Happy Halloween!

What a day!

James woke and I brought him to my bed for some snuggle time. Then, Jemma joined us. We were having a little tickle, snuggle, laugh fest until I realized that it was getting late... so we went down for breakfast. I made Jemma's lunch and we were singing/chatting and having a good time. Then, I realized it was 8:30 and none of us were dressed... Yikes!!! We need to leave by 8:45 for school, so I rushed upstairs with the kids. Jemma was dressed, James was dressed, and both kids were in the car at 8:45. Mya was not yet on her way outside, so I ran back in the house to put in my contacts and find sneakers (it was too cold for my flip flops). At 8:55, we began to pull out of the driveway and Mya said that she needed her zebra for show and share. We are late anyway, so I backed up and went into her house for the zebra. We arrived at school at 9:16. I had to take the girls into school in my sweats...

Then, as I am talking to Trina on the phone, she asks if I'm on my way to MyGym. I had forgotten all about MyGym!!! We do that every Friday, so how could I just forget?!? We were too late and I was still in my sweats (which are my pjs when Jim isn't home...), so I just decided to go home and shower. When I looked at the MyGym schedule, I realized that there is a class at 10:30 for kids 23 months and over. James is almost 20 months, so I decided that we should check it out. We went and he loved that class. There was a little more "independent" play and they did the red light/green light game, which I love for his age... what a fun morning it turned out to be! :)

After dropping off an item with Melisa, James wanted "chicken" and "choco milk," so we went to Wendy's for lunch. Then, we picked up Jemma and Derek from school. James fell asleep in the car! :( Not good news for naptime, since he woke when we arrived at Derek's house. We stayed to play with Derek and visit with Trina. It was so nice outside that the kids played when we got home. Here Jemma is hitting an empty bubble jar with the bat. (She has balls, but she wanted to hit this and she did REALLY well pitching it in the air and hitting it!)

James mowing:

I tried to put James down for a nap, but it didn't work. So, we went for a walk to the park.

I had hoped that James could wear his Bob the Builder outfit for Halloween, but it was just a little too chilly. So, he was Cookie Monster. Jemma is a Ballerina Fairy. The kids with our neighbors, Gabriella and Lauren. They are all ready for trick-or-treating!

James eating his first "pee-pop" of the night. He can't say lollipop, so he says "pee-pop." ("Juice box" is "bee-box")

The Wizard of Oz family: Merin (witch), Kelly (scarecrow), Mya (Dorothy), Scout (lion) and Kona (Tin Man)

Scout was so cute!

Jemma went trick-or-treating with Mya. They were gone for over an hour and went to almost every house in our neighborhood!

James went with me to six houses. He would go to the door and say "Treat" and "Thank you" then turn to me and ask "pee-pop?" Since he got a lollipop at the first house, he thought everyone should have a lollipop. At the last house, he got M&M's. When I opened the bag, he was very excited to see chocolate. As I answered the door and handed out candy, he sat in the office and watched the movie clips from SesameStreet.org. His favorite is Elmo, Abby and Grover singing with Destiny's Child. He wants that one again and again! He ate a mini-bag of M&M's and three lollipops... then ran laps around the couch!

We went across the street and asked Kelly to take a picture of me and the kids... I never have any pictures with me in them!

Merin carved this beautiful web on the pumpkin and the deer took a bite... right on their front steps!

Then, Jemma asked for a cheese stick and water. Thank goodness she didn't ask for candy! And James wanted the cheese-it crackers.

We went over to Dave & Kara's briefly. It was Dave's birthday, so they were having people over to celebrate. We stayed only long enough for the kids to have a few chips and for James to walk around seeking their cat. Then, it was bedtime. Both kids crashed! James woke about 11 and I had to rock him back to sleep... either a tummy ache or bad dream... Happy Halloween!!! :)

The week...

This week has flown!

We had Carol with James & Ally, and Trina with Derek as dinner guests on Monday. I made a ceasar salad and potato soup. Trina stopped to get fresh bread from the Italian bakery, and bought baked ziti for the kids. James was thrilled with the noodles, bread and bacon (in the potato soup). Jemma was most excited about the cheese from the salad and croutons... but she barely ate any of the soup! We had fun with our friends... I love having the company and our kids get along so well.

Tuesday just before Noon, James said "Sleepy... bed." This shocked me. He doesn't usually nap until 2... but, I put him in bed. He took a two hour nap! This was wonderful because I dropped him off at the CDC on base at 2:30 while I took Jemma to her last tennis lesson. Then, she and I stopped by the Comissary for a few items. It was nice to spend time with just her! :) James still doesn't like the CDC... he was crying when I picked him up. They said that it was not a constant cry... thank goodness.

Wednesday was picture day for Jemma. I decided to get her picture taken in her uniform. She wanted to wear a "pretty" dress (her summer dress without sleeves), but it was COLD and I wanted her dressed warmly. After school, Jemma was being my big helper by cleaning the lint fliter: (Notice the 3T clothes, which are too short in the pant length and sleeve length... did I honestly hope to get two seasons out of her clothes?!?)

