Halloween Party

We had the most fabulous party ever!  Yes, it was a lot of trouble, trying to plan it with 3 different people’s input, but in the end it was well worth it!  Catherin, Julie and I joined forces to throw the first ever annual Halloween party.  We started at Catherine’s house for a Costume Parade and Contest.  The kids paraded around the cul-de-sac and then they all won awards for various categories.  Lael won for “Most Terrifying”, Caeden won for “Most Realistic”  They were both happy with those results.  After that, they were led to the backyard where there were goody bags hidden.  Catherine had hid extras, just to be on the safe side.  But, of course that meant that some kids came running up with 2, 3, or more goody bags.  We had to convince them that each guest only gets one bag, and they had to put the others back.

Next up was Julie’s house.  She had some awesome games planned.  The first was the most hilarious, I think.  “Turn Daddy into Mummy”  Each family was given toilet paper rolls and they had to wrap Dad up like a mummy, then all the Dads had to run a race.  Hysterical!  Next was the Pumpkin Carry Relay.  Simple enough right?  small pumpkins held on even smaller spoons, given to children who are supposed to relay race.  Lots of pumpkins hit the ground, but that’s ok, just made it more funny!  Finally was “Pass the Pumpkin”  Julie brought out her iPod stereo, got all the kids in a circle and they started passing pumpkins around.  I was in charge of the music, and I kept forgetting that I was supposed to be stopping the music!  Lael and Dylan were the two left at the end – Yay!

Our house was next.  The kids took off before I could even say Go – so by the time I got there most of them were already in the backyard standing in front of a doughnut on a string.  This game involved yummy treats!  The first child to eat their doughnut without using their hands won a prize.  It was much harder than I thought, but most of them prevailed, eating every last bit of their doughnut.  Next we played Toss the ring around the pumpkin stem.  I got embroidery hoops for them to use to toss, which weren’t really heavy enough to toss.  Oh well, they had fun anyway!  Finally, I had bought face paint to paint on their cheeks or hands.  When I first started painting the first child, I immediately had a circle of a dozen kids chanting, “Me next, I want a ghost, I want a pumpkin, It’s my turn…..”  Thankfully, Aimee stepped in to help.  By the time we finished with that it was time to eat.  We had more than enough food, which is usually the case with parties, but it’s better to have leftovers than not enough!!  After everyone ate, the kids drew with sidewalk chalk, pulled each other in the wagons, or rode bikes and skooters.

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Final Post – Kids Market

This is it.  Todd and I went to pick up my check today – $159.  I thought it was a great profit.  When he saw it, he said, “That’s it?  That’s all you got for all that trouble?”  I nearly clocked him.  I asked him what other options he thought would be better?  Yard sale?  Donation to charity?  He finally conceded that it was ok, but he did want to know what their cut was.  I couldn’t remember.  The website says that the consignor keeps 2/3 of the selling price.  I don’t really care, I am just glad to get those clothes out of my house and to get ‘new’ clothes for the twins without breaking the bank.

Liz Hurley Ribbon Run

When Aimee first sent me the link to say that she was participating in this run, Liz Hurley Ribbon Run, and asking for friends to run with her, I was like ummm, nope not me! I don’t run. I hate to run! I always get this terrible stitch in my side when I run. I know, people always say that if you would just work through it, and run more that wouldn’t happen. Anyway, Aimee says no, that she is not actually planning on running it. She will walk. Ok, I can do that. It is 5K, which I mistakenly assumed was 5 miles. Actually, it is 3.1. That makes it even more appealing. So, I registered after she sent me the link, and we are going to be on the Savvy Gifts team which is a store here in Madison.

This morning, the day of the run, was a bit chilly, so I put on a long sleeved t-shirt under the Savvy Gifts t-shirt we got for being in that team.  I was cold while we were standing around waiting, but once we started walking, it got a bit warm!  I was surprised to see all the people participating!  The website said that official count of walker was 2759.  There were tons more people there though, I guess for support and encouragement.  The route went through the old historic district of downtown Huntsville, so I was having trouble keeping my pace and watching where I was going because I was too busy admiring the old house we were passing.  There are some absolute beauties there!  I did have to concentrate when we started going through a hilly section, that is where it got difficult, I definitely lost some ground there.  We did finish in less than an hour though.  Yay!  Accomplishment – I “ran” in my first race.  This is the official word from the website:

And while money is still coming in, it looks like we will raise close to $100,000 for the Liz Hurley Breast Cancer Fund at Huntsville Hospital Foundation. That’s $30,000 more than last year’s Ribbon Run! All proceeds will help pay for the new Breast MRI machine at The Breast Center at Huntsville Hospital. Thanks to everyone who made the 4th Annual Liz Hurley Ribbon Run a race to remember!

