Pumpkin Patch 2009

We ended up taking a spontaneous trip to the pumpkin patch recently. It was an afternoon of crankies one day last week so I decided to see if the boys wanted to try on their halloween costumes. After they had the costumes on the crankies were still hanging around so, remembering a sign I saw earlier in the week for a pumpkin patch, I threw the boys in the car and took off hoping it would be fun and lift their spirits. Lucky for us this small yet friendly and cute patch had a rule that every kid in costume got to pick their own mini pumpkin to take home. This was especially nice since I didn't realize I had no cash in my wallet until I got there.

Here is my beautiful boy showing me the pumpkin he liked best.



Here the boys are w/o masks on. As you can see we have a Spiderman and a Venom Spiderman this year. It took a while to decide on costumes for Curtis as usual. He loves halloween so much and has a lot of trouble deciding what to be each year. We had planned to have them both dress as ghosts until a trip to Target got Curtis craving a store bought costume. I much prefer homemade costumes, but I also prefer happy children so I decided to pick my battles on this one. I really wanted the boys to dress as a team and I was able to convince Curtis to buy the Venom costume and Clark was happy to dress in Curtis' old Spiderman costume (garage sale $5 find :o). The Spidey costume is way too big on Clark still, but we rolled the sleeves and pants and I figure it looks good enough.



Here they are sitting in the hay with full costumes. We don't have a mask for Clark's costume so I think I might use some face paint on halloween. In fact I might try to convince Curtis to do the same since I hate having his beautiful face covered like this.



Here's Clark being the cutest darn Spiderman around.



And Curtis, posing for Mommy next to a big round pumpkin.



We're all really looking forward to our halloween party and trick or treating this weekend. I hope everyone out there has fun and stays safe.

Stuck home with sick kids...

...well not anymore, thank God. Curtis went back to school today! He was so happy and I think Clark enjoyed a nice relaxing morning grocery shopping and bike riding with Mommy. Over the past 4 days being stuck home with a sick kid I found myself having to think outside of the box for things to keep them both happy while here at home. You see my boys, like their Mommy, don't really enjoy sitting around at home watching TV. We are just outdoorsy people I guess, and getting out and being active and social really do keep all three of us happy and fulfilled during the week. So, while the ethical side of me knew that keeping my germy children away from the other healthy kids out in the world was the right thing to do, it went against every fiber of my intuitive self. This is where the outside of the box thinking came in. I had to come up with projects and activities and fun for the boys for 4 days straight here together at home! It might not sound too hard, but if you've never parented 2 young boys then don't judge so quickly!




Here is a photo of one of our craft projects. I took a little time at one point to clean up my bedside table and ended up with a pile of old magazines. So Curtis and I took out our scissors while Clark napped one afternoon and went about the task of finding photos of things we like to make collages of. Can you tell which one is his and which is mine?




And here is a photo of Curtis' new craft obsession. I don't know what these things are called but I remember making them when I was young. He really gets into making random designs and is so excited for me to iron them solid. Can you tell which one I made?



And here is a shot of a project we all made together. I really think this turned out kind of cute. I don't know why it makes me feel warm and fussy inside to see this road and town as interpreted by a 1.5 and 4.5 year old. I helped draw a few trees that they colored in and then we raced cars around the track they designed together. Good times!



And finally, a photo of our old lady kitty Fani. I included this because I came to realize this week just how much she sleeps. As we ran about between art projects and back yard baseball games she hardly even looks up as we whiz by. I know she is 16, which is like over 100 in cat years, but I still find it pretty amazing how much this cat can sleep. I guess I'm not the sleep champion of the house after all. Maybe I'll have to go work on that right now...

Sick Brothers

Well, I haven't blogged lately because we've had the sickies off and on. Unfortunately I thought we were totally off and it seems we are back on again....maybe...Curtis was at 102.5 at 4pm but now at after 8pm is back down to 99 degree temp, so who really knows. This has been a crazy illness going back and forth like that, but we're making the best of it by hanging at home and watching old Tom and Jerry cartoons and playing bocce ball in the yard and the frogger plug in game my MIL gave us.



The boys are so cute together even when they are under the weather. They both get so fascinated with the thermometer. Here you can see Curtis checking his little brother's temp out in such a professional manner.



And of course along with a fever comes some special treats. In order to keep the boys hydrated when they are sick I give them some things I normally wouldn't, like Gatorade and jello. I try to avoid the dyes these things have in them, but while they are sick I make an exception and it usually does get them to perk up some and get some extra fluids in.



I believe this is a photo of Clark's first experience with Jello. I don't remember ever having him try it before, but I can't be 100% sure since my memory is clouded by life at home with two young boys. He honestly wasn't that thrilled and when I tasted it I could tell why. Maybe these premade cups aren't as good as the old fashioned kind.



I know we aren't the only ones around these parts suffering. I've heard rumors in Mommy groups and Preschool about viruses and flu and strep going around. I am not one to rush off to the doctor for every illness since it usually just ends in a $30 copay and the advice I already know....lots of rest and fluids. So here we are again with our cartoons and jello and frogger, fingers crossed that the crud leaves our house pronto.

Couples Get-A-Way

We decided when we got married that we would try to have a couples get-a-way each September around the time of our anniversary. Last year Clark was only 10 months old and still nursing so we had to skip it. The year before last I was 8 months preggo and while we did enjoy a few days on the gulf coast, I wasn't exactly the picture of comfort.

So, needless to say we were very excited to get away for two nights this year. We decided to go to the East coast this time so we could be within an hours drive in case the boys needed us for any reason. I didn't have a lot of luck getting a good recommendation for a hotel so we just drove over without any reservation figuring we would have good luck since it is off season right now. We ended up in Ormond Beach and found an affordable hotel that was nice and right on the beach.



We spent the majority of the time there sitting on the beach or splashing in the ocean. I really enjoyed the hours on the beach reading and writing uninterrupted. We also both had such a good time goofing off together in the waves. Add to that the fresh seafood dinners from a local spot recommended by the hotel clerk and you have two very happy people.



If you look closely you can see the moon in this one. What a joy to get to walk along the beach with my beloved under the beautiful moon.



This is the view I had for a good portion of the trip. I feel like the luckiest girl ever.



I highly recommend to every couple with children to plan a get-a-way every year. Even if just for two nights, the time both together and alone really replenished my soul and I came home ready to get back into the swing with my two boys. Of course the giant hugs I got when I walked in the door don't hurt either.