Kids and Halloween Fun

This year, because our house has been cursed with a vile, viral plague that has us all a'coughin', a'sneezin', and a'sniffin', we decided to take it pretty easy this year.  Luckily, we did managed to go to a Halloween pumpkin carving party before the curse descended upon us.  Zach and the boys were going to carve the pumpkin.  But, Ben and Sam decided that their talents would be better utilized if they ran off and played in the grass.  

Zach carves our pumpkin.  Sam decides where he should run next.

Ben offers some constructive criticism and then runs off.  

We asked the boys what they wanted to be for Halloween a while ago.  They said superheroes.  I said, "Sweet!"  Because I already had the cape from the Diablitos costumes from last year.  And, if I was a better person I would probably admit that I was asking some leading questions when I broached the Halloween costume question, but I am not a better person.  Of course two days before Halloween Ben said he would rather be a robot.  

Here are Ben and Sam as Superheroes.  

Super Sam!  

Super Ben! 

(unmasked, "gasp!")

The boys did not quite grasp the whole trick-or-treating process this year.  Sam had a major breakdown at the first door because he wanted to go in and play with their toys.  And they kept asking if I would open each individual candy for them.  And they didn't want to put them in their bag.  Probably worried that they would never see them again.And neither of them ever said "trick-or-treat" once, but Ben did keep saying, "next house!"  Maybe they did get it.    

Super Dad and Super Ben

We didn't go around to too many houses, because the boys didn't want to take candy from actual people (they were fine with bowls that had been left out), and then it started to rain.  So, we went home and made the biggest rookie mistake our our parental careers: We let them eat candy.  

Are we idiots?  Oh, ya!  Definitely.  

Super Sam: surveing the area for super dangers

The sugar high that resulted from this blunder kept the boys up and wild until after midnight.  Unfortunately for Zach (and fortunately for me) I had taken some cold medicine that completely knocked me out, so I was barely aware of it.  Until the medicine wore off, and Zach collapsed, and I finally forced the boys to stay in bed.  

  

Super Ben!  Preparing to Trick-or-Treat

So, we're going to take this lesson and learn from it.  Take this whole Halloween candy business a little more seriously.  And eat the rest ourselves.  

Highlight of the evening: When an overexcited Sam was trying to greet his awesome buddy Kimball, and ran into a screen door, bouncing back in a hilarious cartoon fashion.  Ah, kids and Halloween fun.... 

101

Hurray! This is my 101st blog post! Wow. Can you believe it? I was suppose to celebrate my 100th blog post, but I accidentally posted the previous one about the boy's and the haircuts. Alas. But, still celebration is always a good idea, even if it a little off.

Anyway, I went through a lot of options about what I should actually do for this, and I decided to turn it into a big collection of lists, pictures and facts, all of which are things I enjoy writing about and looking at.

10 Random facts about me:

1. My passport says I am a freelance writer (standing goal: make this true. Ditto weight on passport)
2. For a period of three and a half weeks in the fall of 2003 I woke up at exactly 6:30 am with no alarm clock. Very weird.
3. I was awarded a plaque for receiving a perfect 4.0 in high school for all 4 years, even though this is not technically acurate. I did not give back the plaque.
4. I know ALL the words to Don McLean's American Pie song.
5. I've had paper routes in three different states.
6. I have four names.
7. I have perfect eyesight.
8. I was once charged by a cow moose when I inadvertently surprised her and her calf. My parents and brother, portaging a large red canoe over their heads, stopped the charge. Thanks, guys. That would have been nasty.
9. I have been bitten several times by a african pygmy hedgehog.
10. I started and canceled three other blogs before this one took.

Ben and Sam - 1 year old

The 10 most common phrases the boys use:

1. "What doing Sam/Ben/Mommy?"
   
2. "What's going on here?"
3. "Mommy, I want milk/juice!"
4. "Please!"
5. "Sam/Ben, you okay?"
   
6. "Ya, I'm okay."
7. "Daddy's home!"
8. "What's that?"
9. "That's so funny!"
10. "I a robot/superhero/dinosaur!"
    

Sam enjoys sleeping sideways in his crib. I find him like this all the time.

