Getting all dressed up

for candy, that is.

Cookie Monster and Elmo were a big hit at the ward trunk or treat. And they did stand still for a moment. As you can see the photo shoot went downhill fast:

Though they still looked really cute at the end of the party. They didn't wear those head pieces for very long though.

And here's the proof!

Proof for those of you not of my state that is, in fact, beginning to look a lot like Christmas even if the calendar still reads October.

FYI: I took both pictures w/o going outside. B.A.R. was kind enough to go out and use the snowblower to clean up the sidewalks, etc. It also snowed another 2+ inches after these were taken. Today it was nice and slushy and warm and about half of it melted. The roads were even starting to dry out in spots. Looking forward to a soupy/slushy Halloween.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. . .

and it's not yet Halloween.

I see the snow as it fell

and now on the ground as well

And it's coverin' up all the leaves.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, and not like Halloween.

I mean, with this weather what are you supposed to do to make Halloween an enjoyable holiday? I have some suggestions for surviving this year's Colorado Halloween

• Make a snowman and dress him up as a ghost.
• Use your jack-o-lantern for the head of you snowman.
• Use snow for the fake graves in your yard instead of leaves.
• Break out your thermal underwear to wear under your costume.
• Dress up as the old neighbor from Home Alone and walk around with a snow shovel and a trash can full of deicer.
• Dress up as Santa Clause, 'cause you'll fit right in.
• Be happy that your kids will get tired of being cold before their candy bags get very full.
• Smile and exclaim, "We should have icicles on Halloween every year."
• Put out your lawn Christmas decorations so that they see some snow this year.
• Organize a neighborhood candy swap. Everybody shows up in one location and you do all the candy swapping in 5 minutes and then you all go home.
• Put on your favorite Halloween (or Christmas) movie and boycott the weather entirely.

Just some suggestions to make your holiday a little more enjoyable.

Maybe we should celebrate Christmas this weekend, since the weather doesn't match the holiday, maybe the holiday should be made to match the weather.

With apologies to Bing

I'm dreaming of a fall-colored Halloween

Where the trees tops still cling tightly to the last few leaves

and children go trick or treating without parkas.

I'm dreaming of a cool Halloween

like the one we had last year. (minus the stitches in my finger)

Where the trunk or treat does not involve heaters

and the costumes are not hidden under coats.

Really, since we relocated to the great state of CO Halloween has felt more like January. With the exception of last year.

The first year B.A.R. was here by himself and watching it snow.

The second year it was 26 degrees or so for trick or treating.

The third year it was 15 degrees or so for trick or treating.

The forth year the weather was a pleasant 50 something and while I sat outside and passed out candy and B.A.R worked to remove a fuel pump.

This year is leaving little hope for a snow-free holiday.

Wednesday we had snow all day. Yesterday the 3-4 inches began melting and revealing all the ungathered leaves underneath. I have no doubt that the snow will all be gone by Saturday, but I am also sure it will snow again before next Saturday. Since when is Halloween supposed to remind you of Christmas?

Dirty Money

Today, I offered to make the kids sandwiches for a snack. They both got really excited.

Tiger said, "I want a sandwich with butter and money on it."

Lucky for them I made a sandwich with peanut butter and honey.

Preschool learning

So I didn't send Tiger to preschool this year for various reasons; none of them had to do with his mental readiness. He will definitely go next year. We have been teaching him important things:

• We are teaching him to subtract since he figured out how to add all by himself.
• The difference between a "prop job" and a jet. Since we live close to an airport this learning happens whenever we are outside.
• Logo recognition for all sorts of different shops and companies.
• Vehicle recognition. Tiger can now tell the difference between a Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Jeep, Hummer and Fake (Toyota) truck. He knows the Honda logo and we are working on recognizing cars by logo too.

While we were outside this morning an Audi Allroad drove by and Tiger asked, "Mommy, is that a Jeep?"

"No, that's and Audi car."

"An owwee car?"

"Audi car."

"Mommy, thats an owwee car."

Conversation over.

-------------------------------------------------

What's the advantage of an Audi?

No Lint. Just ask Blanket.

Sunday Funnies Dictionary

Dancing Monkey- aka Monkey- Desitin.

One day Tiger picked up an almost empty tube of Desitin and said, "Look Mom, its a dancing monkey." He then danced the tube on the top of the counter as if it really was a dancing monkey. After that I would ask him to bring me the tube and he would only understand if I asked for the "monkey." So now it is called "monkey" and is universally understood in this house to mean Desitin.

I guess I will have to call hooligan-type behavior "being a gibbon" or "being a lemur." "Monkey" is out.

Tiger speaks his mind.

A few weeks ago Tiger asked me: "Mom, how do you buy a sister?"

I had no good response then, and I still don't.

How much does a 3 year-old really need to know on that subject anyway?

Mistaken Identity.

4 times in the last week I have had long moments where I mistook Blanket for Tiger. These often happen in the half-light of morning or at other less-than-fully-awake moments.

The first time I thought they had switched beds, but then I remembered that Blanket was wearing red pjs and Tiger was wearing shorts. The body in Blanket's bed definitely had on red pjs, I just thought that it couldn't be him, he looked oh, so grown-up.

The second time Blanket came into the bedroom to wake me up and I saw his head as he came into the room. When did he get taller than the top of the mattress? Oh, right. Tiger's WHOLE face is visible above the mattress, not just his crown.

The third time the boys were goofing off in their room instead of going to bed and I heard Tiger scream like he had been really hurt. When I get in there Blanket is attempting (with his limited vocabulary and lots of hand motions) to tell me why he is crying. Tiger says "I shut drawer on Blanket's hand." OK, but why does Blanket's crying have to sound so much like Tiger?

The fourth time I was snoozing through a football game. B.A.R. and Tiger are all curled up on the other couch and Tiger was napping. I open my eyes and see a belly and an arm holding Wa-Wa. I think, "Why is Tiger holding Blanket's Wa-Wa?" and then I realize that this is Blanket in his not-so-little-anymore body.

Everyday he looks more and more like a boy and not so much like a baby. Maybe it has to do with the fact he finally moved into 18 month clothes, or that he weighs 24 pounds, or that he says so many words everyday. Maybe he is just so grown up that I am seeing him the way I remember Tiger being.

Is this just a personal phenomenon, or does this happen to all moms whose first two kids are so similar? Landee? Standsmom?

Out with the old...in with the GOLD

Make new friends,

and sell the old.
one is silver,
and the other (Pueblo) gold.
Or, as B.A.R. calls the color, "baby poop brown."

Meet the newest member of the family:

• It weighs twice as much as the Jetta
• It has 3 times the power.
• It seats 8 comfortably instead of 5 uncomfortably.
• It gets 1/3 the gas milage.
• "Mama new truck" is the topic of conversation around here with the little ones.
• It is 2 years newer and sports 3 times the milage of the Jetta.
• It barely fits in the garage.

One of many changes to come.