Halloween Costume Photo Session

The weather is changing from lovely autumn sunshine to blah rain and I am sooooo glad that I took 20 minutes to do the kids' Halloween costume photo shoot this afternoon. I think I beat the nasty gray clouds by only an hour or two. There is only one day without rain in the 10 day forecast so this was probably my last chance for decent photos. Last year I never got decent ones of Ethan in his dragon costume so this year I wanted to be intentional about it. I find it's better to do photos of the kids in holiday garb before the holiday hits so that I can enjoy the holidays without stressing myself (and everybody else!) out about getting perfect photos the day of. Plus Halloween is pretty dark so most of my photos from that night are pretty grainy.

The kids and I had a little discussion before taking these photos. In order to wear their Halloween costumes they had to agree to let me take photos of them AND follow my directions. That's a tough one. They agreed because they both LOVE their costumes and would have agreed to just about anything in order to wear them. Including smiling at the camera.

I started with Grace. Mostly because her entire face lit up the moment we pulled the peacock dress and wings on. She absolutely loves being a Peacock Princess! I was shocked she agreed to the costume since she originally wanted to be a flamingo. We did some looking around for costume ideas to make a flamingo costume and found this Gymboree Peacock one on sale for $30 for the entire thing. Sold. Grace doesn't even care that it's not pink and insists that her $2.99 plastic purple shoes match perfectly. She's in seventh heaven.

Ethan saw this hamburger costume at Old Navy and it was love at first sight. The kid refused to entertain any other costume ideas and insisted that this was the one. Lucky for him Old Navy had a Baby Sale and the cashier was nice enough to give me the 40% off one item even though Ethan lost our coupon. We later found it in the Tonka Truck. It cost me $10 which is well worth the joy and excitement that Ethan has for his costume. Even if I probably would have picked something else. Anything else. What's wrong with Batman?

I'm not sure what Ethan is doing here...does he think he's tasty because he's a cheeseburger?

Do you have any idea how hard it was to get a photo of my children's feet? Ethan wouldn't stop stepping on Grace's toes!

"For heavens sakes just look at mom and give her a cheesy grin so she'll stop taking our picture."

Such willing subjects.

"EEEEEEKKKKKK! There's a bug! I can't work under these conditions!"

Bug crisis averted. How about you give each other a hug?

I said a hug! Not tackle each other!

I give up. Just look in my general direction. Perfect.

The End.

Baking with Kids

Yesterday at MOPS we talked about our mothering styles. It was an interesting discussion and made me think about what my style of mothering is. I think one of my strengths is teaching my children to be independent. Unfortunately, when it comes to messy activities it can be hard to step back and let them have at it. Why? Because I tend to be a perfectionist and it's hard for me to give up control on things like making pretty cookies.

I had some spare time yesterday afternoon so the kids and I baked some sugar cookies to help use up some of the orange frosting leftover from Ethan's birthday cake. They helped me dump the ingredients in the bowl and I even let Ethan help me roll the dough out even though he tended to smash it more then roll it. I let the kids cut all the cookies out which was a great exercise in patience on my part. I resisted the urge to redo all of Ethan's half cut out scraggly looking leaves because he was SO proud to be helping. It helped to remember we would be frosting them which hides a multitude of blemishes.

Once our cookies were baked I did all the frosting (I'm not so good as to allow THAT mess to happen...I get a panic attack just thinking about it!). We did the pumpkins orange and tinted the frosting with more red to get darker orange for the leaves. I did give up all creative control to the kids to decorate with the black gel frosting. Grace did a GREAT job on the pumpkin faces. They really turned out cute! Ethan has a ways to go in the leaf decorating department, but he was so proud of himself that I just let him roll with it.

Baking cookies with my kids is definitely time consuming and messy but I hope it will help them learn to enjoy it. It was a good reminder to me to be better at stepping back and letting them do things their way even if it's less then perfect. Perfection isn't the goal right now, good memories and learning to enjoy time in the kitchen is what I'm after. I hope I'm accomplishing it. At any rate we did accomplish a very dirty kitchen floor and 26 beautifully decorated cookies that taste heavenly. It was worth it.


And here's a link to the sugar cookie recipe that I posted earlier. It's seriously the best sugar cookie EVER!

My baby turns THREE today!

I can't believe my baby is three. I don't think I'm ready for this. It's definitely bittersweet watching him grow up because he's most definitely our last child which makes me wish I could hit the pause button every now and again but he insists on continuing along his quest to become a Big Boy. I reminded him this morning that now that he's a big Three Year Old Boy he really shouldn't pee or poop in his underwear because that's just not something Big Boys do. He agreed and so far today we're back on track so that's a good thing!

He's sooooo looking forward to his party this weekend. He keeps asking when it is and is pretty disappointed it's not today. He's obsessed with the party decorations we've purchased (Dollar Store and Target's March Madness clearance rack last spring!). He hasn't really had a real party with friends and the whole bit so this is a pretty big deal to him. I'm glad David pushed me to throw him a party because if it was up to me I probably would have called last weekend's Blazer Fan Fest trip good enough and I wouldn't be enjoying his birthday party obsession this week.

