'09 Costume Reveal

For the two of you who eagerly await my annual Halloween Costume Reveal, the wait is over!

Eli was a Garden Gnome, Travelocity Roaming Gnome, David the Gnome... or if you asked him, a "Hi Ho, Hi Ho!" We've been watching a LOT of Snow White around here, so I couldn't blame him for thinking he was a dwarf. (Norah also referred to him as a "Garden Wizard" before she got the hang of the word "gnome"...I think the pointy hat threw her.)

I think this is my favorite costume I've made to date. (Ok, never mind. I can't choose. I loved the Baby Mermaid, King Kong, and Madame Peacock, an aweful lot, too). And of course, the late night sewing sessions with Gramps in preparation for Trunk or Treat are always something I look forward to!

Please notice his super-cute leather pouch...and those crazy fuzzy boots...Jason was about ready to strangle me for this one. But I figured it was the last year I could get away with it. I'm quite sure E will have a strong opinion by next year, and it's likely to be very masculine, so Jason needs not fret.


After a lengthy affair of waffling between Ariel (which I shot down because I don't like doing costume "remakes"...mean mom, I know), a flamingo, "Martigan" (her favorite of Uncle Grant's goats), a ballerina, and a princess, Norah finally decided on "Little Bo Peep". I thought it suited her to a tee. She is all about ribbons, lace, and most importantly, PINK.

Papaw bent her her very own shepherd's crook from some metal pipe, and Jason painted it white. (I added the bows, because everyone knows that pink ribbons on a shepherd's hook are as completely practical as a tiny shepherdess bedecked in ten yards--yes, I said TEN yards of lace)







The kids had a BLAST at A&M Church's Trunk or Treat. The weather was beautiful (not a scorcher like last year) Eli kept his entire costume on for the duration of the afternoon/evening with nary a complaint. (I think once he figured out costumes= lots of attention and candy, we were golden)

N LOVED checking out what all her friends' costumes were, and she was very quick to compliment them all. ("I LOVE your cape!")

Here she is with "super" friends, Isaiah and Phoebe.

She also "LOVED" Zoe and Shelby's pink fairy costumes (which Shelby informed N was "actually a BUTTERFLY...See the wings?")













Jason caved some pretty awesome pumpkins to decorate our trunk.

Tinker Bell for Norah






And "Mee Mouse" for Eli




















Eli LOVED the fishing booth. (And doesn't it just LOOK like something a little gnome would be doing?)


But the favorite activity of the day was definitely the bounce house.

After about 10 minutes of trunk or treating, Norah said to Jason. "Dad, I really think I have enough candy." I looked at him incredulously--was this MY child? Doesn't she know there are people giving free CHOCOLATE away out there!? Jason, seeing my disbelief, smiled and said, "All she cares about is bouncing."

Eli loved the Bounce House too. It was his first time in one. For the first few minutes he was just fascinated that he could see me from inside, but still maintain his freedom. Then, he cut loose and bounceed to his heart's content.







My favorite quote of the day was from Norah.

A: Norah, who had the best costume at Trunk or Treat?
N: Me!

Ok, so maybe we need to work on humility a little... but it still made me pretty happy.

From the Mouthes of Babes

Jason went hunting out of town last weekend the kids really missed him. Saturday night, Norah had the following conversation on the phone with her Daddy.
N: Hey Daddy. I miss you.
J: I miss you too, honey.
N: Dad, can I sleep in your bed with Mommy since you're not here?
J: I guess so, sweetie.
N: Yay! I get to be the husband!

Then later that night...
N: Mommy, which one is my sweet tooth? (grinning a wide grin and running her fingers across her teeth)
A: (slightly distracted after being interrupted from reading) Ummmm...I'm not sure, hun.
N: Oh, come on mom. Just tell me.
A: (Puts down book and begins a brief lesson on figures of speech)

Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I do hope to post the "Big Reveal '09" Halloween costume pics early next week, so hang tight!

Fun with Shaving Cream

I'd been wanting to work on writing upper and lower case letters with N, so I decided to pull out a trick from my personal memory of elementary school.

1 unassembled card table+ 1 bottle of shaving cream= good times!

While she's posing in the first picture, I loved Norah's expression when I whipped out the can of Barbasol. It looked something like, "What in the world are you going to do with THAT?" And then when I informed her that SHE got to use it, her expression changed to one that seemed to convey, "Seriously? Me? In THIS house?"

She definitely enjoyed herself, and had a lot more fun practicing her letters than she seems to when we just go old school (pencil and paper)


The only downsides for me were 1) the mess factor (which, honestly was pretty minimal...but still a little more work than throwing away a sheet of paper) and 2)the short lifespan of the shaving cream. It definitely needed to be "refreshed" after about 2-3 swipes, so it was hard not to feel a little wasteful ( even if the whole can did cost less than $1). Then again, I guess it's no different than spending money on blowing bubbles, and it's all for the sake of learning, so no harm no foul, right?

