Halloween Day, 2009

Halloween 2009 was a busy one!

The morning started off with breakfast and then we head out into the yard to do some mischief night cleanup.

By 10:00am we were off to the Junior Women's Halloween party. It was pretty empty and we were in an out pretty quickly, but Tyler had fun. Meanwhile Jason stayed home with my parents while napping.



At noon we had soccer. Ty seemed to keep up a bit more out there on the field. Still needs work for sure. LOL. Anyway, he had fun. And he got candy, so what more can you ask for. Jason got his first cookie, which he apparently enjoyed immensely.




After soccer we went right over to Indian Acres for some fun. It was lightly drizzling but the sun was out, so we took our chances. I had been meaning to get the boys back there and I figured it would be a good was to blow off some steam and relax a bit before the rest of our day. Plus I had some coupons for a free barrel train ride and jumpin pumpkin, we got some hotdogs and just enjoyed ourselves with the playground, rides, and feeding the goats.






After Indian Acres Ty got changed into his costume in the car and we went right to Al's mom and John's place for a quick visit to show off the boys in costume (well, Jason just wore his hood because the I couldn't shove him in the carseat with his costume on).



Finally 4:00 had arrived and it was trick-or-treat time. I let Jason finish up his nap and got started at a few houses with Tyler. We then went to a few neighbors houses with my mom and Jason. I figured Tyler would want to continue on, but in fact he wanted to come back and hand out candy. Go figure. After a quick pizza dinner and some candy distribution, we got a call and met up with his friend Mackenzie and trick-or-treated with them for a couple of hours. Ty and Mackenzie had a great time. Jason was happy eating an apple and later getting his whole body and costume sticky with a lollipop.









The evening ended with a late night trip to my grandparents. The gave the boys a snack and they played a little. We were there for almost an hour and a half, which surprised me after a long day.
Upon getting home Jason went immediately to bed. Ty, on the other hand, wanted to hand out more candy. It had started raining so we figured the trick-or-treaters had gone home, so we all took turns sneaking to the front door and knocking to get candy. Ty thought that was quite funny. Finally, about 2 hours past bedtime, it was nighty night. A nice, and busy, Halloween!

Of course our night wasn't over. Phillies game, which didn't go as well as we had hoped.

October 26-30

Monday: We finally got a chance to meet up with my friend Melinda and her daughter Scarlett. We went to her Chick-fil-A for kids night, which included free kids meals, a craft, and ice cream! Ty had a nice time, and it was good to finally catch up. As a side note, the next day I got a call that her daughter was running a fever. A few days later I was informed that they believe it to be swine flu...nice.

Tuesday: Blah. Rain. That night I think was the night we went to visit my brother Chris in the hospital. It was nice to see him, but not the best of visits.

Wednesday: Hmmmmmm. It rained, again. I am beginning to despise rain. I do know that I called 31 times before getting through to the pediatrician to request the swine flu shot for Jason. I then waited for 25 minutes on hold before being offered one time slot to bring him in. I took it. It was a tough decision to make though. I know people are very unsure about this vaccination, but after a lot of research and discussion, I just don't think I could live with myself if I decided not to vaccinate and the kids were to get very ill. It's a scary thing.

That evening, Phillies won game one of the world series.

Thursday: In the AM I brought Jason to the pediatrician for his swine flu shot. It was insanely busy with phone calls and people dropping in to try to get shots/sprays for their kids. Apparently my persistence had paid off, and along with some lucky timing, I had gotten Jason one of the flew shots that they had available. He didn't realize he had been given a shot and instead blew kisses to the nurse. Cute.

I knew that they were having a trick-or-treat parade through Shoprite but had decided that we had done enough Halloween things and that Ty certainly didn't need anymore candy. I brought the boys to go grocery shopping earlier in the afternoon to avoid the crowds. Sometimes I think Ty's reading ability is a curse, cause didn't the child read the sign that mentioned the parade. And then the lady at Scrunchies (the kids "nursery" that Ty sometimes goes too) told him to come on back at 4:00 for the parade. Really I would never hear the end of it otherwise, so we got home and unpacked he groceries and left Jason with my parents while I took Ty back. It was cute and organized well as they marched through Shoprite on their parade for treats. I believe they had 8 stations, each giving out 2 "treats" (mostly bagged chips and such). He ended up with a huge bag of stuff, perfect for snacks for school. He was quite happy. Afterwards they all went to the cafe and had apple slices with caramel dip and chocolate milk. There was also a balloon lady. Ty requested a dog balloon. He had a nice time.



Phillies lose game 2. Boo.

