Trick-or-Treat 2007!

This train engineer costume was a hit, thanks for passing it along Becca! Alex ran to hide from the tiger costume when I brought it out tonight, or should I say this afternoon as kids here trick-or-treat at 4pm. We hit up several of the neighbors' houses, and while Alex knew to say trick or treat, he did not understand why we couldn't eat ALL the treats from each house right away. Needless to say 6 packages of M&Ms and dozens of lollipops later, we retreated to the house to warm up and pass out candy to the rest of the kiddos.

Happy Halloween!

Boo! Alex got a kick out of these funny Halloween glasses from Aunt Jacket (Aunt Jackie). We went for a Halloween carousel ride at the mall and little did we know you could trick-or-treat in the stores today. Needless to say, the sugar rush started early! This carousel is funny because it goes really fast (hence the seatbelts) and is not very wide so you get pretty dizzy. Alex thinks it is great, meanwhile I'm trying not to lose my lunch! It is always a hit when we got to the mall.

More Train Books

Tonight after dinner we headed over to the library for something to do. Now that it gets dark so early and it is quite chilly outside, we are looking for more indoor evening activities. While we hadn't been to the library in probably a month or so, Alex knew as soon as we hit the parking lot that there were "train books" in that building. He ran right through the library straight over to the plane, train, and automobile section where he proceeded to pick out the SAME books we checked out last time. It is funny because they aren't really train story books, they are more the super educational ones that show the parts of the train and tell about the difference between freight trains and passenger trains. We did manage to check out a few garbage truck and dump truck books too, but he was all about the train books, and let everyone in the library know what we were there to see!

Tomorrow is Halloween and we are excited to hand out candy to the kids in our neighborhood. If Alex is willing, we will attempt the tiger costume again. Anyone else have kids who adamantly will not put on their Halloween costumes? My sister suggested we should have done an Ohio State theme by dressing him up in a red turtleneck and gray sweater vest as Jim Tressel and just gone with that (I like it). Come to think of it, I have a set of train conductor overalls with a red bandanna from Becca that just might fit him this year. Nothing like essentially "tricking" your child into wearing a costume!!!

Pumpkin Carving

In an effort to get everyone in the Halloween spirit, Brad and Alex carved a pumpkin. Really, Brad carved a pumpkin and Alex ran around the yard with the neighbor's dog. This left Brad to do the dirty work of pulling the guts out of the pumpkin. It was all worth it as we had a very festive Jack O'Lantern to greet guests at last night's party.

Neighborhood Halloween Party

Saturday night we threw a Halloween party for the children on our street (and their parents), and the kids had a blast. Alex was a bit traumatized to be forced into a costume, but wound up keeping it on a full 2 hours! He wanted to be a tiger, told everyone he was going to be a tiger, but when it came down to it, he simply did NOT want to wear a costume.

We ate lots of pizza and cupcakes, putting the kiddos on a serious sugar high for the night. There were crafts for the kids (I mean the moms!) and dozens of balloons to kick and throw.

There were 11 kids total (we were 2 short in the photo). By the end of the evening the kids were all out of costume, helping the adults cheer the top-ranked Buckeyes on to a 37-17 victory over Penn State, Go Bucks!!

Brrrrr, is it cold outside or is it just me?

While Brad and I vaguely remember what it is like to have 4 distinct seasons, poor little Alex is not sure what to make of all this. Cooler temperatures have meant some pretty serious wardrobe adjustments, and he has no clue what is to come. After a brisk 20 minute walk outside after dinner Alex was beside himself, complete with red cheeks and fingers! We warmed him up with a bubble bath, warm jammies, and flannel sheets. I can say with complete confidence that those sheets haven't seen the light of day in a good 4 years!! Once Alex was in bed, it was off to Target to pick up a hat/mitten set in the hopes that tomorrow he'll add even more layers before going outside. What on Earth will he think of snow pants and snow boots?!?

Our Day at the Pumpkin Patch

Saturday we spent the afternoon at Dollinger Family Farm, and as you can imagine Alex loved it all. For starters there was a steam train offering rides for the kids (and adults) and there is nothing Alex enjoys more than trains. That was until he saw the large field of pumpkins that lay before him. He ran around trying to climb through the large pumpkins, even getting his feet stuck a few times.

We met up with several of our new neighbors at the pumpkin farm and found getting all 4 kiddos to smile together was a challenge! Alex is adjusting to the cooler weather here in Illinois and I am convinced that we'll overcome the daily "jacket tantrum" before he turns 18 so all is well.