Last 10 Books I read:

1. The Time of the Doves
2. The Host
3. Breaking Dawn
4. Eclipse
5. New Moon
6. Around the World in Eighty Days
7. The Scarlet Pimpernel (Please, just watch this adaptation, it rocks like crazy)
8. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
9. Twilight
10. Jeeves and Wooster

Ben and Sam playing around in our bed.

1. 

Adorable Sam - 1 year old

The Last 10 Places I've Lived:

1. Bay Area, California
2. Platja D'Aro, Spain
3. Provo, Utah
4. Vienna, Austria
5. North Ogden, Utah
6. Warner Robins, Georgia
7. Papillion, Nebraska
8. McGuire, New Jersey
9. Norman, Oklahoma
10. Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

Ben -who loves socks

8 Questions I get asked about the Boys all the time and the answers (besides "are they twins?"):

1. Q: Do twins run in your family? A: Supposedly, but the last person in my family to have twins was my great, great grandmother.
   
2. Q: Were you surprised? A: Yes. I have never been nor will I ever be as surprised as I was that day.
3. Q: Were you on fertility drugs? A: No. It was all me, au naturale.
4. Q: Did you have a C-section? A: Nope, though I was in an operation room in case I needed one. No, dim lights and comfort music for me.
   
5. Q: Did you have any help? A: My Mom stayed with me for several weeks before and after, my sister helped out when she could (considering she has her own kids) and Zach of course is awesome. But, I didn't have any outside help, like babysitters or anything.
   
6. Q: Wow, you must be busy? A: Yes.
7. Q: Who is the dominant twin? A: There isn't one.
   
8. Q: How do you tell them apart? A: They look different. Even though they have the same coloring and several of the same features, there are differences. Their heads are shaped differently, the smiles are a tiny bit different, and their voices are different. And I spend every waking moment with them, so it gets pretty easy. But I have mixed them up, from time to time. It helps now that they know their names.
   

Me, the day I was induced with the boys. I was huge.

1. 

Ben and Sam - their first Easter

7 Questions I have for the Universe:

1. Where do all my bobby pins go?
2. How can I get Stephenie Meyer to write her sequels to The Host faster?
   
3. Why do I always get sick at the worst times?
4. How do the boys always find the wrong things?
5. What's the deal with daylight savings time? I just don't get it.
6. What happened on Roanoke Island?
   
7. Why do people watch reality TV?
   

Ben - 1 year old - helping plant a garden, in which nothing great except weeds.

10 Things I wanted to be when I grew up:

1. a writer
2. an actress
3. an elephant rescuer with an elephant orphanage
4. a history teacher
5. a fashion designer
6. a wedding coordinator
7. an architect
8. an olympic diver
9. a baker
10. a chef

And that's it. I was going to do a 101 facts, but I'm getting tired. Maybe I'll think of more and put them up later. Don't count on it, though.

101 Posts!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow...

Despite how absolutely adorable the boys look with their little golden curls, we decided it was time to cut them off.  So, we buzzed 'em.  You are probably shocked and aghast!  Cutting off curls!  But, they would wake up with matted head of curls every morning.  And it usually didn't get much better as they day progressed.  

Ben

So, we lured them into their seats with promises of chocolate and got cuttin'.  Zach actually did the cutting, and he did a great job.  I kept everyone happy with M&Ms.    

Ben, avoiding getting hair in his eyes

The boys did surprisingly well with the whole process.  There was very little complaining and no crying.  Hurrah for that!!

This finished project on Ben (doesn't he look so much like Ethan here, fam?)

Sam

Here are the M&Ms in question.  This worked amazingly well.  Except that the boys kept getting tiny hairs in their mouth.  And then they would try to get them out themselves, but their fingers had a bunch of little hairs on them, and then they would get more hair in their mouths and then they would start spitting and then, I would have to break in with a towel or something and wipe them up.  And then they would eat another M&M that had a little hair on it and the whole process would start over.  

Sam, enjoying his chocolate.

But they didn't seem to mind too much.  

Don't they look adorable?  

a picture...

I've been slacking again. So, to keep up to date, and for something for you to look at, here is the 4th picture in my 4th file.


