Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet...

Well, Halloween is over for the season! Wednesday night , Andrew, Emmit, and myself carved our pumpkin we got from the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago. We had so much fun carving it because Andrew was determined that he was going to carve it himself with a knife. I, on the other hand, thought he was delusional! Uh, yeah, I'm going to let you have a sharp bladed knife when I don't even allow you to have a dinner knife? Hello?!?! Needless to say, he helped me design it and scooped the guts out of the pumpkin. For those of you who don't know the secret to scooping the guts out yet? An ice cream scooper is the way to do it! Emmit on the other hand was right by our side because he enjoys licking the rim of the pumpkin and eating the raw pumpkin seeds! Andrew seemed pleased with the final product!!!

As far as Trick or Treat, we had it tonight on actual Halloween! For those who live in the city, it was an actual surprise that we had it on a Friday night, not to mention on the actual Halloween holiday. That's a rarity because the locals are all about Football Friday, especially since LHS is going to district playoffs, which has not happened in some time (I think)!!!

Andrew decided after many different options that he was going to be Batman! Originally it was an astronaut, then it was going to be The Hulk, then Spiderman, then it went back to an astronaut. Last week we were literally in Walmart with items to make his astronaut costume in my cart when we walked past the costumes. He saw Batman and said to me, "I changed my mind. I wanna be Batman!" I literally wanted to pull my hair out of my head! As you can see, he went with Batman and tonight we got a ton of candy. Some woman even gave out a dollar bill!

For those who know me the best, I am a very nostalgic person. We had the opportunity to trick or treat in my old neighborhood on the Southeast side of town. We went to doors of homes that I went to at Andrew's age. For me, that was very special. It was nice to see those same people who live there handing out candy just as they did 32 years ago. A few people even remembered me, which was nice!

Andrew has crashed for the night as another Halloween is under our belt! I am sure tomorrow when he wakes up, he'll be talking about what he wants to be for Halloween next year!

New York State of Mind...

So, yesterday I booked our hotel room in NYC for the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Since I was a kid, I have been fascinated by the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. My Pa Pa Klahr and I used to watch it when he was still alive and I have always dreamed of going. When I had Andrew, I decided that at least once we will go. While this is not the year we'll be making the trek to the parade, we will be going up on Sunday after Thanksgiving and staying overnight until Monday. Since he's off school, I figured it would be a great chance to maybe see the Radio City Christmas Spectatular or just see the traditional NYC Xmas deco! I've been obsessively looking online for things to do. I saw where they turn Bryant Park into an old town shopping area with a makeshift skating rink! Andrew keeps asking me if we can do that...I think we can work that into our day! I was a little disappointed when I saw that the Rockefeller Center Xmas tree isn't being lit until December 3rd, which is after we leave.

I went to NYC a few years ago at Xmas time with some co-workers (Megan and Christine) and had a blast but it was PACKED!!! I think it would be a nightmare trying to keep hold of a 5 year old in a fast paced city during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. We are hoping that we can actually see the window displays at Saks, Macy's, and Bloomies!!! The last time I went, you were lucky if you could see the windows without either being pick-pocketed or getting pushed around by those who are impatient.

I'll be sure to post pics from our little mini vay-cay when we return next month!!! Can't wait!

Halloween Party

Saturday night we had a Halloween party with my parents and grandparents. My brother's family and mine got together to celebrate Brandi's birthday and to see the kids in their Halloween costumes. Since trick or treat night is so crazy and hectic, this seems to make it more time efficient for everyone! As a joke, we dressed Andrew up as Joe Paterno (we are...Penn State)!!! His real costume is top secret...to be revealed on Halloween night! Reghan was a rock star diva, Avery was Princess Leia from Star Wars, and Mason was Tigger (even providing bounces)!!! The kids got their traditional pumpkin buckets from Grandma Ruby and a bag of goodies from Mom Mom and Pa Pa. We had cupcakes and snacks which are always a big hit! I know they are all anxious for trick or treat night on October 31st!!!

