Happy Halloween 2013

Halloween isn't complete with out a zombie trying to eat a princess....

 

And a Peanut created super hero called "Lava Man" who shoots lava out of his hands and walks on lava without getting burned, who may or may not be a good guy.

We have officially graduated from the cute and adorable costumes that I can gently lead and are firmly in the gruesome or completely made up.  At least Sweet Pea is going easy on me and wanted to be Snow White which she actually dresses up as on a daily basis.  I mean daily.  

We went on the neighborhood parade and then met up with Uncle Mark who helped the kids walk house to house gathering so much candy that it broke Sweet Pea's little pink princess purse.  They each got to pick their 3 pieces of candy and then were high on sugar and Uncle Mark for the rest of the night.  We packed small ziplocks of favorites (and corn-free) and sent the rest out the door with Uncle Mark.  

It was an excellent and laid back corn-free Halloween. 

Peanut's Tooth Fairy visit

Peanut lost his first tooth today.  It was very wiggly and after a disastrous Halloween parade incident, I was letting Peanut and Sweet Pea watch a quick TV show.  All of a sudden, Peanut exclaimed "Mama, my tooth came out!"  And sure enough, he did.  So it was tucked under his pillow and the tooth fairy came and paid him a visit.  Unfortunately, the tooth fairy didn't account for the fact that Peanut is a bit of a wild sleeper and when he woke up he thought that the tooth fairy had taken his tooth without leaving him any money.  We did a quick search of his room and found that he had knocked the money out from under his pillow and it was on the floor under his bed.  He spent the next hour before school dancing around with his two dollars and coming up with all of the things he can buy with it including a house, a fish and a million toys.  We have to work on the value of money.

Peanut's Halloween Parade

See this little boy clearing excited about the goody bag that he was given during his Halloween parade?

Yeah, that little guy was so excited for his parade and his goody bag and then I had to tell him that he wasn't allowed to have any of the corn-syrup laden candy that had been given out.  I had sent in alternative food for the party so that he had something to eat that was comparable to the rice crispy treats that his friends were eating but I didn't realize that they were going to give candy out as well.  So I didn't have anything to give him and he had to watch all of his friends dig into their goody bags.  His eyes filled with tears and he told me that he didn't like being him and he hated corn.  It was heartbreaking.  I know that in the grand scheme of the 1st world problems he faces, it isn't a big deal.  He isn't really missing anything and I gave him a corn-free lollipop when we got home but he said it just wasn't the same if it didn't come from his bag which I understand.  I just love seeing his smiles because they brighten even the darkest room, but the smiles I saw in these pictures were painful because I knew that I was going to make them disappear.

I'm hoping for better success with trick or treating.  We talked about the fact that there will be some candy he can have and some that he can't and he can trade me candy and he said "Or I can just give it to Little Man or SweetPea or my friends."  Halloween is not my favorite holiday.

Dentist Visits for all 3

I am so proud of all 3 kids.  They bravely went to the dentist, had their teeth cleaned, fluoride treatments and Little Man even had x-rays. They were all beautifully behaved and we were quickly done with all the appointments in just over 30 minutes.  Peanut exclaimed "I had so much fun at the dentist" as he skipped down the hallway.  The dentist was surprised that Peanut was already about to lose a tooth but luckily I could check this blog and see that he got his first baby teeth when he was 4.5 months old which explains him losing his teeth early.  Papa Bear and I were prepared for all possibilities with Peanut having an extra sensitive gag reflex and some sensory issues and Sweet Pea having never been to the dentist.  But it was smooth sailing, we love our new dentist for the kids and I have a lot less anxiety about the next time they go. 

Pirates and Princess Birthday Party

Sweet Pea wanted to have a princess party but two of her best friends are boys so we settled on a princess and pirate party and it was a brilliant success.  She invited 3 friends because she turned 3 and after all the siblings were counted we had 9 kids.  Papa Bear, ever the creative genius, cut out swords and wands from foam board and we had the kids color/decorate their own swords or wands.  Then they played pin the crown or eye patch on the princess.  After a little playing in the playroom, we sang Happy Birthday and ate cupcakes.  Once they were sugared up, we got on shoes and coats and all went outside in search of gold treasure that Little Man and his buddy Seb had hid ahead of time and marked with an x on a map of the front yard.  This was the exit strategy because once the treasure had been collected the party wound down and the guests left.  Sweet Pea was spoiled with barbie dolls, Angelina Ballerina books and and Bitty Baby and The Little Mermaid Movie (which everyone except Peanut was a fan of).  Meemom came down for the party and a visit and to see Little Man's soccer game too.  Papa Bear is now napping because princess and pirate parties can take a lot out of you.

