Pooped

The kids love when I use that word. I came across a photo of Anson from age 4. It sums up about how I feel after a very busy and fun few weeks. Looking forward to a good Halloween tomorrow with the kids! I'll post a spooky update this coming week.

And One and Two, and One and Two, and ????

Charlotte's ballet class had a combination Halloween party/performance for the parents this week. Although they wear the classic black leotards for class, their teacher told them to dress in any costume they wanted for this special day.

Charlotte dressed as Hannah Montana, sort of. You know Charlotte, any excuse to wear sparkles and pink, and perhaps a tiara is something she is on board with! (Just wait until you see what she wears to her preschool party tomorrow.)

We thought she was the cutest one out there, and she sure stole the spotlight! We love our little drama princess!

The Twelve Days of Halloween

Wait a minute, isn't that song for another holiday?

Around here, it feels like Halloween lasts forever. There are always several parties (two down and two to go), and OF COURSE you couldn't possibly wear the same costume to all. That would be BORING.

Charlotte - So far she's been a butterfly and a cross between Hannah Montana and a princess. By the way, all butterflies wear accessories. Next up: Glenda the Good Witch.

Anson - He started strong with the creepy skeleton costume, but wants to change it up for trick-or-treating and be a football player.

Highlights from the first party, where Charlotte reigned as the defending Bob For Apples champ (that would be for fastest pickup), included a wicked game of pass the pumpkin. And yes, Charlotte was pretty much the lone girl among about 20 boys.

P.S.  Coralulu is still alive and still in the vase.
P.P.S.  To keep you coming back for more, I'll let you in on a little secret. Russell and I are going to dress up.

Deep Fried Fun

We all know that state fairs have a lot to offer - animals, musical performances, celebrity news anchors, the occasional pig race, and some stellar people watching. But let's face it, for kids, it's all about the FOOD, RIDES, and GAMES (i.e., the prizes).

THE FOOD

I showed you a sneak peek yesterday of our food experiences. We have dabbled in deep fried food in the past, but have found that the small size of the fried oreo is about all we can swallow, literally. We thought the kids would like them, but Charlotte gagged and Anson wouldn't even try it.

Instead, they went for the classic candy apple (albeit with candy corn) and a soft serve ice cream cone. Can't beat that! Russell and I dove into some onion rings and gyros, but they left us feeling a little, well, blech.

THE RIDES

The kids are pros now, and know exactly what they want to ride when we get there. We strategically avoid some nevertheless. Charlotte was content to ride a few kiddie rides, but Anson was more adventurous. I did manage to get Charlotte on some rides that really shocked her, but in pure Charlotte fashion, her surprise and fear lasted about a millisecond before the grin bust out. Now mind you, I was standing with two feet on the ground the entire time. I made Russell ride this hideously high thing where you go slowly to the top and then it drops quickly just when you are getting relaxed.

Getting Ready for Their First Ride

View From the Hideously High Puke-Inducing Kiddie Ride

Charlotte Clinging for Dear Life on Another High Ride

To Prove I Actually Did Ride Something...

Russell and Charlotte Keeping It Real on the Carousel

Charlotte and Anson on a Kiddie Roller Coaster (Yes, I was too chicken to ride it with them.)

THE GAMES

The kids always think they can win the giant panda and end up with the small plastic bouncy ball. This time around, though, they got pretty lucky and took home some choice prizes. Thanks to Russell, we also have a new member of the family, Coral/Lulu (a name has not been decided on yet), the goldfish. She survived a serious drop on the pavement where the water from the bag bust out, but a nice carnie gave us her large plastic cup with some water. It's a miracle the fish still lives.

Corall/Lulu in her New Home (a.k.a. the best thing I could find on short notice at home was a vase)

Charlotte Showing Off Some High Quality Loot

All in all, a successful evening!

Teaser

It ain't fall 'til ya bin to the state fay-yer.

Let's just say Charlotte did not care for the deep fried oreos.  More to come...

Go Wahoos!

We're taking the kids to the UVA/UNC (that's University of Virginia vs. University of North Carolina for all you English people) American football game tomorrow in Charlottesville.  It's a big game in our family, since Russell and I went to UVA, and we now live in UNC "tarheel country."  Anson received a UNC t-shirt from a friend for his birthday (shhh...don't tell my dad!!), and we keep telling him he should wear it and see what happens when he goes to the UVA tailgate.

GO HOOS!

Oops

As you can tell, I somehow messed up the layout of the blog when I tried to replace my header.  I thought I'd try something new, and in the process things got moved around.  I don't have time to figure it out, so until then, just enjoy the art featured in my new blog header.

It includes four pieces I own by my favorite artist, James Brewer.

Creepy Food

Charlotte and I decided we were in the Halloween crafting mood, so we spent the day in the kitchen whipping up some goodies.  Anson joined us when he returned from school, especially when he realized it involved sweets (as long we we substituted the chocolate with something else).

We started with orange smoothies made into jack-o-lanterns, moved onto monster-faced bread, and ended with the Wicked Witch of the West melting into our pudding cups.  The smoothies went down well, but the bread was harder than we expected to mold.  (Emma, do you see Charlotte using the cooking roller you gave her?)  The pudding cups were hopelessly unlike like the photo, but the most fun to put together.

I have fun pics from Sue and Graham's visit, as well as our trip to the mountains this past weekend, but I've had computer issues and so on, so I'll get to those as soon as I can.

By the way, the Halloween costumes for the kids have been chosen:  Anson - skeleton (he always goes with a classic), and Charlotte - butterfly or fairy or princess or tinkerbell or Glenda the Good Witch (you get the picture).  Any ideas for Russell and me?  We have an annual party we go to and always panic at the last minute trying to think of something...

(Did you know you can leave comments just below each post?)

It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Fall (Even Though it's 80 Degrees)

We have lots of outdoor fun planned for the family this weekend.  Hope you all enjoy the beautiful fall weather wherever you are.

Anson had an official birthday party yesterday at the Lego Store, followed by dinner at a Japanese restaurant. I have just one thing to say about it:

Legos + Cupcakes + Fire = Joy

Anson Turns 8

Happy Birthday Anson!  It's been a wonderful eight years.  We love you!

Fun Friday

I know Molly will sing this with me...


Monchhichi Monchhichi
Oh so soft and cuddly
With a thumb in your mouth she's really neat
Fun to wiggle his little feet
Ya ya ya
Ya ya ya
Happy, happy Monchhichi!


When I saw these two in Target this week, I couldn't get the song out of my head.  Now I'm ready to face the weekend.