A Halloween to Remember

Well... this was definitely a Halloween that we won't soon forget. We are SO lucky because by some miracle...we have electricity! This storm was ridiculous, and it left our yard looking like a bomb had gone off. We lost several large branches off the trees, and our phone line was hanging in the road. It's still connected though! And we have heat, we have the priviledge of taking a warm shower each morning, and we have a working stove for hot meals. These are things we typically take for granted... but not this week.

We've had lots of company over the past two days, which has actually been lots of fun for us. So tonight... we decided to go all out and throw an impromptu Halloween party. We had 26 people for dinner. Everyone brought their costumes and after dinner, all the kids hit the streets. This was Nicholas's first experience with trick-or-treating, so it was really special to share it with so many loved ones. Nicholas did a great job trick-or-treating. I have to say, it was a little emotional for me to see him so bravely walking up to the houses and yelling "Trick or Treat!" I was so proud of my little dude.

As you can see, he was The Cat in the Hat, and Todd and I were Thing 1 and Thing 2. Unfortunately, I think this will be the last year that Mommy and Daddy get to pick the costume theme. He was definitely interested in other kids' costumes this year. He liked the ones with the muscles built in! He said, "I think I'd like to have one of those!" He cracks me up.

He ate lots of junk and had the obligatory post-sugar crash tonight before bed. He's sleeping now... we shant be far behind! Happy Halloween everyone!

Three's A Charm

It's hard to believe that three years ago tonight, Todd and I were sitting in the NICU asking for a nurse's permission to hold our tiny little boy. And now, he is this adorable, healthy, TALL, intelligent, hilarious, stubborn, lovable little three-year-old. It's hard to even remember what life was like before he got here.

On Sunday, we had Nicholas's first little kids' party. It was so much fun watching him play with all of his friends. He was more than a little excited, and then there was the sugar... I'm pretty sure if there was a contest for how much candy a person could cram into their mouth at once, my kid would win the blue ribbon. Whoa.

Round two came Tuesday. I took the day off from work to spend with him on his birthday, and the three of us had the best day. Nicholas's big gift was a bouncy house. Yup, Todd and I are officially the best parents ever. He was so excited. As he was jumping, he said, "I wanna do this every day!!" It was great. We asked him if he wanted to go out to lunch, and he said, "I want to go to Friendly's." I know, just like the commercial.

That night, we had the family over for dinner and cake. It was such a great night. He was surrounded by people who love him, and what's a better gift than that? This is a very lucky kid. Happy 3rd Birthday, Monkey! We love you more and more every single day.

Apples and Pumpkins and Fairs, Oh My!

What a weekend! We have been super busy with some fine fall family fun. Every year we go apple and pumpkin picking with Todd's brother and his family, which is something I always look forward to. We chose the weekend months ago, not realizing that we'd hit the jackpot and choose the best possible weekend weatherwise. The only problem is, everyone else had the same idea - the place was absolutely mobbed! But we weren't about to let the long lines and crowded conditions dampen our spirits!

We're famous for walking 2 miles into the pumpkin patch and choosing the heaviest pumpkins, forgetting that we have to haul the things all the way back. This year was no exception. On top of our carving pumpkin, I bought 30 pounds worth of sugar pumpkins for Nicholas's birthday party - my hands were numb by the time I got to the checkout!

I think that Nicholas enjoys the apple picking even more than the pumpkin patch. I think it's because he likes to sample the merchandise. I'm not sure they made any money off of us this year. Everytime I turned around, that boy had another apple shoved in his mouth. Oh well, I suppose it could be worse - at least it's fruit!

Everyone came back to our house for lunch, and each of the kids made their own apple pie. It was so much fun to watch them all roll out the dough and make a total mess! Nicholas made his very own pie, using his play dough rolling pin to roll out the crust. (Yes, Mom, I washed it first.) He actually made a really good pie - I was letting the kids use cookie cutters to put a shape on top, and he decided to just jam the heart shaped cookie cutter right into the top of his pie, and it actually came out really nice! And he ate it with a smile.

We ended the day with a late nap and a trip to the Apple Harvest fireworks. We've attempted fireworks before, but he's never been able to make it, on account of it's usually WAY past his bedtime. So, these were officially Nicholas's first fireworks. We gave him his tubby, put him in his jammies, wrapped him in a blanket and loaded him into the "bump bump." (That's Nicholas's codename for the wagon.) I think I spent more time looking at him than I did the fireworks! It's so amazing watching him experience things for the first time. He was yelling at the top of his lungs "WHOA!!" and "WOW! RED!" and "POPCORN!" for the ones that make that crackling sound at the end. It was hilarious. He was so loud, we actually had to "shush" him. Yes, fireworks are a hit with the monkey. On the way home he asked, "Can I see them again?"

Today, we went to the fair with my friend Jill and her two kids to ride the rides. Todd and I took him on Friday night, and he couldn't wait to go again. This time, though, I had my camera! He especially loved the motorcycles and the choo choo train. Seeing that big smile coming around the corner, and the wave I got when he went by made me just melt. It's funny how sometimes the joys of parenthood sneak up on me at the craziest times. Who would've thought putting him on a silly fair ride would make me love him even more. I'm tellin' ya, parenthood his some ride! (pun intended.)

I wonder what we'll do tomorrow? :)

Run Nicholas Run!

We spent the morning downtown at the Apple Harvest Road Race. Todd and I ran the 5 mile race, which I have to say, could've been less hilly... Anyway, the best part of the morning was the Little Fritter Run! Nicholas ran the length of the town green in front of a cheering crowd. He ran his little heart out, and then proceeded to wipe out right before the finish line. But did my little dude sit in the road and cry? NO WAY!! He got his little buns up and finished the race - without a tear shed. What a trooper.

We went with my cousins Mike and Debbie and their daughter Jenna who is the same age as Nicholas. I had this vision of them running hand-in-hand down the street together, but no dice. There were so many kids, they split the race by boy/girl. Major bummer.

So...not the perfect Kodak moment I was picturing, but still a great time. The kids got really cool medals and tee shirts, and even got their own bibs - they were all number 1 - so darned cute. We finished off the morning with a bag of apple fritters, yummy! Another great fall day spent with people we love. It just doesn't get any better than that!