Holidays

Posted by Colleen     October 31, 2009

Halloween

Well, we dressed David and Wade up in their costumes so we could take some pictures since David was too sick to go trick-or-treating. David was so cranky from not feeling well. There were more boo-hoos than boos at our house tonight. I’m lucky I got any pictures at all.

David got this giraffe mask at the zoo this summer. So he wanted to dress up like one for Halloween. My mom made his costume. She even found a little giraffe costume for Wade at the store. It’s fitting, really. I mean, I feel like I live in a zoo most days anyway.

David insisted on wearing my black gloves so he looked like he had “giraffe hands.” He couldn’t have his “people hands” showing. Here’s David by himself. I should have taken a picture of the back. He had a tail and a mane too. Is it called a mane on a giraffe?

Here’s Wade.

I tried coloring Wade’s nose to match his costume with some eyeshadow since he didn’t have a mask. It worked until he smugged it. Surprisingly, he didn’t mind when I put it on, but he was not happy when I wiped it off.

Here’s the full costume. Wade wasn’t cooperating very well at this point either.

Since we didn’t even get our pumpkin carved with the guys sick, we celebrated by doing that tonight.

I want you to know this is the most expensive pumpkin we’ve ever bought. We made the mistake of purchasing it from the official pumpkin farm rather than the farmer down the road like we usually do. I didn’t check the price before taking it up to the cashier. I never imagined it would cost $8.75. Isn’t that a lot for a pumpkin?

We only pay $20 for an entire Christmas tree.

But by that point we were too committed, and we forked over the cash. We’ll be sure to get to the farmer’s house next year before he runs out. We could have bought three pumpkins from him for that price.

At first David didn’t want to put his hand in the pumpkin. He thought is was gross. Here’s making an angry face here as we try to get him to help clean it.

He finally got brave. Oh, I’m not entirely sure why David is shirtless. I think he was afraid he’d get his costume dirty.

For the most part David just looked on while Dave carved.

Here’s the finished Jack-O-Lantern. We always have a happy, grinning pumpkin. Doesn’t he look congenial?

And here’s the pumpkin lit up with the battery operated candle I bought on the clearance rack at Tractor Supply, of all places, after Christmas three years ago. I finally found a use for it. Yes, that’s right, Tractor Supply. It’s a very fancy place.

Hope you had a happy Halloween!

Show off your cute Halloween photos by linking up at 5MFM!

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Posted by Colleen     July 19, 2009

Fourth of July

We’ve been on the go the last couple weeks, and it doesn’t show any signs of stopping. I’ve got lots of photos and stories saved up. Are you ready? I’m breaking it up into a few posts. A lot of this is for friends and family so sorry if this bores you. But I do have one funny David story that I’m saving for last. You don’t want to miss that one.

The whirlwind started on the Fourth of July. We went to the fireworks. Around here they’re held at the airport. Airport is a term I use loosely. It’s a big field with one paved runway, one not paved runway, and a few small hangers. Let’s just say there are no 747’s coming in to land there.

This was the first year David actually stayed awake for the whole thing. How anyone can sleep through all that exploding and booming is beyond me, but in the past he was always out halfway through.

Now it’s a really classy set up where you park your car in the field. Then you sit in front of your car on a blanket. Or if you are so blessed as to own a pick-up truck, you bring your camping chairs and sit on those in the back of your truck.

We live in rural Michigan, what do you want?

Poor Wade did not like the loud noise at all, so he and I ended up sitting in the car. I viewed the fireworks through the windshield by slouching down in the front seat and holding my neck at a 90 degree angle for 15 minutes.

Can I just say, “Ouch!”

I don’t have any photos of the fireworks because it’s pointless to try and take pictures in the dark with my cheap little camera.

I’m going to stop here and say that I’m stunned by the number of parents I see with huge SLR cameras and even bigger lenses. I mean, I’m talking set-ups that have to cost thousands of dollars. I saw a mom recently with a zoom lens that looked like the kind sports photographers use to take pictures of Kobi from the sidelines. Either there are more professional photographers out there than I thought, or digital cameras have replaced the SUV as the new status symbol among the soccer mom crowd.

