Halloween 2009

We have had the BEST Halloween! This has been the first year that we have not left Harwood Dr. (sorry Uncle Russ and Auntie Di--we never made it over your way!) Adam had to work this morning, so the plan was to head to the pumpkin patch as soon as he got off work. Like last year, we go to the pumpkin patch ON Halloween, come home, and carve our pumpkins in the front yard. And this year was no different! Adam and Jackson each picked out their pumpkins and we headed home to cut them up!

Aunt Tacey came over to go to the patch with us so we could get some pictures of all 4 of us in the patch--no such luck! Jackson was being a typical 3 year old who didn't want his picture taken, and it was too breezy out to even get Everson out of the car (poor baby! He just sucks in too much air and then is horribly gassy the rest of the night, so we didn't even attempt to get him out!)

Stacey and I made chili for dinner, and GG Jane came over around 4:00pm. I know I have mentioned many times before that I LOVE our block (we have GREAT neighbors and all the kids are "good" kids), but I really loved it this year. Adam pulled his table and chairs out into the driveway to carve his pumpkins, and all our neighbors made their way over to hang out and chit chat! And a great surprise--our next door neighbors that had moved away in June were back in town with Samual and Benjamin! Jackson had a BLAST playing with all the boys on their bikes! It was hard to pull him away to get dressed for trick-or-treating!

We ate dinner, got dressed, and headed outside, where we were greeted by all those boys again! And after bribing Jackson with Airheads, I got a few pictures, and then, he took off--with the boys! So independant! They all walked off to Mr Blane's house, and Jackson joined the pack and never looked back!! :(



Adam got the honor of trick or treating this year! I stayed home with Aunt Tacey and GG Jane to pass out candy and hold Everson--okay, I'm lying--like I got a chance to hold the baby with those two around! :)

Apparently, Jackson was a HOOT during trick or treating! His line for the night "Trick or Treat! Fill 'er up Please!" At EVERY door!! :) Adam said that he learned really fast that if he stood there with his bag open, they would just keep putting candy in! He came home with a TON of candy! They went ALL around the block--trick or treated for about 2 hours before we saw them again. By the time they got home, ADAM was exhausted!

Jackson had a great time passing out candy--he danced in the driveway for most of the night too! Every year, I make a Halloween CD to blast while we pass out candy, and this year, Jackson enjoyed shaking his booty to the spooky songs!

(video is sideways b/c I couldn't get far enough back to get his entire body! Sorry! Tip your head)

We stayed out til about 8:30, well...until we ran out of candy! Jackson stood at the end of the driveway and told all the kids "We runned out! Sorry!" He came in and told me "All those kids are going to be sad, Momma....we runned out of candy!"



I fed Everson and got him all settled in with GG (Thank you very much for babysitting GG!!) and then Adam and Jackson and I headed down to the Waller's for the Halloween block party. Firepit, food, Smores, all the kiddos playing, all the parent's chatting and drinking--it was a fabulous party! WE were only out for about an hour before I started getting super sleepy. Jackson was tired too, b/c we came home and he said "Can I lay down?! I'm tired!!"

Right now, it's Midnight, both boys are in bed, and I'm FINALLY getting a chance to get the blog updated without 3 weeks going by! It's been a GREAT day!

Gambling with PaPaw

We love the website www.freeslots.com. Its a free site that has slot machines that you can spend hours mesmerized by! When I worked at NASA, and we had nothing to do, we would get online and just play slots. Well, Mom and Dad are heading to Omaha to suprise my grandpa for his birthday, and they were gearing up for the big gambling trip! Check out Jackson and PaPaw's shirts--they are both in jammie bottoms and undershirts! And both had just gotten out of bed!

Pumpkin Baking with Mommy

Mar Mar's Party

Lazy Day in Jammies

Yesterday, we stayed in our jammies nearly all day. Mommy was super tired from nursing Baby Ev ALL NIGHT, so Jackson and I layed in bed watching cartoons all morning. In the afternoon, the grandmas came over to see us and play and hang out, and in the meantime, I got some shots of the kids--not great shots, b/c it was SOOO overcast, and I wanted to get the natural light....but Jackson still smiled well for me! FINALLY!

T-Ball!!

We started t-ball! Jackson is part of the "small stuff" league at the YMCA. It's a cute little league--they have "practice" on Tuesdays. They don't really play games yet...it's really just a fundamentals league. It's coach lead, parent taught...the dads play catch with them, play positions with them, etc. There are only 3 kids on the team that really know what they are doing...Jackson, his best bud Ryan (who calls himself Benny from the Sandlot and even wears the LA Dodgers hat to every practice!) and Christian. There are 14 kids on the team, 2 of them being girls.

The first week, we had just been through an entire week of preschool and the "I don't want to go to school! I just don't want to go!"....and t-ball was no different. My poor Jack Jack had some extreme separation anxiety! :( He doesn't like the unknown....he's very much like Adam. Adam was the same way as a kiddo...myself, not so much. Our plan was to go to practice and just check it all out before we had anyone join us to watch...well, that plan changed when we couldn't get Jackson in the car to go. He really thought we were going to leave him there. So I called Memaw and Papaw as re-inforcement and they met us up at the fields. Once he was there, he was fine, but the entire car ride was rough.

We get there and he played catch with Daddy-O. They learned how to stretch, they ran the bases, they stood in line and waited for their turn to bat (and by bat, I mean holding the HEAVIEST bat ever with a Tee that was WAY TOO HIGH for most of them...I learned from the first round of batting that this idea of watching them hit the freaking tee was going to piss me off, so I waddled my big belly over and stood there while I informed the coach, "Have then choke up. That bat is too heavy for them." "Can you lower the tee down. If they are hitting the tee, it's too tall for them. The point is to have them happy that they are hitting the ball!") The coach is a young guy...and the dads were being nice...but for what I paid for him to play as a non-YMCA member, he's going to hit the ball. The next day, I went out and bought him an official t-ball bat!! :) Yes, I'm that mom.

Water Break!

Team Meeting

Ryan a.k.a. Benny

So the following week, he found his friends and they lined up to play catch with their dads and learned how to field grounders! I chatted with all the moms...the ones that I WANT Jackson to hang out with...isn't that sad. There are about 4 kids on the team who are BRATS. They don't pay attention, they cry that they want to go home, they run around and don't follow directions...and the parents just stand there. Really, I don't want Jackson hanging out with them....sue me.

I have to say, though, that there is nothing more fun than watching him play and follow direction and learn the game! I'm super proud!! I just wish that I could get out there and play WITH him...it's very hard for me to sit and watch!

FYI: the coach sat the kids down after the first practice and asked them what they wanted the team name to be....the result: Robot Elephants!! I'm still a little confused by the name....but it's cute!! :)

Daddy-O is too cute coaching 3rd base!!

ROBOT ELEPHANTS!!