HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

From Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, and Pugsley Ad(d)ams

Hope you had a spooky, fun Halloween.  We sure did!! :o) :o) Ben has a new favorite holiday... I think walking up to random houses and getting handfuls of candy may have tipped the scales in Halloween's favor :o)

Monday

Cailey had her Girl Scout re-dedication ceremony tonight.  It was informal and very cute ~ the girls had to memorize some lines.  Cailey did great and she loves being a Girl Scout (Brownie). By the way, we are trying to grow Cailey's bangs out and she won't let me pin them back so, for now, they just look messy :o)

Scott and I went to the Broncos game tonight, too.  Too bad they suck this year!!!  We were sitting in the middle of some Packers fans ~ booooo!  But, a little (or a lot of) beer and you can be friends with anyone! :o) :o)  No pictures from the game ~ that could have been scary!

Sick again

So, it happened already.  Ben has been at school for 4 total days and he's already sick ~ croup, to be exact (heavy sigh!).  Poor thing.  He sounds like a seal and was up for a good part of the night last night.  There was a sign in Ben's classroom the first day that I dropped him off indicating that another child in the class had a confirmed case of croup.  So, I am confident that that is where he got it... ugh.  The doctor gave him a prescription for some medicine and he should be feeling better in a couple of hours.  

Now, we have to decide what we want to do about daycare.  Pull Ben out of daycare and "officially" quit my job, find an in-home nanny, or wait it out and see if Ben continues on the path that he did before (continuous cold/infection)... we will decide sometime soon.

A little surprise

Apparently we have a special hamster! Abby has been turning "grey" over the past few weeks. At first I thought it was my imagination, but then Scott mentioned it and I knew I wasn't seeing things. But, she just keeps getting lighter and lighter. Yesterday I decided I better check online to see if this was a sign that she was getting sick or something ~ prematurely grey isn't a good sign in any species :o) What I found out is that she is supposed to get white because she is a Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamster!! According to the online hamster site (yep, there are several sites devoted to hamsters ~ go figure!), the Winter White is usually not found in pet stores and can be a bit hard to find! So, we lucked out with a unique hamster after all! It's possible that the pet store thought she was a Campbell's Dwarf Hamster because they look almost identical until winter comes and the Winter White starts to turn snow white!!! Look here...it wasn't our imagination...and I SWEAR we didn't switch the hamster (a la dead fish trick) :o) :o)

July:

Today:

A date with myself...

... that's what Scott called it.  The Titanic exhibit is here at the Denver Museum and I have wanted to see it for some time.  Holly and the boys said it was really good and worth seeing.  I LOVE that stuff so I decided to take some time today and go by myself... yes, all by my lonesome self!  Ben went to daycare, Cailey went to school, and Scott went to work.  I was free to have a fantastic date... with myself.  Scott was a little put off that I wanted to go by myself but, like he admitted, he doesn't enjoy those kinds of things like I do.  I love to linger at all the exhibits and read everything and take it all in... I could spend days at the museum if left to my own devices :o).  I really wanted to enjoy this particular exhibit without the interference of the kids and the bored husband.  Don't get me wrong, I love my family... I love to experience as much as I can with them.  But, for the first time in a long time, I was able to walk at my own pace ~ no urgent cries for the potty, no bored sighs when I take too long reading about an interesting artifact, no one complaining that they are bored, tired, hungry, too hot/cold, or that their legs, stomach, head, arms, teeth, fingers, and/or toes hurt :o) :o)  No chasing after little escapees from the stroller, no constant reminding to "just look, don't touch," no rushing through so I can make it home in time for nap time.  Even on the drive there and back ~ not a single note of Wheels On The Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and/or Row Row Row Your Boat :o) or watching (the kids watch... I only get to listen to) Barbie, Strawberry Shortcake, or any Disney film.  I actually got to listen to the radio... to my music, the music I like!!!  I spent 3 1/2 hours (yep! that's correct) walking through the exhibit and reading EVERYTHING and looking through books and pictures.  Then, I spent another hour at the IMAX viewing Ghosts of the Abyss ~ about the Titanic discovery and the recovery of artifacts at the bottom of the ocean!  The exhibit and film were fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone... even the kids... if you have to :o) :o) :o) 

Another day in colorful Colorado

Yesterday was almost 80 degrees.  Cailey was wearing shorts and we were watching Zach man play football.  Today... well, that's another story...take a look... our first snow of the season:

Some other photos from this afternoon ~ the snow is already melting:

Notice the pink boots... Ben's boots didn't fit him anymore so we had to use some of Cailey's old boots.  I'll go buy him some new ones this week... poor thing... having to wear pink boots :o) :o)

OH, AND...GO ROCKIES!!!

Ben's first day back to school

Ben went back to school (daycare) today. We have him at school two days a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and I think he will really enjoy it ~ that's what I am telling myself.

However, it was a difficult morning ~ emotionally. Scott went with us this morning to help me through it which was really sweet ~ although I think he made me more anxious... sorry, Honey, it's true. I hate leaving Ben ~ I love the school, it's a great school, I know he is well cared for, I like his teacher, it's clean, it's fun, it's well organized ~ I just hate leaving him... I want him home with me :o( :o( I miss him terribly ~ I miss Cailey during the day too when she goes to school... but with her I know she is old enough to understand that she has to go to school... plus, she really likes school and the independence it allows her. I just hate leaving Ben at this age. So, today I am sad. I cried a little today. I hate my job so it's not even worth the pain of taking Ben to daycare, but I am hoping for a nice little severance package (if the rumors about my company prove to be true) and the extra money is something we could use right now. I will just have to buck it up for awhile.  