Yikes! I hope not. I’ll never make it in the PTA if that’s the case.

Anyhow the day after the Fourth of July, that would be the fifth oddly enough, Dave’s quartet had a concert.

That I do have a picture of.

So patriotic with all the flags!

It was a cool day, as it has been all summer here. (It was 51 degrees when I got up this morning. In July! That’s chilly even this far north.) But the guys were singing right into the sun the entire time. Great lighting for the photo, but it was 100 degrees on that stage.

This was at a park. My parent’s church picnic. David has been to their church several times, and knows a lot of the people who go there. Months ago when I was still pregnant my Dad started telling David he was getting a sister instead of a brother just to tease him. David was adamant that he was getting a brother, even before we knew it was a boy, and his reactions were priceless. Well, the pastor of their church started teasing David about that too. My Dad and the pastor have continued to ask David about his sister even now that Wade is here. It bothers David to no end, and he proudly insists that he has a brother.

Well, at the picnic when the pastor started to tease David about his, “baby sister,” David informed the pastor that Wade was indeed a boy because, “He has a penis!”

Yep. My son talking to the pastor about male genitalia.

But that’s not the David story I promised. Stay tuned.

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Posted by Colleen     February 15, 2009

Chocolate Bunnies for Valentine’s Day

My son David almost ended up with Cadbury Cream Eggs for Valentine’s Day.

My husband Dave and I were shopping Friday afternoon, after our son left to go to my parent’s for the weekend, when I realized we forgot to get him something for Valentine’s Day. It was kind of a busy, hectic week and it just slipped my mind. (I know. Bad mommy! Bad mommy!) So we headed over to the seasonal aisle to pick up something to give David when he came home on Monday.

We arrived there to find just a few bags of Hershey’s Kisses. Where was everything? Surely they couldn’t have sold out of all the Valentine’s Day stuff?

Then I glanced farther down the aisle. There were stock boys filling empty shelves with chocolate Easter bunnies and egg coloring kits the day BEFORE Valentines’ Day.

The holiday wasn’t even over yet, and they’d already put away the lacy red hearts full of chocolates, and brought out the chick-shaped Peeps!

We weren’t the only people milling around looking dazed and confused, checking the date on our cell phones to make sure it was indeed still February 13th.

I thought it was insane when after trick-or-treating on Hall-O-Ween we went into a store to pick up some milk, and were greeted by a 20 foot fully decorated Christmas tree at the entrance. At least that holiday was in it’s waning hours before they moved on to the next.

I really didn’t know what to do for a moment as I stood pondering if David would think it strange to get a basket full of Robin’s Eggs for Valentine’s Day. Just how much would that confuse a four-year-old? Would it lead to years of therapy discussing issues about Conversation Hearts and Peter Cotton Tail?

We did find something for David at another store. But seriously. The hastiness of the retail sector to finish off one holiday so they can put their fingers in our wallets for the next is getting a little ridiculous.

I’m off now to go buy a chocolate bunny before they replace those with flags and plastic flowers for Memorial Day.

I’m pretty sure getting a wreath of fake red, white and blue carnations that says In Memoriam for Easter would lead to years of adolescent turmoil.

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Posted by Colleen     February 11, 2009

Sometimes All it Takes is One Look

I’m participating in the Valentine’s S.W.A.K. Carnival over at We Are That Family. Write a post honoring your hubby, and sign the Mr. Linky, sharing you’re story. Oh, and you can enter to win some fabulous prizes too!

I met my husband Dave in college. My first impression of him was that he was really cute, but I wanted nothing to do with him. I was a big time junior and he was just a lowly freshman. I couldn’t be bothered with that.

But our paths kept crossing on the small campus. And as hard as I tried to put him off, for some reason he kept talking to me. I laughed and giggled with my friends about how he just wouldn’t go away.

I remember very clearly the moment I fell for him.

We’d known each other about a year. It was summer, and both of us ended up sticking around campus instead of going home. He came over to my dorm to see one of my roommates. She wasn’t there. As usual he started talking to me.

He talked.

A lot.

