A Hobby Horse Halloween

Today was Drew's Halloween party at preschool.

And I consider it a success. Especially since he didn't want to go, didn't want to wear his costume, didn't want anything to do with it.

I pulled the last weapon out of my mothering arsenal and confessed to him that I get to stay with him today at school. That got me a "what!?", followed by a big smile, and whole lotta cooperation!

Drew's class (I think there were a few missing...)

Monkey, Snow White, a witch, Luke Skywalker, Super Girl, a ballerina/princess mix (not totally sure), Tinkerbell, a ladybug, and Spiderman (Cinderella is hiding back there somewhere, too.)

I don't think he's totally sure what's going on, but looking pretty dashing between those cute girls. And may I say, I totally want to set Drew up with Super Girl (Sarah). Isn't she a doll?!?

The class got to parade around the block, stopping at a neighbor's house, the middle school up the street (where he was mistaken for Karate Kid and a ninja)...

...and a local business (again, mistaken for a "karate guy".)

Then back to the classroom for the craft project.

Decorating trick-or-treat bags for Halloween night.

Game time! Throwing bean bags into pumpkins.

Halloween cupcakes and a side order of pretzels for snack.

Obviously delish.

And finally, a story to end the day. (Read in the hallway as the party moms were cleaning up from snack.)

Drew's take-home bag, full of his Halloween goodies from the day!

Reed and I were able to stay with Drew throughout the morning. It was a shortened day because of the party, but still with just enough time to have so much fun. It was really great being able to be there with him, to see his excitement and see him in his school environment, eventhough it was a different kind of day.

YAY Hobby Horse!

YAY Halloween Parties!

YAY Drew! Er, I mean, LUKE!

The Making of Luke Skywalker

Halloween Costume Plan A:

Reed will use Drew's lion costume from two years ago (budget friendly...yay!).

Drew, since he's old enough to have his own opinion, will pick his own costume.

RESULT: Plan A fails. Drew doesn't want to dress up. He just wants to be "regular" for Halloween. After four hours of shopping at four different stores and coming home empty handed, Plan B is initiated.

Halloween Costume Plan B:

Reed will still be the lion.

I will attempt to make some kind of costume that Drew may not approve of, but he'll wear anyway. Ideas: Wizard costume from October issue of Family Fun magazine. Or Imagination Mover costume made from a blue jumpsuit.

RESULT: Plan B is put on the back burner when Uncle Justin calls...and comes to the rescue!

Halloween Costume Plan C:

Uncle Justin thinks Reed should be Yoda, while he's still little enough. After he sends me this link for the costume, I'm sold. I'm a sucker for cuteness.

And how cute would it be if Drew was a Star Wars character, too? I'm a sucker for themes! We worked though the possibilities and looked at costumes online, and we finally settled on Luke Skywalker. But I just couldn't bring myself to purchase a costume for upwards of $30. I confess that Halloween is probably my least favorite holiday, so spending an arm and a leg for it isn't my cup of tea. After gaining some inspiration from online, I figured it couldn't be that difficult to whip together our own Luke costume with a few odds and ends here and there.

RESULT: Hello, Luke Skywalker!

Tunic: a borrowed karate top from a friend.

Belt: one of Brad's old, broken ones - trimmed to size with a newly punched hole.

Khaki pants: found in Drew's dresser drawer.

Faux boots: wrapped corduroy fabric from Grammy's fabric stash.

Light Saber: $9 at Target.

How'd we do??

Drew's reaction to all of this? It took a lot of convincing. The light saber helped, and the whole you-can't-get-candy-if-you-don't-dress-up thing kind of got him, too. He was kind of a stinker getting dressed this morning for his Halloween party at school, but once he was ready, light saber in hand, I think he liked it. :)

Hero Action Moves: all his own!

Picture of the Day, Week 42

Brad and I were recognized today for Pastor Appreciation Day. We received this beautiful fall flower arrangement, as well as some gift cards.

Drew's first time at the dentist!

Often times, after I've finished getting the boys ready for the day, they make their way onto our bed to watch Disney while I do a little tidying up upstairs. Cuteness.

We hadn't done any art projects at home for quite a while, and Drew was just begging to do one today. I got out some fall colored paint and a couple old apples, and wa-la! ART!

Drew still loves games, although he hasn't spent as much time playing them lately. Yahtzee is his newest, and now even Reed is getting in on the action.

Uhhh...he was thirsty???

The boys and I had planned to head to Des Moines for the Race for Cure that was this morning. It's been an annual event for my mom's family, as we walk in memory of my grandmother. But due to the distance and the threat of rainshowers, and I'm working on a nasty cough right now, we decided to stay home. I rocked the pink today anyway, and thought of my grandma often.

