Fun on the Big Screen

Last Saturday we ended up having 4 extra tickets to the SCSU hockey game.  Henry suggested that we let the kids bring some friends along. Due to logistics (hockey practices), we had to divide and conquer.  I took the girls to La Casita after their practice and Henry took the boys to Five Guys after their practice.  We met up at the game.  Luckily, Blake and Paige have such a great group of friends that taking 6 kids for the evening wasn't any more work than taking just our two.  

There was some elbowing and giggling when the cheerleaders were present.

Do you think they noticed I was taking pictures?

The boys were a riot and apparently someone else thought so too because they made it up on the big screen no less than five times. They were eating it up!  But, they girls were less than impressed with the boys' fleeting moments of celebrity.

"Look!"  "What!"  "Huh?"  "Again?"  "No fair!"

I really needed to get those girls up on that big screen before the game was over!  So, I took their picture and e-mailed it to SCSU Fan Pics.  Yes!  Their picture made it up on the big screen right before the end of the game.  And all was right in the world again. 

Trick or Treat

Pumpkin Carving
Is there another activity that I look forward to so much,
yet dread about 30 seconds after beginning?

The piles of candy around the house and the lingering spooky decor are signs that Halloween has now come and gone.  One thing that is not scattered around the house, candy wrappers.  Years ago, I implemented a strict house rule.  If I have to throw away wrappers, I will also throw away the uneaten candy along with them.  Now a simple, "Is that a candy wrapper I see on the floor?" gets the kids moving really fast.  This year we also sorted our candy right next to the garbage can.  If you have goods in your stash that you don't love, put them directly into the trash.  Unless of course it is something that Mom or Dad loves, then put them into our candy bowl!  And this year I had a brilliant idea that I was fearful would end in mutiny, I bought blowpops and glow bracelets to hand out instead of candy bars.  The bags of candy were in the house for a month, yet no one was tempted to deplete the supply.  I think this was the first time that I didn't have to re-buy candy.

Costumes this year were awesome.  That is awesome in the regards that they were super easy.  Paige, for the second year in a row, donned the same costume that Blake had worn the previous year.  Last year Blake was a vampire, this year Paige was a vampire.  The only thing I purchased for her costume was a pair of spider web earrings that I came across while shopping at Target.  Initially Blake had decided that he was getting too old for trick or treating and that he wasn't going to dress up.  I thought he should have at least one more year of festivities, so I suggested dressing like a nerd.  He was immediately on board due to the fact that one of his favorite songs at the moment is "White and Nerdy" by Weird Al.  I found him a pair of glasses while walking through Claire's, found a shirt on the clearance rack at Target, and the rest we scrounged up from around the house.

Every nerd needs a 'Kick Me' sign on their back!

We stuck to our tradition of trick or treating as a family.  I know we only have a few more years of this childhood tradition remaining.  I couldn't help but reminisce about our first years of going out door to door pulling a wagon and walking with/carrying the kids up to every door. Now we just stand at the curb and give the occasional "Watch for Cars!" warning.

And one more bonus this year, the weather was beautiful!  This year was also the 20th anniversary of the Halloween Blizzard of '91.  I can't believe that was t-w-e-n-t-y years ago.  I don't remember exactly what I did that night, but I'm fairly certain it included watching the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video on MTV.  That's right kiddos, way back in the olden days, the Music Television network used to show music videos.  And back then, Snooki was a toddler and not a Halloween costume idea.  Yep, that's me bringing it back full circle.  

Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning to You

This is one of my favorite pictures...

but for some reason Blake finds it embarrassing!

Blake had just turned 5, Paige was 2,

and I was still firmly in my 20's :)

I am the queen of snooze on weekdays.  I know that as soon as I peel my eyes open, I am officially at work so I generally allow my repeatedly blaring cell phone alarm to ease me into the day.  I usually end up crawling out of bed when I hear the kids come sneaking into our bathroom to steal the shower.  I have no idea what is so much more appealing about using the bathroom in our bedroom when they have one right in between their very own bedrooms.