It is Sam and Ben when they were 8 months old and could still be kept in the same crib without severe damage being inflicted on someone or something, as is now the case. Don't they look dapper? Grandma got those pacifiers for them at Disneyland the Christmas before. And I made that mobile over their bed with a embroidery hoop and fishing line.

It's the Little Things They Say

I came home the other day to a little surprise.  Usually when I get home a little after 5, Katie is ready to leave the boys all to me for the rest of the day or longer.  Except this day.  The boys were asleep in bed as they are wont to take late naps.  I think it is part of their evil plan to stay up late, prevent us from sleeping, and eventualy drive us nuts.  As I was saying, with the boys in bed I found Katie literaly floating off the ground in a sort of meditative zen state.  Well, not literaly.  But there was a glow.  She looked at me and softly said, "The boys came up to me and said 'I love you, Mommy.'" 

Box

Ah, for the days, when all you needed to enjoy life was a good box.

Sam and Ben's Feet

Also, Sam and Ben's Feet

Sam and Ben

I wish I had a video of them. They were giggling like crazy.

An Apology and a Tag

First of all, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I have left you, my friends, family, etc. out in the cold, dark cyberspace with not even a hint of our goings on. I'm weak. I'm only human. The truth is, that I have been a tiny bit busy. "Whatever, Katie!" you are all saying, "everyone's busy!" That's probably true, but it's really my only excuse. We've been up to our eyeballs in events, occasions, toddler shenanigans, packages to mail, dishes to clean, sickness to clean up (Ben and I were sick over the weekend) and more toddler shenanigans. We've just been busy. Oh, and I could not find a memory card for the camera. And I was reading New Moon and Eclipse. It's been crazy.

And that's my final word on my terrible blogging lately. I hope you can accept my apology and stop guilting me.

Anyway, moving right along, My loverly friend Theresa tagged me with some crazy eights tag. And I intend to answer that tag. But, I modified it a little bit because I don't have eight answers for some of the questions. And here we go:

8 Favorite TV shows...

1. 30 Rock
2. The Simpsons
3. Jeeves and Wooster
4. What Not to Wear
5. Good Eats
6. Arrested Development
7. Ugly Betty
8. Pushing Daisies
   

8 Favorite Restaurants...


1. Cafe Rio
2. Burger Supreme
3. Granny's Drive-in
4. Ottavio's
5. Fortune
6. Bombay House
   
7. Tokyo
8. Doner Kebab
   

8 things that happened this weekend...


1. I finished reading Eclipse (and then started it again. Crazy weirdo.)
   
2. Ben and I were sick
3. We had a babysitting exchange with Todd and Betty (who are awesome)
4. I learned how to knit from Bronwen at her Craftea party.
   
5. We watched General Conference (though, because I was sick, I did sleep through a hefty portion of it)
6. Zach and I went out to eat at a yummy Mexican restaurant
   
7. I picked the first strawberry off my strawberry plant.
8. It rained for the first time in months
   

8 things to look forward to...


1. The weather starting to cool (it is just barely happening)
2. Halloween and getting the boys dressed up for trick-or-treating
3. Getting the house back in order
4. Start decorating, which is dependent on #3
5. Seeing family at Thanksgiving
6. Reading Breaking Dawn and finishing the Twilight saga
7. Start working on some of the story ideas I had over the summer
8. (In the very distant future) Being done with school. Someday.
   

8 things on my wishlist...


1. A bright red KitchenAid mixer
2. Black XS Perfume (I used to go into a store and spray it on myself everyday when we were in Spain. It's lovely.)
   
3. The Bob Weather Shield for Duallie Strollers.
4. A Can opener that leaves a smooth edge (like this one.)
5. The A&E Version of Pride and Prejudice on DVD. (And a gazillion other DVDs, but we'll leave it at that).
6. A huge bookcase to organize and control Zach's ever expanding collection of books.
7. A really hefty pastry cutter
   
8. Shikai Borage Facial Cleanser & Face Lotion (Actually, I kinda want the whole line, but these would be a good start).

So, there you go. Because I don't want anyone to be upset with me in anyway, I'm only tagging the people that fill this description:

1. You want to be tagged
2. When you saw that I was tagged, you hoped that I would tag you
3. You weren't relieved when you didn't see your name here.

And there you have it.