The kids drawing:

James had his flu shot Thursday morning at 9:30. He was so good... no crying. After the shot, he looked at the nurse like she was a horrible person, but there were no tears. Unfortantely, even though I called several weeks ago, I can't get Jemma in until Nov. 19 because I want her to go after school. James and I went to Onesie Rhyme Time at the library. It was our 7th week of the 10 week session. He loves the Rhyme Time. It is only 30 minutes, but he giggles and sings and really enjoys it. I hope they have another session soon! :) Melisa and Colton came over for dinner. It was so nice to share dinner with them. :)

This is James on top of the kitchen table. He wanted to investigate the salt and pepper shakers:

Tomorrow is Halloween...

Weekend

The weekend was fun! On Saturday, we had pajama day at home. We stayed in our pajamas until after lunch! The kids watched TV and played while I vaccummed, did laundry and cleaned. (I did snuggle on the couch with them for a little while, too!) :)

When James woke from his nap, I had the VT football game on. He wanted a snack, so I gave him crackers... he was content to lounge on the couch and eat while watching the game! I went to an OSC (Officer Spouse Club) Meeting and left the kids with a sitter. My parents arrived before I returned from the meeting. Jemma was thrilled because Granny gave her a snack and let her stay up late playing!

Sunday morning I made pancakes and bacon for breakfast. When I was finished cooking breakfast, I started the chili for our Fall Festival. I was afraid that we were not going to have many entries for our chili tasting contest because there were not very many RSVPs. Here is my "recipe" for chili...

- About 2 lbs ground beef (browned and drained)

Put in the crockpot.

Sautee 1/2 chopped onion in olive oil with:

- Two green peppers (one from my pot on the back deck and one from my parents)

- Two small green peppers that I thought were jalepneos (but when I cut them, they weren't hot at all!)

Put in crockpot with:

- 2 jars of my Mom's canned tomatoes

- 1 can tomato paste

- 2 cans organic red kidney beans

- 2 cans organic pinto beans

- Chili powder (I started with 2 Tbsp, but it was not enough... so I dumped more in... have no idea how much.)

- 4 bay leaves

Then, I realized that I forgot to add garlic to the sautee earlier, so I added some garlic salt.

Turn crockpot on low and let simmer!

Then, we went to church. James does NOT like the nursery at Tabernacle. But, Jemma really likes it! :)

Our neighborhood Fall Festival began at 3. We had such a perfect afternoon! I was so, so glad that my parents were here to take care of the kids. I was able to help set up and help make sure that everyone was enjoying the games and contests. The beer guessing contest was a huge hit!

Here is Jemma doing the Mummy wrap contest. (She is the ballerina fairy.)

James napped until after 4. My mom stayed home so he could nap! It was nice enough that he was able to wear his Bob the Builder costume. We had 7 entries for the chili contest. My chili won 1st place!! Yippie!!!! After the festival, my parents had to head home. And the kids were tired from all the activity, so they went to bed just before 8! :)

James "playing" the shaky eggs in his Bob the Builder costume:

Granny and Papa watching the kids make music and be silly:Jemma saying good-bye to Papa:

MyGym Party

James napped late Friday afternoon. I actually had to wake him a few minutes before 4 to get ready and go to the MyGym Halloween party. The kids had a blast!

Here is Jemma and James doing the "splat mat" (the kid ran up to the mat, splatted, then did a forward roll). Jemma is a bit of a blurr...

Jemma loved swinging from the rings... And so did Derek!Jemma on the rope swing:
James climbed to slide down over and over again. The height made me nervous, but didn't bother him at all!
James on the trampoline with our neighbor, Maddie:

Jemma on the balance beam:
Bubbles!
Sarah and Addison were there... isn't she cute?!?

Update with Pics

We are alive and well. In fact, James' runny nose is almost completely gone... yippie!!! We have been super busy, which is good but exhausting. Here is a brief catchup from the past few days!

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Thursday (10/16)

What a beautiful day to play outside!

At the park today, Jemma was trying to do everything that the six year old little girl was doing. She wanted to go across those bars by herself so badly, but she couldn't quite reach! Jemma in her "new" dress-up skirt:

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Friday (10/17)

It is 7:01 AM and Jemma is already dressed-up with the "new" horse costume!

Today was Yellow Day for Jemma's class. So, this is the outfit she choose to wear. I packed her lemon pudding, lemonade, pears and string cheese.

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Saturday (10/18)

We were supposed to have our neighborhood Fall Festival today. We've been planning this for over a month. It is raining and windy and cold. The Festival is postponed until next Sunday because the winds are forecasted to be 25-35 mph tomorrow and the bouncy house people will not set up in high winds!

This is James at 8:11 AM... in the doll swing! On my toes all day...