From the Mouthes of Babes... Lunchbox Edition

A: What sounds good for lunch today?
N: Girl Cheese!
A: Eli, do you want a grilled cheese like Norah?
N: No! Mommy! Eli can't have a GIRL cheese because he's a boy.
(to Eli, almost as if apologizing for my thoughtless oversight of his masculinity). It's ok, buddy, would you like Mommy to make you a boy cheese?
E: (feigning deliberation for Norah's sake...he doesn't care what he eats as long as it's ready soon) Ummm....Oh-tay!

(And I apologize for those who already read Denise's very similar quote from Isaiah, but I really did have this in draft to publish today, too)

When they get to the table where their sippy cups are waiting, I hear Norah turn to Eli and say, "Ok. Ready for Scumps?" I look up, and they are enthusiastically toasting each other. I'll admit they may have seen Sleeping Beauty one too many times. I'm just a little embarrassed that the "drinking song" is one of their favorite parts of the movie. Oh well, at least they still think it's juice.

Not five minutes later, I was in the kitchen, finishing making sandwiches when I heard Eli Sneeze...
N: Bless you.
E: Tay koo.
N: You're welcome.
It warmed my heart to hear them using their manners when I wasn't in the room with them. Then, during lunch, our conversation shifted to one that made me smile even more.

N: Momma, how come the pockets with my shoes used to be on Eli's bedroom door?
A: Don't you remember when the nursery was your room, sweetie?
N: Oh yeah. But, where did Eli sleep when I slept in his room?
A: Eli hadn't been born yet.
(Look of confusion from N)
A:(trying an alternate wording): Eli was still in Mommy's tummy.
N: Oh yeah. Mommy, I loved it when I was in your tummy.
A: Really? Tell me about it?
N: It was so nice and cozy. It was like.....heaven!

There are days when lunches sans adult conversation are messy, obnoxious, and a test of my patience...but all in all, I know I'm blessed to have lunch with my sweet, little buddies on a daily basis.

The Rainbow Connection

In keeping with our routine "school" activities , I decided to try a color-sorting project with Norah (which obviously didn't include N's outfit of choice, and while "mismatched tutu layering" isn't a dress code requirement in my school, it's certainly not frowned upon, either). I'll admit, half of the draw for the project was knowing that Norah's well-loved, over-used (if that is possible) books would get a good straightening.

So, I set her to work emptying all of her books onto the floor, one by one, sorting them into piles by color as she went along. (She LOVED this...guess she has my "giddy for organization" gene...or maybe just she thought it was fun making the HUGE mess on the floor) After the piles were formed, it was a snap putting them back on the shelves in color order (who doesn't love a little Roy G. Biv?) I'll admit, I was a little hesitant to depart from the original "in order by height" configuration...but so far, it hasn't bugged me, and it has worked to my advantage. N completely GETS this arrangement. She understands where to put her books back when she's finished with them, and best of all...she LIKES her books this way! (They've stayed pretty well just like this for over a month. And in case you're curious, the unsorted stack on the top shelf are her Bible storybooks...I didn't want to forget/lose any in the mix, so they got their own stack)

Fun activity, and, according to Likely Classroom, a great way to help sharpen differentiation skills, and color recognition. (Oh, and if you're still humming "The Rainbow Connection" to yourself later today, sorry 'bout that...it is a bit catchy!)

New Shoe, New 'Do

A few weeks ago Eli got his first short haircut (courtesy of Jason). It was a BIG change (just look at the last photo), but now, I really love it. In the beginning (when this photo was taken) it was pretty much a classic buzz cut. We had just watched "Toy Story" with the kids the week before, so after being told by several people that he had a "buzz" cut, Eli took to enthusiastically introducing himself to strangers, "Hi. I Buzz!" (Buzz Lightyear was definitely his favorite character)

Now that it has a little growth, I've been having lots of fun styling it (when I can't get it to lay down, I like to spike it up a bit, which I think really suits his personality. (I hope to post pictures soon...but that will be after I'm over the flu and have had a chance to get some new batteries for the camera)

The same weekend as the haircut, he also got some new shoes, which, as you can tell from the picture, he is pretty proud of. Honestly, the poor kid's probably just thankful to have some that fit (and stay on) his feet after a summer of defective flip flops being his only option. (For a while there, I couldn't fit anything else on his chubby feet, and the flip flops always fell off)

Photoshoot Fun...Until Somebody Gets (their feelings) Hurt

N & E have been infatuated with our tripod for a few months now. I don't know why they love it so much, but I'd wager it has something to do with those nifty telescoping legs.

One morning while after folding laundry in the back of the house, I decided to check things out because the kids were being a little too quiet.


This is the scene that greeted me. N and E had set up their own little photoshoot on the fireplace.





E wasn't sure if he was supposed to "shoot" or "chew", so he covered his bases.





























They traded off, cooperating with professional courtesy, and smiling for eachother like little pros. (Note the beanie baby prop...they thought of everything...well, except the camera, I guess) Naturally, my next thought was, "Hmmmm...they never want to take pictures for me. I know! I'll do it now, while they're in the mood!"


Shot #1











Shot #2....and we're done.