Bats Gone Wild

A huge shout out to Ryanne for helping get my videos on the blog. I had no idea you can put your own videos on YouTube (not for the entire world to see and comment on) just those of you who want to keep in touch.

So without further ado here's a snip it of Ethan's Halloween Recital.

A Message From Captain White Boot

Captain White Boot would like all his dastardly foes to know:

That in two weeks time he will be back in business: sailing the high seas searching for lost treasures in the blue lagoons of Malta, sacking ancient temples in Athens, and digging for hidden treasures in Cairo.

You may be asking yourself what all this pirate jargon means? It means at Zach's orthopedic appointment last Wed. his stinky falling apart cast was removed and a new one was put on for two more weeks. At which point we hope we can find someone qualified to cut it off that isn't out of kingdom on vacation so we can enjoy some family adventures of our own.

Will The Spooktacular Fun Ever End?

After a successful morning bike ride, successful because Graham did not get motion sick on Ethan, we spent the rest of the morning getting immunizations and popping lots and lots of popcorn to make these beauties for tonight's tricker treaters.

After lunch Chris, Graham, & I enjoyed some Spooktacular renditions of "Bats are Sleeping" and "5 Little Pumpkins" by Ethan's diverse K4 class.

I've tried all day to upload a hilarious video of Ethan singing and as he's enthusiastically flapping his bat wings he hits himself in the face....but alas it won't load.

The boys had a Frightfully Fun afternoon when their Scholastic book order arrived. This may have been the first time in days they've sat still.

This is what happens when pumpkins aren't native to the Middle East. When Dad finds one small extremely overpriced pumpkin after searching far and wide...
you get Zach's Harry Potter Lightning design choice on one side.....

...and Ethan's Ben10 Omnitrix design on the other. Ohhhh the fighting that started over who's side would show for the evening.

While I photographed the big boys in their costumes .....

Graham decided to be the poison checker for the homemade treats.

Poor Zach passed up some really yummy cupcakes because he'd been learning online not to take homemade treats from people on Halloween. We clarified that, that is exactly true in most place except UDH. Then I reminded him that we were giving away homemade treats and he felt a little silly but glad for the clarification because then he didn't have to pass up the other baked goods the rest of the night.

Some call him Ethan but today we called him "Super Humongo Man" because our costume kid was Super Man for the day and Humongousaur (one of Ben 10's aliens) for the night.

Our crew of kids met up with ninjas, knights, and a hula girl....

a prep school hottie,....

the White Witch and complete Narnia cast...

as well as Bob the Builder during their night of revelry.

And when their bags were mostly full they took a catered dinner break under the stars while Harry Potter cast spells on the big screen.

But the night didn't end there we had at least 5 more doors to darken before we could brush away the sugar bugs and tuck OUR 3 sweet things in for the night.

Fall Festivities

Ben 10 was an ordinary boy until one night while camping with his Grandpa Max and cousin Gwen a mysterious watch fell from the sky and changed everything.

Tonight our family channeled the Ben 10 Crew with one goal in mind.

To raise money and a lot of it while having fun at the same time.

Cousin Gwen used her Super Powers to create a Monstrously Fun game.....

...that drew in the crowds.

She used her inner sight to know just what kids would like.....

....glow in the dark pumpkin pops and for the ultra talented ring tossers, homemade sugar cookies.

The boys channeled all their Ben 10 Alien Strength into playing as many carnival games as possible. On our way home Ethan was just gushing with joy saying, "Mom and Dad you totally brightened my day by taking me to the Festival. This is the best day of my life."

And used their new found powers to persuade friends to give them extra tickets.

Just like in the show Grandpa Max spent his time keeping the Younger Ben out of trouble.

This little "Spider Monkey" used his Alien strength to climb up about 3 feet to get a drink.....repeatedly.

Thanks to this and other carnival games, all the volunteers, parents, and players the Fall Festival was a complete success raising $1,600 USD in just two hours for schools in Afghanistan.

I'd say.....

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Just a note: I purchased these awesome Ben 10 jackets from a women who make them in knit or fleece and sells them on eBay. Last summer when they arrived the screams of joy could be heard throughout the neighborhood. When G saw the boys put on the jackets he started crying and pulling on his shirt. So in his non lingual 18 month old way he was saying, "Hey, where's mine?!" From then on I realized: gone are the days of buying for two;I must buy triple.

We've Been Boo'd

The other evening when night had come.
We were gathered together for some family fun.

When suddenly there was a knock at the door.
We wondered who it could possibly be for.

We'd been BOO'd said the message so carefully placed.

Leaving treats and surprises that disfigured ones face.

Since that strange night our neighborhood lives in fear.....
because now a vampire family is here.

Making Do For A Celebration Of Two

Powdered Sugar has been scarce since the Spring. When we've tried to make our own in the past but it just hasn't quite worked out, the texture was all wrong. I was down to my last bag and a half with 8 dozen sugar cookies to frost and birthdays this week and next I had to get creative.

The result was NOT pretty and frankly NOT that tasty either. Here's Graham's Elmo birthday cake with half whip cream frosting and the last, very last of the butter cream frosting for the mouth. Now I've made some ugly cakes in the past but this might be my worst outcome yet.

So glad he's two and didn't really care.

We did a short photo session in the park before the sun went down.

He actually posed for this one.

Graham really is and always has been a sweet addition to our family.

He thinks he's as big and every bit as capable as his brothers. At times this is frustrating both for us as parents and Graham who just isn't allowed to play outside, or use the bathroom, or get near the computer without supervision. You are teaching the boys that some doors MUST remain closed or big messes occur.

He can speak in complete sentences and when he doesn't know the words he can generally get his point across well. He LOVES the Wii and asks to play it as soon as he gets up from his nap. I wonder how long it will take for him to clue in that we haven't put any batteries in his Wii remote and isn't really playing. Because of he and his brothers obsession with the game it has now been limited to weekends only. The weather is just too nice now to have them sitting on the couch.

He adores the Thomas Train Table and Accessories he inherited from his brothers. He likes light sabers, wooden puzzles, and the song: "The Wheels On The Bus." For FHE the other night it was his turn to pick the song and when we started singing one of the Primary songs and he started SCREAMING, "No! No! Bus! Bus!" So we sang that one instead.

By the 3rd boy it's hard to come up with gifts that haven't already been purchased in one form or another.

We did find something new, after a bit of searching, appropriate for warm weather play.

A water/sand play table with spinners and shovels and big MESSY fun. This ended up being a 3 bath day. I've decided once the sand is gone it will be a water only table. Wet I can handle but wet and sandy is just too much several times a day. The irony was not lost on us that we had to buy sand for this table when we live in the middle of the desert.

Graham we love you! You add such a special joy to our family. Your smiles and giggles and chubby kissable cheeks just melt our hearts. Your easy temperament make you so pleasant to be around. Your big brothers are so good to you. They love to help you at the park and keep an eye on you. They also like setting up train tracks, Legos, and blocks even though they know you will shortly destroy them.

We've Been Frightfully Busy

It's that time of year again.....
Where goblins sneak...

And ghouls shriek....
And little children run in fear...

And Parents scream...
Because it's Parent/Teacher Conference Week and the children have 3 half days of school.

So what's a mother to do!
(Ethan said this was his scary Halloween face.)

Make Sugar Cookies and let the little goblins decorate and gobble them up.

We also did some frightfully fun crafts at the Youth Center

to help us get into the Halloween Spirit.