We kept with tradition and piled Ethan's birthday presents on the kitchen table for him to find this morning when he woke up. His eyes lit up and he opened them all in no time flat! Grace picked out a Zhu Zhu pet with a basketball outfit for him (so they can play Zhu Zhu together since she got one for her birthday). His big gift from us was a Buzz Lightyear skateboard with the safety pads to go with it. He thinks the pads are uber cool because they make him look like a Skateboard Boy. This is a pretty big deal if you're a three year old boy.

Grace had the day off from school today so the three of us went in to Salem to ride the carousal a few times and hunt down some party stuff for this weekend's birthday party. This was the first time I've shopped for a pinata and I was surprised at how difficult it was to find a boy one. The first party store I stopped at had diddly squat for boys but a TON of overpriced sports themed party goods which we left on the shelves. Walmart had a zillion princess and pink pinatas and only a few Spiderman ones hanging too high for me to reach. I found an employee to climb up a ladder to get me one and I'm calling it good. Ethan held it the whole way home and wanted to know exactly how it worked.

Actually that's something I hear a lot from Ethan. "How does this work?" is something he asks me a hundred times a day. He wants to know!

Another birthday tradition in our house is choosing what you want for dinner and Ethan has chosen Macaroni and Cheese. It will probably be served with hot dogs, the dinner of champions. We might make a trip to Dairy Queen for a birthday cherry dip as well.

The photos I've shared here were taken yesterday during a hastily put together photo session at the park. He's looking so grown up!

Here's a few to look back to see how he's grown...

Ethan as a newborn...

The first birthday cake smash!

As a ball loving two year old...

And finally my happy smiley three year old BIG BOY!

Neglected Ethan

I realize I've barely posted anything about Ethan in awhile and I thought I'd make up for it a little. He turns three in about a week (!) and I think I may be in denial. That is until he starts acting like a three year old and then I remember how the so-called Terrible Twos have nothing on the Terrifically Awful Threes. Tantrums, hitting, calling me Poopy Mommy, and all around grumpiness has turned my sweet baby boy into an alien. I think I want my baby back!

Of course he's also developing some positive skills and traits so all is not lost. He's halfway potty trained, having the peeing in the potty part down but still skeptical that pooping in the potty is the way to go. I can't wait for him to decide that pooping in his underwear isn't all that fun. He loves to help me and thinks helping to fold the laundry is the most fun thing to do. He can be very loving and tells me "I like you Mommy" about 100 times a day. Makes all the less pleasant parts of the day kind of melt away doesn't it?

By the way I took these photos yesterday to try out my new photography prop I scored for fifty cents at the church rummage sale. It's an old wooden chair from the nursery and I wanted to try it out with a model. Ethan is still my easiest to photograph subject so naturally his photos turned out great. I did photograph Grace but those turned out a little different. Let's just say she has developed a "look" for "why are you taking my picture AGAIN?" and it's not quite as pleasant as Ethan's willing grin.

And yes I know he needs a haircut. David told him he looked like a hippy and Ethan thought that was hilarious.

Soccer Diva

I brought my long range zoom to Grace's soccer practice on Tuesday and I'm glad I did because I have a feeling we're going to have a lot of gloomy rainy practices from here on out. The clouds and rain have arrived. I took a zillion photos and I'm in the process of uploading 60 to Snapfish as I write this, but for the majority of you that don't want to see all 60 photos I thought I'd do a slightly condensed version. I had a hard time picking favorites so bear with me!

We knew when we signed Grace up for soccer that this was going to be a bit of a stretch for her. For one thing, you can't wear a dress to play. You have to wear scary "too tight" shin guards. You have to run. For a girly girl like Grace these things are terrible. She's been doing a decent job chugging along and seems to enjoy it for the most part. She told the coach she'd rather play with her pink ball but he told her to get used to playing with a white and black one because that's what she'll have to use for games. Tough cookies.

That last image above just cracks me up. I have like 20 more with similar expressions. I kind of doubt Ethan will have that day dreaming look to his soccer photos in a few years. No, I'm pretty sure I'll get way more action shots with him. But with Grace I'll take what I can get.

Like this one where she is actually running.

However most of her running shots look like this one. Yes she runs like a girl. She also walked on her tiptoes 90% of the time until she was 4. I'm pretty sure she still thinks she's a ballerina.

Here's some more semi-action shots. The coach had her practice throwing the ball in one time and I think it may have been one of two times she actually touched the ball the entire time they scrimmaged.

Here's the second. This is an uber-rare shot of Grace attempting to kick the ball.

I'm not sure what she's doing right here. Probably practicing her dance moves.

This is what Grace usually does during the game. She turns her body away from the action in a purely defensive position. Even when her team is playing offense. In fact I don't think she knows the difference between offense and defense.

