Trick-or-Treat 2014

This year we didn’t do a family costume theme – everyone just kind of went their own way, but I love how all the costumes turned out!  This was the first year Max really got into trick-or-treating.  He wasn’t so much into the candy, but he loved chasing his sister door to door and knocking.  Noah was a pug farmer for part of the night, but the pug mask was almost impossible to see out of, so he switched to a scary mask.  He had a great time trick-or-treating with friends.

The week before, we took the kids to Mike’s work for trick-or-treating, which they always love.  They had a face painter, a balloon guy, as well as yummy pizza and cookies.  The next night, Mike and I went to our friends’ party – I was dressed up as Ellen DeGeneres when she joked about being in Nicki Minaj’s video Anaconda; Mike was her hot gardener, Nick.

 

Our cul-de-sac had our annual pumpkin carving.  Thank goodness for the older kids helping with the younger ones, because all us parents seem pretty tuckered out. 

 

Amelia dressed as "Else" for her school Halloween party.

Noah dressed up as a greaser for Red Ribbon week.

And, last but not least, we enjoyed watching the San Francisco Giants become the World Series Champions once again!

Double Digits

Noah turned 10 years old on September 17^th.  Where have the last ten years gone??  He had school that day so we saved the big celebration for the weekend, but I did make him pancakes with a candle on top so that he would start the day with a bit of acelebration.  After school we got frozen yogurt, and I told him he could get whatever he wanted for toppings.  There must have been 15 different flavors of yogurt in his copy and even more toppings (GROSS!).  He actually finished it, too!

I had to capture him sleeping his last night as a nine-year-old.

Noah graduated to a Webelos 1 in Boy Scouts.

We celebrated that weekend with cake and presents, and he had a friend sleep over.  The next day Mike and I took him and three of his friends to Six Flags. and we all had a blast.  I hadn’t ridden roller coasters that scary in probably 10 years . . . boy, did it make me feel old.  We ended buying season passes for the whole family and took Max and Amelia with us the next two weekends.  They loved riding the “kiddie” rides, especially Max -- he would yell “Wheeee” and “I ride, I ride!”

Amelia had “Farm Day” at preschool and was in complete heaven.  She literally held every animal and was really in love with a miniature pig.  I would consider getting one if I could guarantee they would always stay that size.

Max doing his favorite thing, talking on the phone!

Firsts

Noah had his first day of 4^th grade on August 25^th.  Amelia had her first day of her second year of preschool, and Max had his first day of his toddler class (at Amelia’s preschool).  It was a bit of a rough drop off for Max, but Amelia did great.  She must have asked me at least 50 times if it was time to leave for school yet.

The first hour after I dropped them off, I literally laid in bed and watched some junk TV and attempted to fold the laundry.  Even though I had so much to do, I had to take that first hour with everyone being out of the house to relax in a way I couldn’t do if the three of them were home. 

On our way to "Meet the Teacher".

I wanted to write about some fun events that took place right before we left for the summer . . . things I never had time to write about before we left.

In Boy Scouts, Noah is officially a Weblos I, and the “bridging ceremony” was held just before school ended.  It was neat to see him and all the Scouts in his den accomplish this goal.

Amelia had her first dance recital.  They danced to “Baby Take a Bow,” and it was the cutest thing ever!  She was most excited about getting her own trophy to keep in her room.  She’s always admiring Noah’s collection, so she felt like quite a big girl to finally have her own.

The ballerina's patiently waiting for their turn to take the stage.

And Max has started using small sentences, which blows my mind … how did this happen?  When did he stop being a baby?!  He says things like, “Here you go,” “Where it go?” and  “I tickle.” He also can repeat almost any word we say to him.  Noah definitely can get him to do it the best, though.

Max's first time going down the slide by myself.

Summer Vacation Part 2

I spent so much time making our summer plans that it’s hard to believe it’s all behind us.  This summer was definitely our busiest one so far, and I think most of my friends and family think I’m crazy traveling so much with the kids . . . we were only home nine days out of the whole summer.  As crazy and busy as it was, it was the best adventure we’ve had as a family.  It meant so much to Mike and me that the kids got to spend time on both sides of the country. 

After the first half of our summer plans ended, we relished our beds, our pets and our friends and neighbors for the nine days we were home before flying to Florida.  Mike was in London for seven out of the nine days we were home, so I felt like a chicken running around with its head cut off trying to catch up with what I had missed/neglected the first five weeks of summer while simultaneously trying to pack/prepare for our 36 days in Florida.  Mike got home late the night before the morning we were set to depart.  Thankfully, the stars aligned and I got everything done before we left for the airport.  Our return flight home was a couple of days before Noah started the fourth grade, so I knew I had to be extra prepared before we left.

The highlights of our time in Florida would vary depending on who you asked.  I think Noah, Amelia and Max (once he warmed up to the sand) would say “the beach,” I would say “the sunsets,” and I think Mike would say “having my family to come home to after work each night” and “not getting on a plane for several weeks.”  The one thing we would all agree on was how much we LOVED Disney World!

The house we were renting was half a mile from the beach, so we would bike there almost every morning and then again at sunset.  I bought a bike trailer that I pulled behind my beach cruiser in which Max and Amelia could ride, while Noah would ride his bike alongside me.  Mike’s office was also only about a mile away and on the days when it wasn’t raining or he wasn’t wearing a suit, he was able to bike to work as well.  The beach was great for the kids, because there were always families with young kids on vacation who were also looking for playmates.

Mike and I went on a two-hour sunset cruise.  We had such a good time that we did it again the following week.  Living on the coast in Florida was heaven for me because I LOVE seafood; believe me, I definitely had my share.  You think I would have been tired of it, but we had swordfish at home our first night back in Texas.

Mike and I had only been to Disney World once when we were younger, so I think we were as excited as the kids to get to go for five days.  We cashed in some of Mike’s Hilton points and stayed at the Hilton Bonnet Creek in downtown Disney – it’s an absolutely awesome hotel.  They had shuttles that went to all fours parks every 30 minutes, as well as a lazy river, three pools, and a water slide, plus some pretty “delicious” restaurants.  I would highly recommend this lodging site for anyone who is planning a Disney World trip.

On our first day there, Amelia talked us in to buying her a princess autograph book.  We only got Ariel’s signature that day after waiting for 45 minutes, so my hopes of getting many more signatures was pretty low.  However, by the end of Day #4, we had ALL the princesses’ signatures plus those of a few bonus characters.  As much as Noah loves the rides, Amelia loves meeting her favorite characters.  Max got to meet Chip & Dale, and when he saw them, he immediately yelled “Puppies!” and ran up to them and gave them hugs and kisses.  We literally had to pry him away, something he was not too happy about. 

I was worried about how Max would hold up for five days there, but he really impressed us.  He took two naps a day (usually two hours or so) and just enjoyed sitting in his stroller while taking in all there was to see.  In terms of the rides we took them on, Max seemed to have no fear, while Amelia would be burying her face in our chests.