Halloween 2011

Luke's gun was my great uncle's toy as a child!

His red cowboy boots were JonJon's

Minnie Mouse

Halloween was fairly uneventful.  I tried to leave work a little early to get to Luke's party at school.  On my way Katherine's teacher texted me that Katherine had diarrhea.  This is the second time in the past couple of weeks this has happened.  So, I picked her up first then we made a quick appearance in Luke's room.  The party was pretty much over by the time I got there, but I got to see them do "circle time" which was neat.

Katherine showed no signs of illness at all.  We got home and then I got the kids ready for the night.  Katherine does not mind to be in her Minnie Mouse costume at all and Luke loves being a cowboy.  Bill and Paula stopped by to see the kids on their way to Nashville.  They came in costume!  I wish I had taken a picture of them!  Paula was a witch and Bill was dressed in a funny nose, glasses and hat.  Both kids weren't sure what to think.  When Bill had the fake nose and glasses on Katherine would cry so that was short lived.  Luke would not get in a picture with them.  So silly!

Mom came and brought supper which was great.  She also went trick-or-treating in the neighborhood with us.  Luke really got in to it this year.  He loved going to each house and getting candy.  Several times he would tell me "Mom, you don't need to hold my hand anymore".  Almost broke my heart right there.  So, I would oblige him, but I also noticed as we would head to the next house he would grab my hand!  Katherine ended up in the stroller which suited her just fine.

We came back to the house to hand out candy and eat supper.  After that Mom, Luke and I went to visit Bill and Pat which has become an annual event.  Katherine was tired and ready for bed so she and Paul stayed behind.

After supper we told Luke he could pick one thing from his bag to eat.  Of all the candy, chocolate, bubblegum and so forth he chose Welch's fruit chews -- LOVE that boy!

Pumpkin Carving

We finally got around to carving our pumpkins tonight.  Luke was a little timid about getting the "guts" out at first, but he eventually got in to it.  I tried to do Katherine's pumpkin at the same time.  Jim and Claudia gave her a pumpkin decorating kit with stickers and other fun things.  She was having no part of that.  She tried to eat the glue and climb up on the table.  I eventually gave up and she and I went upstairs to play.  Paul and Luke finished his pumpkin by themselves.  I also forgot to get a picture of the finished product.  Maybe next year Katherine will be more in to her pumpkin!

Unexpected Night and Another Milestone Birthday

Hate to say this is the best pic I got

When Luke woke up yesterday morning he immediately asked if it was Friday.  We told him yes and he said "yay, it's Friday -- I get to spend the night with Nonna!".  I had not told him he could do this, but he was pretty insistent.  He wanted to call Mom at 6:30, but I told him it was too early.  I talked to her on the way to work and she was excited he wanted to come for a visit.  We worked out the details.  I dropped Luke off at her office and they went back to the house to get his things.  I ended up having to pick Paul up from work.  The company vehicles were having "maintenance" done this weekend so he needed a ride.  The three of us ended up eating at BrickTops which was fine. Katherine was extremely picky tonight which was very frustrating.  She ended up eating a fruit bar I found in my purse and that was about it.  She refused potatoes, chicken and some vegetables.  Both Paul and I left there hungry.  That is never good.  We drove around awhile and ended up at Cracker Barrel for dessert! Bad, I know, but fun, just the same!  The waitress brought Katherine a biscuit, which she devoured.  That girl and carbs....she also wanted our desserts.  What I do not understand is she has never had this stuff before but she automatically wants it.  If it were some new vegetable she had never seen she would turn her nose up!  That girl, that girl...

I had to work today so I headed out before Luke got home.  Mom brought him home in time for Paul and the kids to go visit Memaw.  Paul put the kids in their Halloween costumes so she loved that.  Then I met them at El Rey's for Kitty's birthday.  Bill and Paula were out of town this weekend so we could not get anything planned for the whole family to get together.  Instead each of the boys spent time with Kitty on their own.  I think she probably enjoyed that even more.  She turns 96 tomorrow which is absolutely amazing to me.  She enjoyed having lunch with us.  I think she was more in awe about what a 3-ring circus we are with the kids!

We have enjoyed the rest of the day at home watching football and being lazy!