As I sat there listening, all of a sudden he looked at me and smiled in this certain way that made my heart feel like it was going to burst out my chest. (I’ve seen that same look and smile many, many other times over the years. It still does the same thing to me.) And I thought to myself, “You know this guy isn’t so bad after all. I might actually like him.”

O.K., so the summer tan and nice legs reveled by a pair of basketball shorts didn’t hurt either.

In any case, I was hooked.

That fall I went out of my way to put myself in his path. I went to soccer and volleyball games because I knew he’d be there. I’d never attended a single one of those sporting events before that.  I used my position as a Community Work Day team leader to spend an entire day with him by making sure his name was on my roster.

So maybe I stalked him.

Just a little.

But I think he liked it.

It didn’t take long before I didn’t have to come up with reasons to run into him. We started hanging out together pretty much all the time.

One night we went to a park.

In November.

In the cold.

In the snow.

In the dark.

At 11 o’ clock at night.

(How safe was that?)

We sat in the band shell together. It was still and silent, with snow softly falling. We were sitting close because it was — ahem — so cold. A stoplight illuminated the intersection of the street the park was on. We watched the lights change.

He turned to me and said, “Green light means go.” Then leaned in and kissed me. Probably the worst line anyone ever said to me, but whatever. I sure wasn’t cold anymore after that. In fact, I can’t remember ever being warmer.

I knew after that night he was The One.

We got engaged less than a year later, and married a few months after that. This march we’ll celebrate our 11th anniversary. We have a four year old son, and our second will arrive this June.

My husband is patient when I am not. He is optimistic when I’m all doom and gloom. He is gentle and kind. He is a fantastic father. He always lets me know I am loved. He goes above and beyond to provide and take care of our family. I am so thankful God gave him to me.

I love him so much. He is my best friend. We laugh together a lot. My favorite thing to do still is just hang out with him. With busy schedules and a son, we don’t get to do that very often these days. But this weekend our son is going to my parent’s.

I’m looking forward to some time with just the two of us.

Can’t wait for Friday night!

But I think we’ll skip the park this time and just stay in.

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Posted by Colleen     January 20, 2009

Love is a Dangerous Thing

David helped me put up these Valentine window clings. He insisted that the two Cupids with bows and arrows had to be facing each other.  “Yeah, because they are shooting at each other,” he told me. Ah, romance!

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Posted by Colleen     January 13, 2009

Pre-School Activities

David can count to 10 out loud and he can recite his ABC’s. So now I’ve been working on teaching him to read letters and numbers. I thought I’d share some things we’ve been doing, and a few resources I found.

I got the idea for this Ice Cream Cone Counting Chart from First School Preschool Activities and Crafts. I add a new scoop with each number that I introduce. It’s really simple, but David get excited every time we get to top off the cone with another scoop.

First-School has all kinds of free activities, craft ideas and printable worksheets and coloring pages. There’s something for just about any skill or topic you want to teach your pre-schooler. I’ve been using their alphabet coloring sheets to teach David his letters.

We also started memorizing the days of the week. I found several charts and printables to help with that at Easy Learning Activities. And Enchanted Learning has pages and pages of activities for teaching all aspects of time from days to months to clocks. All of these sites are free.

Since Martin Luther King Day is coming up on Monday David and I talked about that a little bit today too. Racial relations are kind of deep subject for a four-year-old. We looked at some pictures of King on line, and we talked about how God loves everyone and we treat everyone equally and with respect even if they are different from us in some way. I told him King tried to teach that to people. I wasn’t sure what kind of craft I could find to go along with that lesson. But I came across this printable to make a little Martin Luther King figure fat DLTK’s Crafts for Kids.

My printer inconveniently decided to run out of ink this morning, so that’s why the poor man is covered in stripes.  I knew David wasn’t going to really sit and listen to the King’s I Have a Dream Speech, but I pulled up a video of it on the computer, and let it play in the background while we made the craft.

So there’s just a few things we’ve been doing around here. Do you have any good resources for pre-school activities on an idea of your own to share?

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Posted by Colleen     December 17, 2008

Dear Santa

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