At some point this morning, I mistakingly turned my alarm off instead of hitting snooze.  When I finally woke up and looked at the clock, which read 7:20, I was hit with the dreaded realization that I hadn't heard the pitter patter of my children's feet.  The house is completely silent.  I scan our bed for any stowaways but it is only me and Henry.

Blake's and Paige's alarms are set for 6:45 and they are always upstairs by 7.  On the very rare occasion that I have to go drag them out of bed, it is never pretty.  It is bad enough that I am not a morning person, so I am very happy to have three other family members that tend to jump out of bed bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.  But when they are tired in the morning, it is NO good.

So I take a deep breath and put my feet to the floor knowing that I am in for a bumpy ride this morning.  I turn the corner to head downstairs and what do I spy with my little eyes...

Two children so enthralled in their books,

they didn't even glance up when I took the picture.

 It looks a little like a 'Good Morning to Me'!

Swinging for the Fences

It is that time of year to switch out "the gear".  Time to put away the bats, balls, gloves, and cleats.  As the focus shifts to football, I thought it would be a good time to reminisce about baseball and softball from the season that is quickly slipping away.

Avon Youth Baseball -
Blake had another great baseball season.  This year he moved up to the peewee level which means a lot more realistic style of game.  Gone are the coach pitchers and catchers.  At this level, the players play all of the positions and the coaches get to just be coaches.  Also gone are 'the swing until you get a hit' and 'everybody gets a chance to bat' type rules.  Welcome to three strikes and your out and three outs to an inning.  Blake really enjoyed getting the chance to pitch and catch.  I enjoyed watching the boys out on the field, looking so serious in their uniforms.

Albany Softball -
This was Paige's first year of softball and she was so excited to practice and play.  The rules for her league were similar to Blake's.  The girls teams have a much larger age range so the older girls pitch, catch and play the infield while the younger girls catch and play outfield.  Paige really loved getting to play in the catcher's position but would get a bit distracted while playing in the outfield.  Regardless, she looked forward to every game with the "Red Roosters".

Minnesota Twins -
 I don't think there is any doubt that the Twins did not have a spectacular 2011 season.  But that didn't make it any less fun to watch them play.  We went to several games again this year.  Henry and I were able to make it for the home opener and to a Twins/Yankees match-up with some good friends.  We also made it to a few games with the family, including one where we sat right behind the visitor's dugout!  The weather this summer made for beautiful outdoor games, very much unlike the kind of weather we experienced last year.  Hmmm, but then the Twins had a much better record last season.  I'm not liking that correlation one bit!

View from the seats behind the dugout.

Camp Memories

Happy Camper!

Blake attended the final week of Elks Camp again this Summer.  And once again, he had an "awesome" time.  I must say it was much easier for me this year than last year.  It is strange having zero contact with your child for an entire week.  It is of course made easier by the fact that he is surrounded by friends (and that we are good friends with the family that runs the camp).  I know he had a great time doing good old-fashioned summer camp activities like archery, bonfires, contests, swimming, crafts, and of course plenty of skits and songs.

Since this week was just for the campers, we decided to add a little book-end fun for the non-campers.  Camp drop-off was on Sunday so we enjoyed some Saturday festivities up north with a couple families.  We turned Sunday into an event as well and dropped the boys off at camp by pontoon and then spent some time hanging out on the lake.  The following weekend we decided to "sneak" up to camp with a couple families to check out what an evening at camp is like.  We were only there for a short time, but it looked like so much fun!  (And from a mother's point of view, it also appeared to be very organized, clean, and safe... so that was fun for me.)  To top it all off, we saw the Northern Lights from the boat after we left camp that night.  I don't think I have seen them since I was a kid...very cool!  It was a fun way to spend some time with good friends as the summer winds down.  But no fears about losing touch with them over the winter because, of course, we'll see them all at the rink very soon!

Three excited boys on their way to camp.

The sisters decided to take their own transportation.

After drop-off at camp, the Dads picked up the sparkly boat and we headed to the sandbar.

Bonfire on the final night of camp.

Everyone trying to take pictures of the Norther Lights.
It didn't work.

 Blake is already looking forward to next year.  And Paige too, since she will be old enough to be invited to attend.  Hmmm, I'm thinking an adult summer camp sounds fun.  But then again, I think there have been some movies made based on that premise...