But look how adorable she is! And paying attention! She may or may not grow up to become a soccer star (highly unlikely but you never know) but at least she's giving it a try. I'm proud of her for that. My hope is that by the end of the season she will think soccer is fun.

Adding to our family brood?

No I am not pregnant. Just in case you were wondering from the title. Nor are we planning on having any more babies.

Now that we've cleared that up I thought I'd mention the furry four legged creature we brought home from church with us and are contemplating keeping. He's a friendly orange tabby cat who is great with people (even the kids!), seems to be at peace with our dog, but doesn't get along at all with our resident cat Boo. Boo always takes additions to our family the hardest, after all she was here first! She rolled her cat eyes at us when we brought home Zoe as a puppy back in fall of 2003 and eventually forgave us after we left her home for a weekend trip and took the dog with us. Don't ever believe that a cat doesn't care when you leave because Boo most definitely does.

In summer of 2005 we brought home Grace from the hospital and she once again thought we were nuts and refused to sleep in the bedroom with us for a month or two before again forgiving us and moving on. Adding Ethan to the mix in 2007 was a breeze, she barely flinched.

Other cats are a whole other story. We tried to adopt another cat from an animal shelter back in 2003 and that plan failed big time. The cat had to go back in order to keep Boo from eating it alive. In 2004 we temporarily housed a lost cat for a few hours while waiting to hear back from the owners (she had a tag). We gave up when Boo started reaching her claws under the door to the room we had the poor cat sequestered. We let the humane society deal with it.

Now that Boo is middle aged she's not quite the spitfire towards other cats that she once was. She still puffs up and hisses at the outdoor cats that like to wave their tails under her nose from the other side of the glass but doesn't go quite as ballistic as she once did. I'm actually surprised with how well the transition seems to be going. Not that everything is peachy keen in cat world, but at least neither one is intent on killing the other. I'll take that. Surprisingly I think Boo may be losing the battle of Alpha Animal (Zoe just follows along...she's far from the alpha in this house!) because she's actually scared of the new cat. She does her fair share of puffy fur growling and hissing and is most definitely annoyed with me but mostly she seems nervous. I'm wondering if the fact that the new kitty is a non-neutered male might have something to do with it. He hasn't been very aggressive but definitely curious about everything including Boo. I don't think sharing comes naturally to cats so we'll see how this goes. If it's just not going to work I'll be hitting you all up to find him a new home, but I hope it doesn't come to that because I kind of like him!

We've had the cat since Sunday afternoon and still have no name for him so the poor thing goes by the moniker "new cat". It's really kind of sad. Ethan wants to name him Spikey and hasn't changed his vote since the beginning. Grace has suggested Prince and Alladin, though she thought my suggestions of George and Walter were okay. David liked Hobbes, Fritz, and Dutch and I'm a fan of Oliver. Our other two animals both have three letter names (not intentional) and I was thinking of other three letter names to continue the theme like Ryu or Pax.

As friendly as the new cat is I don't think he's ever lived in a house. He's fascinated by rolls of toilet paper and can shred it like nobody's business. He was super interested in the printer when I printed coupons out tonight. He jumps on counters and tables all the time and is learning that is NOT okay in our house. He uses the litter box but throws litter all over the place with his enthusiastic digging.

Any good name suggestions or tips to help our cats learn to coexist?

Grace's First Day of Kingergarten

It seems like it wasn't that long ago when we were sending Grace off to her first day of preschool last September and today we reached the huge milestone of sending her off to her first day of kindergarten! We've been preparing for today for the last week or two, trying to move our wake up time from 8:30am to before 7am in order to make it to school by 8am. This is going to be a huge adjustment for me since it's been over five years since I've had to be anywhere at a set time on a daily basis!

I made sure to take five minutes this morning for a quick photo session outside in the cold with Grace and her spiffy first day of school outfit and new backpack. It was a little chilly today but we stuck with our planned on outfit anyways and she looked pretty cute if I do say so myself! She hates the denim skirt because it's blue but likes the "silly socks" and the argyle. She chose her hairstyle and princess fairy hair barrette. I also told her she can pick her outfits for the rest of the week, I just really wanted her to wear this one today!

All four of us walked Grace to school this morning and we made it just on time. Daddy helped Grace put her school supplies in the correct bins and then we helped her find a cubby for her coat and backpack and we said goodbye and left. Not surprisingly it was Ethan who cried and had the hardest time leaving. Grace was more then okay for us to leave and David and I are excited for her. Ethan wanted to stay and go to kindergarten too, the poor thing has a long three year wait. I hope those three years last forever because when he starts school I AM going to cry!

Ethan and I picked her up this morning at 10:30 and she told us all about the dinosaur dance and a song she learned. She brought home a picture she colored of me and a ton of paperwork for me to fill out. She seems to have had a good time and is excited to go back tomorrow and meet all of her classmates (only the second half of the alphabet were there today). I hope this is the start of a great 13+ years of school!