Happy Halloween

Behold the creative genius of Aidan and Logan: a mohawked cyclops ghost. They sketched and I carved. Love it! (We only had one pumpkin big enough to carve this year)


From my Minnie, Creeper and Hawkeye to you--Happy Halloween!



So after several years "off" from making costumes, we ended up DIYing Aidan's MineCraft Creeper head and Logan's Hawkeye costume when we couldn't agree on any of the store-bought costumes that weren't $$. Sorry, but I don't want to spend $40 on something you're going to wear once, dudes.

But what we ended up with was absolutely perfect. In Adam's abundant free time (a perk to being unemployed? It gave him something fun to distract him, at least!) he used this tutorial to make Logan's bow and arrow set, and I followed her instructions for the arm band. We just cut the fingers off a cheap knit glove for the other hand. Grandma Cheryl sewed the fabric and zipper onto the t-shirt and I just ended up hem taping some grosgrain ribbon to the raw edges of the fabric so it didn't fray out of the stitching. Not too difficult, and it turned out great!


The quiver is just duck-taped thin cardboard; the strap is duck tape as well.



After we put the kibosh on Aidan's "scary jester costume" idea to the tune of $34.99, he decided he wanted to be a MineCraft Creeper. Adam just taped 12x12 inch pieces of cardboard together into a box and I spray glued/taped the printed out pattern. (I used the template from this youtube.) Bonus: that shirt from Target can be worn anytime!


Creepers gonna creep...



Lorelai was the easy one--once she saw that Minnie Mouse costume at Target, she put it in the cart and that was that. I just bought some slippers (I was going to get her some anyway since she's outgrown her old ones) and duck taped the bottom so she could wear them outside without damaging them. Boom, done.


mesmerized by a group of early trick-or-treaters...way too distracted to smile or look at me!




We had great weather for trick-or-treating tonight and made it to quite a few houses before our buckets were full (enough) and our feet were tired.



The kids also got to wear their costumes to my work for trick-or-treating, and to the annual fall festival at our daycare. Rave reviews on their costumes all around.



We had a happy Halloween, indeed! Now please excuse me while I go stuff my face with all of the candy Lorelai can't eat (and then feel gross about it later).

Fall Farm Fun

Let me just start off by saying that we have no pumpkin patch pictures for this year. We have pumpkins, but we did not pick them out as a family during a quintessential fall outing. Yes, I'm bitter. :) Especially after going through all of my old pictures from years past--we have gone to the pumpkin patch EVERY year except this year.

Aidan and Logan actually did go to a pumpkin patch on a field trip, so at least they weren't deprived of the experience. It's just me and Lorelai who were deprived. (Adam doesn't count since he wouldn't sign off on a trip this weekend to get pumpkins we didn't need just for the photos...party pooper! It's like he doesn't even know me and my obsessive need to take photos, ha!)

Aaaanyway...

We did end up having some other fall fun at a local farm during a work-sponsored family outing (aka, FREE!). Which is why, in Adam's mind, we didn't need another trip. Corn maze does not equal pumpkin patch, but after last year, it's a close second on my fall bucket list, so I guess I shouldn't be too bitter.





We made our way through the first section of the maze, and by that time, Lorelai was over it. She was actually over it by marker 2 out of 5...so she and I headed back to do some other activities while the boys raced their way through the rest of the maze.





We ended up at the bounce house, aka, Lorelai's happy place. Pretty sure she couldn't care less about the lack of pumpkins as long as she has a bouncy house to play in.





There were tractors to climb...



Rabbits to see...



Faces to get painted...(oh my, I can't tell you how much I LOVE that Lorelai was willing to get her face painted--she was very hesitant at first, but the end result was SO worth it. Beautiful! And she got compliments from pretty much every single person at her Great Grandma's nursing home that afternoon.)



And hay bales to climb, swings, cornhole, and other fun activities. Unfortunately, many activities were not included in the admission price, which I didn't love, but we made the most of of the free activities.





And we did get to go on a legit hay ride--with actual hay this year--so that was a win in my book.


That pumpkin we have is from a bin next to our food tent, compliments of the company event. No actual picking involved so it doesn't count.

Not pictured: the goats and cow. Why? Because Lorelai freaked the freak out as soon as she saw the cow and wouldn't go near the barnyard. She held onto me for dear life so hard that it was impossible for me to get any pictures of Aidan and Logan enjoying the animals.

The weather was not great--we had light rain for a bit which put a damper on some of our fun, but all in all, it was a nice fall family outing. We had so much fun in fact, that it was only as we were driving out of the parking lot passing by their pumpkin patch (which was oddly not near any of the other activities), that I realized I didn't have a single pumpkin picking picture.



But next year I'm already planning on going back to Phillip's Farm where we went last fall and then again in the spring for strawberries because I like their all-inclusive setup much better...plus you can pick pumpkins off the vine there. Pumpkins, people. Not a negotiable fall photo op! :)

Oh well...there's always next year. (Or tomorrow, if I can convince Adam that we NEED to go after school!)



