Halloween

Can I just say one thing?  

I HATE carving pumpkins.  I just hate it.  I don't really know why.  But I HATE it.  

I could skip it. 

Tell the kids that we don't do it, only other people do.

But that would be wrong and terribly selfish.

So we carve pumpkins.  

This year, I waited until the very last day possible, the day before Halloween.  I got changed into comfy clothes, put cardboard out over the table and dove in.  

It wasn't so bad.  

We slid right past bedtime.  

The kitchen was disastrous. 

But we had a super fun time.  And that's all that matters.  

Trick or treating the next night was also great, we went in OUR OWN neighborhood, which was a first.  Lots of people outside doing cool scary things and many houses gave out BIG candy bars, which was surprising.  Grandpop came up from NC to join in the Halloween fun.  When we got back home with our neighbors, friends, Grandpop and a nephew in tow, the kids did the Great Candy Swap and enjoyed their loot. 

 Riley, who had walked the entire 2.5 mile path, actually asked to be put to bed as the Swap was still going on. 

 RJ rode in his little red push-car and instead of saying, "Trick or Treat" he Quacked at every stop, which in some cases caused women to be overcome by his cuteness and give him MORE candy.  

Riley gave her pumpkin hands and feet

Chase and his Gook

Trapped in his seat for containment purposes, RJ put stickers on his and scribbled with a marker. 

Riley the Bee at her preschool parade

Quack Quack!

The Great Candy Swap

And there our happy pumpkins sit, even the big one which I didn't feel like carving!!

6:29 am

If I don't get up at 6:29am....   my day goes to crap.

It's taken me from the start of school in September until now to really have that sink in.  And more than one time where I decided to lie in bed PAST 6:29.  

6:29 is my 3rd alarm.  

3 alarms, different tunes, some with Smart Alarm, which plays soft (but still terribly annoying) music that gets louder slowly over 3 minutes and then the alarm, some with Snooze.  They start before 6am and the last one goes off at 6:29.  

I actually do get out of bed.  Like a Zombie and most grudgingly.  But I do.  

And then, I do things for EVERYONE ELSE for the next 2.5 hours.  And then, only then, can I regroup and think about a shower, or actual clothing for the day.  Or maybe breakfast.  Another cup of coffee.  

Then the day goes by and I eventually go to bed, somewhere between 9pm and 1am.  And I dread 6:29.  

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Other Recent Highlights:

RJ sleeping at the wheel at Wegman's Market

Still trying not to sleep

My super-scary (and yummy) Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.  They're stabbingly delicious! 

Last Tuesday the downstairs got cleaned, fully and completely.  Ceiling fan blades, dusting, mopping, behind the couches, all of it.  I took pictures because it only looked like this for about 30 seconds. But it was wonderful. 

Chase got two stubborn baby teeth pulled so the new ones could come in straight.  Ice cream for lunch?  No problem, Mom! 

Indy went to the school dance with a BOY.  She got FLOWERS.  Oooh la la! 

This Zombie Princess performed with her baton twirling team in a local Halloween Parade. 

Riley drew a picture, Mommy and Riley.  

Highlights of Yesterday

The morning was crazy, a little more than usual as we had to get out the door directly after the bus stop to get Roger to a doctor appt (more on that later, when I feel like tackling that subject).  The lovely Miss Rachel from next door was taking Ry to school and Captain Insano was coming with us.  Not that she couldn't handle him while taking Ry to school, but I know it's already a challenge for me to keep him in my arms while getting rammed, kicked and head-butted doing drop-off so I didn't want to put anyone else through that.  

We had an adventure.  Since the car (truck, really) has so big of a gas tank, when it says "50 miles to empty" what it really means is "50 miles IF you can get the gas to suck up the line from the very, very long and extended bottom of this gas tank."  We planned to gas up on the way, but a particularly steep hill on the way said, "Nope.  Stop here.  Stay a while." 

 I'll give you a sampling of this particular adventure:

      - Me:  "Expletive.  Expletive. Expletive."  

      - Him:  "Just shut up."  He says it nicely, he's not rude.  He's just concentrating.  And cranking the key, listening.

      - Me:  "Expletive!"  "I'll call the doctor and tell them you're not coming."

      - Him:  "Put the phone down.  Don't call anyone.  And shut up."  

                     Crank.  Crank.  Crank.

      - Me:  "What are yo trying to do?"

      - Him:  "Just shut up."

      - Me:  "But...."

     - Him:  "Shut up."  "I'm getting the air out of the lines."

This went on for a minute or two more, and low and behold, Roger gets it started. 

I shut up.  We slowly go through an intersection (on my gosh what if we get stuck here), down on onramp (oh my gosh now we are on the highway, with bridges and no shoulder)....

   - Him:  "Boy, it would really suck to get stuck here, huh?"

    I growl at him.  

We approach a hill, I pray, we go up the hill, make a turn and get into a gas station.  Holy heck, we made it.  

I swear he just runs on blind faith sometimes.  

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After the appt:

RJ and I went to visit a friend who just had a baby.  When I held said baby, RJ looked like this:

He just plain old FLIPPED.  Made noises that I've never heard before.  Sounded like someone had stuck him in boiling water. 

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Later in the afternoon in the office:

     - Riley:  "Mom. Mom.  Excuse me, Mom"
     - Me:  "Hold on onnnnnneee second, Ry.  Just let me finish this up."
     - Riley:  "But Mom.  Mom.  I need to tell you something."
     - Me:  "Ok, hon.  I'm almost done."
     - Riley:  "Mom!  Mom!"
     - Me:  "What Riley?!?"  in an exasperated voice
     - Riley:  "RJ is standing on the other desk, Mom."  

And he was.  Good grief!!! 

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So RJ, or Captain Insano, has become a mountain goat again.  Except this time he's bigger, taller and stronger and can now climb on.... everything.  For the past few days, all I do is pull him off of high places.  I usually don't get to capture any pics as its too precarious for that, but I did manage to snap a few of the less-dangerous shenanigans....

This was of course after he had climbed down...

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Skip to dinnertime, beef stir-fry with onions and peppers over white rice.  Roasted broccoli and cauliflower on the side.  Everyone loves the roasted veggies, usually.  Today Riley picks around them and claims she doesn't like them.  Roger says she has to eat the broccoli or she's going to bed.  Then he leaves, leaving me to follow through with that since its already been said.  

We sit for a while, she doesn't eat.  I tell her again she needs to eat the 3 pieces of broccoli or go to bed.  

She hops down from her seat and says, "Ok, Mom.  Put me to bed."  

She walks upstairs, goes potty, brushes her teeth (I didn't interrupt to help since she was being so independent) and lies down in bed.  

I said, "You're really going to bed at 6 o'clock just so you don't have to eat 3 pieces of broccoli?"

"Yes, Mom, I am."

"Ok, good night."

She didn't ask for a book or anything else.  I went up to fold laundry but turned on the monitor to spy on her.  She read to herself for 15 minutes, then I heard her music come on that she goes to sleep to sometimes.  

15 minutes later, she was asleep.

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And that's when I turned around and realized that the baby just shit in the bathtub.  

It doesn't get more fun than that.