PSU Halloween

Today was crazy. I got up early, but let the kids sleep in until they woke up because we were out so late a Megan & Kenny's. It took me until 10:30 to finally get them awake, fed, bathed, and clothed to get to Bev's house! I was already worn out. Then off to good ol' Wal-Mart to throw together a scarecrow & lion costume for Tyler & I for Halloween night. After two relentless hours of shopping, all was bought & figured out for the costumes - off to wash the minivan. In the meantime, Tyler called and wanted me to meet him and his mom at Sweet Greens for lunch. Megan met us there as well, as she was in between classes. An hour later, off to the title company - we signed on our land today. We are officially proud new owners of 16 acres fully equipped with a stocked fishing pond, a creek, and plenty of large trees to attract wild animals for hunting! Now once we get our metal shed, a tractor with bush hog, and a couple of four-wheelers, we'll be set. Our goal is to build our home out there within the next five years. I've already got the plans, but we have a long way to go to actually get to the building point.

Next, home to throw together the scarecrow costume in 30 minutes before leaving for the gym. We spent an hour at the "Y" where I nearly killed myself on the precor (is this truly necessary after looking back on all that I did today), and then to get the kids at Bev's. We considered throwing some tacos from Taco Bell at them on the way home, but decided on the "more healthy" option of a lunchable before jumping into their costumes and heading for the Pitt State Halloween night by 6:00 pm. I would like to tell you this was a crazy day, but it is really more "normal" than crazy.

The PSU Halloween was a lot of fun this year for the girls. They enjoyed it more this year than ever before. They have finally learned to not be afraid of people in costume, "They're just fake, right Mom", and the games were a lot of fun. They have things like the beanbag toss, a cake walk, fishing with a clothes pin, pull the sucker, pick a pumpkin floating in water & get as many pieces of candy as the number on the bottom, etc. It's like a carnival put on by the college students. The girls even got their faces painted this year! That's major improvement over our shyness last year. After filling their buckets to the brim with candy, they entered the costume contest, and WON! They got a Wal-Mart gift card for winning. Tyler says the sheer excitement was much like how he imagines it must feel to win a Superbowl!! What a mess.

Speaking of messes, Tucker was a mess all night. He is definitely TWO! He wanted held all night and didn't want to do any of the games until we begged him. If you gave him water, he wanted milk, he didn't want his hat on, he didn't want to put his costume on, then he didn't want to take it off, he wanted pop (so Tyanna got him some while we were later at the Mall Deli) but he didn't want root beer when she brought it to him, he ordered a hotdog while we were on the way home, but when we actually served him with one, he wanted a "hamburger"! You get the picture - TWO! But it was fun all the same.

Now, up till midnight making a lion costume. Don't you love procrastinators? More Halloween fun to follow tomorrow night!

Dinner with Friends

Tonight was so enjoyable. After work, I came home & prepared a salad, put on my comfy clothes, scooped up the family, and headed for Megan & Kenny's house for dinner. Megan cooked up some smothered pork chops & new potatoes in the skillet & some green beans on the side. Then we topped off the meal with my warm apple crisp & vanilla ice cream - good stuff.

The kids looked forward to going to Megan and Kenny's all day, as did Tyler & I. It is so nice to have such great friends. I love learning more about their families and their up-bringings each time we see them, plus it gives Tyler someone else other than me to shop-talk with! He and Kenny discussed Kenny's website most of the evening, and Megan and I just enjoyed talking about girlie things like family, and kids, and vacations, and dinners, etc. Tyler and I discussed on the way home how blessed we are to have found such great friends, and how much we love feeling so comfortable with them that we can wear our sweats to their house, and share our lives with them, and despite that - they still hang around! There's nothing better than having friends that accept your children into their house as their own (and feed you dinner, to boot)!

In January, we are planning a trip to Dillon, Colorado with them - can't wait!!

Shoppe Halloween Party

Tyler & I had way too much fun getting ready for this one! Evelyn, the Medicine Shoppe owner, was kind enough to let me borrow her Halloween decorations because she did not decorate this year. She got to go to Kansas City to visit her granddaughter for trick-or-treating, so there was no need for her to decorate this year - lucky for us. We decorated the house from door to door, and even some outside to get everyone in the spirit. Tyler even bought a fog machine to put at the front door when people came in! Way too fun.

We invited everyone that works at the Medicine Shoppe, plus some other local friends, and each of them then brought people with them. We had a great turnout! That's what made it so fun. We served up Goulash, Cheesy potatoes "maggots", meatballs "eyeballs", green beans "witches stew", veggie tray "finger foods", green beer bread "vomit", "eyeball" cheese ball & crackers, and sangria & raspberry Crystal Light "blood" to drink. For dessert we had pumpkin roll, peanut butter popcorn, brownies with Reese's pieces, sugar cookies, candy (of course), and ghost painted rice krispie treats, plus a wonderful graveyard dirt dessert (complete with grave stones and gummy worms)! YUMMY!