We went to a birthday party for one of Jemma's classmates, Abby. When I told the kids we were going, James kept naming all the Sesame Street characters. Once we were at the party, he was upset because Abby was a little girl and not the Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street! Both kids had a blast. It was at Ocean Tumblers, which is a gym. First the kids played with the parachute, which I had to pull James off of and take him out of the area... he would not get off the center of the parachute to give the other kids a turn. Then, they went into an inflatable whale through the mouth, through a mini-obstacle course, up a mesh ladder and down a slide, which was the tail. James was too little to navigate the ladder, but he loved going in and out of the mouth and through the obstacle course! Then, the kids went onto the trampolines. James had to wait with me and just play on the other equipment. When the kids from the birthday party moved onto the next activity, I went with him on the trampoline. I was sweating because I bounced with him to keep him happy and occupied! I couldn't leave him alone because the springs were not covered and I was afraid that he would fall through. It was such a nice diversion for such a yucky weather day! :)

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Sunday (10/19)

We went to church this morning. I had planned to go down to the big church by the boardwalk, but we were running very late so I decided to head to Sandbridge instead. On our way there, we passed Tabernacle. Jemma said, "Mommy, I want to go there." So, I turned around and that is where we went. This is a small church that Jim and I enjoyed attending the couple of times that we went together. Jemma loved it... in fact, she stayed for "children's choir practice" and was begging to do it again. I'm torn now because the big church by the boardwalk is really nice and has such a great room for James... he is excited to be left in the nursery. On our first visit, the nursery worker said, "He just pooped... let me change him before I give him back to you." That is enough to get me back to church! However, he cried and was very unhappy with the small nursery at Tabernacle. I like both churches... both pastors are very warm and have good sermons... both have very warm and inviting congregations... we'll just have to give it a few more tries! After church, we went to give a letter to Koko for Daddy. Koko is leaving to join the squadron because one of their officers is unable to fly for medical reasons, so they need another qualified pilot. Koko volunteered take letters to our spouses. This was wonderful because I have yet to mail my wonderful husband who is defending our freedom and putting his life on the line daily a care package. I have had one sitting on the kitchen floor for four weeks... I just have not taken it to the post office. I don't know why.... I have no good excuse...

On the way home, I stopped at the Golden Arches for lunch for the kids. James was so excited and kept chanting "French Fries" the entire time that we were in the drive through. To end the day, Merin and I ordered Chinese. Jemma and Mya were playing and James was napping late, so while Merin went to pick up the food, I got to keep Scout. She was so good the entire time that Merin was gone. (Of course, I did hold and snuggle with her almost the entire time that she was away.) However, the moment that Merin opened the front door, she started to cry! I think the little girl has a mommy proximity sensor!

I just didn't have the energy to cook and clean... and it was really nice to have the company! I'm so lucky to have neighbors who are friends!!! :)
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Tuesday (10/21)

I took James to the childcare center on base for a few hours. I finally picked up the Corolla from having the state inspection done on base. (Jim dropped it off a week before he left and I just had not gone to get it!) Merin and I went out to lunch, which was really nice. We went to a local Italian restaurant and we were one of two tables. So, it was quiet and the service was excellent!

The childcare provider asked me if I knew that James knew his shapes... circle, square, triangle, oval and rectangle... who do you think taught him?!? Of course I knew! She was amazed that he was not older... I guess that he appears older because of his size. He can also count to twenty with a little assistance... he usually will skip a couple, but I have heard him in his crib counting all by himself. And if you say one, he says two, then you say three and he says four... up to 20... it is so incredibly cute!

Keebler FudgeStripe cookies are a weakness of mine. I resist the temptation by not purchasing these evil little cookies. However, Jemma saw them in the store and asked for them and in a moment of weakness, I purchased them. They were on the counter. I went to the bathroom and when I returned, James had taken them off the counter (did I mention that he is tall and can reach lots of things?!?) and both kids were feasting.
I love yellow mums and we usually have two on our front porch for the fall. However, these deep purple ones were so pretty at Atlantic Garden Center that I had to have them!

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Thursday (10/23)

Jemma got a good note from her teacher! "I just want you to know - Jemma has been doing a great job!" I love this note! :)

After helping to decorate the classroom for Jemma's party tomorrow, I made this dinner, which I thought was a yummy and rather attractive dinner. My husband would have loved it... meatloaf sandwich with mozzarella cheese, mashed potatoes and asparagus! Jemma had three helpings of mashed potatoes with her and half of my asparagus. James ate the sandwich with his and half of my asparagus.

We had Catherine, a potential new babysitter, come to meet the kids and chat with us for a while. She seems very sweet and I'm looking forward to having her watch the kids while I attend a meeting on Saturday!

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Friday (10/24) - BUSY day!!!

I dropped the girls at school, took James to MyGym, then came home to change for Jemma's Halloween Parade and Party at school. Thankfully, Sarah - a wonderful friend- volunteered to watch James for me to attend the parade/party! What a generous and wonderful friend...

Jemma, a ballerina fairy, in the parade at school:

I made 14 pumpkin shaped and 28 bat shaped little ham and cheese sandwiches plus some extra cheese slices, which took over an hour. But the parents noted and appreciated the effort and all the sandwiches were eaten! :)

During the school day, Jemma and Derek decided to act like brother and sister and not listen to the teacher (trouble). Together, they had to sit while their classmates picked out their pumpkins as punishment. So, after the party, Jemma had to pick out her pumpkin from the remaining ones: