Kooky Spooky Jam-Boo-Read

Silly name for a fun night at the children's museum. They had different story readings throughout the night - scary for older kids, not scary for the littles. They had pumpkin bowling, a pumpkin ring toss, face painting, decorate treat bag art project, making your own slime, and of course, all teh fun things we like to do there anyway! The event was last night from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. By the time Lew got home, we were a little late, but didn't miss much more than a concert by a guy in a tree costume. (I've heard him before and at couple different locations, he is OK, doesn't keep the kids' attention very well. Carl did dance well to his songs last time we saw him. Still, I figure we didnt' miss much.)

We decided to wear last year's costumes to this event because I knew there might be messy fun and I wasn't up for washing the real costumes late at night. Turns out, they didn't get their costumes dirty, but there were fun, messy things they participated in!

How about a couple cute pictures?

Gretchen shaking a cup of slime

both playing in the dentist room

one of Gretchen's favorite parts is the Teddy Bear Hospital. We were psyched to find real bandaids to put on the bears! And I couldn't resist doctor x-ray shots!

and this kaleidoscope is just cool...

pre-school fall festival!

Today, pre-school had their fall festival during the morning. Last year, they held it on a Saturday, but this year it was during the week. So, Lew couldn't join us for the games, but he did make it for the picnic lunch at noon. Good thing - he was bringing the food! He was late, and Carl kept trying to go sit with other families and scam their food!

There were five stations with games set up and the classes rotated through in 15 minute incredments. After playing, everyone got a little toy or sticker or some candy corn to put in the goodie bags they painted earlier in the week. Each playground had a few games... bean bag tosses, throw a football through a tire swing, face paint stamping, musical pumpkins (like musical chairs, but walking on pumpkin pictures taped to the sidewalk), a tractor ride through the cemetary (not scary, the church cemetary is actually very beautiful), potato spoon carry (Carl walked 75% around the path, while holding his potato to the spoon then took it off the spoon and tried to take a bite of it) , dig toys out of sawdust, non-traditional bobbling for apples (using a little fish-style net - no face in the water!) and my favorite... sack races.

Carl was the only kid in his class willing to do the sack races, so it wasn't much of a race. But, he loved it and it gave me my favorite photo of the day:

After lunch, they had popsicles... she loved it!

pumpkin pounding pics

Well, I did bring the camera with us to the Chidren's Museum this week. It was the final week of Pumpkin Pounding. They only did it on Tuesdays, so Carl never got to try. We do have a pumpkin, tees and mallet for him to play at home, but just haven't sat down to pound yet. I've been pretty busy getting ready for a meeting we had today with Carl's whole team. I was busy getting all the artwork up so the place looked autumn-y and vacuuming up the insane amount of cat hair. I vacuum often, don't get me wrong, but man, it builds up. The meeting went well and I have left over homemade cookies, too. Win win, eh?

Back to the Pumpkin Pounding... this was her third week participating in it, so she was a pro!

They have added some cool stuff outside at the museum. One new thing is a full sized bus!

We're going tomorrow night for their Jam-BOO-read reading/Halloween party. I think we'll wear our costumes form last year that Grammie made us.. the doctors' scrubs outfits. We're all looking forward to it... especially after reading they will have something called "Pumpkin Bowling".

wasn't here Wednesday

Well, I was here, just didn't turn on the computer until very late yesterday. So, I'll put these up today. Let's still go wordless... well, semi... taken on 10.28.09

these lizards want in

Apparently, it looks like a nice place to hang out inside our home. Or perhaps, it looks like a place that must surely have a large quantity of bugs to eat. Let's hope it's the former...

No matter what, these lizards want in! Once, months ago, I did have one lounging in my kitchen. Don't ask me how I managed to find him while the kids weren't right there to disturb him and send him running off to a remote corner of the house. Oh, and don't ask me why whenever we have these issues, Lew is no where to be found. But, I managed to get a cup over this little indoor sunbather, slide a placemat under the cup and toss the whole thing - live lized included - our the door! My Live Lizard Leaving rate is 100%!