The costumes were awesome! Everyone went above and beyond to make this a cool party - the majority of them were homemade.

Lisa: Dolly Parton

Megan & Julie: Old Lady & Old Man

Beth & Sam: Kitty & Nurse

Neal, Tammy, & Ben: Barney, Betty, & BamBam

Kala, Carrie, & Kimberly: Cinderella & the Evil Stepsisters

Matt & Emily: Batman & Cat woman

John: Cat in the Hat

Maxwell: Beverly Hills Ninja

Kenny & Megan: Billy Ray Cyrus & Hannah Montana

Nick & Kelsey: Cowboy & Hunter

Carrie, Tyler, & Robyn: Jose Jalapeno Pepper "On a Steek", Jeff Dunham, & Achmed

The costume party was also an "anything-but-a-cup" party, where you bring something other than a cup to drink from for the evening. Some of those items were quite interesting as well - most themed with the costume. After dinner, we all geared up for a scavenger hunt throughout Pittsburg. It was a photo scavenger hunt where all team members had to be present with each find. Way too fun - sneaking into people's yards at 11:30 pm to shoot a picture. We also found ourselves in the cemetery, of course, taking pics, in movie stores & grocery stores - and once even in the middle of the road (yes, one of the items on the list was roadkill)! All was in good fun, no one was caught or arrested, so everyone chalked it up to a good time. Personally, I haven't laughed so hard as I did that night in a really long time.

Then we came home & watched a little Jeff Dunham (check him out on youtube.com if you haven't seen him - hilarious) before checking in for the evening around 2:30 am! Not bad for a bunch of young kids and a few of us old folks!

Bathtime

Tonight it hit me as I bathed the kids - exactly how precious these times really are. I was exhaused after a long afternoon at work as the only pharmacist, and didn't get home until after 7:00pm. Luckily I had thrown some smothered pork chops in the crockpot this morning, so dinner didn't have to happen too late. After slamming a pork chop, carrots, & cornbread, I REALLY didn't feel like bathtime, but . . . it was my turn. We headed the troops upstairs, well part of them. Rayleigh & Molly were instructed to grab their coloring books that were downstairs and carry them up with them. Molly grabbed two markers and headed up the stairs (leaving the rest for Rayleigh - two coloring books & the remaining 20 markers). Tucker was already upstairs I found out by hollering for him to come get his shoes. He rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, stark naked, announcing that he needed to potty - of which we are still training. So that he didn't pee on the floor, I sprinted up the stairs (only in time to see Molly throwing the 2 markers on TUCKER'S floor - right where she found them, I'm sure). Never fear though, Tucker made it to the potty just in time, as the girls made their appearance just in time to praise him with a clap & high five. All of them were in the tub - finally! Half the battle is over. Now for washing - three heads of hair first, three little bodies to go. Tucker was beating endlessly on the bathtime drum, Molly was humming a song from preschool today (over & over & over & over, and well you get the picture), and Rayleigh was playing with her mermaid, saying, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy" - until I finally realize that she is talking to me so I change my attention to her. At this point my head is spinning, but I nod approvingly that "yes, Rayleigh, part of her body is blue, and yes, she is beautiful, and yes, we could do your hair like that tomorrow". Ah, finished with bodies. DONE!

At that very moment, somewhere amongst the bubbles, I realized how very precious these times are. Exhausted, I stepped back and just smiled. They looked perfect. I thought about how lucky I am to have them to bathe, and how boring my life would be without them. They make our lives go round, and despite all of the work that comes along with them, all-to-soon we will miss that "work". They will be bathing themselves, picking their own clothes off of the store racks, playing sports or dancing or doing gymnastics at 7:30pm instead of being here with us for bathtime, and on & on down the road we move.

So for now, I hope that you enjoyed bathtime tonight as much as I did . . .

Tucker Thomas

Tucker has officially hit the terrible-twos! This is completely new territory for him, as he has been the easiest baby on planet earth - until now! He is still a joy, but has learned that he has an opinion and is not afraid to use it. He wants any color of cup except for the one you hand him, he wants orange juice - not milk, he'll get into the vehicle (and buckle) "I do it by myself", and his favorite new term is "NO"! It's so funny when he gets angry now, because he will yell, "NO!" and clench his fists and his little body just shakes because he is trying so hard to get his point across.

He is very talented with a ball of any kind. He got a pop-a-shot for his birthday, and he loves it. He will make it then yell, "Two points!" It is adorable. He can also catch a ball now and we are considering putting him in the punt, pass, & kick contest next year as he has been able to do all three since he was 18 months old. He will string together 7 word sentences now, and speaks very clearly. He has invented a word all of his own that he uses quite frequently and it cracks Tyler & I up. If he is talking to the girls individually, he uses their names correctly, but if he wants both girls he calls them "Mol-Rayleigh" collectively. It is just too cute.

He is going to be the tin-man for Halloween - thanks to Grandma Nita, once again! He also loves his bear that has a costume just like his! He struts his stuff when he's in costume!

