Halloween times three

Since it is the week of Thanksgiving, that must mean that it's time to post our Halloween pictures.  We went to three events this year--and that may have been two too many... but the weather was beautiful this October, and it's hard to pass up candy community togetherness.

We first went to our little city's downtown Halloween party, about a week before Actual Halloween.  Every year there are more people, so it's become one of those stressful "keep everyone in sight as we squeeze through the crowds" kind of events.  I like it, though, because besides candy, they hand out coupons for places that I actually go to.

Costumes for the event: Emma--ninja with a ninja star stuck to her forehead.  Scott-- an Aquabat (I think he was Ricky Fitness).  Tessa--last minute princess, since she wanted to wear her new dress.  Gracie--black cat, her old stand-by, since she couldn't ever agree to be anything else.  Caytie--last minute chef.  (She was so funny for the last couple months trying to decide what to be, waffling between ballerina and werewolf.  [Pretty or scary??]  Then the final week she decided on Red Riding Hood.  About an hour before we left, she decided to be a chef.  Of course.)

 Benson got to be Superman.  (Yes, that's Ben's costume, which Scott also wore almost daily for about two years.)

Our second event was our church's Trunk or Treat, a couple days before Actual Halloween.  It was only our congregation this time, instead of three wards like previous years, so it was kind of short and very sweet. (Ha!)  Ben got into the action with his MC Bat Commander costume.  (And yes, he made those Aquabat costumes by himself.  Hidden talents!)  Tessa was on costume option #2, as a skeleton, and Emma was also on #2, as a lazy person.  (And I even stuck on a witch nose and hat.  No documentation necessary.)

On Actual Halloween, we finally had time to carve the pumpkins we picked up at the pumpkin patch.  They were all small, so they were easy to clean and carve--especially with Ben's second hidden talent: making kid pumpkin dreams become a reality.

 Benson held this pumpkin for as long as it took to take the picture.  Then he threw it on the floor.  It survived.  (And yes, there are toys on the kitchen floor.  There are ALWAYS toys on the kitchen floor!)

 The Aquabat needed a batty pumpkin.

 Yes, Emma is on costume #3--a vampire.  She has a witch cat pumpkin.

 Tessa stuck with being a skeleton for trick or treating.  I did her makeup.  Ben said it reminded him of the Karate Kid.  Sorry, Tessa--he's right.  Her pumpkin is "a big mouth going AARRGH!"

 Gracie's cat pumpkin turned out better than she had hoped.

 Caytie the chef (and I am so amazed that she actually stuck with the costume for all three days!) modeled her pumpkin after my pumpkin shirt, which I wear every year.

 The two crazy adults in charge of the crew...

 "Six little pumpkins sitting on the porch..."

 AND, to end it all...Scott had some fun with my holiday blocks.  They spell out Boo!, Fall, and Noel, depending on how the blocks are arranged.  Or, for those creative types, they spell all kinds of other things:

Simply...amazing

My amazing sister Laurie made and surprised our family an amazing quiet book.  She MADE it.  Each page has amazing activities that her amazing hands made.  And she did it just because.  She is amazing!

Every kid in our family loves it.  Really--they all (*ahem* Scott, too!) do like to use it.

It starts with these amazing little bees that hide out in the beehive.

 Then there is this amazing little house with see through window pockets.  Benson is pointing to our family picture, already included.  Amazing!

Next is the game of Operation, complete with these amazing little tweezers with a light.

 Then, you can build an amazing burger and do a little magic with the amazing bunny puppet and his wand.

Finally, you can build your own ice cream cone and seek for little trinkets in the I Spy pocket page.  It is so fun...and amazing!

 If you would like to get one of these amazing books too, I would recommend getting yourself an amazing sister Laurie.  Magic will happen.

(Thank you, Laurie--we all think it was simply...awesome!)

Benson does Nursery

In the middle of October, Benson began Nursery at church.

 Church interrupts nap time.

Thankfully, the tantrums are usually saved for home, while he stands as a silent observer in his class.  He doesn't love it, but he doesn't scream, so we're good.

