Halloween 2012 {and more!}

Happy Halloween! (And how is it even possible that tomorrow it's November?!)

I finally uploaded some pics that have been hanging out on the camera, and am too tired (lazy?) to rearrange them and move the Halloween pics to the beginning of this post . . . so check out some images from the last couple of weeks in chronological (off the camera) order. ;)

Our little sweetie in her skeleton pj's

Miss E "helping" in the kitchen . . .

If there's an open drawer or cupboard, you can bet that she'll see it and be over to check things out immediately!

Me? What?

I made pumpkin bars this week, and had two eager/willing "taste testers" for the frosting . . .

Last night we carved a "happy pumpkin" (per B's request - he chose triangles for the eyes and nose, and wanted a happy mouth) . . .

 

We are fortunate to have had a friend lend us a ton of adorable baby girl clothes for Elise.  There are several holiday outfits in the borrowed wardrobe that are so cute - the lil' numbers above and below were so fun for E to wear for Halloween. :) (and excuse the blurry pics - it is a challenge to get a good shot of E these days because she is a girl on the move!) . . .

. . . and finally (where I should have started!) - our trick or treaters!  Elise debuted her first Halloween as an elephant (semi-chosen by B), and Braden brought back his "hang a burger" costume for a 2nd appearance this year (I wasn't about to argue with him when he requested to wear it again!)

I wanted to get individual shots too - but that didn't go so well -- Miss E was preoccupied with trying to look at her trunk and wouldn't look at the camera . . .


. . . and B sat still just long enough for one picture with little sis and then was off riding his bike (and told me to just take a picture of the hang a burger on a bike - so I did!)

Of course we had to trick or treat at Auntie Allie's (and all the other local family members) . . . since it was E's first time out I snapped some pics at AA's too . . . B selecting his candy . . .

 . . . and E trying to grab some too (she's not about to be left out of anything!)

Overheard

In the car, driving home on the highway
B: Slow down.  You're going too fast.
Me: We're not going too fast.  It's ok.
B: Slow down, Mom.  The whoo whoo says to slow down.
Me and Billy: {????} Whoo Whoo?
B: Yeah, the whoo whoo says slow down.  The whoo whoo keeps us safe.
Me and Billy: {ahh the police! chuckle . . . }




B: Here Sweetie, you can have this.
Me: {my back was turned, so not looking} Braden, who are you talking to?
B:  Mom, Elise. Elise is Sweetie.





I was in bed (trying to find a warm cozy spot!), reading blogs on my laptop.  Braden was in jammies, but not quite ready for bedtime.  He joined me in the "big bed" to snuggle.  When he saw Billy walk by, he dove under the covers.
B: Mom, I am hiding.
Me: Who are you hiding from?
B: Daddy.  He can NOT find me under the covers.  (Someone didn't want to be sent to his own bed!)






Elise tried on her new elephant Halloween costume.  Braden came over to inspect it, and saw the tail.
B: Look mom.  Elise has a penis now.  An elephant penis.
Me: No, that's a tail.
Billy: {laughing hysterically}
B: No, it's an elephant penis.
(I think we may need an anatomy lesson)

lately/B's 4 year stats

Life has been full:  school is hitting that icky time of year where the "back to school honeymoon" is over, and we're down to the nitty gritty of planning, meetings, projects, report cards, and it's almost time for parent/teacher conferences . . . And no matter how much time I spend on school stuff, I always feel like there is more I need to be doing (planning the next unit, changing up reading groups, finding new ipad apps, creating engaging projects, grading papers, etc etc etc).  The thing is, I also feel like there I need to be doing "more" at home too - and I have decided that home (my family) is always going to trump school, and I that will just have to deal with that reality professionally.  A recent conversation with a former coworker helped me to realize that it is just about impossible for me to maintain the same level of "quality" (maybe that's not the right word?) in my classroom as it was prior to marriage and kids.  There is only so much of "me" to invest, and my family deserves the best of me, not the left overs.  That's not to say that I am planning to slack off at work, but it helps put things in perspective.     

Anyway, amongst crazy at school/work and the whirlwind of life that has also included October birthdays to celebrate, laundry, AWANA, weekly meetings with our speech pathologist and school psychologist to work on B's social speech skills, laundry, and appointments, we're trying to enjoy the everyday moments of life with our little ones.  

It's so fun to watch the kids play "together" . . . this is one of B's favorite things to do with Elise lately - fishing!  As in, she is the fish, and he "fishes" for her using his yo yo fishing pole.  It's pretty funny . . .

Last week we had some lovely fall weather before the chilly temps/rain moved in, so we spent a lot of time outside in the evenings.  One night while Billy worked on fighting the never-ending war against the falling leaves, the Elise and I walked along with B as he practiced riding his new bike.  He is doing a great job of learning how to slow down/stop without falling, and is really doing well balancing.

Little Sis along for the ride . . .

Her signature look - a finger in the corner of her mouth . . .