Coloring the foam core swords and wands

Lala

Pin the eye patch or crown on the princess

Sugared up and fighting Lala's Dad

Treasure Hunting

Map (made by Little Man)

Happy 3rd Birthday Sweet Pea!

Dear Sweet Pea,

My princess, my drama queen, my social butterfly I love you more than you could every imagine.  Before you were born, Papa told me that we had to have another baby because our family just wasn't complete.  You complete our family. 

Your biggest brother adores you and happily plays tea party and princess with you.  More than that, you look up to him in all of the ways that a little sister should look up to her big brother.  First thing in the morning or after nap, you are asking for him.  You wake up best if he is the one who goes to get you from your room and he is the only one that you let help you with your shoes and socks.  You and Peanut play like best friends so while you fight you also play and giggle and play some more.  Most of the time you play pirate, treasure, lava or babydoll doctor with him and you give and take through that play like a champ.  

Papa Bear and I love to listen to your minnie mouse like voice as you make your demands and boss everyone around.  Sweet Pea, I love that you are just as likely to dress up like a pirate as you are a princess.  You want to wear make-up and refuse to wear socks and shoes.  You are all the best parts of a wild girl and a daring princess.

My sweet girl.  Never settle for being a princess when you can be a queen.  Never be afraid to get your fancy dress dirty because sometime playing in the mud is more fun than being at the ball.  You can be as fast as, strong as and as good as anyone else but what is most important to me is that you being kind, honest and brave. 

We love you baby girl.  You are truly the sugar and spice in our lives.  You have completed our family.

Love
Mama and Papa

Little Man's first sleep over

Little Man decided he was ready for his first sleep over so we made arrangements for him to sleep over at his best friend J's house tonight.  When he got home from school he immediately wanted to get ready for his night.  I told him he could pack his bag and asked him what he thought he might need.  He decided on pajamas, an outfit for tomorrow, a bottle of water, a granola bar, a flashlight and a book.  He was very serious about each item.  He thought that it would be good to have a snack so he didn't have to both his friend's mom in the morning if he were hungry, he needed the flash light and book so that he had something to do if he woke up before his friend and the water was just in case.  I am not sure in case of what but just in case. 

So we headed over to his friend's house and the boys played while the mom's visited and had a glass of wine.  Then we went over to the school for the fall festival and afterwards headed back for more play and another glass of wine.  While we were there, the boys were wrestling and Little Man had his very loose tooth knocked out.  This meant we had to figure out where the tooth fairy was going to visit.  Little Man decided that he wanted the tooth fairy to come to his friends house because the tooth fairy was more generous at J's house because the night before his friend got $5 for a tooth.  Little Man might be a little disappointed because I only slipped my friend $2. What can I say, the tooth fairy is on a budget and Little Man has two other loose teeth and Peanut has his first loose tooth too.

So I said my goodbyes and left Little Man in good hands.  I am sure that I miss him much more than he misses me.  It is strange to see his door open and his bed empty.  I am realizing that while Little Man was more than ready for this milestone, I was not.  Maybe it is because my baby is turning 3 tomorrow or just that this is the first time that Little Man has slept away from me and Papa Bear, but I am feeling a little sad and nostalgic tonight.  I am already looking forward to picking him up in the morning. 

Guess Who is Reading?

Peanut has had a light come on in the reading department and is just taking off on reading words and sentences.  It is amazing to behold especially since we were told to expect delays in reading because of his apraxia.  We have been working on pre-reading skills since mid-summer.  We worked on beginning sounds of words and ending sounds of words.  We read simple repeating one sentence books with high frequency sight words and did used different games to emphasize those words.  We only worked on these things when he was interested and typically only for 10-15 minutes at a time.  Two weeks ago he started to try to sound out whole words in the car and I know it is in part to what he is working on in pre-school.  In fact, on the way to school two weeks ago he said 'Mama, can we talk about the letter C?"  I said, "Yes, what would you like to talk about?"  He replied, "I don't know, maybe about how it sounds and looks and what words it starts?"  (Kid cracks me up).

Anyway, his interest and attention have increased so I started reading more sight word books and then he started reading them and recognizing words.  I made flash cards of the words that he knew and then used those flashcards to make unique sentences that he was reading.  Now he is reading BOB books and seems to learn 3-5 new words every day and is reading words like cat, bat, rat and sin, pin, fin but sounding them out. 

