Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween. The kids had two costumes this year. Authentic Witch and Wizard Hats straight from Salem, MA and mask $1 at Goodwill, all courtesy of Gran. The witch outfit was also made by my Mom for me way back when.

Just when I thought it would be the year I didn't make Trent a costume it came to me. And the "Most Creative Costume Award" goes to.....

Yeah, Trent rocked the school costume contest. I didn't think I could top last year's Lego Brick, but I think my LightSaber is right up there.

Callie went with a simple, yet super cute Butterfly being different from last year when she was, according to her, a Fairy.

Following our awesome discovery last year, of half off pumpkins on the closing day of the farm stand, we got the "giant" pumpkins this year. A bit of a seed scare. When I asked the lady at the farm if giant pumpkins still had seeds she said "yes." When we cut the tops off, at first glance there was none to be found! Whew! They were burried in the guts! So the seeds were there, and like the pumpkin, they were also giant! But they weren't as tasty as normal pumpkin seeds. So, though fun to carve, next year I will opt for the normal size pumpkins.

Chasing Time Rewind

I always wanted one of those digital picture frames, but could never find just the right one. I don't need it anymore now that my computer is here in the kitchen and I have the screen saver set to slideshow.
The pictures always get the kid's attention.
Today, Callie asked me why I take so many pictures.
I remember my life in pictures. If I didn't take a picture of it, it pretty much might as well have never happened. I am able to write this post because I can go back into my picture files and see what we've been up to. Hummmmmm, lets see......

When we were up at the cabin, Trent wanted to make a torch. Marshall made some pretty impressive ones, Man Vs. Wild style. We brought them home and lit them, one clear August night. Trent was maybe a little too into it.

The kids started school at a new school here in our home town. Not just any school, public school! Huge. HUGE. Step for me. During homecomming they had Crazy Hair Day. I was just gonna skip it, but last minute Trent wanted something, so I took a marker and colored stripes into his entire hair, and a chunk of pink into Callie's. Later that evening Callie got a-hold of the marker. This school has been a whole new world for us, but so far so good. I am offically NOT SMARTER THAN A THIRD GRADER! Sometimes Trent gets his homework wrong even after I check it! His teacher is a bit strict in her grading. I was very nervous about conferences, but she laughed the whole time, telling me stories about how nice it is to have Trent, and some of the negative, yet entertaining things he does, like try to "sneak" up to the front of the classroom while she's in the middle of teaching to whisper in her ear, asking if he can go to the bathroom.
End of October we went to LaCrosse for the annual hunting trip. My Dad, cousins and Marshall with the dogs had a great hunt. Marshall has found love all over again.
Kids, Gran and I were in our usual spots. The pool, the stores, the old fashioned IceCream parlor for a blast from my past, Black Licorice IceCream! And of course a visit to the Kids Coulee. I am on a quest to get a framer of the kids at this park, but mostly they want to have nothing to do with a photoshoot.

Happy "Hallaween"

Loved Trent's costume this year! He didn't really ask to be anything, so I made the decision to turn last years remote into a Lego Brick. I know my strengths and creativity is one of them. Again, the effort was spent on Trent's costume, but Callie got exactly what she wanted, a butterfly. We carved our pumpkins on Halloween this year. It was a nice way to round out the evening. We're one pumpkin short, Marshall picked a rotten one! Ooops!

This is the chaos that is our lives! Yes, its a One Adult, Two Kid and Two Dog wrestle mania

NEVER a Dull Moment!

Incognito

Trent's class was studying Greek Mythology. Each student chose a God to dress as for the culmination of their study. Trent picked Poseidon. It was really the perfect God in my opinion. Me being such a water lover and Trent being the God of the Sea. True to form I came up with a great costume idea the night before. Surfer Dude Poseidon.
I did have to convince Trent it would be o.k. if he didn't wear a chiton (The traditional Greek item of clothing) which they had also studied. I also had to sell him on the blue beard concept. The most important thing to him was the trident. I'm thankful we'd been collecting toilet paper rolls for Oliver - Callie's classroom gerbil! The beard is made out of sticky-backed felt which I was also thankful to have. One of the quarter machines at the hockey rink was selling stick-on-moustaches. I got sick of the kids wasting 50 cents every time we went. One trip to Michael's with a 40% off coupon and we've got moustaches galore in custom team colors! Everyone loved Callie's first quarter machine purchase. Through the years Trent has had many inspired made-by-me costumes. Poseidon ranks at #2. My favorite was this one (Click on it) It's a great read, and fun Chasing Time Rewind.
Here are some other costumes, dress-ups and silliness.

Camp Crazies!

Thursday night is Family Night at camp. You basically go and walk around camp, check out the available activities, and of course roast marshalmellows. (My brain typed Marshal instead of marsh, I caught myself after the first l. I think I'll leave it!)I was planning on it all week. Thursday was going to be a busy day, and once I left the house at the butt crack of dawn, I wasn't coming back. So in the spirit of preparing for this school year to start. I got everything ready the night before. Hooray for me!
When I went to pick up Callie her councilor told me they were doing an Olympics song for family night. My only thought was, I hope it doesn't rain today cause they'll cancel it, and I gotta jet cause I've got places to go and people to see. Finally taking care of our important business. We are officially responsible adults now. We have life insurance.
I took Callie for a play date with Clara and off I went to my meeting with the financial planner. All of a sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks. I don't have my camera! The kids are doing a skit tonight and I don't have my camera. Pardon the Gen Y expression but OMG!!!!!!! Flashback to Trent's first christmas production at school. I forgot my camera then and cried the whole time they were singing. You think I would have learned my lesson, too much on my mind I guess. This time I still cried, but I was laughing while I was doing it.
I thought about my options and ended up borrowing Becky's camera. A million Thank You's. You saved me. I don't think I would have recovered if I had missed this. It is too hilarious not to be able to watch over and over. I'm still laughing at it! Trent the Jedi Robot and Callie "Oooh Aaah ing."
Friday's are dress up day. The theme of the week was Olympics. I was planning on getting up early and throwing the costumes together. In years past I went all out with Trent. I wasn't feeling inspired this year. It was a crazy day, a late night, I was tired, but at 11pm I couldn't sleep. Just kept thinking about costumes. Finally I got it! My costume creativity didn't fail me.
Such a great camp. Even the councilors get totally into it.