Mixed Signals

I think I'm missing something.

Dropping Drew off at preschool the last few times has been a bit difficult. He was doing pretty well, adjusting to the idea that he stays and I go. He cried the first day, and he clung to me and said "no no no" on the second day. From then on, he's been reluctantly following me into his classroom, and then if one of his teachers isn't there to immediately distract him and take him to do something, he'll follow me (quietly) right out the door. Thankfully, he's easily distracted with whatever his teachers take him off to do, and I'm out the door.

Well, last Thursday, Tuesday, and then again today, not only am I pushing him into the room while he clings to my legs, hands, arm, and any other loose appendage, he starts to scream when I walk away.

By the way he acts, you'd think I was leaving him to fend for himself on a island with only carrot sticks to eat and grass to play with.

Really, Drew? Really??

He knows he'll have a good time. He always does.

He knows I'll be back to get him. I always am.

I was hoping that the longer he was in school, the easier dropping him off would be.

Assumption: Wrong!

What I know to be true, though, is that two seconds after I'm out the door, he's totally fine. His teachers at school tell me this, as do the people in the church nursery. Because he likes to scream in there, too.

His teachers at school have also told me that he's been doing great at school. Participating, doing all the stations, manners, everything. Today, Mrs. Cindy even said that Drew gets the "most improved" award.

Great news, right? Totally! Super proud mama moment, for sure.

However...what's with all the screaming, Drew?!?!

You obviously have a great time at school.

You are always super excited to show me what you made while you were at school.

You talk about Mrs. Bland and Mrs. Cindy all the time.

So.

The screaming, dude? Totally unnecessary.

Please stop.

Please.

Dr. Jeff, DDS

Another "first" for Drew yesterday morning...

His first visit to the dentist!

And let me say, Drew did marvelously! I couldn't have been more impressed with him. I was nervous, as I always am when I take Drew to experience something new, especially something new that may not be so much fun. He's usually shy and clingy and quietly difficult to handle when he doesn't want to do something he's unfamiliar with. And to be totally honest, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I didn't know what all they would do on his first visit, but I was as prepared as I could be for the certain tears and uncooperativeness.

Well, SURPRISE! All my worrying was totally unnecessary!

I had chosen a dental office here in town based on some recommendations from acquaintances, specifically because those that recommended these particular doctors said how great they are with kids. That would be the understatement of the year!

Stollers' Dentistry is a family business, comprised of Dad Dr. Stoller, Son #1 Dr. Stoller and Son #2 Dr. Stoller. Our dentist is Dr. Jeff, one of the sons. And eventhough we've only had one visit there, he not only gets five stars, but will be who I recommend to anyone who might ask for a dental referral. He.was.great! He immediately got Drew chatting and laughing, and pretty soon both myself and the hygienist were in on the giggles. He showed Drew all of his "cool" dental tools and let him ride up and down in the dental chair. In the end, Dr. Jeff knew about Drew's little brother, what he's going to be for Halloween, what school he goes to, and how many teeth Drew has.

A beautiful relationship has begun.

A sticker and a prize later, and the deal was sealed.

That Dr. Jeff, he's a pretty cool guy. Dare I say that going to the dentist is...(eek!)...fun?!?!

Now I just have my fingers crossed that next Monday goes as smoothly when we go back to get his teeth cleaned. You know, like they'll actually be fiddling with his mouth. Aye aye aye...

Apple Blossom Farm

Last Friday, Brad took the morning off of work so that the four of us could make our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. It turned out to be a rather cool morning, with a bit of a breeze, but the snotty noses and rosy cheeks didn't stop us from having a great time.

Well, a good time, at least.

I'm not sure Drew was feeling the greatest (he had been complaining that his ear hurt, and eventhough he slept in until 8:20 that morning (unheard of!), I think he was a bit off kilter) and consequently, he wasn't in the brightest of moods. He did well, considering, but was a bit unwillingly to pose for many photographs.

And Reed, he was just happy to be outside! He loves to run around, as free as a bird, unencumbered by the seatbelt on the stroller, to run and explore and discover. It wasn't terribly busy, with just a few larger elementary school groups there on field trips, so Reed had plenty of room to run run run!

Here's a peek at what we saw...

(On a sidenote: We totally love our new camera, but we are super-amateurs when it comes to operating it. Upon uploading these photos, I realized that we had our settings on the exact opposite of what they should be for the bright, beautiful morning we had. Super bummer, because all of our photos are pretty grainy and compromised in color and quality. I'm trying to boost them with our photo editing software, but there's only so much that can be done. *sigh*)

(We missed you Kathy, Scott, Grace and Norah!)