Halloween Party 2011

I don't know if you remember the one we had last year.   We decided to make it an annual thing this being our second year.   I hope we can continue the tradition.  
Even if it's just food, ending with "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" played on the side of someone's house.

It was so much fun.    We switched it up a bit this year.   Instead of just having it at our house, we had different things at the neighbors houses.   
Food at Cannons, games at ours, crafts at Cindy's, treasure hunt at everyones, story time at Grays, movie at Maxfields.  It was a nice change.

We had to split up the little kids and big kids due to game playing ability. 
Here's a sample.  oooooor, 18 thousand examples. of the night.

Homemade Chili  mmmmm

The littles.   I didn't get a picture of them carrying pumpkins under their chin, or bobbing for marshmellows and some of the other things they did.   Because I was too busy with the big kids.  :( 

Our sweet neighbor Carrie, who came over on her husbands birthday to help with the littles.
Love her. 

Porter

Will molding the chewed up gum from his teammates to create a sculpture of Frankenstein

Will's little bro Ben doing it for team #2

Jackson shooting Trix cereal into a cup held on your teammates head...out your nose. :)
Thus the hesitation holding the cup on his head.

and also the look on his face.

Eating a banana through a knee high.

Hudson

Nathaniel

This game could have been more fun.    One kid from each team put pantyhose on his head.   One of the legs filled with flour.   Then they try and swing their head to hit the other team player trying to see who ends up with the most flour all over them.
We ran in to some problems....we needed to make a knot in the leg with the flour before adding the flour.   It was too long and just dragged on the ground.   Next time.   Always next time. 

Mommy Monster Makeovers.
Each family made over a mom.  
The BEST time EVER to have an extra mom in your family.  :)



Brittany and Jackson.  Not pictured...Logan and Porter.



Cindy and Hudson.  Not pictured..Easton and Beckham.

Lisa, Will, Ben and Max. Not pictured...Henry.

Top it off with a little spray paint.

Ta Da !

Our wonderful next door neighbor Lori is a 3rd grade teacher !  and a fabulous story teller.

The little listening to Halloween books.

Max, Hudson, Nate, Ryan, Cam and Spencer. (not pictured Porter and Henry)

While the littles were listening to stories and having a candy hunt in Lori's backyard.  The big kids were running through the neighborhood  having a treasure hunt.

It really was lots of fun.   We ended the night having a movie in Brittany's backyard wrapped up in blankets.   My babies went to bed and didn't make it to the movie...but Cam, Spence and Syd all held out.   They went to bed at 8:45 pm tonight. WOWza !  They Stayed up so late :)   It felt like it to them with their 7:30 pm bedtime.
Already planning next years fun !!!

Halloween silhouettes !

I used a lamp and taped white paper on the wall.    I had the kids stand and pose while I tried to trace their shadows.
Not such a good idea.   ESPECIALLY with little kids.  
After I cut out what I was able to get traced,  I taped it to my black paper and cut it out again.
Next time I'll have them lay on the paper and trace and cut once.  
Like most things...I always make them out to be more than they need to be.  ;-)

from left : Ryan with his hands on his head, and Cameron (I'm not sure why I didn't get a better picture of those 2)
next window Spencer and Nathan and last is Syd.

I love that you are able to document their little size and also decorate the house at the same time. 
Such a multitasking craft.

Note.  let me tell you how many times I've walked through the house late at night and thought that someone was watching or standing outside of the window.   FREEEEAKY.  especially while alone.  just be prepared for that if you do it.

Pumpkin Painting 101 from a complete novice

A couple of years ago my mom and I saw some painted pumpkins in one of her Home and Garden magazines.    Ever since we've threatened to try them ourselves.  
Janice has a work trip this week.   She left this morning before 5am and won't be home until Friday.    I thought this was the PERfect opportunity to take a day to myself and asked my mom to share it with me and paint pumpkins.   So Saturday was my day.   The day to paint pumpkins.

We were certainly more confident about all of it while buying the paint.   but as soon as it came time to actually paint we completely forgot all of the cute ideas we remembered seeing.    
It was a rough start for me.....but my mom kept reminding me how, this was supposed to be fun and not to worry about it.  (easier said than done when you wanted super great just like the magazine, painted pumpkins)

We started by wasing them.      



we did 3 parts water to 1 part bleach. 




let dry



Tape the tops.   always have an assistant.  Any dog will do.




We hand painted the tops but I think next time I might have just spray painted them the same color as the pumpkin.




spray paint.   you'll notice her one gloved hand.   I wasn't so cautious and my hand still shows signs of black and white painting today.




blow the bottoms to help dry before you set them down to spray the rest.  :)




let dry




And paint and decorate.  
We also did a little bit of bling (notice my white one)  These are mine.