Friday: Tyler was soooooo excited to wear his costume to school. What kid wouldn't be excited about party day? They apparently did crafts, activities, and of course ate junk. When I picked him up we went and spent some time at the playground to attempt to burn off that sugar high before the school parade at 1:30. He was so excited to be in the parade. Unfortunately I didn't get any great pictures. Maybe my mom got some better ones as he came down the street towards our house




That night I had an all time low. I brought the kids to Walmart, me in sweatpants. We ate in McDonalds IN Walmart. Ty wore his PJs. Jason had on an outfit but lost his socks after removing them for the 18th time. Classy.

busy weekends

Saturday started off on little sleep, as usual. We also were having a garage sale at my brothers, so we went there to help out a bit. From there I went on to garage sale. Got some great deals on clothes for Jason. All name brand stuff for like $.50/piece. Also got some toys, which was good. Jason has limited toys.

After then it was off to Subway for a quick lunch before soccer. Soccer was interesting. Tyler kinda seemed like he was on a different planet, kinda flittering around out there. I guess he had fun, which at this age is all that matters. My grandfather showed up to watch him play, which was nice.

After a rest we had safe trick-or-treating at Shawnee. They collected candy through the halls and then played games and activities in the cafeteria. Tyler also met up with Mackenzie and we sat down and had an early dinner together. Also let Jason have his first piece of candy, a lollipop. He was quite pleased.










Saturday night, since the parade was cancelled, we ended up going to Jacob's party at the swim club. I was a little worried since Ty doesn't swim, but he wasn't the only one with swimmies or a swim vest and he had a great time with all his friends. A late night for all of us.


On Sunday we went to help out Jim with his garage sale, and then off to try to hit some sales as well. Nothing too good. We grabbed a quick lunch and then it was off to Tyler's friend Patrick's birthday part at the bowling alley. It was all boys, so there was lots of roughhousing, but I was surprised to see them all dancing to certain songs (the one pictured I believe was for the "cha cha slide"). Jason busied himself with pizza crust and cheese puffs...yes, cheese puffs. He then took a tumble down 2 stairs in the 1/4 second I turned my head to say goodbye to someone. He was a cranky little boy after that.


As if my weekend hadn't been busy enough, so I decided to bring the boys to great adventure one last time before it closed for the season. I had a return at the outlet, so we went there first. I got some great deals at The Children's Place outlet (pants for Tyler for $3.50, shirts for $2.50) so I was pretty happy I went. Then we head on over to GA, which was insanely crowded. We literally probably walked 10-15 minutes just to get to the park gates. Anyway, it was all decorated for Halloween, including a trick-or-treat trail (cheesy). Tyler couldn't go on many rides because there was no one to watch Jason, but he went on a couple. Unfortunately something was up with Jason and he was just screaming and screaming (after screaming the whole car ride there as well) so we ended up coming home earlier than expected. We were all tired though, so it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

October 19-23

Monday: I was still feeling sick. Really sick. I spent the day napping when the baby napped and just trying to get through the day. Jason got ready to cheer on the Phillies that night.
As I said, I was dragging, so I let Tyler have a "party" night and we ate pizza and watched Halloween movies. In perfect timing we got a knock on the door. My dad answered to find we had been "ghosted". Tyler was sooooo excited. We later found it was his friend Mackenzie, which made him all the more happier.

Tuesday: After school we went up to the mall to pick up our pictures from Sears. Of course we also got some Auntie Anne's pretzels. Then it was off to chick-fil-a for kids night, as usual.

Wednesday: The kids were all geared up for the big Phillies game, and looking so cute, if I do say myself. After school we had a little playdate at the playground and walked home with Mackenzie. Have I ever mentioned that Mackenzie says that she and Tyler are going to get married. She tells her parents how they will go on dates and fall in love and all. Tyler, being a typical boy, is not in on this plan. However, they did have their first "car date" in teh front yard. According to Mackenzie they were off to Mexico.


That night we learned that it was a free evening at The Franklin Institute, sponsored by Target. We had been wanting to go, but it can be quite costly, so we took full advantage of this program. We got there at arrival time (5:00) and Tyler was so excited by the Halloween goody bags and treats (we learned that Jason liked the one treat, a pomegranate fruit bar). We had a nice time, but it was crowded, as expected. I get the distinct impression that some city school just bussed over about 500 young children, supervised by perhaps 2 adults. Regardless Tyler had fun, especially with the gigantic heart and the observatory. I'm glad we went, but also very glad we didn't pay a ton of money to go. Free is good.




Oh, and the Phils kicked some butt. Tyler was so excited he had been in Philadelphia (for the museum) and kept telling everyone, who of course though that Tyler had been at the game. LOL.