The best part is how excited and happy he gets every time he reads a word.  Each sentence is like a celebration and each individual word a small party.  The smile, the words, the excitment and inflection in his voice is contagious and we all celebrate him.

Today I asked him to read the word on the flash card and then use it in a sentence.  He read the word "am" and then said "I am so proud of myself."  That says it all. 

Peanut's a Funny Guy

Peanut says the most hysterical things at times and he doesn't mean to be funny.  Today we went to a playdate at his friend Cooper's house.  He has been asking for this playdate for months and Cooper's mom and I finally got our act together to be able to make it happen.  A few weeks ago we thought it was going to happen and I mistakenly told Peanut before confirming that he would have a playdate on Monday.  Monday came and went and it didn't happen, but the good news is that Peanut didn't keep track of which Monday it was supposed to be and every day he would ask what day it was and I would reply with the day of the week and he would say "It is almost Monday and I can go to Cooper's house!"  This went on for 3-4 weeks before we finally make it happen and we had our Monday playdate.

While we were there, the boys were playing with a batcave playhouse and a bunch of action figures. Here is a conversation I overheard:
Peanut:  Knock Knock
Cooper:  Who's there
Peanut:  Woody
Cooper: Woody who?
Peanut:  I am at the door, just let me in
Cooper:  Hahahahaha!
Peanut: It's not a joke! Knock knock.
Cooper:  Who's there
Peanut:  Woody
Cooper: Woody who?
Peanut:  Fine.  I am just coming in.
Cooper:  Hahahahaha!
Peanut:  I give up.

Then we were getting ready to leave and I gave the kids a 5 minute warning.  Peanut was looking desperatly for a car to play with and I asked him a question.  He replied with "Mama, I do not have time for this.  I only have 5 minutes to play.  No time for this!"  He waved his arms in the air and blew me off to squeeze in the last few minutes of play.

The Goodbye Song

At the end of class, Peanut's teacher sings them the goodbye song and the kids sing along with her.  It says "Goodbye friends, Goodbye Friends, it was awesome to see you here."  And then they sing the goodbye friends part in other languages.  Spanish, French, Polish, German and Moroccan are the other languages.  Peanut has really taken a shine to this song and all I have to do is say the name of the language and he busts out with it.  It is amazing that at one time we were unsure of how well he would speak English and now he easily sings the goodbye song in 5 other languages.  His favorite is Moroccan, but I think that has to do with a tiny crush he has on the little girl whose father is from Morocco.  I am going to try and get it all on video and will post when I can.

Mondays

Monday afternoons have always been a special time for me and Little Man.  He gets out of school early on those days and we get to have some special time doing our 5 things (snack, snugs, books, homework and a game).  I look forward to it each week and now we have added in something special with the other kids.

Every other Monday I let the little ones skip nap/quiet time and we plan an adventure.  Maybe plan isn't the best word for it.  We go on an unplanned adventure that has led us through the woods, jumping rocks at creeks and painting banners and playing at random playgrounds.  Peanut even found, then lost then found and lost again a put names Squishy.  It was a caterpillar that he found at the turtle pond.  He was inexplicably lost during a raucous game of hide and go seek when Peanut helped him hide but Squishy didn't come back.  There were many tears over his lost pet and we had to regroup and move to another park to stop the melt down. 

Now I look doubly forward to the Mondays that we get to go on adventures together.  I absolutly love that my kids see it start to rain and instead of being bummed they get excited, ask for rainboots and umbrellas so that we can go on an rain adventure.  With a 6 year old, 4 year old and almost 3 year old just leaving the house is an adventure of some kind.

Meet Squishy

Tiger Cub

Little Man was born to be a cub scout.  Following the rules, earning patches and rank, wearing his class A dress uniform, attending pack and den meetings etc., this is his wheel house.  I think that he would be happy just because of the uniform but the promise of camping and eventually maybe getting to use a bow and arrow just put it over the top.  The adorable factor is just ridiculous and his excitement is contagious.  Papa Bear is his scout partner and it is wonderful to have an activity that belongs to the two the them.  They spend a few nights a week learning the cub scout way and mastering the achievements that are set out in the guide. I am not sure who enjoys it more, Papa Bear or Little Man.  At some point though we are going to have to deal with the fact that he really thinks he is getting a bow and arrow.

He should get his first badge (bobcat badge) next week.  I guess I need to learn to sew enough to put the patches on his uniform!  I am so proud of my little scout and he is so darn cute.