Molly and Angus love lizards ... outside. I don't know how they would react to one inside. They weren't much help with the kitchen lizard, now were they? But, the cats will sit on the ottoman or their cat castle and watch a lizard out on the windowsill for as long as he'll stay and entertain them. Heck, they stay and watch after the lizard leaves. Just in case he returns. That sounds silly, but they do kind of come back. Right now, there is one lizard who seems to sleep in the window track of one kitchen window. I have seen him for the past several mornings. He may be waiting for his big break to come inside!! He has been entertaining Molly for days now and she loves it! Here he is now:

Then, yesterday, I happened to turn and look at just the right moment to spot one in between our inside door and storm door leading to the back deck. About 3 days ago, I opened the inside door - saw a lizard in there - screamed and slammed the door. Luckily, not on the lizard. I then have to go out the front, around to the back and let these stupid lizards out so they don't come inside when I open that door. So, two in between those doors within a week.... hmmm... I'm guessing the weather-stripping isn't doing so well on that storm door. Yeah, I took his picture before I went around to let him out:

OK, I literally was walking back inside after letting the second lizard out when I glanced into the dining room and saw this:

See him?? He has managed to get himself stuck between the window and the screen. So, I go in and pull the screen down so he has a one inch gap to escape. I'm sure all of these guys have gotten themselves into these tight places and can probably find their way out. But what if they can't? Then I end up with either a lizard sneaking into my kitchen when I open the back door or a dead lizard between the window and screen. It's easier to set them free! I opened the screen and what did he do? He thought I was making a seat for him! I did manage to get him off and the screen and window closed without him getting into the dining room.

I have friends and relatives who claim they would rather have a lizard in their house than a spider. Easy for northerners to say, there aren't lizards trying desperately to enter their abodes in October. Let me tell you my logic. I can throw a shoe at a spider (and I have good aim because we have palmetto bugs aka roaches... and I am a good shot) but no way and I about to kill a lizard in my home with a piece of my footwear. I also have a big ol can of bug spray for roaches and spiders. Yes, "big ol". And I am not about to poison a lizard in my home either. Let's face it... you cannot suck a lizard up with your vacuum cleaner! So, should I find myself in that position again - I am at the mercy of my cup/placemat/tossing skills and what if said lizard isn't near my kitchen? See, it is important to thwart their plans to enter in the first place. Because, as you have just seen... they want in!

say "cheese"!

I let the kids take pictures tonight. The camera is heavy - it's got the external flash on it as well as a pretty heavy lens. But, I put the strap on their necks and sort of helped support the camera's weight with them. They looked through the view finder and pushed the shutter button. Well, not true. Gretchen did that. Then it was Carl's turn. He laughed his butter beans off while snapping the shutter as fast as he could. The flash couldn't even keep up with him! Then, Gretchen wanted it back. This time, she wiggled away from me and set off on her own to document the living room. Boy, do I wish I had 2 cameras so I could have taken a picture of her doing this! Our little video camera bit the dust, so I couldn't even snap one with that - or catch her on video.

But, now I have to worry that they will attempt to take the camera down off the shelf by themselves whenever they want to. Lew is going to think this is part of my plan to get a newer camera. But, like our cars, I have no intention of giving this girl up until she finally quits for good. Oh, and Lew's car rolled 170,000 over the weekend. (although, there was a 15 month period when his odometer was stuck and never moved... so she has more miles on her than that technically) Mine has only 160,000. Both got their late coat of summer wax a couple weeks ago. Ah... purdy!

Back to the photos....

shot by Gretchen:

Carl's photos: I guess we should go ahead with our plan to buythem a kids' digital camera for their birthday. But, both proved tonight that they are budding Nikonians! Mama couldn't be prouder!!

pumpkin patch

Today, after nap, we headed over to the local pumpkin patch. Coastal NC doesn't have pumpkin patches like I am used to. You can't find a farm setting with apple trees to pick from or pumpkins growing on their vines. There aren't any hay rides or cider and doughnuts. But, you can go to the methodist church's lawn and find a ton of pumpkins. The sign tells that these pumpkins were grown on an Indian reservation in New Mexico. These pumpkins have travelled!!

Let me really set the autumny scene for you... here is the real view. You can see the 45 mph road and the car close to us is on the side road.

But, the kids didn't care! Carl had a ball just climbing into all the displays of pumpkins like he was some kind of mountain climber. He even sat and posed for me!!




The only pumpkin we bought is the one she is holding. A little fifty cent gourd. Lew let Gretchen pay and keep the 2 quarters of change. I was with Carl at the time, but Gretchen came yelling and running up to me to tell me all about it. "Mommy! Mommy! Daddy gave me the paper and I paid for my pumpkin and got 2 coins!" She was in heaven! She loves her "coins"!

did you take a nap today?

We did!!!

Bed

Head!

flashback

first... Happy Birthday, Aunt Phyllis!

OK, today means only one more month until the twins' turn four years old! I will confess, I am not sad to see the Trying Threes leave us. My twin mom friends assure me that four gets better as the kids become more interested in playing together. We are actually seeing this already. So, there is a light at the end of the tunnel! I'll post a big ol update on all the great stuff these guys can do next month in honor of the birthday.

For today, just a few October 20th shots and one double belly picture.

I did not take many pregnancy shots, so I don't have one from 10/20. But, my shower was October 1st I think. Here's a shot from that day. 29 weeks pregnant.

2005.

2006.

2007.

2008.