Halloween

3...2...1...

Cinderelly

Bode and Gianna had their very first experience trick-or-treating last night.

The babies were quiet with anticipation as we drove to a nearby neighborhood.  On the drive over, I explained to them how houses are either lit up for Halloween, or they are dark, depending on whether the people in the house wish to give out candy.  It was pouring down rain and windy.  We had a full day of school, doctor appointments, and other errands. We were driving home from the pediatrician at 5:30, and all I wanted to do was put everyone to bed.  Instead, we raced home, ate a quick bite and then headed out again (because I had promised Bode and Gianna we would trick-or-treat!).

At just 6 PM, it was so dark and heavy rain splashed down on our windshield, making it so hard for me to see.  I parked at the first decorated, fully lit house we saw.  At first, I thought I'd keep Nico in the car and just go to the one house.  But as I was about to walk up to the house, I saw other houses were lit up close by.  So I got the stroller out, and put Nico in.  I had to call Gianna back, because she was already making the walk up to the house.  A group of teenage (?) boys, all in black and with no discernible costume among them, was crowding the porch.  "Let's let them go first," I cautioned. Within seconds, the boys were trotting off, but then they slowed to a stop in front of Bode.

"Whoah. That is so cool."

"Do you see his costume? He's an astronaut!"

"Check out his helmet!"

"You've got the coolest costume ever!"

These were genuine compliments. "Thank you," came Bode's muffled reply. (He insisted on keeping the visor down!)

Gianna then took off boldly, plastic pumpkin out in front of her, in search of the candy. I watched as she put her hand up to steady her crown as she stepped up to the porch.  Only then did she turn back to see if we were behind her.

Two girls answered the door and deposited a handful of candy in each pumpkin.  Two heads bent down to look inside their pumpkins and each baby said, "Thank you!" and then slowly shuffled down the path, eyeing their candy the whole time.

The next house had a single porch light, and not a single Halloween decoration on display.  Gianna moved forward, but Bode hung back.

"Wait!" he wailed "There's no light on. There's nobody there!"

I gazed at the yellow porch light and then turned to Bode. "Yes, the light is on. Let's just go see."

And of course, someone answered the door and gave the children candy.

Nico was so quiet as we strolled (so slowly...) through the rain.  Gianna was looking a bit tired, if not bedraggled, by her rainy pilgrimage for candy. At one point, she stepped on the train of her dress and there was an audible rip.  There was a pause, and then she said, "That's okay." The rain was coming down sideways, so my umbrella was not much use to Nico, or any of us. I felt like such a jerk, dragging my baby through the rain-filled street.  I told myself that we would visit 4 houses total, and no more.

I think that the babies would have easily continued trick-or-treating, if I had not suggested that we go home and watch the traditional Charlie Brown cartoon.

Post-trick-or-treat

We got home, changed immediately into warm jammies and watched a show.  They got 1 piece of candy to eat, after I had searched the contents of their pumpkins. Curious to know what each child picked? Gianna picked peanut M&Ms. Bode picked a Twix.  The rest of the candy (8 pieces total, each) was put back into their pumpkins and up on the counter. 

It was a successful, soaking wet, trick or treating adventure.  They both woke up this morning and put on their costumes. Today, I'm going to propose that they leave their candy out for the Switch Witch. I hope that it works...I'm craving chocolate!

This month has been the worst.  It has been full of ups, downs, worry, heartache and hurts. I usually love October and Halloween, but this year, I'm ready to say goodbye.

Happy November...let's hope that it's better this month.

xo

Cooler mornings and last day of camp!

Chilly morning

This week has been so wonderful, weather-wise!  It has gotten down to 48.  We wake up to a chilly house because our house is opened up all day and night.  We have been putting footie pajamas on the baby, and everyone wears fleeces in the morning. In the afternoons, it's been low 80s. Hooray! I of course love this weather.   I know it won't last, but I'm going to enjoy it while we have it.  

I have started Fall shopping! Hooray!  It is my favorite time of year, and back-to-school shopping is probably one of my most favorite activities, ever. But more on that later.

A warm and stripey outfit today

Bode and Gianna  have their last day of camp today.  They've had fun, but it's definitely been rough in the woods. They've gotten bitten by mosquitos all over, and Bode has blisters on his  heels.  I think Bode enjoys playing with new friends, but Gianna has a harder time friending others, because she is the youngest of the bunch. Yesterday when I dropped them off, Bode ran off with a friend and Gianna lagged behind. I stopped, midway to my car and looked at her. She stood there and looked at me.  And my heart  hurt a little bit, wondering if she wanted me to stay or if she wanted to go with me. I told her that I loved her and to have fun. She yelled back, "Okay, take care!" But she still stood there and watched me. Finally I took a deep breath, blew her a kiss, and walked to my car, hoping that she would have fun.  As I pulled out of the driveway, I looked back and saw that she had joined Bode and his friend.

