Fall Fest

Tonight was the Fall Fest at Grandma & Grandpa's church. Here are the kids in costume!

I'll have to try for a video of David walking his robot walk on Friday.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

David's new cousin, Mason, is one week old today! We saw him for the first time in the hospital last Wednesday. David came home & found his baby doll (his "practice doll" from before Elizabeth was born). He's never named his baby until now. He named his baby Mason. He wrapped the doll up in a play silk and carried it around for a few days proclaiming, "Baby Mason is the tiniest and cutest baby ever!"

I can't remember exactly what he said, but David saw an AARP commercial on TV yesterday afternoon & last night started talking about getting his Medicaid card! Then suddenly he switched to it his Medicaid dune buggy! Who knew?!?!

Getting Ready for Halloween

Today Aunt Sissy asked me how David's Halloween costume was coming. So I thought I'd give some background & a sneak peek.

Back up to about a month or more ago. David started pretending to be a robot. I think it was after noticing them on Word Girl on PBS. Then when I asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween, he said a robot... in his monotone robot voice.... that he can talk in for hours... at... a... time.

He stuck to the story for weeks, so robot it is.

Now just yesterday I read on another blog:

So we haven’t been as creative as I’d always hoped- probably because the overdone robots made from tinfoil and cardboard boxes and the butterflies fashioned from a leotard and wings just didn’t seem unique enough – even if they were “homemade.”

Well, unique or not, David wants to be a robot. It was his own idea and nothing I put in his head. I was kinda pushing fireman, since we had all the stuff to put that one together. (And in my 3 years of trick-or-treating, I've never seen a single kid dressed as a robot.) So last week I got out the perfect size cardboard box that part of our chimney had arrived in and the trusty box of foil, and began to create a robot. And David asked for a red button on his chest.

David was so excited about being a robot! He keeps asking, "Is it Halloween yet?" And I would reply something like, "Not yet, but it's getting close. Kids are starting to get ready, picking out their costumes..." and David finished my sentence, "and moms are getting ready, making the costumes." I drew a quick breath and almost cried through my grinning. He thinks moms everywhere are busy making costumes for their kids. And that makes me proud.

So, here's your sneak peek, Aunt Sissy:

Complete with a big red button on the chest, right where David helped stick it, and dryer vent arms. It will be so much cuter when the cutest 4-year-old in the world is inside it!

If you're wondering, I did not make Elizabeth's costume. She's going to be a ladybug... of course.

Halloween Past: 2007 (bought David's cape & mask on Etsy & made Elizabeth's tutu), 2006 (bought his cape at the grocery store, but made his sash), 2005 (can't find pictures of it right now, but I made it - a piece of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese - it was really cute)

Birthday #5 this Week

Today Aunt Erin turns 20! (Dad's sister) Happy Birthday, Aunt Erin!

This is one of the photos that I took of her for graduation. I know it's an old photo, but it's a bit more flattering than the ones I took on Wednesday when she was in the hospital!

I don't know if Aunt Erin will ever see this, but we all wish her the best as she starts down her new path as a Mommy.

And this concludes our 5-birthday week.

Birthday #4

Happy Birthday, Grandpa! (aka my Daddy)

Birthday #3 for the Week & a Halloween Flashback

Today we celebrate my big sister's 43rd birthday! Also known around here as Aunt Sissy, that's her up there as what appears to be a black cat. It also appears that Uncle Bubba (left) must have just done something to scare me (middle). He looks guilty, doesn't he?

Thanks to Aunt Sissy, I enjoyed my 15 seconds of fame at the checkout at Jo-Ann's yesterday! I'm sure crafters around the world are in awe of Aunt Sissy as they read through Somerset's Holidays & Celebrations magazine. I guess it's been out for a while, but I just got my copy! I wowed the check-out girl at Jo-Ann's by forcing her to look at my photo in the magazine before I'd let her ring up the sale. : ) There's Jordann pointing to my photo on page 11.


So congratulations, Aunt Sissy, on getting older and for the (not one but) two articles in the magazine! (Matchbox Advent Calendar & Holiday Matchbook Cards)

Birthday #2 for the Week

The second birthday on my calendar this week is my beautiful niece, Jordann!

Happy 15th!

I just couldn't help posting another picture from yesterdays birth day:

That's Mason again (born last night), but it reminded me of a story from Jordann's birth day.... The hospital was decorated for Halloween. I don't remember if I was sitting at the foot of my sister's bed or if I was looking over the bed side table or what, but my delusional sister thought my head was a jack-o-lantern and that there were pumpkins floating around the room!

Top photo by Aunt Sissy. Bottom photo by Aunt Jana.

I'm an Aunt!

OK, so I've been an aunt for 18 years, but now I'm a fresh aunt! My nephew, Mason, was born this evening after Elizabeth's bedtime, so we were at home. That's absolutely all I know. So if anyone ever calls me back with the details, I'll be happy to share them!

I did just get this photo sent to my cell phone, though! Planning my first aunt visit tomorrow morning and then I'll have more pictures! Yeah!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

When we got home this evening, the electricity was off. My first thought was, "Oh, we should go to Subway for supper!" Then I wondered if Subway had electricity, so I called... nope. So we sat in the dark & ate cold supper. Then we went outside to play. By then it was Elizabeth's bedtime. No night light, no white noise, hearing us talk in the living room and Grandpa's power supply beeping made it a little rough for poor EB, but she finally fell asleep.

David was fascinated by it all & just kept repeating things like
The elect-de-tricity went off.
The lights don't work, movies don't work, the computer doesn't work, the microwave doesn't work... Yikes, how did folks ever get along before electricity?!?!?

We enjoyed a game of Hi-Ho-Cherry-O by candlelight, then read books. Finally the power came back on & there was much rejoicing! Unfortunately, then it was time for bed.

While dining in the dark, I noted some things Elizabeth said:
Apple! Num-Num!
Urrrp!!! (fake burp) Meep meep! (excuse me)

All the while I was hoping the power would come back on in time for me to blog some Tiny Talk!

In other news, today was my 15.5 week check-up. I had gained 2 pounds, which is right on target for the first trimester according to the book. The heartbeat sounded fine and next month we'll have a sonogram. Hopefully he/she will cooperate and flash the camera like my other children have! Make sure to read about today's biggest event!

Thinking of Baby Stuff

So I've been thinking about what to register for with Baby #3. A couple of people have mentioned having a shower, so I might actually get one this time (didn't have one for Elizabeth). There are so many helpful baby items now-a-days to make practically everything easier, and ShopWiki makes it so easy to find them!

My wish list turns out to be a little different from everyone else's, though. With the exception of needing some new baby proofing items and a baby monitor, most of my wish list so far is cloth diapers!

Hey, while you're at ShopWiki, check out that Graco iMonitor Multi-Child Digital Baby Monitor! How cool is that!? I could put a receiver in each bedroom...