My moms.   Cute right.   This picture doesn't do justice to some of the little details she did to hers.

 This took us all day.   Well that we laid down and took a nap and watched a movie didn't help.  ha ha  
They turned out great and we were both happy with the end product.  
Today of course I have a ton more ideas and would do some things differently...but that'll have to wait until next year.  if I remember them in a year.  :)

This moment Friday

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember

Cousin Jen

It doesn't feel like that long ago when we had the priviledge of having Jen stay at our house.
She moved home to Seattle and has only been able to come back to visit a couple of times. busy life.
Every time she leaves we wonder why we let her go.    Duct tape and pad locks...That's what it'll have to come to :)
You can clearly see why we love her so much.

Florida !

OH mah Gootnes.   We had SUCH a marvelous trip.
First of all.   ALWAYS rent a house.
For around the same price as a hotel room....you can get a WHOLE house.   With a laundry room and kitchen and seperate bedrooms and no neighbors above, below or on either side of you.  TRUST ME...with 5 kids....that's a good thing.
We also had a pool which I think is a MUST.     It was absolutely wonderful to come home after being at the hot park all day, to just throw ourselves in to the pool.   We looked forward to it every day.  

Second. If'n you didn't know.....now you do.   You can TOTALLY TAKE FOOD IN TO DISNEY.   unfortunately not into Sea world.   (well apparently you can fax headquarters and tell them that you have an allergy and cannot cross contaminate and then wait for a fax to take with you to the park, but we didn't do that)
We spent a total of 15.00 in 3 days at the actual parks in Disney.    2 bottled waters and some cotton candy....fih-teen dollahs.
Doesn't that just make EVERYBODY happy :)   WOO HOOOO !  pack treats.  lots of treats.
OH and freeze a water bottle (take a little out before) and then pack it in your stroller or bag.   It melts through out the day and there you have cold water most of the day.

Flying with 5 kids turned out to be not such a big deal.    We prepared for the worst.   1/2 glass empty approach.   Expected the worst and were pleasantly surprised.
The first 4 hours we had DVD players and then the batteries died. and it was scary. and then for the last hour they slept.
I have to say....over all...my kids were some of the quietest and best on the plane.   Not bad.  Not bad at all.




So happy for this wonderful man.   We couldn't have done it (without sweat and heartache) without him.  Best 10 bucks we ever spent.

In the airport however.   They were the devils.    And I'm glad...because it had ALL of those people sitting around rolling their eyes, hoping that they wouldn't sit near us, running to the gate to request an upgrade, ordering adult beverages before take off also expecting the worst.    Pretty safe to say that we were all left with a warm fuzzy feeling after.

like monkeys...they were climbing the trees in the airport.   feels better than to say they were climbing all over in their potted plants.

Friends.   Always travel with friends.   and if you can't meet them there....bring your own.
We were lucky to have both.  
We hooked up with some friends who live in Florida.    They were the ones who helped us learn the ins and outs of food at the park and what rides to run to first :)   Did you know that they actually run out of fast passes ?  and fast too.
One is a pediatrician the other a child therapist.    They were still boggled as to how to control some of the more vocal behaviors of my children.   :)  Nice right.
We also brought our babysitter from home and her mom :)    They were AWESOME and it sure was nice having someone else to share the responsibility of the house keeping with.

babysitters, friends and neighbors all in one.  



Florida Friends 
With babysitters we were able to leave the kids sleeping at home and go out to dinner with just the adults. (insert sighs and the calgon commercial theme song)

  

I am so super proud of this.   1- it's my first ever plank and 2- look at the balance I had.  
and that 'moving' hand rail is only 5 inches wide.  and yes we are in fact moving. Seriously :)

Sea World.   Looooved it.   The shows at sea world are just inspiring.    It amazes me how they get aquatic living marine mammals some with a makeup of nearly 90% blubber to do tricks.   Most of them more synchronized than the Ohio State synchronized swimmers.  
Seriously.   How do they do that ?
We met up with some other florida friends this day.    It's one thing to have spirited children.   It's an entirely different thing to hang out with 2 families whose children are especially well behaved.   Sheesh.
Always invite my family if'n you want to feel good about yours.  :)
Just sayin.

There are a few better group shots....but I just loved this one of my boys. :)

That's a lot of kids, yeah ? more than 1/2 of them are mine.     

The only thing that we'd do differently is to maybe plan it in November.   September in Orlando is still extremley hot.   and humid. 
Also.  I would plan for more down days.    Some of our best times were just hanging out at the house in the pool doing nothing.   

Well that and meeting Buzz Lightyear.   Dancing with Woody.   and of course getting some lovin from Mickey and Minnie.
yip.   good stuff people.

More than the characters...the ducks and squirrels were a big hit with my gang.  :)