I keep debating back & forth over whether Gianna should go to school with Bode.  (Bode is going to a Kindergarten that ranges in age from 3-6, so Gianna could go there, too.) My first response is No, because I think she needs an experience independent of Bode. On the other hand, I think it might be helpful for her to have Bode around to show her the ropes.  It's hard...we want to do what's best for her (and Bode) and all we can do is make our best decision based on what we know, right?  I get a little freaked out, knowing that I will have two babies in school this Fall. Luckily, I will have one baby at home with me!

Oh, how I love you.

I have no plans for the month before school starts. I imagine that we will fill up our days with swings, water fun and other summer activities. Hopefully some relaxed downtime/play is just what the monkeys need before the Fall school schedule begins!

Happy Friday.

xo

Goin' green

Gianna, getting bigger and leaner by the minute.

Things are greening up around here, ever so slowly.  I have halted my garden plans for the past few days, due to rain and cold weather.  I am a wimpy farmer. But, I am wearing my down jacket today! Crazy NY weather.

Friday night, we had a thunderstorm. RWF and I both enjoy a good thunderstorm. It was even more exciting because the power went out.  We sat in our dark, quiet house, whispering and waiting for the lights to flicker on.  After waiting for about 20 minutes, we went to bed, excited to go to sleep to the noisy rain and thunder. Then, about 5 minutes after we crawled into our bed, we heard Bode crying and screaming.  Our kids are "white noise" addicts.  So when the power goes out, the white noise stops, and babies wake up. So dealing with the wake-ups (plural) was not fun. But we did enjoy the storm while it lasted.

Then, on Saturday morning, we discovered this:

That is the top of a very tall tree.  Crash, boom, in our yard.  Luckily, it didn't hit the nearby power lines (or our house)!  RWF and I walked around the yard, trying to find the broken stump that the tree split from.  Finding no stump, RWF looked up and saw that it had actually split from the very top! Yikes!

Saturday, Bode had his last indoor soccer game. Next Saturday, he starts a new soccer team outdoors. It will be his first 'real' soccer team/game. I am so excited.  I went to our local sporting goods store and bought him his first shin guards, socks, and shorts.  

On Sunday, we visited Nana, Aunt Dawnie and Uncle Craig, and Aunt Debbie. It was a nice afternoon. The babies just love spending time with their family.    I didn't take any photos because I have found, I rarely have time to stop and take a photo!  I am busy with one child or the other when we are visiting.  The parenting does not stop, even when you are surrounded by family.

The bullying continues at school for Bode.  So, we are having to step up our talks with the teachers involved.  Bode was not in school last week due to sickness, and he still talked about this bully and the meanness. I don't like that this bully is in Bode's head, even while he is away from school for a week.  On Monday, I had hoped that time away from the bully meant that the bully would forget about the meanness. But Bode came home from school and told me that the bully had pushed him down and "was mean" during recess. That's it. It needs to stop now.

Happy Tuesday.

xo

The weekend

Dude, I am so sick of the snow and crummy, crummy weather. Everyone is talking about SPRING! "Spring!" "Spring has sprung!" "New Spring clothes,"etc. People are posting ridiculous pictures of themselves in short sleeves, with the sun blazing above them. Pictures that make me grouch. No Spring here. Not here!!! After a big snow dump last week, we are still covered in snow and experiencing temps in the 30s and wind. Wind, you are not my friend.  Upstate New York, you are not my friend.

And then I read this Tweet: Spring: Winter Part 2.  I'm sorry, but I do not know who authored that Tweet. And if you could review my "History" in my iPhone and Mac, you'd understand why it would be a long process to find that source.  I do not take credit for it, so hopefully that will suffice.

I've been trying to figure out why I've hated this winter so much. Why have I struggled, and moaned, every single day over the weather?  I've decided that it is very hard to have a baby in this type of weather. I don't want to bring Nico out in the cold. Therefore, I'm 'stuck' inside a lot. A LOT. Yesterday, after arguing with RWF about whether it was too cold for Nico to be outside, I brought Nico out. It was a bit windy, but Nico was warm in his down snowsuit. I took him out for 15 minutes, which I thought was long enough to get a blast of fresh air but not so long that his little eyeballs, nose and mouth would freeze. (If you must know, RWF was "for" bringing Nico out, and I was "against")  The other thing I'm struggling with is the lack of sun.  It is crazy how the sun does not shine here. I never minded overcast days WHEN I LIVED IN TEXAS or CALIFORNIA.  Because in TEXAS and CALIFORNIA, overcast days are few and far between. But here, it is a regular occurrence. And it really is a drag.  

