Happy Halloween!

Our Halloween was full of excitement, but probably not the kind of excitement most would want on this particular Holiday. We had to take Cody to a specialist for a problem he is having and we are going to have to do some "trial and error" kind of things in order to fix it. For now though, this post is about Trick-or-Treating so we'll save the doctor details for later!

After we got back from the doctor this afternoon, I went to Papa Murphy's Pizza and picked up a couple of their special Pumpkin shaped pizzas for dinner.


My lil' pumpkin before he put his pumpkin costume on


After dinner, Cody was ready to hit the houses
(my camera sucks remember, Cody closes his eyes every time)


Cade decided to stay home with Daddy and pass out candy


By the time we made it around to Jen and Shawn's house, Cody was ready to take a break and have a sucker. Little did he know, we stopped there to have a break...who's the sucker now??


They were a little tired by this point, but not yet ready to give up so they hopped in the stroller. I don't know why Cody looks mad, he really wasn't, not yet at least.


He did get mad, and started to pout, when we were finally done with Trick-or-Treating!


While I delt with Cody, Cade tried to grab some candy of his own


When it started getting late, I gave the last of our candy to some little trick-or-treaters. Cody was very upset our candy bowl was empty so he put all his candy in the bowl so "da kids still can 'ave some."


I think next year he should be a Sour Patch Kid for Halloween because he can be so sweet at times, but he sure can be sour at times too!

This was the first year we didn't get to have to other kids with us on Halloween. I guess they wanted to get candy in their new neighborhood. While I'm a tad jealous, I do understand...I guess :)

Storybook Forest

Tonight Jen and I took Cody and Laney to Storybook Forest at Arcadia Lake. It was really cool, not just for the kids, but for me too!

They had it set up where you go through these huge wooden doors (they were styrofoam but looked like wooden doors) and it opened up to Storybook Land. Each little station represented a different storybook like Hansel and Gretel, The Three Little Pigs, The Sword in the Stone, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc.

The kids got to go trick-or-treating at all the different stories. It was set up in the woods so when it got dark, they had all the trees and path ways lit up.

Cody at the Third Little Pig's house


Knock, Knock anyone home?


My little spider with the NOT so Itsy Bitsy Spider


Look, it's Pinocchio
(for some reason, Cody closes his eyes every time I try to take a picture so the majority of these pictures have his eyes closed!)

When you were finished with Storybook Land you came out to an open field where they had six different fire circles going. You were able to purchase hot dogs and s'mores packs so you can roast your own dinner and dessert over an open flame. Cody LOVED this part. I really loved it too until I looked down and there was a HUGE spider crawling on my leg and I don't mean Cody. I screamed like a little girl and had the wonderful privilege of everyone turning to stare at me!

Cookin' their hot dogs
(it didn't seem this smokey when we were there)



It's S'more Time


Yummy!

After we ate, they had TONS of games for the kids to play. Bean bag tosses, Fishing for prizes, tattoo stations, ball toss, it goes on and on.

Getting his Tattoo

Then once we were able to pry the children away from the games, we climbed on a tractor hay ride through the campgrounds. Cody looked up at the sky and said, "whoa mommy, look at all da stars."

On the Hay Ride
(I swear he has eyes, my camera just sucks)

I really wish I had heard about this place earlier so I would have been able to take all the kids. McKinly was very upset that she couldn't go but her and Ty's mom wanted them home tonight because it was their soon to be Step-dad's birthday. I will definitely have to take them next year!

Halloween is an EVIL Holiday

...and I'm not talking about any religious or nonreligious aspects of the day either...I'm talking about all the damn, delicious candy the kids come home with. I mean, come on, help me out a little here. How am I supposed to be losing weight when I have to eat this candy. When I say have to, I mean I HAVE to.

Cody will take a bite out of a perfectly good piece of candy and then want to throw it away. What, you think I should just let him waste it like that?? No!! I have to be the bigger person here (and I do mean bigger) and finish the candy for him. It's the right thing to do! I am just thinking of all the starving kids out there who would give anything for some food and here I am, letting my 2 year old just throw pieces of candy like that away?? Oh no, I have to think of those kids who would never waste food...I have to eat it for them!

Except for the peanut kind. I'm not big on peanuts. Peanut butter I can handle, just not the crunchy kind. I'll let Cody get rid of those (the starving children wouldn't want peanuts either, I have come to that conclusion. Or coconut, they don't like coconut either).

Whoever thought it was a good idea to send kids out to go door to door begging for candy had an evil side to them. Obviously they were mad at their parents for trying to make them eat healthy and they just wanted to taunt them with creamy milk chocolate and some soft nougat.

The thing is, I don't even like candy that much, I never really have. I just think because I know I'm not supposed to have it, I want it even more. It just sits there, on our kitchen counter, calling my name. I guess shoving it all in my children's mouths so I don't have to have it in my house is not such a good idea either! Oh well, I guess I will just have to convince myself carrot sticks are far more delicious than chocolate covered caramel or those little peanut butter cups!

Sad thing is, it's not even Halloween yet and his trick-or-treat bag is already overflowing. I just might have to redistribute his candy to the little trick-or-treaters who come by our house tomorrow night.