Another First

That is a black-eye Katherine is sportin' and, no Luke did not give it to her.  Tonight Katherine was holding on to the kitchen chair that Paul was sitting in.  He was actually feeding her something.  I was in the kitchen.  As I looked over I saw her face plant right in to the chair support.  My stomach immediately felt queasy.  It was a loud thump.  I rushed and picked her up, but did not want to look at her face.  I had Paul tell me if anything was wrong.  At first we did not see anything, but within a few minutes a reddish bump popped up.  Then, I noticed a little blood spot on the white of her eye.  She was crying, but not horribly.  Actually, not has bad as when someone takes her food away. I got a flashlight and checked her pupils. They were fine. Within a few minutes she was smiling and laughing.

I still was not convinced.  I thought I should call the doctor.  Paul asked if I was prepared to head the ER.  So, on second thought I decided to call the hospital pediatric wing to see if I knew any of the nurses working.  Luckily, it was before shift change and I was able to talk to a peds nurse.  She asked me several questions.  She assured me she was fine and told me things to watch for that would require medical attention.  I was thankful that it happened so early in the night. She actually let me hold an ice pack on it.  I would hold it to her face and then she would put it on my face. She was fine the rest of the night and went to bed without a problem.  I have checked on her numerous times already and know I probably won't sleep good tonight.

More, Please

"More" is still Katherine's favorite sign.  She usually does this as soon as she wakes up in the morning and most always when I pick her up in the afternoon.  As picky as she is I never really know what it is she wants more of, but we find something she will eat. So far, Katherine's eating habits have not influenced Luke.  He remains a champion eater!  And for that, we are thankful.  If I had two picky kids I would probably go crazy!

Yes, We Did

I know what you are thinking, and yes, we (Paul) are crazy!  Luke has been asking to put his tree up for a couple of weeks now and I have said no, until now.  There was not much going on tonight, so I figured why not.  The kids had so much fun getting all the ornaments out.  Luke wanted to know what each one was and where it came from.  Katherine was mainly concerned with eating the tissue paper they were wrapped in.  We let Luke put most of the ornaments on by himself until I realized there was a concentration of ornaments in one area.  We will try to wait until after Halloween to put Katherine's tree up!

Yummy Goodness!

So, one of the perks to the bonfire is the leftovers!  My fear is always running out of something.  With the exception of running out of chili one year we have done pretty good.  Tonight, we took advantage of the leftover s'mores ingredients and had one for our after supper treat.  Katherine especially enjoyed them.  Remember what I said in numerous blog posts about her being picky? Well, that girl can see junk food from a mile away!  I mean, literally anything that is remotely unhealthy she LOVES!  It is a tad irritating!  Anyway, she devoured her graham cracker and melted marshmallow.  There is quite an art to melting marshmallows in the microwave.  Just a few seconds too long can mean disaster!

All To Herself

Um, yes, those are snowman flannel sheets on our bed...

We all slept in around here.  Since Luke was in Gallatin we did not have him to wake us up at 6:00.  When Katherine woke up I put her in bed with us for a bit before we needed to get up.  She loves having us all to herself!  You could tell she was not exactly sure why it was so quiet around here.  We checked in with Luke only to find out that they did not roll out of bed until close to 8:00!  The three of us went to church in time for us to teach Sunday School.  It was weird not having Luke there. 

After church we went to the farm.  Paula and Luke were warming up leftover chili and making yummy grilled cheese sandwiches for us!  I must say that Luke was not the least bit excited to see us!  Paul and Luke worked on cleaning up the remains from the night before.  We stayed and watched the first half of the Titans game.  We spent the rest of the day doing chores and getting ready for the week ahead.  It was an awesome weekend!

Sixth or Seventh? Annual Bonfire and Hayride

Hanne loves chips!

Conner and Lillian

Luke admiring the gas pump Pop just restored

Gracie and Emma

Our youngest hayride participant - six week old Henry!

Virginia and Jason are always so great to come!

 

Katherine very excited about supper

This year's Bonfire was great!  It was a good mix of people -- some first timers and some that have been every year!  Paul and I absolutely love doing it.  It is neat to see how the dynamics change as the kids get older. We invited one of Luke's friends from school and his family.  Luke and Conner was a bit wild.  We saw first-hand how easily Luke is influenced by his peers - whether good or bad.  It didn't help that Luke had not had a nap either.  For the most part they were good.  Once Conner's family left Luke was a different person.  He played quietly with the girls.  They played house and school. So fun to watch! 

Katherine really seemed to have fun, too!  She went on the hayride and just took it all in.  Luke thought he was really something because Paul let him "help" drive the tractor.  Katherine stayed through supper then Mom took her home for bed.  It is so nice to have our parents help!  It allows us a little more freedom to enjoy our guests and make sure everyone has what they need.  We had the usual chili, hot dogs, s'mores, etc.  So, I like to cook, but I am not a particularly great cook.  For some reason people really like the chili!  Honestly, I follow the seasoning packet instructions and that is it.  But, if people think it is worthy of a blue-ribbon then I'll take it!

