Halloween 2014

Halloween Decor/Traditions...
The boys, Austin especially, were totally excited about turning their pumpkins (they each chose one from all the ones in the bin at Aldi) into a Jack-o-lantern. I'm guessing he got his information from school because I certainly didn't cover it very much. But the week of Halloween, we finally got around to cutting them open, pulling the "gross" insides out, and cutting some faces into them. Austin asked Seth to do a "scary face" and I carved Graham's. Austin nearly refused to pull any of the innards out because it was gross looking and feeling. I had completely forgotten how gross the insides feel and was barely able to help. The smell and the texture about did this prego lady in!

I accidentally cut off a tooth!

School Halloween...

Austin didn't have a Halloween shirt to wear this year. I find it very strange that we missed the 4t Halloween shirt space and funny that once I realized this, I couldn't find one anywhere! So, orange Mater worked in a pinch for his school Halloween party day. I love these sweet boys!

The kids were told to wear orange and black.

His father's son. Hamming it up!

One Mother spent a lot of time on the fruit side she brought.
I brought the plates and the napkins.

His Father's Son. The End.
(I'm shaking my head...)

Actual Day of Halloween...
We started the day by going to IHOP for free pancakes. The boys ate free and Seth and I shared a meal. Did you know that IHOP has really good hot cocoa?? Seth says it tastes like Swiss Miss, but since that's my favorite brand of hot chocolate, that's not an insult to me. They even give you this GIANT To Go cup of it if you ask. Mmmmmm... After breakfast, we headed off to Dr. appts. And after Dr. appts., it was time for dentist appts. And then it was lunch and nap time. Again, Seth took the day off, so it was a fun day just being all together all day.

I'm kinda obsessed with profile shots. This is him pointing at a light up billboard.

Graham's Scary Face pancake. He'd already eaten the other eye.

Clean Plate Club!

Actual Trick-or-Treating...
This is our first year actually going around Trick-or-Treating. Graham had just been born when Austin was two, so we stayed home and handed out candy. Last year, we were in Atlanta, and handed out candy at Anne Marie and Mike's house (Lilly Grace was just a few weeks old.). The boys had a blast and did a good job of sharing the one pumpkin I bought. Graham went to every door, right alongside his brother, but didn't once say "trick-or-treat." He said "Thank You" every time, but couldn't get the other words out. All the candy went into the one pumpkin and then once home, we went through it to pull stuff we didn't think they should/could eat (Skittles for Graham, as an example). After we sorted safe/unsafe, the boys pillaged through and ate as much as they wanted. We only did the houses on our street, so we had a very reasonable amount of candy and spent the next hour handing candy out to people who came to the door. The boys had a blast doing that too! I love that they love giving AND receiving. Austin was Spiderman (I bought his costume the day after Halloween last year in Atlanta) and Graham was Superman (I have no idea where this costume came from. It's been in the toy chest with all the other dress up stuff for as long as I can remember. Seriously. No memory.)

It looks like broad daylight here. I'm not sure why.

Love the twins next door!

I love this candied face...

Austin Turns 4!!!!

As I said in Graham's birthday post, each kid gets stuff waiting for them at their special spot, including a balloon. Austin is obviously into Cars and asked specifically for a TMNT balloon when he realized (on Graham's birthday) that he'd be getting a balloon soon. This was also the kind of cake he asked for, which required a special purchase from a lady who makes cakes. $25 for a 6-inch round and that included delivery. He had been asking for a TMNT cake for like 3 months!

Happy Birthday to our sweet, sensitive, loving son!

This Birthday Boy always has crazy hair!

He asked for pizza and pancakes for his birthday dinner. We decided to just go with pizza and gave him plenty of orange pop to go with it. He's his Momma's son, wanting orange pop with pizza every single time. Mmmmm... so good, the combination. (You need to try it if you haven't!)

And this boy was SO pleased with his cake! The candles are a special kind which are supposed to have a colored flame to match the color of the wax. That was a letdown, but an inexpensive one. And he loved his cake just as well. I think it's fair to say it lived up to the dreams.

