Trick or Treat!

   

Aren’t these “Things” adorable?

So the day played out something like this: Mason yanked his wig off about a hundred times until we were able to distract him long enough for him to forget he was wearing it. Jacob wore his wig because I told him he couldn’t get any candy if he took it off. Manipulative? Yes. But it worked. I also told Jacob that he had to say “trick-or-treat” really loud so he could get candy. And, surprisingly, he was audible. Candy will make him do anything. I need to remember that. He managed to eat the majority of his candy (Sorry, Caleb. You are out of luck). Most of it was consumed immediately after being handed to him. This might explain why I can still hear him bouncing off his bedroom walls 40 minutes after he was put to bed. Moderation is key, and I will remember that, too. And both boys had the most fun handing out candy to the kiddos who stopped by our house. Next year promises to be even more fun!

And, because this is my blog, I would just like to gloat for a minute. About the costumes that I thought of and the AWESOME wigs that I made. Boas safety pinned to stocking caps. Cheap. Warm. Genius. And I came up with the idea all my own. I  am a creative copycat, and this is the first idea I have ever engineered without help. Who knew?!

Spooky

Nothing says Halloween like edible eyeballs. Yummay.

That's Hollywood for ya.

I finally finished watching the entire Kardashian Wedding Special on E!--in roughly 10-minute pieces for the past two months--yesterday. And today, the two K's file for divorce. Are you kidding me? Hello, I want my time back, please!

Happy Halloween!

Art credit: Jacob

Goo, guts, and a few tears.

The annual carving of the pumpkins went something like this:

[Oh, boy, we’re excited because we get to get messy, and it’s Mother Approved!]

[Mason says: I can do this. No problem. You just stick your hand in. Grab a fistful of ick. And then… cry! I have had enough. I’m outta here.]

  

[Jacob says: Awesome. I love icky things. Plus, I’m an old pro. I’ve done this at least one other time.  Hand me a spoon, please. I’ll be happy to play in this mess for about five minutes when I decide I’d rather be doing something else. At that point Mom and Dad can take over…]

Wired.

Smartees, a sucker, and fruit snacks all at the same time? His mother must be crazy... Or just picking her battles.

What would you do?

If you were halfway through a grocery shopping trip with two kiddos who are peacefully coexisting (I mean not crying, poking each other, or asking to see the lobsters swim in the tank for the hundredth time) when the fire alarms go off? I say: As long as you don't see fire and can't smell smoke, keep on keepin' on. That's how we managed our shopping trip the other day, and every trip to the store since then, Jacob has asked if there will be alarms. My answer: Maybe if you are really good and listen to everything Mommy says, there might be.
I'm evil.

Cashing In

For my dad’s birthday, we bought him the chance to drive really fast around a racetrack in a pointy-nose race car. And today he finally used it. Jacob and I attended solo due to naptime conflicts with Mason, and we had a blast exploring the grounds while preparing to cheer on Joe Pa. And then we ran out of things to keep us busy, naptime passed, crankiness kicked in, and we had to bail out before his race. But after being a backseat passenger to this man for a good portion of my life, I am sure his lead foot did not disappoint…

The New Kid on the Block

Meet our new niece and cousin, Charlie.

I love this picture for so many reasons:

1. Who doesn’t love a sleeping baby? (Especially when they aren’t yours and you can give them back when they wake up and cry!)

2. Jacob does know how to be nice to babies who aren’t Mason.

3. Family really is so great, even if it feels like you are involved in total screaming, crying, fighting, meltdown chaos the entire time you are together!

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

 

And this is where I found Mason after a quick exit from the room. Seems my life just got a little more complicated…

Spotted.

White canvas shoes on the high-schoolers exiting the bus on my car ride home. Remember the ones we wore in grade school? (Yep, that's me on the first day of some grade--I think. Why else would I be posing with my backpack?) Not cool then. Not cool now. C'mon, fashion. You're so much better than that. Barf.

Big Trouble

I have taken the dive into the world of Pinterest. Goodbye free time (as if I actually had any to begin with)...

And it begins...

You know, the fights in the back seat.

This morning on the way to school Jacob insistently said: Mommy, tell Mason to stop looking at my movie screen. He needs to watch his own.

Oh, for Pete's sake.

Foreshadowing?

I wanted to check out Carbonite as a place to send my computer files for back up. But every page said "server error" when I was trying to navigate the site. Maybe this is a sign...

What's your problem?

Mine is chocolate. It's quickly going from a sweet tooth to an addiction, and I'm bringing everyone down with me. I took the boys to the grocery store just so "Jacob could pick out some ice cream." Not healthy?

Day at the Museum

My mom and I schlepped the boys to Navy Pier today to check out the Children’s Museum. It did not disappoint. We climbed tires, sailed a ship, played in a tree house, fished in the stream, picked veggies from the farm, cooked up dinner, excavated for dinosaur bones, washed cars, filled up gas tanks, did some grocery shopping, and drove public transit buses to Soldiers Field. We ended our day with an ice cream snack and some Garrett’s popcorn for the road. Only thing missing: A ride on the Ferris Wheel. Would you believe that it was “temporarily closed” exactly one day after myself and several thousand others pounced on a Groupon for half-price rides? Total fail.

 

[See Jacob over by the car wash? I don’t think he moved from that exhibit for a solid 20 minutes. Car wash tokens would be an excellent Christmas idea…]

So Big!

Mason has officially flipped forward in the car. Before we know it, the boys will be fighting over the armrest that divides them...

Sliders

Check out these mad skills.

Soaking up Summer

The best part about autumn? Indian Summer. (Is that politically correct?) Ten days straight of 80 ish weather and still going strong. I'll take it.

Mason was there, too.

Just keeping a low profile away from the camera. That's all.

Weekend Review

This is what Jacob did this weekend. And I'm going to have to take his word for it, because my three guys skipped town to visit family in Iowa without me. Fun for them (and for me)!

[Fished, fished, fished. It seems that the big one didn't get away. Check out that large mouth bass the boys snagged. And video evidence suggests that Jacob even reeled in his own line (baited with hot dogs, nonetheless.)]

[Rumor has it that this kid hardly ate anything at all. But this picture tells a different story.]

He went to the Fall Festival and played in the bounce house, went to the playground, and petted (but really almost squeezed to death) a rabbit.]

So glad that Grandma and Papa were happy to see these surprise visitors. We'll have to do it again sometime!

What's your fall flavor?

Mine is Apple Cider Yankee Candles with Pumpkin Patch Wallflowers. Perfect.