Halloween 2010! Henry went as a dragon and Irene as a lady bug. Yes, this is the third year as a lady bug, but this year her costume is new! I think they look so stinkin' cute!
I got their costumes as well as Gavin's monster costume at the Children's Orchard in Traverse City. The Children's Orchard sells gently used children's clothing and some swings, bassinets, strollers, high chairs, etc. For all three costumes I spent a total of $30. Not bad when you consider the dragon and lady bug came from Old Navy. They probably each cost $30 new! I love the Children's Orchard. I get fantastic deals there which really helps.
Gavin was a monster. He looks huge in the pictures but it is all padding from the costume. My little guy only weighs in at 19 pounds which is still the 10th percentile. I'm not too concerned though, he eats a lot and is very active. Even Henry weighs in at only the 15th percentile. Okay, enough about weight...it's about candy and trick-or-treating! We had a great time walking to the houses. Henry and Irene are pros at ringing doorbells and knocking.
Poor Gavin wasn't feeling very well. Out of the blue he threw up that morning. Then he seemed fine. He took a good nap and seemed to be back to his old self. Around 9:30 pm he had just fallen asleep on Mark when he suddenly sat up, coughed and threw up all over Mark. LuLu came over to investigate and Gavin threw up all over her head! I tired to be sympathetic but I've been thrown up on by all three kids before. Been there! Done that! I laughed until I cried and even Mark was able to see the humor in it (eventually).Like knitting? Check out my knitting blog :-)
7 comments:
What is it with puking children lately? I have another girlfriend who had sick kiddies on Halloween.
Lizzie only weighs 16 lbs. Now I don't feel so bad...lol.
Oh they look fantastic! What a great bargain, and a truly sensible way to approach things for children. After all, those costumes clearly hadn't been worn out and still had a lot of good use in them.
I was just reading your comment over at Jo's about the upcoming Thanksgiving, and how things have changed. I think we're very afraid of change, it feels very threatening, compound that with understandable sadness and it can all feel a little overwhelming.
I thought about something as I read your post and then came here and saw the pictures of your kids: do you remember Thanksgiving as a child? It seems like you probably have some really good memories of holidays past.
There had to have been a Thanksgiving for your mom, that was the first without her mom, and maybe it felt a little empty to her as she approached it. I wonder if you can remember it, and if it felt smaller to you?
Nicole, it's still early here and my brain doesn't have quite enough coffee feeding it as yet, but that's what I wanted to say: You're still sharing things with your mom, having an experience that she must have had too. Developing an even greater affinity through experience.
And your kids are getting the memories, even now, for the reasons they will look back and think, "Gosh, my mom really could do anything."
Like finding great costumes when money is a bit tight and celebrating their birthdays and...I wish I had the words to convey this well. It's clear that your mom was often your hero. I still remember the imaginary bunnies, and you're not only going to be the hero to your kids, you already are.
Does that make any sense? I know your mom isn't physically present in the "Let's have a chat." way, and she can't be but she is there. I don't just mean, "In spirit!" I mean, in action, in what you do, and who you are becoming to your own kids.
Things change and they don't change, too. None of that changes being sad right now but as I read your post I thought, "What a great mom she is."
And I remember thinking that about the box of imaginary bunnies, too.
Your comments always make me cry! In a good way though! I do feel like the way I mother and do things is because of her. I don't cook anywhere near as good as she did!
I miss her and I find it hard to write posts or even acknowledge comments on my blog. It makes me tear up when I write things about her.
Life is a mess right now and I can't seem to even think straight. I want you to know that I truly love and appreciate your comments. They make me smile, remember and feel better. I feel like I am unable to correctly put into words what I'm trying to say. It lifts my spirits to read your comments and your thoughts and stories.
It took me awhile but I finally recalled the first Thanksgiving without my Grandma (my mom's mom). She died on May 1st after being ill for a couple of months and by Thanksgiving we were all starting to heal a little bit. That year my aunt Rose (nasty woman!) made food while being sick with the stomach flu. Needless to say the rest of us got it too. It was a gross few days! The memory made me laugh and I had forgotten all about it!
Oddly enough, this memory makes me think back to when my grandma passed. We knew she was going to and we had time to prepare. On the day she died we all went back to her house to have a drink. At her kitchen table she had a little flip calender that had a prayer and little saying for each day of the year. For May 1st it said "Keep moving, as long as it's forward." That has stuck with me for these past 11 years. It summed up her way of thinking quite well. I keep thinking of that and I try to keep moving forward. There are moments when I think I cannot make it without her but then I think of my kids and I am determined to make their lives as good as possible.
I have so many regrets. I wish the week before had gone better. I wish I had called her on Saturday like I planned. And now, after cleaning out her house with my brothers, I wish I had been in a better frame of mind. Things were thrown away that I wish we had kept. I feel like I've been numb and in a fog. As the fog lifts I realize I should have done this and not that.
Life is shoulda, coulda, woulda.
Whew! Sorry...I've gone on and on and I don't know if I've managed to make my point. What is my point? Even though I only know you through blogs I find so much comfort in your thoughts and words. It helps! And THANK YOU!!
I'm interested to know why my mother, your Aunt Rose, is a nasty woman???
Amy,
I have been willing to "live and let live" in regards to your mother and the unpleasantness of the past 11 years...However, your mother called a very dear friend of my mother's and proceeded to spew venom about my mother for over twenty minutes to the point that this person got off the phone and had to have a drink to calm down! This happen just after her funeral! She wasn't even dead a week. So yes, I believe my Aunt Rose to be a nasty woman.
As I believe that my Aunt Sue was a nasty woman!
Amy,
It is your choice to believe my mother was a nasty woman and to "unfriend" me on Facebook.
I can honestly say my mother never bad-mouthed or spread vile rumors around town about other people. She tried to be gracious even when life was difficult. Our lives may have been bumpy with a lot of unforseen difficulties, but I thank the Lord everyday that I had her as my mother. She was a good woman.
I offically decree this subject closed. I will not discuss it anymore.
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