Halloween Decorating

I have had so much fun decorating for Halloween this year.  I had forgotten about all the stuff I had in storage, so it was fun to pull everything out and find a place for it.  I even had a blast decorating the outside, front and back.

My most favorite thing is the Countdown to Halloween collage I made.  Here is a bigger picture of it.

Doctor Visit

We have finally been to the doctor.  Yay!  There are only a couple here in Madison, and I really didn’t want to drive into Huntsville every time we needed to go.  So, we were on the waiting list at a couple of places.  Finally, Cornerstone called and were accepting new patients.  I checked the twins out of school at 1:30, and we headed over for the appointment at 2:00.  We got there and had hardly gotten into the waiting room when they called their names.  Wowzers, I have never had that happen at the doctor.  The twins are weighed and measured, blood pressure taken and all of that.  Caeden weighs 44 lbs, and is 45″ tall.  Lael was 42 lbs. and 43 1/2″ tall.  So, just about 2 lbs and 2″ difference.  Caeden immediately says, “I’m bigger than you!”  Lael fires back, “Yeah, but I’m older!”  After that, we go back to the examining room and Dr. Cartwright is waiting on us!  Again, I’ve never had that happen!  He is a great guy.  He is so friendly and completely makes them feel comfortable.  He starts with Lael and asks her all kinds of questions about what she likes to eat and do.  She answers everything perfectly and then he moves on to Caeden.  This is where it gets funny!  He asks Caeden if he eats vegetables.  Caeden says No!  He asks Caeden if he wears a helmet when he rides his bicycle, Caeden says No!  He asks Caeden if he has a bedtime, Caeden says No!  Oh my gosh!  Each time that word came out of Caeden’s mouth, I am astounded!  Of course he eats veggies, and goes to bed at a decent hour and wears a helmet!!!  Why would he tell the doctor these things?!?  At this point, I am cracking up and feeling embarassed at the same time!  Luckily Lael is there to set the record straight!  She pipes in, “We do too, we go to bed at 8:00″,  “yes, we wear a helmet” and “yes, Mom does serve veggies, but I don’t always like them!”

A day with my hubby

Todd was off from work today.  Bonus fun day, just the two of us!  He has started working evening shift, which is like 3-11 or 2-10 or something like that.  So, today is our day to hang out together.  I need to go to Barnes and Noble to return the book that Todd bought for Chace when he was on his last business trip.  It was so funny.  Todd called and was so excited, he had found the perfect gift for Chace.  The latest book in the Life Cycle series, written by Christopher Paolini, Brisingr Chace has been reading these stories for quite a while now.  The first in the series, Eragon was published in 2003.  Anyway, while we were in Tuscaloosa, we stopped at Barnes and Noble to get a gift for Mama.  We stopped by their house on the way home to visit.  Chace spotted the book and asked if he could get it.  We did.  Then Todd comes home a few days later with the same book!

So, Todd and I head off the Bridge Street to Barnes and Noble to return the book.  We get that done, and then pull out the GPS to see if there are any geocaches in the area.  There are a couple at Bridge Street.  We look for one, but do not have any luck.  Then we just decided to wander around Bridge Street because neither one of us have really explored it fully to see all the stores they have open now.  Lots of really high end stores, and several great restaurants, plus the movie theater of course.  So, we decide HEY! we can go to a move, and it doesn’t have to be a cartoon!!!!  We go in to see what is showing.  Todd decides on The Express Sounds good to me, it realy doesn’t matter to me.  He buys the Prive tickets.  I laughed, he has been wanting so badly to see what that is all about.  It is the upper level of the theater, 21 and up.  This is what the theater website says:

A private glass elevator awaits the Prive’ guest, taking them to the exclusive 21 and over Prive’ level of Monaco. Prive’ guests will enjoy an elevated lounge featuring a Wine Tasting Bar, appetizer dining, and upscale concessions. Enjoy a glass of wine while watching the show along with reserved seating in our custom-designed high back leather recliners. Prive’ VIP delivers the ultimate luxurious experience.

