Halloween

Today is Halloween, but not in my town. They have told us it's 'postponed' until Sunday - to be sure that everyone has their power back. I prepped the kids for it last night, but this morning decided that I would ask around and see what other towns are still on. Turns out that Cam's best buddy's town will still be doing it tonight - so we'll just get two nights instead of one! It'll be a great surprise when I tell them tonight.

Storms

We had a 'stay-at home' weekend as Cam likes to call them. The Drumlin Farm thing was fun, but maybe the kids were a bit too young, They were scared of a lot, but in the car told us that had a blast. Kids are weird. Aaron was a bit of wreck when we got home, and turned out he had a fever of 101. This is his third fever in less than a month, so the next morning I left him home to relax and took the kids to the Discovery Museum.

The Discovery Museum is really two separate museums - one for ages 2-6 and then another Science Museum is for 'all ages'. Cam is totally into going to the Big Kid museum. We went with a girlfriend who has twins 6 months younger than Maggie's - so she needed to stay at the museum for the smaller kids. But they had really publicized a Pumpkin Festival, so we got there right when the museum opened, all excited for the events. It turned out to be pretty lame. The face painting was 'paint your own face' and the only really pumpkin activity was decorating a tiny pumpkin (which Maggie loved). But Cam didn't and spent a lot of time whining that he wanted to go to the big boy museum. We finally separated from our friends and went to the Big Boy museum, at which point I get a text from Aaron telling me he has a fever of 102.6 and is on  his way to the doc. Sigh. So my threat of Daddy is going to pick you up if you whine again is gone (Yes. I use threats).

Turns out Aaron has pneumonia. Which actually is good thing - he is super bad at resting, and he is forced to rest.

Sunday we left the house, did church and then spent the day at a nice play date to give Aaron rest time. I love it that we have friends that allow us to invade for a full day. I called Aaron to check in around 4 and he said - I'm lonely! Come home. So we did.

Needless to say, I didn't do anything to 'prepare' for this storm. I have my own storm of cranky kids and a sick husband. This morning I woke up, and thankfully daycare is still open. So I had a little mini panic and filled up the tub, washed the dishes, printed out knitting patterns and charged my devices. Hoping we DON'T lose power, but man. We've got enough going on right now.

Friday Night Leftovers

• Maggie has switched from being a devil child to an angel. I really wish I could get inside her mind to see what is going on in there. Wednesday morning, she screamed and kicked and cried her way to school, and has been perfect and happy ever since I picked her up Wednesday night.
• Tonight we go to Drumlin Farm for the Halloween Happenings. There are lots of activities, including a Hayride. The kids get to wear costumes and see hundreds of craved pumpkins. It'll be a blast.
• In a related note, I got them flashlights to bring. I got Cam a fun lantern, and Maggie a horse one. I didn't read the description, but turns out the horse flashlight makes horse noises. To some that would be annoying, but as Maggie runs around yelling NEIGH all the time, I bet I won't even notice.
• Looks like a huge storm is coming through for Halloween. I really hope it's just rain! Or maybe, best case, just rain in the morning... but doesn't look like it.
• I got my new iPhone yesterday. Love it. Of course, my old one was on it's last legs (the home button was having intermittent issues and yes, total first world problem). I didn't have Siri before, so I'm having fun messing around with that.
• And I got a cool case. You can throw your credit card and few bucks in the back. 
• The kids birthday party is on Dec 15th this year. Their birthdays are Nov 29th and Dec 5th - so I'm trying to plan a little fun thing on the actual day. For Maggie, I'm going with friends to visit their horse (and all the other horses in the barn!) and for Cam, planning a day at the Boston Children's museum.
• While looking for something for Maggie's birthday, I found a place that will do a little pony party for her. They have a tiny pony called Tinkerbell, and she can use finger paints and ribbons to decorate her first (which made me feel bad for the horse, but they assured me that the horse actually likes the attention), and then go for a little lesson. They couldn't do it on the actual day, so I'm having my mom bring her as Grandma's special present.
• Have I mentioned I'm back into swimming? I'm swimming with a real masters team (they compete and everything) Monday and Weds nights. They practice from 8 - 9:30, and I thought I would hate working out that late, but it's been working out great. Fun people, hard workouts - and yes, I sleep better and feel better.

Reminders

Over a year ago, I was chatting with a father at daycare. They were expecting their second child, and in the process of moving to a new house. I asked why they were moving (it was an in-town move) and he said that he wife insisted. I asked casually, 'need more space'? And he said no, that his wife said there were too many bad memories in the current house. Their first son had severe acid reflux and she said the living room reminded her of the hours they stayed up trying to comfort him and all the crying.

I was taken aback. Nora died in my living room. I did CPR on her on my bed. Her ashes are buried in our front yard. I would never, in a MILLION years, want to move away from my house. While it does have sad memories, it also has wonderful ones. I remember exactly the day I ran downstairs to tell Aaron I was pregnant with Cam. I remember the fun (and drama) of Aaron and my renovation efforts. The laughter as we figured out that the awful smell in our living room was a dead animal in the Christmas tree and not a poopy diaper. The dinners we've eaten in our dining room, and the fun parties we've thrown for friends. The weekends Aaron spent doing projects with his father. All of it. Mixed in with the sad. That's life, right?