Trunk-or-Treating

The community church was having their annual Trunk-or-Treating gathering so we dressed up all the kids in their costumes and headed out to go trick-or-treating from trunk to trunk.

We go every year with Jen and Shawn and their two little ones, Laney and Braden. The kids always have fun. Lots of candy, fun games, free food, music and a moon walk. Did I mention free food?? I think that's the best part!

My little pumpkin before we left

McKinly and her best friend, Shay

(McKinly is Penny from Hairspray)


Cade and Brady waiting to leave


Group picture with Daddy. Ty was too busy getting candy to stop and take a picture.


My little spider playing a game for candy


Another game = more candy


Cade was exhausted from all the excitment, he just passed out on daddy.

Thanks Grandma Sandy for making our pumpkin, spider and ghost costumes. Hopefully Ty will let me snap a picture of him in his ghost costume for everyone to see!

Carving Pumpkins

Friday night, we carved some pumpkins. All the kids actually enjoyed digging all the "guts" out of them this year. Last year, Ty wouldn't stick his hand in the pumpkin. He lasted about five minutes and left his pumpkin for us to finish for him. This year, he was all for getting messy.

Cody has never had a problem with getting dirty and dug right in. He's just like his sister I think, she loves carving pumpkins. Cade pretty much just sat there eating his pumpkin!

The "Before" picture

Cade holding his pumpkin


The kids working hard


Ty getting out the guts


McKinly gets very excited to clean out her pumpkin


The finished products
(McKinly is under the table)


Getting warm by the fire after all their hard work


Cade showing off the pumpkins


Cody two years ago with our pumpkins

Crawling is an Extreme Sport

I never realized crawling could be so dangerous. Cade is ALL OVER THE PLACE now. I'll come sit at the computer, the next thing I know, he's right under my feet. I'll go in the kitchen, and yep, there's Cade right behind me.

He's getting pretty good at it and I love that he can get around. However, he's still a little unstable and tends to slip when he tries crawling on the tile. Doesn't stop him though, he hops back on his knees and tries it again...sometimes over and over again.

Lately he hasn't realized how fast he actually can go and has been stopped by a few walls. Yep, that's right, we'll all be doing something, thinking Cade is following us, and then we'll hear a thump and look over and Cade has run into a wall. He hasn't quite figured out that means to turn around and go another way so if you don't get there fast enough, he'll just keep hitting his head against the wall like he's going to be able to get through it somehow.

It's like one of those wind up cars that you let go of and it hits the wall and stops but the wheels keep spinning (I swear nothing is wrong with my child). The sad thing is, the toys these days know how to flip around and go the other direction if this happens, but Cade is learning, at least now he'll hit his head and then just sit there waiting to be rescued.

Papa Bill even got to witness this a little when he was here and found it a tad comical. How can you not, the poor kid will rock back and forth hitting his head on the wall until you get over there and turn him around.

None of this stops him though, he's determined to be able to get around like the other kids do. Every once in a while he'll slip and fall or hit his head in the wrong spot and he'll start to cry and we'll go make it all better and then he's off again. For the most part though, nothing slows him down.

Cade showing off some of his Battle Scars...

If you look close, you can see a little bruise smack dab in the center of his head

He also has a new one on the right side of his head

Poor kid, it doesn't matter what we do, he always finds a way to get bumps and bruises

Someone's Toothless

and I'm not talking about Cade (because who knows when he'll ever get a tooth, he might walk before a tooth breaks through).

Ty lost a top front tooth this weekend. He has already lost the two bottom ones but it's the top one that makes him talk funny! He is VERY proud about losing his tooth. His mommy pulled it out with a string but he is making me mention that she just pulled it, she didn't tie the other end to a door or anything.

TJ had gone up to Ty's school a couple weeks ago to do a little Chemistry presentation for Ty's class (he made slime with all the little first graders) and he said it was so funny to see all of them running around with missing teeth.

Ty showing off his missing tooth

Ty and Laney showing off the holes in their mouths


Ty's wearing his Tae Kwon Do uniform, he gets tested tomorrow for his next belt!

It's Freakin' Cold

For those of you who live up North you'll probably think I'm being a complete baby but it's too early for it to be this cold! The high today is 51!! And I'll tell you what, it has yet to hit 51! We have our share of cold weather here, but not this soon...it's not even Halloween yet!

I will say, I enjoy letting the boys wear fall clothes but I think their fall clothes would work in 65 degree weather just fine! I love that it's getting cooler, but I'm not ready for COLD!

Hmmm, maybe I can convince TJ that the boy's fall clothes aren't warm enough and I need to go buy them some winter clothes! Yeah, you're right, I don't think he'd go for that either!

At least they look cute

Cody was doing the chicken dance in this picture


One problem, not only is it cold, but it's rainy as well so Cody can't go outside and play on he beloved swing set. I guess I'd be a bad mother if I let him go play in the cold rain just as he's getting over a pretty bad cold, huh?? I thought so! He sure thinks I'm being pretty mean by not letting him go outside though!

He tried to entertain himself by playing with Sammy in the kitchen but soon got bored with that.


Daddy did make him some yummy soup to make up for it
(ignore the princess spoon, that used to be McKinly's)

He is being very good but every so often, he'll come up to me and say "I get to go down slide now, mommy?? Please??" Poor kid, it's like he lost his best friend.