PS: No husbands were yelled at in the making of this post. :)

Pictures of Halloweens Past

My last post inspired me to take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about Halloweens past--from my pre-blogging days. I even had to dig up some backup CDs for the first 3 years, so it was nice see baby Aidan and baby Logan pictures again. :)


2004: Aidan was the cutest darn Elvis I ever did see! The idea was inspired by his naturally crazy hair. Also, my first-ever homemade costume, woohoo. He got rave reviews (although people also thought he looked like Evel Knievel, which I totally get).






2005: My mom made this pumpkin costume when my sister and I were little and it was handed down to me for Aidan. Not sure he was a fan. :)






2006: Dalmatian and Fireman. I painstakingly sewed every one of those felt dots to Logan's costume and made Aidan's coat out of a sweatshirt and duck tape. Duck tape is magical. I had some time on my hands while I was out on maternity leave that year.





2007: Matching tigers. If I remember correctly, this was Aidan's request. Those tails ended up in their dress-up bin and have been worn countless times. Another ode to the magic of duck tape!







2008: Ninjas. Also known as the first year I bought costumes from the store and saved myself a bunch of time.





2009: Batman and Superman. Logan actually got that costume for his birthday because he wanted a cape so freaking bad. Another addition to the dress-up bin.





2010: As much as I wanted to find coordinating costumes for all three of them, Aidan and Logan insisted on superheroes again. Of course Logan being Wolverine (aka Logan) was perfect. Aidan was Venom. And I went the easy route with Lorelai and just stuck a bunny bib and some felt ears on her can called it done. Cutest bunny ever, though!





And then there's 2011 (the most random collection of costumes...until this year) and last year.

Ah, memories. I'm such a sucker for cute baby pics. :)

Glimpses

Every now and then, I catch glimpses of Aidan and Logan that transport me back in time to when they were little.

Just yesterday, Aidan cocked his head to the side and gave me this exact same look. In that split second, he was 4 years old again.


October 2008

And Logan with his puppy. Oh, that puppy. He's been attached to this thing since he was a baby. And to this day, he still likes to sniff/rub it against his lip when he's upset or tired. Every time I catch him doing it, he looks like a toddler to me.


(Left) almost 2; (Right) 15 months


In those glimpses, I feel sad that they're not so little anymore. And then I feel guilty—as if them being older is a bad thing. It's not a bad thing, just very bittersweet. I love who they are now and who they will become, but I'll always be incredibly nostalgic and miss the time when they were my sweet, snuggly baby boys.


(Left)Aidan, 10 months old, 2005; (Right)Logan, 9 months old

Five on Friday

Seems like random thoughts are about all I can manage these days, so here are a few more coming atcha on this Fine Friday (which is all the more fine knowing I don't have to work tomorrow after all, yay!).


ONE.
Lorelai was barely in the Three's class for a month before she could recite the pledge of allegiance by heart. I finally realized that I should record her saying it. (I actually did record her saying it last month on instagram, but 15 seconds wasn't quite enough time for her, so I recorded it again today.) I've also caught her singing God Bless The USA. She's a patriotic little thing. :)

TWO.
We decided on Halloween costumes, but both Logan's and Aidan's involves some DIY action that Adam has been hard at work putting together. Lorelai, on the other hand, lost her mind over a Minnie Mouse costume at Target and wouldn't take No for an answer. At least hers was easy--swipe card, and done.


THREE.
I'm so excited that Scandal is back on, but I'm not used to having to wait a whole week between episodes, after binge-watching the first two seasons. Speaking of TV, how great was the Walking Dead premier? I can't wait to see where this season goes. And I think I'm still bothered by some of the past few Sons of Anarchy episodes. That's another seriously intense and great show. 

via                                                                                                              via

  

FOUR.
I've been stress eating lately and I'm so not happy about the extra few lbs I've packed on recently from eating ALL THE CARBS! :( But I've been back to Zumba for two weeks in a row now (after a shameful 6 month hiatus), so hopefully I can get back on track with my exercise and get motivated to eat healthier.


FIVE.
We've amassed quite the collection of Chick-fil-a happy meal books, and while I was reading the latest about pandas, I couldn't help but think about this and crack myself up.

via

Now I'm off to watch Scandal and Grey's Anatomy, as per my regular Friday night ritual. TGIF, ya'll!

Tidbits

>>>The sun finally came out today after over a week of mostly cloudy/rainy days. I think what I dread most about Fall is the days becoming shorter. I need sun in my life.




>>>What I initially thought was going to be a few hours of work last Saturday turned into almost a full 8 hours total of work. Conference calls while my kids played (and Lorelai threw a tantrum once) in the backgroud, included. For the record, Saturday software releases SUCK!



>>>Aidan and Logan started back to school this week after their fall break, and the transition was tougher than normal, for Logan especially. While it was really great bonding time, I think them being home with Adam for two full weeks almost spoiled them so they weren't as ready to go back as they have been in the past. They wanted to keep doing all kinds of fun things with daddy. But we're settling back into things. Homework included, ugh!

>>>Lorelai's daycare was closed for Columbus Day on Monday so she and Adam had some quality daddy/daughter time. They went to Starbucks, the library, watched a movie and went for a bike ride to the bus stop. Fun times.



>>>This came up on my Timehop app recently from when Aidan was 5, and gave me a huge giggle all over again. :)



Happy Tuesday, which means it's almost huuuuummp daaaay! I'm not ordinarily as happy as a camel about Wednesdays, but tomorrow is movie day at work. Woot Woot!