But enough about me. 

Keepin' it real with the (clean) laundry in the background

Bode is such a great big brother to Nico. He plays with him and makes him smile.  And I like that Bode will entertain Nico in the mornings while I make my much-needed coffee.  

The boys, before they go skiing. I guess that this is one reason we live here? Skiing? Wait. We can live on the West Coast and ski, too. 

Hope that your weekend is lovely, and that you have sunshine in your corner.

xo

Hair today

Today Bode and Gianna got haircuts.  We went to a dedicated children's hair salon that I found in a neighboring city. It's the same franchise we went to in Palo Alto.  I like this experience, and more importantly, I think the children do, too.  

Gianna was so tired by the time we got there. But she was a trooper, and so good, while Bode got his haircut and then while she got her hair cut.  Gianna got her baby hair snipped off! I had mixed feelings about this; hate to see the baby-baby stuff go, but also knew that she had dead ends that needed to be taken off.  

Her hair looks long when it is wet and combed out!

Her first "palm tree."

Her hair started curling up again even before we left the salon.

It wasn't until Bode was finished with his haircut that I realized I hadn't even snapped a photo of him.  I think I have a photo of every haircut he has gotten.  Here are his "after" photos:

Bode watching a little boy cry & scream during a haircut.

I am fortunate that both children do so well while getting haircuts.  There is usually a child in the salon that is crying and/or screaming.  Ai-yi-yi!  The drama! I feel so bad for the child, the mother, and the hair stylist.

Afterwards, we went to a shoe store and got Gianna fitted for new sneakers. This weekend, when I was putting her shoes on, I thought that Gianna's feet felt a little too snug. I was right: her feet have grown! I always feel bed, thinking that I'm shoving my kids' feet into too small shoes and they can't tell me. Bode's feet are the same size, so he didn't get any new shoes. I was wondering if this would be a problem. I worried that Bode would think, "Why is Gianna getting new shoes, and I am not?"  But he didn't seem to think anything of it.   That kind of thinking will come later, right. 

This weekend we drove to the "dacks," to Gore Mountain.  It is definitely bigger than the other two local ski areas.  But not anywhere I'd want to just hang out with Gianna. Why don't these places have nice lodges decked out with cushy sofas and fireplaces, a decent cafe, etc?  They need to get a clue from Park City and other areas. We drove into town afterwards and stopped at a little cafe for breakfast. I ordered the "lumberjack breakfast," and after the waitress had walked off with our order, RWF asked, "You do know what the 'lumberjack breakfast' means, right?" I told him that I was well aware of what I had ordered. When my food came, I cleaned my plate (Bode ate the 3 pieces of bacon).  It was delicious.   RWF laughed all the way home, and told me that he'd never let me forget the "lumberjack breakfast." 

Sunday, RWF took Bode skiing at West Mountain.  RWF said that he had the hardest time getting Bode to stop skiing. Bode gets tired, but isn't ready to stop. RWF always has to bribe Bode with food. I love that they go out to breakfast after skiing.  I love the idea of my two boys hanging out together. I think Bode really enjoys the time with his daddy. And I know that RWF loves it, or he wouldn't take Bode out every weekend. This may be the last weekend for skiing though. 

Today the high is supposed to reach 66 degrees. The sun is shining and I'm wondering why we are inside (naps).  I hated to use this beautiful morning getting haircuts, but Bode wanted to do that instead of going to the park.  (I can't explain it.)  This afternoon, I plan to take the children to a park.  We need to enjoy this beautiful weather while we have it!

Happy Monday.

xo
PS It should be noted that it snowed Friday night!  While Bode and Gianna were modeling their new rain gear, I looked outside and it looked like a blizzard.  I am gearing up for Spring, but becoming fast-aware that we are living in a totally different environment this year!

  

Thaw

Yesterday it was 55 degrees.  55 degrees! And sunny! I felt like I had won the lottery.  And today is turning out even better, sunshine with a reported high of 63.  I can not believe my good luck. Thank you, Spring! Thanks for showing up early this year.  

Our yard is a mixture of (melting) snow, ice and large puddles of water.  It was warm yesterday, so the children were in fleece jackets. They wore snow boots on their feet because of the snow and wetness. The children played outside for a long time.  I think they enjoyed the warm weather and sunshine more than I did (if that is possible).

Bode loves that our driveway is getting flooded in parts, thanks to the melting snow. He pretends like it is a car wash and runs his bike (or Gianna in the car) through the water really fast.  

They love to "skate" on the ice, too.  This makes me incredibly nervous.  RWF thinks that it's great that they get out there and practice their balance on the ice.  

