his costume, and rather, in a Hallowe'en t-shirt.  It meant I could give AJ the option of Hallowe'en t-shirt or costume.  He, of course, chose t-shirt.  So, he wore his skeleton t-shirt.

I used today to take the car in to get looked at.  There was a big puddle the past two days on my passenger side floor mat, my heat wasn't blowing, and there was still that squeaky noise coming from my passenger front wheel.  Luckily, and oddly, the problem was not too bad.  

The squeak was my hubcap = $0

The floor mat was wet from water getting through a gap in a plastic piece that sits on my windshield. = $ the cost of the silicone that Ken picked up for me

The heat was a problem with the pollen filter getting soaked from the leak = $28 for a new pollen filter.

I got my hair cut.  I picked up the boys.  I fed them dinner.  I packed them up.  I headed to my mom and Ken's so that Ken could fix my car.  He wet vac'd it.  He siliconed the plastic piece.  He sealed up a little hole.  And he replaced the filter.  

All fixed!

So thankful for these Thursdays that I don't work right now and Erica watches the boys.  It's nice to have a day to myself to get some errands done.  I imagine this week, I'll be using part of the day to grocery shop without having to drag the poor boys along.  It's so boring for them.  It makes me feel guilty.

Friday

The boys slept in nicely.  Which, in turn, meant a late start to the day. We didn't get out of the house until 10:30am.  We were off to the mall because I had an opportunity to buy Dexter's next size up of his shoes with my 50% off coupon for Payless from the Oprah site.  Nice!  Got his $30 shoes for $15.  And I used my $10 off coupon for the Gap to buy the boys winter mittens. 

After nap, and a couple errands, it was time to carve pumpkins.  I thought I'd take before pictures, assuming the boys would be getting super messy.  AJ had a medium sized pumpkin.  Dexter had a little baby one that was reminiscent of a little decorative gourd, but it was soft.  In fact, so soft, I feared it was rotten and not usable.

Before.

I cleaned out Dexter's mini pumpkin, but AJ wanted to clean out his pumpkin with me.

I wanted Dexter to draw on the pumpkin with markers and then I'd cut it out.  But he really wanted the knife.  (it's the can't-cut-your-skin-pumpkin-knife)

And, no drawing for this guy, just cut cut cut cut, saw saw saw saw saw.  30 minutes of cutting.  No training. Just a natural ability to massacre.

AJ did not, in fact, want to clean out the pumpkin with me.  He thought it was 'gross'. He was barely willing to touch the pumpkin.  I was hoping he would draw a face, but he wanted me to draw a 'scaredy cat'.  

We cut it out together.

Then I told him he could 'go to town' with the knife on the back of the pumpkin.  But again, he really didn't want to 'touch' the pumpkin.  So, he cut one hole and that's it.

Stabbing.

Poking.

Mmmmmm, pumpkin seeds.  And not many.  Luckily, I'm the only one who likes them.

More massacre-ing.

Now, he decides it's time to draw on the pumpkin.  Uh, buddy, you're about 25 cuts too late. 

AJ decided to give up on cutting, bite the bullet, touch the pumpkin, and start drawing.

Later in the evening, Dexter was showing of one of his 'contraptions'.  He likes to use things to make other things.  He's kind of crafty.  

Here he is on his stool-choo choo.

 Ahhhh, it brings back memories of my little brother.

And then, a late dinner (I'm trying to push it late for the time change).

I wanted to make Mummy-Dogs with the boys.  I couldn't figure out what we were doing wrong.  My mummies looked like cute little sleeping babies.

Little swaddled babies that I would be putting in the oven.

Yum.  Dexter only wanted the wiener and AJ only wanted the 'bun'.  And then, he didn't want any and asked for some broccoli and dip.  Crazy kid.

Later I realized why my mummies looked like babies.  I forgot to put the bandage around their heads.  Oops.