After most everyone had left we started packing everything up.  When I made it back to the house Paula told me that Luke had showered and was already in bed with Pop and that he wanted to spend the night. We agreed that was a good idea.  The Dixons helped us get everything cleaned up. We were home by 9:30, well before we thought we would be. Katherine was fast asleep.  It was a perfect day.  As Paula said -- beautiful memories were made!

Getting Ready

Luke loved riding on the tractor

Katherine liked the Corn Hole boards

 

Jon was great entertainment for the kids

This pretty much sums up our kids...

We spent the afternoon enjoying the beautiful weather!  It was absolutely gorgeous!  Paul and Luke got the wagon ready for the hay ride.  Luke loved seeing the hay loaded.  He helped put up the tent, pull the wagon, build the fire and set up the chairs.  He is on his best behavior when he is helping!  Katherine did great.  We spread a blanket out for her to play on.  She climbed on the corn hole boards, pulled up countless clumps of grass, played with JonJon and loved getting Nene and Pop's attention.  It was great because I did not feel rushed at all.  I started the chili around 1:00 and let it simmer until time to eat.

Fall Festival

This is what I get when I ask Luke to smile...

We went to the kids' Fall Festival this morning.  Katherine actually fell asleep on the way so I sat with her in the car while Paul took Luke.  He jumped in the jumpys, got his face painted, visited the fireman, played games.  He had a great time.  Paul relieved me about 45 minutes in.  Luke and I visited the Silent Auction items.  Katherine woke up pretty quick after that.  Luke really wanted to show us his room.  Never mind that we see it practically every day!  He was so proud for us to see everything.  He had to read us all the class rules, show us the different centers and all the art projects he has done.  After that we made a quick exit to head to Gallatin.  I am glad we made the effort to go.  There was a great turnout and it is the school's main fundraiser.

I Love It!

There is not much I like better than my two kids all cuddled up in their fuzzy pj's before bedtime!  We had a low key night around here.  Our hayride is tomorrow so we spent tonight getting ready for it.  We grilled some hamburgers and got the vehicle packed up.  It is crazy how much stuff we take to the farm!  The kids' school Fall Festival is tomorrow, too, so we will be busy.

Lemon Head

Yep. That's a lemon.  And, yes, it kept her occupied until our real food arrived for supper tonight.  When it comes to eating Katherine is far more picky than her big brother.  Luke will still eat most anything, except lettuce.  K on the other hand takes a different approach -- it's what I call carb loading.  She loves bread, crackers, cheerios, chips, rolls and so forth.  To her credit she does well with fruits but is finicky when it comes to meats and vegetables.  Paul always gets lemon for his tea or water.  When I came back from the restroom this is what I saw.  She sucked all the juice out of it and then tried to gnaw on the rind.  We stopped her there.  I know her teeth are hurting and we decided it felt good to her.  She did eat some "real" food tonight which was nice.

Dress Rehearsal

Luke's costume came in the mail today -- he was so excited!  We got a great video of him singing a song about it, but for some reason, I can not get Blogger to load it.  He basically stayed in his get up all night, including the hat!  He also ask that we not call him Luke anymore; he prefers Cowboy now.  That boy cracks me up!  We are still on the hunt for a toy gun and maybe, some cowboy boots.  He has outgrown JonJon's old pair.  I know toy guns are not really smiled upon these days, but can you really be a cowboy without one?

We are waiting on Miss K's costume to arrive later this week.  These holidays get more and more fun the older the kids get.  I know there will be a time all too soon when neither one of them cares about this so I am trying to relish it now!

She's A Climber

Katherine may not be walking, but she sure is climbing!  She will climb on anything and everything.  Her teacher sent me a picture of her from school where she had climbed on top of a toy cabinet in her room.  She had the biggest smile on her face!  Lately, she  insists on standing up in her high chair.  We do strap  her in, but she pitches a fit for a few minutes before she will calm down.  Tonight Luke and Paul had the bright idea to make cupcakes.  Luke usually stands in a chair to help us cook since we do not have any bar stools.  The next thing we knew Katherine had climbed right on up, too!