Of course, by the time I made everyone come inside for dinner, they were both absolutely soaked.  I had to strip them of their wet clothes and boots immediately. Their little feet and legs were red and cold.  They were not happy about changing into dry clothes and socks! Children are so funny in that they don't let a pair of soggy boots and pants stop them from play.

Yes, he is sitting in (cold) water.

Yesterday I ordered rain jackets, rain pants, and rain boots for the children. I am a little bit behind! I was not expecting Spring to arrive in NY so soon. Hopefully their rain gear will arrive quickly so that they can use it. 

Happy Spring!

xo

Chill

Post-dinner baba while lounging in mommy's arms

We had a very chill weekend.  We spent our time lounging indoors or outside enjoying the sun.  Bode did go skiing with RWF, but that was the only activity that was done outside our homestead this weekend.  We usually go out to dinner on the weekends.  Not this time. I cooked and enjoyed my family sitting around our dinner table together.

I absolutely adore Gianna's body. All babies have adorable bodies, right? But right now, Gianna's body is especially adorable. She's got a little sumo wrestler body with thick thighs and a belly. And sometimes she evens squat-walks like a sumo wrestler. She is my little Jesse. I love it! I would post pictures but you know that she would hurt me if she found out.  Instead, check out this profile:

RWF called her Khloe Kardashian. Naturally, Gianna screamed at  him.

I don't know if it was the wicked cold weather (3 degrees when we woke up this a.m.) or what, but everyone was relaxed and content to stay together.   Looking back, I think Bode spent most of the weekend in his pajamas? I was too lazy to fight it.

Watching the Orange! Gianna was lounging in my lap when I took this pic

Even my amaryllis and paperwhites are lazy:

We exerted ourselves a little bit outside.  And by "we," I mean me and RWF.  Those little crumb snatchers were content to stay bundled on their sleds while we ran around the yard, pulling them like work horses.  Bode got the better horse because RWF can run very fast.  I loved watching Bode giggle like a loon as RWF ran faster and faster.  Then, RWF would let go and Bode would go flying past him.  It was fun for me to watch, and I'm sure more fun being on the sled. Gianna got stuck with the old grey mare who trudged slowly through the snow.

Do you have the MLK holiday off?  I don't.  I have two bosses who expect me bright and early tomorrow morning.  I am pretty sure that I won't get off  from work early, either. 

Happy Monday.

xo

Dirt. It's what's for breakfast.

People!  I am having such issues with the weather. Already! And, (to quote one of my favorite Carpenters songs) we've only just begun!  It is dark here. I can't take photos in the dark. Any one who owns a camera knows this simple fact.  So although my goal was to complete holiday cards before December 1, it is not going to happen!  I tried to take shots this morning. Witness:

My children play with dirt and sticks.  Fa la la la laaa!

Yesterday, we added Christmas lights to the trees out front. Hooray! 

Runnin' runnin' runnin'...runnin' (a la Black-eyed Peas)

Miss Independent, just hangin'

Yesterday we went on a marathon shopping spree of craft supplies.  We bought ribbon, a glue gun, a (plain) wreath, ornaments, Christmas lights, and other stuff. (I'm already thinking, "What was I thinking???" I am not crafty.)  Today we are "stuck" at home because we are waiting on the car transporter to deliver the QEII.  I was informed yesterday that the rear window on the other car was busted in transport. Apparently, the car "bounced" and hit the back ramp. No more rear window.  They are replacing it and the car should arrive on Friday.  Not happy.   RWF has taken this news very calmly and casually. I imagine if it were the QEII's rear window, RWF would be getting pretty hot under the collar. I'm just sayin'....

Anyway. In anticipation of being at home, we gathered many supplies yesterday.  Today is a Christmas craft-down.   Not really. It is the start of the Christmas craft-down.   This morning, Bode and I planted our Amaryllis and Paperwhites!  I love planting these bulbs. I love Amaryllis, especially the pinky-white ones. Ours are red this year. I guess Saratoga Springs doesn't stock pinky-white Amaryllis. (dig) The Paperwhites are white, of course. (snort)

Bode enjoyed digging in the dirt over breakfast.

Mmmm!

Mmm, Mmm...Mmmmm!

The above photo cracks me up because I think about an adult Bode finding this random picture years and years later, and thinking, "What the hell?"

Hopefully we will have flowers by Christmas, or the new year!  This afternoon, I have more plans for Christmas craftiness.*  Or, if it's not raining, we might just get outside and run again.  I hope that you have sunshine in your 'hood.
xo
* I love, love, love the movie Steel Magnolias. And every time I think about Christmas, or Christmas crafts, I think about this movie.  Remember when Annelle bought all the (mismatched) nativity sets at the church fire sale, and glued all the baby Jesus onto wreaths?  I need to watch this movie again soon.