Halloween x6

This years, the kiddos got to wear their costumes, not once, not twice, not even 3, 4, or 5 times, but 6 times. That's right, we made good use of these costumes. We made Halloween a whole month celebration. First, we went to Sears to get the kids' pictures taken, then we went to Boo at the Zoo (2 times), then we went to the Trunk-or-Treat at the church, then we went to a party at a friend's house, and finally we went Trick-or-Treating in our neighborhood. The kids had a blast!

(And oops, I didn't take any pictures at the zoo or at the church.)

(And oops again, these pictures are totally out of order.)

Getting the kids' pictures taken in front of the house. Kendall was too cold, so she stayed inside.

Going on a walk at the park and admiring the beautiful colors. We've been going to a different metro park every Sunday - a very fun tradition.

Getting the kid's pictures taken at Sears. I was sweating like crazy chasing them all around the studio, but we got some decent pictures. PS: Kendall is a peacock, but you have to look at the back of her tutu to really know...

Carving pumpkins. Logan stayed on task the whole time. Taylor got bored with it. And Kendall threw a major temper tantrum.

Decorating sugar cookies. Once again, Logan stayed on task the whole time. Taylor got bored with it. And Kendall threw another major temper tantrum.

The day after Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, we got our First Snow of the Year. It wasn't much, but the kids absolutely wanted to go outside, so we did.

We went to a party at a friend's house and decorated brown bags with halloween stickers, we had a hallowen hunt, and we decorated sugar cookies (or just ate them).

On Halloween night, the boys went up to the doors all by themselves, while I stayed behind with Kendall in the stroller. I figured it was the only way to Trick-or-Treat without Billy there to help me. Don't feel too bad for Kendall, the boys also did a great job sharing their candy with her. I was a proud mama tonight - my boys are all grown-up.

The back of Kendall's costume (and the only way to know she's a peacock).



HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!

Shameful parenting moment

I kind of hope not very many people read this blog... It has become my journal. I share everything here, good and bad.
Yesterday was bad. Yesterday I felt like the worst mom in the world. I got distracted for a minute, and everything could have changed.
Here's what happened: Kendall woke up early from her nap, and I knew Billy wouldn't be home for a while, so I decided to take the kids to the playground. It was a beautiful day to play outside. A few minutes after we got there, a friend from church walked over with her three kids, so I started talking with her. While we were talking, I still made sure that Logan and Taylor stayed within eyesight, and that Kendall wasn't trying to go down the playground equipment by herself. I got distracted by my conversation with my friend for a split second, when out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Kendall trying to climb down the equipment, on her belly, feet first, as she would going down the stairs, at a height of about 6 feet. I ran toward her to catch her, but it was too late! She landed on her back in the wood chips. Of course, she started crying right away. It took me at least 3-5 minutes to calm her down. Once she had calmed down, I made sure that she could move her arms and legs. She seemed okay, and went back to playing a few minutes later.
But the thought of what could have happened haunts me. She could have landed sideways, and broken one of her arms. She could have landed of her feet, and broken both of her legs. She could have hit her head on the pole a few inches away, and been knocked out, unconscious. Worse even, she could have had serious brain damage as a result of the fall.
I will never, ever, let something like this happen again. Accidents happen fast. I can't afford to be distracted, not even for a split second. I can't risk my children's safety and health. Kendall was blessed yesterday. It was as if an angel caught her, softening her fall. I feel so blessed that Kendall didn't get hurt at all, and that she is 100% okay today. She is so precious to me. I don't want anything bad to ever happen to her. I will be right there, all the time, to protect her.

Grandpa and Grandma's visit

We were fortunate enough to have Grandpa and Grandma visit us for 5 days this past week!!! This was the first time they came to our house here in Ohio. They also hadn't seen Kendall since she was 3 weeks old. We had tons of things planned, so the 5 days were super busy and went by really fast.

Day 1:
Grandpa and Grandma arrived late in the afternoon. We had just enough time to re-introduce them to the kiddos, show them the house, prepare dinner, eat dinner, and go on a walk at a nearby park.

Day 2:
In the morning, we went to Magic Mountain, where the kiddos had a BLAST! They love that place! Seriously, they love it! When lunch time arrived, they didn't want to leave. But once we got to the North Market, they were all happy again. We love being able to get different types of food for everyone. Belgian, Indian, Chinese, Italian, American, etc. and of course, Jeni's ice cream, including Cayenne Pepper Chocolate Ice Cream (which I don't particularly enjoy, but hey, it's kind of interesting). Then we went to the Easton Mall and shopped around for a couple of hours. When it started raining, we decided to stay and eat at Bon Vie (which is totally spelled wrong - it should be Bonne Vie).

Day 3:
We went to another park nearby, where there are TONS of different trees, plants, flowers, and herbs. It's really neat, especially for Grandma, who absolutely loves to garden. The kids had fun running around, picking up acorns, and playing in the treehouse (which I had to climb, too, because I was nervous about the boys being all the way up there). That evening, we went to German Town and ate at Schmidt's. Mhmm mhmm mhmm!

Day 4:
The weather was beautiful, so we spent most of the day at the zoo, checking out the animals and letting Kendall tell us where to go. We especially likes the penguins, koalas, gorillas, bonobos, and "Dori" fish. Oh yeah, and the kids rode the caroussel. And yes, Logan's sunglasses are upside-down, because "You're not cool unless you're wearing your sunglasses upside-down." That night we ate at Golden Coral because all 3 kiddos eat so well when they can eat a little bit of everything.

Day 5:

We went to Pigeon Roost, and it was even better than I had imagined. We were there for nearly 5 hours, but we literally could have stayed there all day. The kiddos had so much fun, and so did the adults. They loved the slide, the goats, the chickens, the bunnies, the corn pool, the spooky tunnel, the giant gerbil thingy, and the corn maze. We didn't even get to everything that was there. Logan's favorite things were probably the corn pool and the giant slide. Taylor's were the spooky tunnel and the giant slide. And Kendall's were leading the way into the corn maze (where she kept making left turns) and the spooky tunnel. That night, we ordered food from Texas Roadhouse. It took a lot of boxes to feed all of us. When we picked it up, the girl said, "Are you feeding an army?"

It was fun seeing Grandpa and Grandma. We are so glad they came to visit. They really spoiled us and the kids are still asking about them. We're looking forward to seeing them again in May 2013. Until then, we will miss you, guys!