To watch a video of him blowing out the candles, go here.

He wanted to eat his name AND the number 4.

I hated spending that kind of money on a cake for the 4 of us, but it was darn good cake.
Cute and delicious!

Then it was time to move onto presents and cards. He's a better poser than his brother!

Some year they might grow out of being excited over toothpaste, but not yet!

I love flying tissue paper!

This is a read along storybook of Frozen.
I had several of those (with records!) as a kid and
I freaked out when I saw they were bringing them back!

Now we have all the RescueBots!

Again, love the mess!

Nonnie & Gramps' cupcake and presents...

Nonnie takes each Grandkid to Build a Bear when they turn 4. Austin built the Leonardo you see him sitting with.

Ninja Turtle Grandpa jammies!

His first scooter!!

Nixon-esque "4" answer to "How old are you?" lol

His. Father's. Son.

Graham Turns 2!!

Graham had his second birthday!! Can you believe he's 2 already? Anyone who knows me knows we do birthdays BIG around here. Not like spending tons of money on some giant party, but big in the sense of things that make the birthday person know they are special and loved just for being themselves. This year, we put a book, tattoos, a hat, and balloon at their spot, so when they came out for breakfast, they knew their special day had begun. We also put all four of their gifts from us up on the mantel (along with any cards that had come) so they got to see the reminder all day long. (We give the boys four gifts each birthday--something to wear, something to read, something they want, something they need.) I also tried to sneak a picture of them upon first waking.

The new thing we did this year was write a letter to them, to be kept with all of their cards in their Card Box (which is kept in the top of their closet). It's a sweet little note from us, documenting their tastes, preferences, dislikes, friends, activities, etc. I just want a little glimpse/reminder of what they were each like at the different stages. I know I've already forgotten so much from when Austin was 2, that I can't imagine how much I'll have forgotten come three kids times 18+ years! In truth, I wrote the letters and then had Seth edit/add to them. I bawled my eyes out the entire writing process. From the second sentence of Austin's all the way through Graham's, I was a mess of tears. Blaming some of that on pregnancy hormones. Some. ;-)

Happy Birthday to our strong-willed, opinionated, fearless son. Enjoy reliving Graham's big day!

For dinner, the birthday person chooses the menu and gets to use the special white plate. When asked what he wanted for dinner, Graham chose pancakes, so Seth made him a Mickey one and I suggested adding some blue food coloring. After we eat dinner, it's time for cake! I simply made Graham's red velvet cake this year and bought a "2" candle for the top. Nothing fancy, but still very fun/enjoyed. He totally understood that it was his special day and knew exactly what to do with the candle, when Seth took the lit cake to him.

Here's a video of Graham blowing out his candle:  http://youtu.be/9t908q5RXTI

Sweet smiley Birthday Boy! 

(Note to self: eating red velvet makes it look like your mouth is bleeding.)

And then when everyone's done with cake, we move to the family room to open cards and presents. Grandmas Houston and LaPean sent a card with cash in it. Nonnie & Gramps sent a card too, even though they'd be coming over a few days later. I love the thoughtfulness of that! AND of the people who called and otherwise reached out to my sons. It means so much to me!

Something You Need included a waterbottle and teeth supplies!

Something You Want included a light for the bathtub.
Graham LOVES baths.

Here are a few pictures of the effect of the light. 

It slowly goes through several colors, and it's very bright!!

I love the mess after unwrapping!
Seth needs to learn to let it just sit messy.
He threw a box away that had gifts still in it!

Nonnie & Gramps' Cupcake Night

Nonnie does a better/fancier job of wrapping than I do! lol

Buzz and Woody!!

"McQueen! McQueen! McQueen!"
I love Grandpa jammies and Graham loves McQueen.

"bristle blocks"

And then it was time to play with noisemakers and blow out candles on the cupcakes. They brought ice cream too, which was also a big hit!

I love messy rooms from unwrapping and love messy faces from eating.