Funny, huh?  Here we are in the middle of the day paying extra to enjoy these benefits!  Oh well, the movie is not due to start for about another hour.  So, we head off in search of a restaurant.  There are plenty to choose from.  He mentions Cantina Laredo, because he knows I love Mexican.  Perfect.  The food was good, it was not crowded at all, so we had plenty of time to get back to the movie.

Camping at Wheeler State Park

We have been talking about another camping trip for months now. Finally, we picked out a weekend. This was it. It was perfect. The weather could not have been better! Well, I did get a bit cold Friday night in the tent, but it was not that bad. I nagged Chace enough about asking a friend to go along so that he would have someone to hang with. He chose Dylan, so that was good. They were away from the camp exploring the trails nearly as much as they were around. The only glitch was that Dylan’s phone worked pretty much all the time, so he could text with friends and Chace’s did not get a good signal. That is whole other story for another post!

Todd started working that crazy shift, evenings, so he went out earlier to get the tent set up and stuff and then just went on to work since Wheeler is in that general direction. He came back to the campsite late that night. I had Bailey, the twins and Chace and Dylan with me, we arrived a little bit after. Aimee and Dylan were already there too. Aimee and Dylan set up their tent, I was very impressed. I am positive I would not know where to begin to do the same! Chris came out when he got off work.

I love camping. Just hanging out around the fire, talking. There is no tv or computer to distract us from each other. I love that the kids are running around, gathering the colorful leaves from the ground, collecting discarded Cicada shells, digging for “fossils” and just generally enjoying the outdoors.

I think the best funny story from camping actually makes me look like a fruitcake, but I will share anyway. Chace got a nasty looking scratch from one of their forays into the woods. I pull out the trusty First Aid kit that my safety conscious hubby has carefully packed. I open it and their are no band-aids or Neosporin inside. It is the kind of First Aid kit that people take on an expedition to the North Pole or somewhere. So, I start digging through the stuff I brought. I pull out a Burt’s Bees kit. On the package it says something about natural remedies for minor skin irritations. So, I pull out a tube and without really reading it, I assume it is a Neosporin type product. I smear it all over his arm, and don’t even wonder why it is white, I just figured it was because it was “natural” The next day, I get out the kit again, looking for the jar of chapstick like stuff I saw when I notice the tube I used says TOOTHPASTE! I start laughing hysterically, and then try to stifle it so nobody will notice. Of course Aimee does and asks what is so funny, so I have to tell her. She then proceeds to share it with everyone else in our group. Chace pipes up with, oh yeah I wondered why it was hard and crusty when I woke up this morning!!! I am laughing again now just thinking about it.

Fall Break Fun

I love Fall Break!  There is talk of Madison city getting rid of the week long Fall Break next year or in the years to come.  I sure hope they do not!  I love having big blocks of time where the kids are off from school.  The school my nieces attend in GA has weeks like that sprinkled throughout the school year, Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas, of course, then Winter Break, and then Spring Break as well.  They don’t get inclement weather days, or Teacher Workdays or single days like that, but I would be fine with that.

Anyway, we decided to spend a bit of time in Birmingham this week so we drove down on Tuesday.  I had wanted to go to the $1 Movie, but there really wasn’t anything great playing there.  So, we decided to go to the Rave at Patton Creek.  The twins and I saw Beverly Hills Chihuahua It was cute, definitely would have been better had I paid $1 per ticket rather than $7.25.  Chace was adamant about not seeing that movie, so he went on his own into a different theater and saw something else, I forgot the name.

Cori and Chris came over to Mimi’s with their kids for dinner.  That was nice to be able to visit with them.  Caeden and Lael love to play with Dakota anyway, so it was great.  Madyson is going to be Little Bo Peep for Halloween, Mallory wore that costume when she was about her age, and it was the cutest costume ever!

Wednesday the kids and I went to the McWane Center.  The annual passes I bought for the Space & Rocket Center here in Huntsville gets us in free to tons of other science type based museums all over the country.  I was very excited to see the McWane Center on that list, because we love that place.  It is lots of fun!  This time was awesome, it was practically empty – not crowded at all!!!  Last time we came, there were tons of people, you had to wait for lots of thing to do.  Not the case now, we loved it!  I guess that is the bonus of everyone else being in school, and us having a Fall Break!

