No Tricks, Just Treats

Today has been filled with anticipation of trick or treating. From the time they woke up this morning, it has been on their minds. One of Ethan's friends called this afternoon to ask if Ethan could go trick or treating with him, so around 6.00 they put their costumes on

and we were off.

Eliza did pretty well. She hung in there until about 7.30 and I had to bring her home. She was more than happy to take her bath, eat and go to bed. All that candy isn't good for a girl's figure, you know?

Chris stayed out with the boys, Cristian and Cristian's mom until about 8.30 and then they headed home too. We dumped their candy out on the floor and just look.

Have you ever seen some much candy? We went to one house that you walked into and they literally had baskets and baskets full of vending machine trinkets, candy, bouncy balls, beach balls, beanie babies, you name it. Cristian had been there before so wasn't as amazed as the boys were. But I think Ethan and Owen could have stayed there all night. Owen kept asking me "Mommy, can I have this too?" I later learned that the woman's brother runs a vending machine business so she buys these little trinkets by the box load just for the children on Halloween. What fun!

They each got to pick a couple of pieces of candy when they got home to eat tonight and the rest gets put into the pirate bag to be rationed out. Ethan has discovered these candy rings and loves them. I think because they last so long. He has also learned how to negotiate Owens' candy away from him. Such a manipulator.

Owen is a boy after my own heart though. His favorite was the Reese's peanut butter cups. Yummy! I tend to agree with him.

And then there is this sweet little thing that had to get up when the boys got back home. She didn't get any candy but she was definitely interested in the bright colored wrappers and the boys bouncing off the walls.

We had a great time and my little super heros are sound asleep.

Quote of the Day

Ethan: I can't wait until the next night time.

Thank you Aunt Jan!

There's a Crazy Woman in Car Pool

Everyday around 3.30pm, except for Wednesdays, on Wednesdays it is 2.30, I tell Owen, "honey, 10 minutes and we have to go pick up Ethan." And everyday he ignores me. And then at 3.35pm (2.35 on Wednesdays) I say "honey, 5 minutes and we have to go get Ethan." Again, ignored. Then at 3.40pm (2.40 on Wednesdays, of course) I say, "come on honey, it's time to go get Ethan." And each day I get "NOOOOOOOOOO!" or some variation of a grunt. I suppose I am thankful he isn't ignoring me at this point. And I have to say "whatever, Owen, I am leaving and unless you want to be here alone without mommy, you need to get moving." At this point I am downstairs with Eliza and about to walk out the door. It is when he hears our alarm say "garage door open" that he comes running. Inevitably he waits until I have him buckled in his car seat to say "you didn't get me a drink." And I reply "No, I didn't. You will have to wait until we get back home." And of course, this doesn't go over well either. I get Eliza in, then myself and before I get out of the garage Eliza is crying. She still isn't a fan of riding in the car. Have any of my angels liked it? The answer is a resounding, no. So off we go.

We are two quarters into school now and I still can't time the car pool line right. You see, Eliza whimpers when I am driving, but if I ever have the audacity to actually stop the car, like at a red light, stop sign or car pool for example, she really turns on the tears. So I continue to try and time picking up Ethan so that we are in car pool line the least amount of time without Ethan being the last child waiting. Ask Uncle Chad how that turns out. Let's just say, I didn't win mommy of the year on Ethan's first day of school.

So back to car pool.....each day Owen is either watching a movie or listening to his music while we wait and each day he complains he can't hear it. Why you may ask? Because Eliza is upset that we have to wait in car pool line, remember? So there we are, Eliza crying, Owen complaining and me watching the car in front of me like watching a pot start to boil. And finally it is our turn, I can see Ethan and the safety patrol child that walks him to our car. And then it happens, I open the van door for Ethan to get in and it is like the heavens open up and you can hear the angels singing, only it is my angel and she ain't singin'. She is belting out for everyone to hear her dislike for carpool. The darling safety patrol child smiles, tells me to have a nice day and I do the same. But really, I think they are all thinking

"Who is the crazy woman in car pool line?"

***note: baby in pic is not Eliza

Love this song.....

We are all Bus Riders today

Yesterday was Ethan's first field trip as a husky pup. They went to Ganyard Hill Farm for a pumpkin outing. The children had a wonderful time at the farm but I think the bus ride was the biggest thrill for those that aren't normally bus riders. Wow - my little boy is growing up.

Going down the hay slide....from the outside.


Picking corn

and pumpkins.....

Hay ride with daddy


Ethan: "Yeah, we were all bus riders today, well."

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!

This past weekend was our annual trip to Dillsboro, NC for the It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown train ride. This is our third year doing this trip and it is by far one of my favorite things to do with the boys. We always eat at the Jarrett House and then walk down to the Chocolate Factory for an after dinner treat. Each year it seems the boys get more and more into this trip and look forward to it. This year was a bit different because Ethan is in school so we couldn't leave until 4pm Friday which meant for a long drive and a late night for all of us. Not to mention it rained most of the way there. Saturday we got up early for a yummy breakfast at the hotel then headed to Bryson City to get our tickets and board the train.


We take a 30 minute train ride out to an open field where there are so many fun activities for children. Bobbing for apples is always a big hit with both boys.

Sweet reward....

Barrel rides....


Roasting marshmallows....


and trick or treating.


The last item on our agenda was to find the Great Pumpkin! I think Ethan did - or at least the greatest one that he could carry.

Guess who is 3 months old?

I am late on posting this but better late than never. Eliza is 3 months old now and my oh my how she is growing. She is now sleeping in her crib in her room and doing really well with it. The transition was a little rocky, but for the past couple of weeks she has been doing wonderful. She still occasionally wakes up during the night but Chris or myself can get her back to sleep usually within 30 minutes.

• She is getting more and more tummy time and looks so big and strong holding her head up.

• She loves her brothers and tries her best to keep up with them. Although they run by her so quickly her head usually can't keep up.

• She loves her daddy and gets very excited when he comes home from work.

• She is in a good night time routine of taking a bath, nursing and going to bed. It started out around 9 pm and in bed by 10pm, but she can hardly hold her eyes open past 8pm now. Which means more relaxing time for Chris and I but also means she is growing up that much quicker.

• She continues to be such a joy and a blessing. Chris and I talk about it often how lucky we are that she joined our family.

We love you Eliza Gale!

Soccer.....Take Two

If you recall, we attempted soccer last year with Ethan and despite the one day that he did play and scored a goal the remainder of the season was a disaster. We went to every game and sat on the sidelines trying to talk him into walking onto the field. He cried, he cried, and he cried some more. It was just miserable.

He started talking about soccer again this year and Chris and I debated over and over whether or not we wanted to walk down this road again but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

And I am so glad we did.

He loves it!

And so do we!

And just like that.....he's swinging

Last week was a big week in the life of Ethan.

And for me too.

I admit there are some things I will miss about my children being small.

And one day pushing them on the swing will be one of them. But for now, it is more enjoyable to watch his self esteem soar as he conquers yet another skill. Way to go honey!