But ever once in a while I get it. When we took down Maggie's crib and they both left the house (we brought the matching one to my mom's cabin for overnights), it was like a huge weight was lifted. Getting rid of the crib that Nora never got to sleep in. I didn't realize until it was gone that every time I looked in Maggie's room, I would think of the hours spent setting that room up for my twin girls. But, slowly, we have new things to make new associations and memories with, and the pain gets a little lighter. Still, in surprising ways, I'll get slammed with the loss. Sunday, at church, they sang a song that was sung at Nora funernal. And the minute I opened the hymnal to that page, I burst into tears. So does the pain go away? No. And maybe a fresh start somewhere new would be nice. Where I didn't see reminders at every turn of what's been lost. But I can never imagine moving away from my home. Where Aaron and I have built this little family.

I'll take it all, the happy and the sad. Because the happy makes the sad bearable.

Grand Finale

This weekend was the grand finale of a seemingly endless string of packed weekends. We went to the cabin to see how Mom has settled in Friday, Saturday went to the zoo, Saturday night was a potluck Halloween party, we ushered at church Sunday morning, and went to a really fun birthday party after church.

Thank God It's Monday. Seriously. I need a break from the fun.

One a year, Southwicks Zoo does a special in October where the kids get in free if they are wearing costumes. So that is when I bring them, as it's a pretty expensive outing otherwise. They not only have a bunch of animals, but mechanical rides (not included in the free admission) that little kids can go on and pony rides. My kids were in heaven.

Like I said on Friday, I had the kids dress up in more lightweight costumes for the zoo trip then what they are planning on wearing for Halloween. Maggie was very happy to be a fairy princess from her dress up box and I couldn't have laughed harder when Cam was dressed up as hulk. Destiny. He hammed it up all day, too.

 Here is Cam on one of the more scary rides - it went up really high and then dropped down - he wouldn't stop laughing, and I got him to raise his hands off the bar.

 Of course Maggie rode the horse ride over and over. The smile never left her face.

 The weather was so great - a perfect fall day. This zoo also has a ride called the Sky Safari, where you go on a ski lift and see the zoo from above. Cam just met the height requirement and we ended up going three times. It was a blast.

Sunday morning, we were filling is as ushers in church, and you would have thought the kids won the lotto for how excited they were about it. They ran up to everyone, said good morning, and gave a program. Cutest thing ever.

Then we went to at birthday party - we have had a birthday party every weekend since the beginning of September, and I think this was the last one for a while. It was at Teamworks - an indoor sports place. They had full run of a field, with a bounce house and an arcade. Both kids had a blast.

Anyway, I'm sitting and finding work more relaxing then my weekend!

Winner!

Cam is taking a nap (thank god), so I used the random number generator to pick the winner....

Sara Skates is the Tiny Prints $50 credit winner! Congats, and enjoy ice skating! Please email me your contact info so I can pass it along to Tiny Prints!

Friday Night leftovers

• This week has been insane. Way too much weekday excitement. Nantucket Tuesday, big dinner last night, and this morning - I drove to the cabin for a visit with Grandma.
• Last night, I was able to repay some of the kindness from my India trip. My friend that I visited India to see get married was here for work, and I had him over for dinner. I made a roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, home baked bread, and an apple pie. I tried to make it the most American meal I could! And I sent him back to the hotel with a loaf of banana bread. It was great to catch up with him and let him meet the kids.
• But pulling off a dinner like that in the middle of the work week is hard work!
• Right now, I'm sitting at the clubhouse while the kids are at the cabin with Grandma. We are visiting for the first time since she's moved up here. I'm hopeful all is going well with her and the kids, while I enjoy working with a view of the lake and the rain drumming on the roof.
• This week, Maggie has been a complete devil. I'm really hoping she shapes up today because it's exhausting.
• Tomorrow is the trip to the zoo. I was so fed up with everyone this morning and the weather looked so dismal, I almost didn't bring the kids costumes. But last minute, I grabbed things out of the dress up box. I'm glad I did, because all of a sudden, the weather forecast went from 50% chance of rain to 70 degrees and sunny. Gotta love New England in the fall.
• I pulled stuff from the dress up bin (Maggie will be a fairy, and Cam The Hulk) because both kids costumes are fleece and HOT.
• I have friends who get books sent to their Kindles free from the library. I thought this sounded like a fabulous idea. So I requested the next book club book. And then spent hours figuring out how to download the damn thing. When I finally got it downloaded, I found out I requested a audio recording and not the book. I was annoyed.
• But on the drive to the cabin this morning, both kids were plugged into the DVD player and I blissfully listened to my book for two hours. Fortuitous mistake.'
• One of the things I made in my last freezer cooking stint was steel cut oats in the slow cooker. Then you freeze it in the extra large muffin tins (fits a cup of oatmeal). I had it for the first time this morning, with an apple cut up in it. OMG. So good. And such an easy way to have oatmeal in the morning. Faster than the crappy instant stuff.