Update: I picked Ben up from daycare and they said he had a good morning but that he was pretty upset after nap when I wasn't there :o(  I peeked through the window to his classroom and saw him sitting at the table eating snack.  He appeared to be sad and wouldn't look at the other kids ~ his head was downward and he was only raising his eyes to peer at the other kids. When I walked in and he saw me he immediately burst into tears and raced into my arms.  He was holding me so tight and saying (through the tears), "Mommy, you no go!" over and over!  I was so sad I thought I was going to cry ~ I wanted to cry. I know he will adjust back into the routine, but it's SOOOO hard to see him that upset because I left him!  I HATE THIS!  But, they said he loved going outside and he took a good two hour nap.  He made a painting and liked telling me all about the painting of the apple tree! So, it was an okay day for Ben. He'll go back on Thursday.

Bring on Halloween

This is the first year that we have made a real effort to decorate for Halloween ~ and only at Cailey's insistence! We had only a few cheesy items from previous years ~ none of which were scary.  So, this year Cailey, Ben, and I made a trip to Wal-Mart and picked up a few scarier items.  Cailey loved decorating the house and thinking up all kinds of ways to scare the future trick-o-treaters :o) Most ~ all, really ~ of the decorating was Cailey's idea... she has a real knack for it :o)  So, a little faux spider web, plastic spiders, some purple/black-light bulbs, and some orange lights, and we are ready for the spooky, kooky, and gore ~ and the candy, of course!!  We got to surprise Daddy when he got home from work, too! 

Things I Am Loving

Things I am loving yesterday, today, and tomorrow ~ in no particular order:

1. Ben saying, "Hello, I Ben" at the top of his voice to everyone that we meet! Too cute.

2. Cailey reading out loud every night and reading everything she comes across

3. Ben saying, "Thank you" ~ using it the correct way and every chance he gets!

4. Hugs and kisses

5. Cailey taking a shower every morning without being asked!

6. Wrestling with Cailey and Ben on the floor. Ben has perfected the "body slam" and is getting big enough for it to work :o) :o)

7. Ben loving his bed ~ he loves it so much that he has no problem going to bed and staying in bed. He is still in a crib and we are in NO hurry to move him into a toddler bed.

8. Watching Cailey dance.

9. Not rushing through each stage of development with Ben. I have noticed it with so many of my friends. The first child gives them so much pride and joy (as they should) but they are in such a rush to experience the next phase or the next development stage ~ moving into a "big" bed, potty training, eating solid foods, walking, talking, etc. ~ even though it's said a zillion times, they don't realize how fast their kids will grow up and how much they will miss when they were little. I know we did the same thing with Cailey ~ but, we are learning with Cailey to relax more with her, too. It's incredibly liberating to relax and let your children just be little for awhile ~ they will grow up so fast and we should just enjoy where they are right now. It's an awesome feeling and I recommend it to everyone :o)

10. Hugs and kisses from Cailey and Ben ~ I'll take them any chance I get! :o)

11. Ben saying, "Good morning, Mommy!" or "Good morning, Daddy!" or "Good morning, Cailey!"

Fun Run

Cailey had her fun run today.  She did a really good job ~ 14 laps!!!  I am not sure what the distance is on that because they had to run around the field and then around the playground.  Someone told me that Cailey's 14 laps were about 3 miles... but I am not sure about that.  She walked some and she ran some and she had a good time doing it all with her friends!

Cailey's first bank account

A little while back Cailey started getting an allowance and she has built up a good stash of money.  So, today we met Daddy at his bank and opened a savings account for Cailey.  It's her account, with her name on it, her own ATM card, and she gets her own savings book to make deposits and withdrawals.  She brought all her money to the bank in her purse and got to sign her name on her account (signature card).  Then, she put her new "check book" in her purse and was all about being a grown up.  It was a great learning experience for Cailey.  She was so cute handing over the checks that Daddy used to pay her and endorsing them ~ now, she will learn that she has to have the money in her account and she has to get it out before she can spend it.  Believe me, it is already burning a hole in her pocket ~ or in her savings account, as the case may be :o) :o)  What a big girl!!  I love this girl so much!!

Look what we found!

Cailey's school is having their book fair this week and look what we found at the book fair ~ double click on the photo above to see a closer view!!! One of Cailey's friends told her that there was a book about Amy in the library but we didn't know what she was talking about. SO COOL to see these when we went to look! And, even better, the books seem to be selling rapidly... even at other schools. Some of the girls in Cailey's tap class said they bought the Enchanted books and they didn't know that Amy was Cailey's aunt!!! That's so great to see that the story is appealing to little girls ~ even before they see the movie!!

Beautiful

Scott took this picture this morning of the sunrise on his way to work ~ going 75 mph down I-25, between Castle Pines North and Happy Canyon. He says he didn't take his eyes off the road...just pointed the camera and snapped some pictures...hhhhmmm ;o)

Beautiful ~ enough said.