On Thursday Braden and I had a big day - I took him for both dental and well child checkups.  He did FABULOUSLY at the dentist (they even used the electric tooth polisher for the first time and took x-rays and he was a rock star).  On our way to the dentist I was giving him a pep talk (which either really worked or wasn't needed), and reminded him that he needed to sit on the big chair and open his mouth really big so that Dr. Peterson could look inside. He told me, "Yeah, Mom, I will open my mouth big like a tiger!" (and he did!). :)   B must have used up his "sitting still" ability at the dentist, because he was all hyped up at the doctor. He loves to sit on Dr. Miller's rolling stool, and was zooming all over the room while we waited for her.  Our big boy got a good report - he seems to be meeting all of his milestones (with the possible exception of social speech which we're already on top of), and is growing right on track.  

B's 4 year measurements were:
40 3/4" tall (70th percentile)
36 1/2 lbs (50th percentile)

He's always been a little taller than he has been heavy, so his stats are pretty consistant and he was right on his growth curve.

The four year check up also involves shots - these are the first shots that he has been old enough to be aware of/remember.  I had asked at E's last appt if I should prep B for the shots by telling him about them, and was advised not to.  So at the end of his appt on Thursday when the nurses came in and had him lay down on the table he was not at all sure what was happening.  Luckily they knew just what they were doing and worked fast (before he could figure anything out).  They had me help hold his hands and kind of lean over his chest so that he couldn't see what was about to happen/happening to his thighs.  His eyes got really big when the first stick took place, and he teared up and said, "Ouch! That HURTS me!"  Then before he could really react they were done (with all FOUR shots), and he exclaimed, "Mom, those girls are NAUGHTY!  They HURT me."  (Those girls - the nurses - found that very funny). B quickly wiped away his tears and moved on from upset to being a little angry/indignant, and kept repeating his exclamation regarding those naughty girls. (He repeated it to the receptionist as well as to the cashier at Target later in the day). :)  By the time we headed home after lunch and a little shopping (for Daddy's b-day present), he'd forgotten all about the trauma and was just fine.

Leaf Looking 2012

On Sunday the Miller fam went on our annual "leaf looking" outing to Lake MacBride.  We revised the plan a bit (since it was around 50 degrees - chilly!), and ate lunch at a restaurant instead of picnicking - but a good time was still had by all. :)  Though the weather wasn't perfect, we're glad that we went because the leaves are really starting to fall this week - and the colors were beautiful.

E's first leaf looking trip!

B loved running along the trail, and especially enjoyed walking on the "big wall."

B also really liked climbing "the mountain" (aka the dam).

B's B-day - part two

As you may have guessed from the title of the previous post,  there was more celebrating to be had for Braden's birthday!  On Saturday we had his "Hawkeye" party with our families.  He was soooooo excited and looked forward to it all week.

A Hawkeye party requires a Hawkeye cake, of course - so here's B's 2nd cake. This time my mom made the actual cake, but I added the Tigerhawk.

We had B's favs for supper: brats, burgers, chips, cheese balls, carrots/dip, pickles, and cheese. . .

  . . . and of course cake and ice cream!  Braden was pumped to blow out the candles (again!) . . .

  . . . but was too excited to eat any cake right away - he was ready for presents!

Little Sis had fun getting airplane rides from cousin Addie :)

Grandma Jane made B a cape! (He's taken to running around the house with blankets clipped around him with a chip clip, and gets frustrated when the the blanket falls off, so I hinted to Grandma that the b-day boy might enjoy a real cape.) He loved his new monkey cape (B loves all things monkey!), and had a blast dashing around in his cape (most of my pics were blurry because he was moving too fast).   . . he even slept in the cape that night.

After all that "flying" around, even superheros need some food - so B finally sat down for his cake.

Thanks to everyone for helping celebrate Braden's birthday!  He asked me today when it will be his birthday again . . .

B's B-day - part one

Our little big guy turned 4 on Wednesday.  Though we've planned his party for Saturday, we couldn't let his actual b-day pass by without a little celebrating to mark the occasion.

After work/daycare, we surprised Braden with his gift from us -- his "big boy yellow bike."  At first he was not sure about it, mostly because he thought he couldn't have the new bike AND still keep his beloved trike.  Once assured that he could have them BOTH, he was thrilled.  

He does have a helmet, but we didn't get it out for the inaugural spin around the driveway.  At first he made me nervous (peddling fast and turning sharply), but actually handled it very well.  I am guessing next summer he'll be riding without the training wheels.

Little sis hung out on the porch and played with the pumpkins!

After dragging B off his new bike, we headed to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants for a b-day supper with G&G Hartsock, followed by cake and ice cream (and more presents!) at home.

Braden requested a Hawkeyes cake this year, so I made a mini "trial" version for Wednesday night.  It's not perfect, but he was very excited about the Tigerhawk made of sprinkles! 

 

When searching Pinterest for ideas on how to make a Hawkeyes cake, I also found other b-day decor ideas, and made a black and gold bunting.  I hung up the bunting and balloons while B was sleeping on Tuesday night, so he woke up to a b-day surprise.  We'll add a few more decorations for his "real" party . . .


Braden was so excited to blow out his candles . . .

 

Notice anything wrong with the above pictures?  Yeah - I didn't either . . . until someone pointed out to me that there were only THREE candles on the cake! (Maybe I subconsciously am trying to keep my boy from growing up?!).  Luckily we figured out the mistake right away, so we did a "take two" on blowing out the candles!


 . . . and then enjoyed yummy cake!

Here's our birthday boy in his new monkey jammies with some of his new toys ready for bed!  He crashed after everyone left - turning four wears a fella out!