Halloween Party

I am doing something I have always wanted to do, but never quite had the energy to do it.  The boys are crazy for Halloween and I happen to enjoy the holiday as well.  I love this season.  So, we are having a Halloween Party and it is for no other reason than that.

I have combed the internet and Pinterest and I think that I have found some fun decorations, food, and games.  Ben and Gabe have invited four friends each and I have invited neighbors and friends.  I am excited to say the least.  A little nervous as well.  There is a lot of prep work and I tend to be a procrastinator.  So, I am going to block out my week next week and do my best to have it all ready.  I asked some friends to help so I won't be alone putting it on.

I will keep you posted and definitely take pictures!!

Gabe's Birthday at the insane yet efficient Chuck E Cheese

CHUCK E CHEESE

For Gabe's birthday (post birthday birthday party) we went to Chuck E Cheese with about 9 of Gabe's friends.  It was like a party exploded all over the place and children were flowing out of it.  I think there were about 5 birthday parties going on and numerous other children just there to burn some energy.  However, amidst all the chaos it was a tightly run ship.  For the most part. The kids played video games and burned through their coins for one hour.  Then we were all called to our table to eat pizza and enjoy the Chuck E Cheese show.  I must admit that the show was kind of on the measly side. But my memory may be decieving me. I remember Chuck E Cheese's being HUGE! There was an enormous stage, up in front. When the lights went dim and the spotlights would start flashing and we knew it was time to run to the front to watch all the robot characters start singing. I thought it was magical! What happened to all of that? Anyway, Gabe got to hang out with Chuck E himself and I guess he was sort of excited.  The highlight was the ticket booth - Gabe got to catch the tickets as they blew all around him.  He caught the magic tickets and ended up with 1480 tickets. That got him the crazy blue ball that the boys promptly turned into a hat when we got home.  See picture of Sammy below.  All in all it went pretty well.  I didn't have to do a whole lot of work, which is what I wanted in the first place.

Burning through his coins.

Just barely letting Chuck E touch him.  I am okay with that.

Inside the ticket booth.  Very exciting.

Displaying the magic tickets.

Sam modeling Gabe's loot.

Sammy and his blankie and Oberweis

Sammy loves to snuggle blankie, no matter where it is. He will prostrate himself and bury his nose in his blankie. Ahhhhh, l'amour.

For an FHE treat we drove to Oberweis, a local ice cream shop in the St. Louis area and I have discovered a most delicious treat - Hot chocolate with cinnamon ice cream mixed in. MMMMMMMMMMM!

Gabe and Ben enjoyed a game of chess.

We tried to keep Sam from eating the chess pieces.

Sammy enjoying his chocolate shake on the floor.

Sammy trying to fingerpaint with chocolate shake on the floor.

Parent Teacher Conference

Last week I met with Ben's teacher for PTC.  It was very insightful. Ben has a fantastic teacher with a great sense of humor.  Thank heavens.

She asked me if Ben likes to sing in the bathroom. Frankly I don't know because we have such loud fans in our bathrooms that I can't hear anything that goes on in there. Mrs. Sandora said that whenever Ben goes to the bathroom (which is connected to the classroom) he sings heartily - in an operatic way.  The accoustics must be great. She said that they have knocked on the door and told Ben that everyone can hear him but that doesn't seem to phase him.  He continues on with the aria.

She also told me that the bathroom door has a very loud creak and when Ben shuts the door he likes to get every last creak out of the door.  I asked him about it and he said, "Oh yeah!  It goes like this CRREEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeak." So now I know what the bathroom door sounds like at school.  Maybe I should go there with a little WD-40 and solve that issue.

Luckily we were able to laugh about it - like I said, she has a good sense of humor. 

Also Ben has lost his two front teeth.  See picture below. I know what Ben wants for Christmas!

Pictures from Longwood Gardens and Ott's Mum Hill

Gabe's awesome outfit this morning

Argyle sweater and orange sweat pants make a dapper combination, don't you think?

At least I didn't know them

Yesterday we went to Longwood Gardens - it was a perfectly beautiful fall day. I'll write more about that later.

As we passed a large sculpted plant in the shape of a dog Mike remarked that the dog had bushy eyebrows. Ben replied, "Yeah, just like me and mom have bushy eyebrows."

Of course at that moment a small wedding party passed by and heard every word because Ben doesn't exactly speak quietly.

I said, "Oh thanks Ben, that's just great."

Mike said, "Just what you want to hear eh?"

The wedding party chuckled. At least I didn't know any of them. Of course I had to ask Mike a little later, "Are my eyebrows bushy?" Let me reassure you... my eyebrows are nothing like the furry caterpillars I had in highschool. I could put Brooke Shields to shame!