Thursday: After school Tyler had his next cavity appointment. This was for the worst of the 4 cavities, that essentially needed a child root canal. Again, thank goodness for the laughing gas. I don't think he was even aware that he got a shot of novacaine, and was totally at ease. The biggest issue with the appointment was making him keep the cotton in his mouth afterwards so that he wouldn't bite up his cheek and tongue and all while he was still numb.

That night we finally got around to "ghosting" the 2 people we needed to ghost. Tyler picked "Ms. Pat" across the street and "Asia" next door. Asia would be the dog next door. LOL.

Friday: Ummm, I have no clue. I really need to get better about the blogging. I do know that I realized for sure that Jason had created his own way of requesting to breastfeed. I really thought I'd be done nursing before my baby could crawl/walk over, lift up my shirt, and frantically sign for more. The little stinker. Speaking of Jason, still not talking, AT ALL (although he says somethign that sounds like "flower", but refers to anything). He also has no need to walk. Although he can, he chooses not to.

pumpkin time

It was a yucky rainy weekend. Garage sales cancelled. Soccer pictures happened, but soccer was cancelled. We were supposed to go out and enjoy the day, as well as pick out some more pumpkins for carving, but that was cancelled. Instead we went to a roadside stand and bought some.


Then Tyler insisted on painting some mini pumpkins.

Sunday my brother Jim and Cara had us over for a pumpkin carving party and spaghetti dinner. We had a nice time carving. Unfortunately I had come down with a bit of a cold and my allergies kicked in full swing when we got there, so after a couple of hours I couldn't handle it anymore and had to leave. We had a nice time though, and it was good to see my brother Chris (who had moved in with Jim and Cara). And I must say, we had some impressive pumpkins!

October 12-16

Monday: Al and I took Jason out for breakfast while Tyler was at school (yes, they had school on Columbus Day and Al had off work). Came home and Al played with the boys before a tearful goodbye and trip to the airport.


Tuesday: I had a really sleepy boy on my hands, which is very odd so a picture was necessary.
That afternoon after school Tyler had the first of his cavity filling dentist appointments. I was really nervous, but obviously put on my best game face. Tyler isn't known for his bravery, so my dad went along with us to entertain Jason. Tyler was afraid of even the dentist chair, so I wasn't thinking things would go well, but after that laughing gas went into effect all was good. Thank god for that stuff. He had 2 small cavities filled, without issue. The dentist and staff were awesome with him and I am so thankful for a pleasant experience.

What day can't be improved by a trip to Chick-fil-A. That's right, kid night!

Wednesday: Where did fall go? 39 degrees at kindergarten drop off! The rest of the day was rained out. I think we may have gone to my grandparents that evening, but I can't be sure.

Thursday: Rain, rain, go away! Well, don't laugh, but desperate times call for desperate measures....chick-fil-a for the third time in a week. I'm not proud of it, but it is what it is. Tyler's friend Lily had a birthday a week or two ago, but no party, so we threw her an impromptu party playdate...Lily, Mackenzie, and Tyler. They had a ball playing for a couple of hours and it was a great solution for a nasty day.

Friday: Another cold rainy nasty day. Seriously, 38 degrees? I'd rather it be 6 degrees colder and get some snow instead! Couple that with my lack of sleep and you can guess that it wasn't my favorite day. I entertained Tyler with some crafts, then passed the time with baths, time outs, a haircut for Ty, and some TV. My life is fascinating, huh?

pumpkin picking

After my grandfather's ceremony on Saturday, followed by brunch, we got a call that Al had arrived from NC. His dad had picked him up at the airport for his last visit for a while, and they were all waiting for us at the house. Al's dad and Leslie hung out at the house for a while, and Al got to see Jason take his second round of steps!

Not too much later we had to leave for soccer. It was our turn for snack and it was raining. Pretty nasty out, but it wasn't cancelled, so we had to be there. Tyler was on a different planet, kinda just floating around on the field out there. Oh well, I guess he had fun.


At the game Al's mom and step dad came by, so when we were done with the game we went to see their new place. The boys had fun playing.

That afternoon Jason learned to scribble on the magnetic board, which he found fascinating.

Saturday night we went to Chick-fil-a for dinner. It was still raining and Ty needed to expend some energy. It was a good call. They had fun.

On Sunday, after Jason's nap, we went over to Conte's Farm for pumpkin picking, lunch, and the corn maze. It was pretty crowded, but we obviously showed up at the right time because it was packed by the time we left. Everyone had a nice time, and it was good to be out in the fresh air.











That afternoon we watched the Eagles game before heading over to Pump it Up for a birthday party for Tyler's classmate.