The last 2 weeks have been jam packed with Halloween fun. I am exhausted.
We got the boys’ school pictures back- it would be $160 to download the images below, so enjoy the screen shots I took, because we will not be purchasing these, even though the are pretty cute. Literally, everything in life is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive and every day I sound more and more like a crabby old guy saying things like, “back in my day, that thing cost a nickel…” But for real.
The week of the 23rd-27 was a pretty average week for us- swimming, school, work, etc. The boys get monthly kiwi co boxes, which are super fun activities. They go in spurts where they ignore them, and then all of a sudden can’t get enough. We were all about them this week. Gussie gets a cooking theme box and he made breakfast cocktails with homemade grenadine, and a lava cake that was AMAZING.
I’m still on a new recipe kick, experimenting with one new meal a week. I’m also still making their lunches every day, but have gotten a pretty good system that includes one million tiny tupperware, but makes planning and prep quite smooth.
Last Saturday was the kickoff to Halloween fun. The Highland Park Business Association hosts trick or treating around the businesses in the area. It was a very fun morning. Not only were businesses handing out candy, they were also handing out cocoa, chips and salsa, hot dogs, and more. It was quite a spread. And both boys ended up with full buckets of candy.
After a morning of festivities, we had a little bit of rest time at home, and then Saturday night was Heather and Andy’s annual neighborhood Halloween BASH. It is possibly my favorite neighborhood event of the year! First of all, everyone shows up looking their best! It is so exciting to see what kinds of costumes everyone comes up with. There were many other guests I didn’t get pictures of, but everyone looked awesome. Xander knew he wanted to be a ninja turtle weeks ago. Despite my convincing, Augustus was NOT interested in a family costume. He wanted to be a “Soul Slayer” which, is a phrase I am pretty sure he made up. He wanted to look scary. We compromised on a scary but not too scary costume.
Besides the costumes and amazing spread of food, this party has my favorite activity of all- the scavenger hunt. Heather makes a list of specific things around the neighborhood and pairs run around and have to take a photo with each item. First team back with all the photos wins.
Gussie and I were a pair this year and we ran so hard I was sweating. We kept yelling at each other to run faster and “come on come, we’re almost done!” It was so fun and our photos got progressively blurrier, but in the end, we were the winners!!!
After the scavenger hunt, there were other games to keep the kiddos busy while the backyard was set up for the candy hunt. Heather hides candy all over and the kids get to run around and collect it. Once again, we ended up with full bags of candy!
The kids ran around the yard all evening. The adults drank Heather’s signature cocktails and chatted. Eventually Nate took the boys home and put them to bed and I played flip cup until well past my normal bedtime. It was a fabulous day!
On Sunday, we had one of Gussie’s classmates over for a playdate. Gussie and this young man are, what I would call, “frien-enemies”- sometimes friend, sometimes arch nemesis. I’ve spoken to his teacher about this kid several times and while my little snowflake typically gets along with everyone, based on our conversations, I wanted to check this kid out. It was a fun afternoon and they played together nicely. I didn’t get any weird vibes from him and his mom was lovely too. I have a suspicion that both of these dudes have a lot of energy, sometimes struggle to control that energy, and sometimes their energy just clashes. When the playdate ended, I felt better about this situation and happy I got to see them play.
Speaking of Augustus and friends, last week, my sweet baby 6 year old and I had the following conversation-
Gussie- I have a crush on someone and she has a crush on me.
Me- oh?! And what does that mean?
G- we love each other
Me- what do you love about this young woman?
G- she’s smart and beautiful and good at athletics
Me- and what happens when you have a crush on someone?
G- we hold hands
Jesus take the wheel.
Later that evening, Xander was teasing him and Augustus said, “you have 10 seconds to laugh and then it’s done.” Xander laughed for 10 seconds and then he stopped.
I didn’t bring it up again, but Grandma Debbie was over a few days later and asked Augustus what was new. Matter-of-factly as he could, he said, “I’m in love.” Grandma asked him about this little girl and he said, “when we play kickball, she runs almost as fast as me and I’m the second fastest kid in our class.”
I like that he has found himself a strong, confident woman who isn’t holding back. But whoa buddy, I think this kid is going to give us a run for our money.
Last week was a busy one for us! Monday was PJ day at school for the boys. Xander said, “I think pajama day is dumb, I’m not doing that.” I like that he knows himself and does what is best for him.
Monday night we carved pumpkins. Well, Xander carved a pumpkin and Augustus painted his gourd (which is what he picked out instead of a pumpkin).
I made Halloween themed lunches for all 3 of my men. Nate has been studying for the Certified Financial Planner exam for a full year now. The test was Thursday and he was nervous and still working hard to prepare. So I offered to make him lunch all week. When he said yes, I am not sure if he expected the same lunches as the boys. I giggled when I thought about him in his beautiful fancy office opening his lunch box and being like, “why does everything have eyes and teeth?!” More professional business lunches should include hot dogs with eyes or bagels with teeth.
Tuesday was Halloween! The good thing about the weekend of trick or treating and partying is that there’s a little less pressure on actual Halloween. It’s a fun night, but also not that big of a deal.
We started out with pizza skull dinner for the entire neighborhood. Every year since my children have been alive, Halloween has been warm outside. This year was like Halloween of my youth- 30 degrees and snowy! So we jammed 26 people in my house to enjoy what has become a pre-trick or treating tradition. Everyone brought snacks and treats and salads to share. I made 36 pizza skulls. We ate, we laughed and we were out in about an hour. It’s a whirlwind of fun before we get out to our neighborhood.
We walked up and down our block- the highlight being our neighbor giving out packs of pokemon cards. The next street over is known as “Halloween Street” and houses were UNBELIEVABLE with their decorations. One house even had a photo booth. Even with the cold, everyone stands outside along the edge of their yard and so trick or treating is so easy. By the time we had gone up and down that block, both boys were ready to be done.
Xander and I spent about 30 minutes handing out candy, and both boys were showered and in bed only slightly later than usual.
On Wednesday, Nate and I went out to a special dinner while my mom had dinner with the boys. Our favorite sushi restaurant has been closed for over a year while the building it is in was under construction. We had dinner on their last night and on Wednesday, it was the re-opening night. It was also the night before Nate’s big CFP test. We ate ALL the sushi and had a nice night and pre-celebrated his success!
Thursday was Nate’s test and after of year of hard work and preparation, he passed! And in typical Nate fashion, he was as cool as can be- barely a reaction at all. I would have been shouting from the rooftop! Thursday for the boys was “dress like your class name day” so Augustus dressed as a sea turtle, and Xander (whose class is the Golden Retrievers), once again opted out.
When it was time for swim practice, Xander was NOT feeling it. He had been out of sorts from the time he got home from school. Nate and I are trying hard to teach the boys commitment and follow-through and responsibility, but also balance that with the understanding that they are still little. So Xander and I stayed home and he took a bath and then got into bed early. We snuggled and read books and he was asleep before Nate and Augustus even got home. I think Halloween fun had finally caught up to him.
On Friday, we road-tripped down to Des Moines to meet up with 2 of Nate’s high school friends and their families. We stayed in a hotel with a pool. One of the other kids also had pokemon cards, so there was some trading time. We went to a really cool nearby park. Xander and I made a special trip to a fabulous bakery that Christine loved when she lived in Iowa and that she and I went to every time I visited. It was a busy few days of fun.
And now it’s November, which means it’s almost time for our Elf to return!!