Molly Ann

Molly Ann may look a whole lot like her sister, but she is about as different from her as one can imagine. Both girls are very much a joy, and both very challenging in their own way. Molly could care less about tidiness, and would be perfectly content if we never had to comb her hair again. She is much more the aggressor, still. She knows what she wants and how to get it. Within the past few months, she has developed quite the little opinion, and the mouth to go with it (I have no idea where she gets it). The other day, she needed to go to the bathroom while we were driving. I explained that we had no where to stop for a while so she was going to have to hold it for a little bit. She, of course, went into "I can't hold it" mode immediately. After about 5 minutes of continuous reminding, I turned around and re-explained that there was no bathroom in the van, and she had another 10 miles before the next gas station. She shouted back at me, "Fine! Whenever I grow up and you are little again, someday, I'm not gonna stop so you can go to the bathroom!" Tyler & I laughed so hard - I think we just bought ourselves a one-way-ticket to the nursing home when we become incontinent!

She also loves to play 'house' with Rayleigh. It seems that she is usually the one coming up with the "rules" about where that are going, what they are driving, who is driving, who should be the mommy, who should be the baby, who's feeding the dog, etc. I love their imaginations!! They spend the majority of their time playing, and show very little interest in TV shows or movies. They do love music, however. Molly makes a song out of everything - and she loves to hum. I really think she only hums because she knows it drives her dad crazy. Both girls also love to play dress-up, and you should see some of the outfits! Molly also loves story time. Her favorite books include Bears on Wheels, Goldilocks & the Three Bears, anything Dora, and her absolute favorite thing is when Tyler makes up a story (and includes Molly & Rayleigh as characters) - it's usually a doozie.

Molly is going to be Glenda, the good witch, for Halloween. She even has a magic wand and a princess crown! Her babydoll also has a Glenda outfit, thanks to Grandma Nita - complete with crown and all! They think they're pretty big stuff when they're all dressed up! They both love to be told they are beautiful, so we try to remind them often.

Rayleigh Jenea

Rayleigh is quite the perfectionist. She likes things nice & tidy, including her clothes and hair. She has mastered the art of putting in her own "low pony" and of course, a matching barrette to hold back her bangs. She loves to match her shirts with her pants, as well as picking out her own shoes & matching hair accessories. She is sweet most of the time, with the occasional upset (as with any of us), and remains the leader of the two girls. She loves being the "mommy" of anyone or anything that allows her to, and her favorite thing to play with is without a doubt - babydolls. She is going to be Dorothy for Halloween this year. Grandma Nita made the costumes for the kids - as well as a matching costume for their babies! Too adorable.

Pumpkin Patch

We made the annual jaunt to the Pumpkin Patch, complete with hay rack ride, slides, a corn maze, barrel ride, and corn box (like a sand box - only cleaner). It was so much fun, but we will have to buy our pumpkin this year at the grocery store as they were already out of big pumpkins, and only had little ones left. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and the kids had a blast - weekend time together well spent!

Family Pics

Tyler & I decided that it was time for family pics once again. We had pictures of "us" taken as well, seeing as how we have changed just a little since 7 blissful years ago when we got married - and that was the last time we had pictures taken of ourselves. A huge thanks goes out to Kenny Felt, who helped to rekindle that puppy love that is so easily forgotten by the end of suppertime, bathtime, storytime, and bedtime.

Tucker's 2nd Birthday

Can you believe it - Tucker has already turned TWO!! We all thoroughly enjoyed the "firetruck cake" that he has so diligently talked about now for at least two months. It was wonderful! The firetruck invitations sparked a great turnout, about 43 people, including Great Grandpa Loyd, Great Grandpa & Grandma Thomas, and even some cousins from the St. Louis area that happened to be in town! Even Bev & Dave "Butch" made it. The girls were dying for them to get here to see what Bev was wearing. They think it is so cool when their daycare provider comes to THEIR house. They reminded me over & over that Bev & Dave were coming, "and Bev will look pretty - she always dresses up for parties, Mom! I bet her hair will be pretty too!" It was such a hoot & Bev certainly didn't disappoint, as usual! We were so excited to see everyone & to share our burrito bar and cake & ice cream. Tucker's favorite presents included . . . well, all of them! He loved it & did not need any help from any innocent bystanders who may have dreamed of helping him peel of even a stitch of paper. He opened his new bike from Mom & Dad at Chuck-E-Cheese's, and then scored a new matching helmet from Megan & Kenny at his party. He also got a new racetrack from Grandma Nita & Papa Gail, a firetruck from Grandma Sherry & Papa Terry, a Diego "house of balls", a pop-a-shot (that he can make the basketball 9 of 10 tries), his very own Dirt Devil vacuum, a truck just like Daddy's with four wheeler & dog included, LOTS of new BALLS (his absolute favorite thing in the entire world), storybooks, & many other very fun things. Every time we throw a party, we are reminded of how very much we are loved & blessed to have such wonderful friends & family. A HUGE thanks to all of you for making us feel so special!