Pumpkin Patch, times two

Tessa and Benson and I went to a little pumpkin patch on a little farm, and it was fun enough and cheap enough that we went back a couple days later with everyone else.

 Tessa fed the goats.  Benson was securely in my arms, because he firmly believes that goats are creepy.

 It's nice to have good help.  (What is truly amazing about this picture is that Benson can see that I am not the one pushing the stroller, and he is not freaking out about it.)

 We went on the little hay ride, but the most interesting thing to see was the creepy goose who wouldn't stop honking at us.  (I don't know why all animals are being classified as creepy tonight.)

 This little one is not creepy.  Just a little cranky.  I almost got a smile.

 I do like to spend my days with these two.

 She loved her pumpkin and was anxious to carve it as soon as we got home, despite the fact that Halloween was still two weeks away.  She agreed to wait.

 Back again.  Sadly, the kissy lips are for the goat, and not for me.  (Benson felt much more secure about the goats when he was on his daddy's lap.)

 Why do we not have a current family picture?  This is the best one we've gotten in months.  And we're missing a kid.  But it may be the one on the Christmas cards anyway...

 They have a section with chickens, turkeys, and other birds in these fenced cages.  This hawk came and landed on top of one while we were watching, and it was trying to catch the birds inside!  Interesting to watch (though a bit noisy).

 I love this picture.

 It is fun that all my kids still enjoy doing these kinds of things together.  No surly "Do I have to?"s or "This is so boring!"s or "I wish I were with my friends."  There are complaints, to be sure, but they are not about being together.

Yep, it's official.  I love 'em.

(And some photographic evidence--see my hand/camera shadow?  I was there, too!)

It once was lost, but now it's found

This is Benson's "Elephant Blanket."  (You'd think we'd think of a shorter name by now.)

He has used it to sleep with since he was about six months old, and really likes hanging onto the trunk and rubbing it up against his face.

Sadly, he also likes to walk around the house with it...and drop it.  Anywhere.  It is so difficult to find, especially when a cranky baby is demanding that he have it for his nap.  I try to get him to leave it in his bed, but he goes to get it out on his own now.  And I'm a softie.

 He took it to the girls' school about a month ago, and I didn't notice until we were back in the car that he had the elephant blanket no longer.  We backtracked, asked around, searched the car, searched the parking lot, but we could not find it.  Gone, gone, gone.

He took his nap with a few tears, but after that, he really didn't seem to notice that it was gone.  I was so surprised, and so pleased!  It was really very nice to not have to worry about finding that blanket every time it was time for him to sleep.

We went back to the school this week, and one of the men that was in the office on the day that we lost it remembered us, and told me that the elephant blanket was on the shelf on the top of the lost and found.  (He had found it that first day on the base of a lamp post in the parking lot.)  I went to get it, but I didn't show it to Benson.  I wasn't sure if I really wanted him to have it again.  He had transitioned away from it so nicely.  I thought I'd just put it away in his memory box.

I made the mistake of telling everyone else that the blanket was found.  They were so excited to show it to him--but I was still not convinced.  However, now I knew that if it was lost again, it wouldn't take long for him to adjust, so...I gave in and gave it to him.  The look of wonder and surprise and happiness on his little face was so worth it!  It was so, so sweet.

So now we are back to life with the elephant blanket.  Sigh.  I think, though, that it will be worth having until we can transition him away from his binkie.

PS--This (below) is Ice Bat.  It is soft, soft fleece.  Benson got it for Christmas last year, and for most of the year, it has been sitting in Benson's crib, getting no attention at all.  I thought, after the blanket was lost, that now would be a good time for Benson to use the bat, instead.  He was not interested.  In fact, we began to find the bat on the floor after every sleep.  I'd put it back in the crib, and sure enough, it would be on the floor when we'd get him up.  So I watched him.  When I would lay him down, the first thing he'd do was find the Ice Bat, get up, and throw it out of his crib.  Then he'd lay down to sleep.  And it wasn't just a throw--it was a "get this thing as far away from me as I can" kind of job.  And it was every time!  It has kind of become a game for me.  I keep putting it in, and he keeps throwing it out.  It is probably driving him nuts, but I'm not ready to give up.