Madison Street Festival

Caeden’s Cub Scout Troop was supposed to be in the Parade at the Madison Street Festival. So, the boys had to be there early to get in line.  Chris, Todd and the boys went on early, and Aimee, Lael and I drove over a bit later.  When we got there, we found a good spot to watch the parade go by and waited.  Todd called to tell us when to start looking for them.  Finally, we see the Cub Scouts.  They are easy to spot in their uniforms with the flags.  Dylan was pushing some sort of wooden car thing, with another kid riding in it.  Todd and Chace were all the way on the other side from where we were, so I didn’t get any good pictures of him at all    Oh well, there is always next year.

The parade goes on by, so we decide to walk around and check out the booths.  It seems like every clown,, beauty queen and all the booths are giving out balloons, so Lael has several, in different colors.  She spots a booth down the road a bit that has blue balloons and insists she needs a blue balloon.  Sure, no problem.  We walk up to it and I realize that it is a Democratic party booth and the blue balloons are emblazoned with some Democrat’s name who is running for Congress.  Aimee starts laughing, since she knows our family’s political stance, (Republican) in stark contrast to her own Democratic leanings.  Lael is just excited about a blue balloon.  I am not about to make the child cry by telling her that she cannot have a blue balloon for political reasons!!!  But then the guy asks her if she wants a sticker.  She is a child!  Of course she wants a sticker!!!  Now, Aimee is really laughing – it is sticker with a donkey, which Lael thinks is cool.  Whatever!

Finally, the boys return and we head over to the Inflatable Fun Zone!  Oh boy, they have 6 or 7 inflatable things, sounds like too much fun right?  I head over to the table to get tickets.  I was not prepared for $1 per ticket.  1 ticket earns you one time down the slide, or one time through the obstacle course, or even better two tickets for the biggest and best maze like obstacle course inflatable!  I thought it was a racket, but what can you say?

After that, we head back out to the street to see what else there is.  My stomach is rumbling, Aimee and I decide on gyros.  YUM!  I don’t think I’ve had one like that before.  She gave me the choice of chicken or lamb, I didn’t have a clue, so I got a taste of each.  Lamb was delicous, chicken was a bit dry, so-so.  Lamb it was – and it was humongous, and sooooooo delicious!

The whole morning was great – the street festival was nice, the kids had a blast!

We’ve been Boo’ed

This is one of my favorite things about Halloween.  When we lived with Lynda last year, her neighborhood did it.  It was the first time I had heard of it, but we jumped right in.  This year it started on our street with Dylan.  His house was the first to get Boo’ed, next was Kouji and Emika.  Before we knew it, our doorbell was ringing and when we went out, there was nobody there!  Only 2 pumpkins filled with goodies and candy, plus a gift bag chock full of candy.  Chace chose the gift bag quickly!  We started making plans immediately about who we were going to Boo.  I had already picked up some goodies from Target, so all we had to do was get the bags ready.  Caeden wanted to do Axel’s house, and Lael wanted to do Shelby.

We went to Axel’s first.  We had to drive by it a couple of times, because cars kept coming and we didn’t want to get caught.  Finally, we were able to stop in front of his house.  Caeden ran up to the door with the bag, literally dropped it on the front porch and rang the doorbell.  Immediately I see a child’s figure pull back the curtains and peek through the blinds.  Caeden runs back to the van and climbs in the backseat.  He forgets to shut the door.  I start driving off VERY slowly anyway, so we don’t get caught.  Caeden flips out!  He is quite concerned that we are driving and the door is still open!!  He is about to cry and telling me “Mommy!!  It’s not safe to drive with the door open!!!”  {He is such his father’s child, LOL!  safety freak, that is!}  Of course, I agree it is not safe to drive with the door open, but we are only going like 5 miles an hour!!  We stop just around the corner and then peek back around to make sure that they got the goodies off the front porch.  S-U-C-C-E-S-S!

Shelby’s house was next.  But, Shelby moved this week.  I wasn’t sure if they were actually spending the night at the new house yet or not.  Apparently they were.  Her house was completely dark.  So, Lael decides that Julie and her kids will be our next targets.  They were easy to do – the kids ran over, dumped the stuff, rang the bell and were able to run back over to our house without being seen.