Halloween 2011

Halloween is our favorite holiday to decorate for.  I love doing Christmas, Hubby hates it...but we both agree on Halloween!  I wish we had taken a video of the house once it got dark instead of pictures in the daylight because you can't see all of our strobe lights , lighted decor, fog machine and the spooky noises from our ghost and witch. 

We heard lots of screams from little kids as they came up the sidewalk onto the porch.  Then we would hear things like "awesome" or "this is the best house ever".  That makes all of the planning worth it!  My favorites this year are the witch on the door that's eyes lit up, the whole thing started shaking and she would start talking and cackling.  Also, I loved the glitter encrusted skeleton that hung from the tree with a hidden strobe hitting it.

 Hubby's favorite things this year- the cauldron that he turned into a fog machine hider so it looked like a witches brew.  He was also please with the animated ghost that came down and hit kids in the head when they got up the steps to knock on the door.  Epic fail of the season- the black light bulbs that I got for the outside lights.  They got so hot that we were scared that it would be a fire hazard so we had to wrap the exterior lights in fake cob webs to muffle the light.  Hubby says that next year he wants to add a haunted house in the garage...we'll see!

I will be armed with a wish list tomorrow morning for day after sales.  The 2 must haves for next year- more strobe lights and some creepy spiders.

Trunk or Treat

We had our Trunk or Treat at church this past Saturday.  We were in charge of the photo booth which was super easy because Horse Country has some photogenic kids as it turns out.  We decided to pair down our trunk display this year because the activity was done when it was still light outside and that makes it less spooky.  We did blast our Halloween CD...there's nothing like a little Monster Mash to get you feeling festive this time of year!  It must be said that I totally ran out of candy and the mini tubs of play-doh that I was handing out.  I was unprepared and therefore lame to the last 10-15 kids that left our trunk empty handed.  Oh well, you live and you learn!

Family Vacation 2011

Roc with the exchange student, Gabriel

E, J Man, Munchie and Kiki

Kiki and E, the oldest of the grandkids

Classic family photo op by Bab

The Hubs and I

You can't even see what is written in the sand but look at the faces on these children.  And yes, this was the best photo out of the series with all 6 of the grands.  From left to right: Lou, Kiki, J Man, Munchie, E and Gigi

We went on our family vacation about  a week ago.  We all went to Murrells and spent a few days together.  We tried and tried to get last minute reservations in the mountains but it just didn't pan out so we went to the beach instead.  It turned out pretty nice, I think the kids would have gotten in the ocean had they had their suits on.  They definitely got soaked in their clothes.  We ate, shopped, swam, golfed, went to the beach, flew kites, toured Atalya, the kids had a pizza party and more.

Sweet Tooth

Today I bought:
sugar cookies
4 bags of candy
marshmallows
milk chocolate chips
caramel hot chocolate
chips ahoy
chocolate pudding
whipped cream
peanut butter chocolate ice cream
pecan pinwheels
stuff to make cupcakes
stuff to make funnel cakes

Thank goodness I don't have to take the sugar test for several more weeks!  I should clarify that I waste a lot of food these days, I'm not proud of it but it's just a fact of life right now.  I go to the grocery store and buy loads of food that sound good at the moment and then it never sounds good again.  The things that I have consumed more than anything else (pretty much on a daily basis) are grape juice, greek yogurt, granola and applesauce.

Garage Sale

I was invited to go with a friend last weekend to a garage sale that her neighborhood was putting together.  She lives in a neighborhood with a lot of young families so she thought that I could score some unisex baby gear since we don't know what we're having quite yet.  At the last minute Hubby's plans of shooting were cancelled and he accompanied me to the sale.  I did find a few basic maternity items and I was excited about that even though it was the only items I found in the 2 plus hours of shopping.  At the last person's house that we went to Hubby found a gun that he HAD to have.  Who knew that there would be guns for sale at a garage sale?  Not me!

Pumped Up Kicks

About 2 weeks ago the Hubs and I had the opportunity to go see E play soccer.  He had a large cheering section out there for him and he kept us entertained. 

Get in there E!

Worn out.

Bab trying to keep everyone's comments PC in the cheering section!

Flutters

Last week I went to the doctor for my second trimester screening/check up.  We opted to do the genetic tests that are done with blood work during the first and second trimester and an ultrasound during the first trimester, all tests came back normal.  While at my appointment they listened to the baby's heart rate which was at 136.  My doctor informed me that I could come back November 1st to find out the sex of our baby but I couldn't get our schedules to allow it until November 10th much to my dismay.  I realize that it's only 9 more days...but dude, it's 9 MORE DAYS! 

Our baby is now the size of an avocado but we'll just stick with cupcake, it's much cuter!  Up until last week the sickness seemed to be worse but for the last 3 or 4 days I've felt pretty good.  I did start feeling congested last weekend and have been sneezing like crazy but that's par for the course with me.  I always have sinus issues when the seasons change.  I started feeling flutters last Tuesday so this baby is on the move.  I'm excited for the kicks to start so Hubby can feel them too.