Our house is finally becoming a home!

We finally painted the last room in our house that was not to our liking! Andrew has been between two rooms for the past 2 months and we finally painted and moved everything into his room. I was having a hard time getting him to sleep in his own bed and stay there but now he's doing well! Our "middle room" was a floral background and Andrew refused to sleep in a "girl's room" so we had to paint it. I suggested doing a themed room and he loved the idea. First he wanted a sports themed room. Then it was a pirate themed room. Then it was a Penn State themed room. Now, it is a basketball themed room. He can't make up his mind! I told him that I would paint a mural on a wall but now that I see how much he changes him mind, I'm kicking myself for promising that! There is no way I'm going to repaint a wall with a new mural every 4 months! Not happening!!! So, we bought him a new comforter and sheets with sports balls on them. He has a ton of sports memorabilia so it just seems natural for him to have that type of room. We have decided that I will paint a basketball back board on his wall and we'll drill in a real basketball rim so that he can actually shoot basketball in his room. Once I told him that, he loved it and hasn't changed his mind since!

We ended up painting his room a light blue with white trim. Simple and easy! Andrew even helped paint. He really loves helping around the house, "fixing" things...even cleaning! I'm figuring it will only be a matter of a few years before that will change so I'm milking it for all that it's worth for the time being! If he keeps it up, he will make a great husband some day! I'll take credit for that one!

We had our living room and dining room painted over the summer too so it finally feels like things are coming together. It definitely feels more like a home now!

Bend It Like Beckham!

Andrew successfully completed his 6 week soccer clinic tonight. He ended up doing a hands-on clinic where he learned the basics of soccer. Considering that neither myself or his dad have played soccer, we thought he better know the basics from the start! He really seemed to enjoy it. You could catch him practicing his warm-up drills in the backyard, kicking the ball around the yard, and trying to bounce the soccer ball off of his knee! At the end of his game, each player was given a soccer medal and they posed for a team picture. The next thing Andrew is signed up for is basketball! We'll keep you posted!

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Andrew decided last week that we should go to a pumpkin patch and wanted to invite some of his little friends. So, we invited Gage, Grace, and Carter...and their parentsm which ended up being 3 mommies and a daddy! We ended up going to Teenie's Pumpkin Patch in Myerstown. We had a blast...we went on a very SHORT hayride around the pumpkin patch and then went on a mission to find the perfect pumpkin! Gage found a GINORMOUS pumpkin that he had to roll through the entire pumpkin patch! Andrew found one that was HUGE as well and tried to mimick Gage by pushing it but got tired of it and made me carry it. He then decided right as we were leaving that he found a new "perfect" pumpkin. Needless to say, I was not happy! I ended up carrying around that great pumpkin through the whole patch but as it turned out...wasn't all that great to Andrew! Grace, on the other hand, found the perfect pumpkin that was just right! It was almost like we were re-enacting the fable, Goldilocks and the Three Bears!

What do i say?

So, since I became a mom 5 years ago to a sweet little boy, Andrew, I have been wanting to do a journal but as most of you who are mommys have come to realize, in the world of reality, that there doesn't appear to be anytime in the day for that type of thing! So, my goal is to take a few minutes at the end of the night at least one time a week to type up any little "Andrew-isms" that happen.

What I have come to understand as a mommy are the little quirks and comments that I hear on a daily basis, that truly keep me going. For example, just yesterday we went with my parents to a fall craft show at Knoeble's Grove in Elysburg, PA. As we were getting in the car, my parents' car door made a creaking sound and I said to my dad, "You know that your door is creaking." My dad said, "Everything in this car creaks!" Andrew's response was "I don't creak...I pass gas!" We all rolled over laughing! The best thing is that he totally gets what he is saying and finds himself humorous! He may have a future in stand up comedy!

So, as this being my first blog entry, the only thing I can say is: I hope it lasts!!!