Walking is Overrated

Just in the past couple of days Katherine has shown a little more confidence in her mobility skills.  The weather was absolutely beautiful today so we spent some time outside.  The boys washed the vehicles while Katherine and I played.  I basically let her explore on her own.  We decided if she was crawling on the hard patio that it might encourage her to walk!  She was hilarious.  She would kind of do an elephant crawl.  She would have one knee on the ground and the other leg kind of straight.  She went everywhere!  That girl was not happy when I would reel her in -- she let me know really quickly that she did not want be held. 

Tonight she actually kind of walked from the couch to the ottoman without holding on to anything.  She is also standing alone for a bit now.  For entertainment after supper I got out mine and Paul's baby books.  Turns out Paul was about 16 months when he walked.  I think Katherine is following in her daddy's footsteps.  For the record, I was 10 1/2 months!  Luke got a kick out of me reading to him everything about his mommy and daddy.  He was fascinated by the lock of my hair and kept wanting to go back to it. 

Paul measured Luke tonight and he was 40.5" - he has grown over an inch in the past two months. According to Paul's baby book Luke is a little taller than Paul was at this age. Maybe that means Luke will be tall!  I have had my doubts because Luke always measures right below the 50th percentile.  Katherine seems to have hit a little growth spurt, too.  She just seems taller to me.  Guess we will find out soon enough.  She will  be due for her 15 month well visit soon.

The Perfect Pumpkin

We found ourselves with a "free" day today.  Paul had planned to go to Knoxville with Jon for the game, but they changed their minds at the last minute.  Since we had not planned on Paul being around we had a whole day with nothing scheduled!  We set out this morning in search of the perfect pumpkin.  There is a little roadside stand on Long Hollow that we go to every year.  The man there is so nice.  He has goats, rabbits and all kinds of critters for the kids to look at.  We couldn't get Luke to feed the goats but Katherine loved them!  Luke likes to admire animals from afar!  Before we knew it we had spent close to an hour there.  We bought some straw, mums, pumpkins and gourds to make a fall display in the yard.  Luke helped me with it this afternoon. 

We did several errands this morning before coming home for naps.  Luke and I actually took a nap which was nice.  Mom joined us for supper and to watch the Auburn game.  She gave Katherine a bath and got her ready for bed.  That was a nice break for us.  I got to sit and watch some of the game!  Auburn won which was a nice surprise.  Paul decided he was glad he did not go to Knoxville after all.  UT did not fair so well against LSU. 

Mixin' It Up

Friday night is normally our night to eat out.  We seldom eat out during the week (Chik-fil-a was the exception this week!).  Paul gets home around 6 most nights.  By the time he gets home and we head out again we have wasted a lot of time.  We decided to meet him tonight instead waiting for him to get home.  We actually made it from Hendersonville to West End in less than 20-minutes!  We were down there way before he was ready to meet us.  Katherine fell asleep on the way so I drove around in Centennial Park until Paul was ready.  His office is just across the road.  We decided to try a new place - Chipotle.  It was really good, but very similar to Qdoba or Blue Coast Burrito.  Luke was hilarious while we were there.  The restaurant was playing some sort of African music.  He got up and started dancing.  He got the attention of all the other patrons.  I wish we had the video camera.  Add to that Katherine bouncing up and down in her high chair and we were quite the spectacle!

After supper we headed back to Centennial Park for the kids to play on the playground.  Katherine crawled around in the mulch and went down the slide a lot!  I tried to get her to swing but that was short lived.  The playground is pretty nice but was very busy and it got dark quickly!  For some reason there are not lights around.  Lucky for us that Virginia and Jason were eating supper on West End so they stopped by to see us (the kids)!  Luke was excited to see Gigi and he actually called her "Virginia" for the first time!  Katherine still needs a little time to warm up to Gigi but that will come in time. 

I loved our night and we plan to do it that way more often.  There are so many great places we can go down there.  We get bored with the same places around here.  I have a couple of pics that Paul took with his work camera that I will download when I get my hands on it.

No Costumes Here

Katherine is feeling much better and did great with the grandparents today!  I think she got spoiled and will not want to go back to school tomorrow.  We are still on the hunt for Halloween costumes around here.  We decided to go to Chik-fil-a for supper tonight.  Luke was jealous that Katherine got to ride in Paul's truck when she was sick yesterday.  So, we met Paul to eat and then he got to ride in the truck to the costume store.  That was a total bust!  They had a decent selection but were way overpriced.  Luke wanted to go through each costume and ask what it was.  Katherine insisted on crawling on that nasty floor.  She is not content to be held anymore.  She still does not have much interest in walking, but has no problem getting where she wants to go!  I think tonight's trip out made us realize we just need to order their costumes online.