Trying to Catch up: Halloween stuff.

Last Halloween we went down to Arizona to visit Mr. Fox's family.  We had a fabulous time, but I never got the pictures sorted through and blogged!  Oops.  I'll try to do a little catching up soon... but in the meantime, here are the kids in their costumes from last year.

Chick as a ballerina

Cute Sir Cousin in the background

Monkey as a bee

Moose as a homeless bum.

This year, despite the poor job economy situation, I'm happy to report that Moose got a job as a builder and is no longer homeless.

To continue the trend, his costume next year will be Bill Gates ; )

Monkey was a monkey.  It's funny that what originated as a funny little nickname to use on this blog has become rather a defining thing in her life.  She likes all things "monkey" and took her monkey collection to preschool for show-and-tell.

Chick was Fancy Nancy.  It was a fun costume...but Chick is all about comfort and was not happy to wear an itchy wig (and mean Mama that I am, I insisted that if she wanted to get any candy or go to any parties she had to be wearing that wig!).  This is her "but it's ITCHY" face.

Owl was a zebra.

Otter was an elephant.

We did a group pumpkin (mostly the two bigger girls and me), and I thought he turned out pretty darn cute.

I dressed as a pirate for the ward Trunk or Treat, and had fun putting together stuff for our trunk decorations.  I made a fabric sign that said, "Ye must first walk the plank, lest ye be cursed" and Fox made a little platform plank that the kids had to walk to get to candy.  I had a full-sized Jolly Roger hanging, and a "treasure" with the bowl of candy in the middle.  When I hung the flag up, Moose said, "oh, pretty!" 
1. probably the first time the Jolly Roger flag has been called pretty.
2. that boy has too many sisters!

The last time I dressed as a pirate was 2002...the year that Fox and I were getting flirty
but had yet to go on a date/engagement/marriage. 

 

Anything shiny, gold, or silver that we own got put into the trunk.

By the time the kids came out for the trunk or treat it was dark and cold, and the parking lot was poorly lit.  So really my efforts were for nothing, but it gave me a creative outlet for the day I guess.  I do so like doing that kind of thing.

Before we carved the pumpkin we played around with putting the babies into it.  Otter was fascinated, but Owl was not amused.  at all.

Anyhow, it was a fun holiday.  I have always loved costumes.  This year I had to keep everything pretty simple (because I'm still in survival mode) but enjoyed it anyhow.  On the actual day I was sick, so I stayed home with the babies and passed out the candies.  I prepared jack-o-lantern quesodillas and sent Mr. Fox and the older three out for trick-or-treating and to our friends' house for a party. 

I thought I'd have a nice relaxing time watching old episodes of Bewitched, but two hungry babies and a bunch of trick-or-treaters thwarted that plan.  The kids came home happy and excited...and then Moose had a meltdown because I didn't let him start eating candy (or something...I don't remember exactly now) and peed in his clothes.  good times.

Have I mentioned that we abandoned potty training?  I can't keep up with laundry that comes with willfully wetting one's clothes.  When everyone has settled down and are not showing signs of new-baby-stress (including especially me) then we can resume.  You know, when he's not such a two-year-old.

Double the Blessings

(the coordinated pacifiers were just a happy coincidence)

Owl and Otter were blessed at the end of September.

 

To be honest, I was pretty stressed leading up to it, because I'd procrastinated making the dresses mostly.  I also had planned to have a housecleaning service come clean the house for me, and then wasn't able to get them scheduled in time.  Also I got sick the week before.

 

All that said, I think that it was the nicest blessing day of all of the kids.  The stress continued up until we got to church ...late... and they had to switch around the meeting to do the blessing after the passing of the sacrament rather than before (with all of our visiting family looking around anxiously..."where are they?!"). 

 

But then the blessings were beautiful, and after that I enjoyed everything.

 

A funny thing about the blessings.  First of all, I can hardly remember any of either one...trying to remember one blessing is sometimes hard enough...two is too much for my tired brain!  But I had my sister tape it for me (hopefully she hasn't taped over it, since I haven't gotten it from her yet).  I know some feel that taping a blessing is taboo, but I'm ok with it in this situation.  Anyhow, the funny thing is that during Owl's blessing Fox called her Julia.  It's her middle name, but there's never been any discussion about CALLING her that, and he's never called her that before or since.  He denied it and says he doesn't remember calling her that...I think he just likes to give people something to wonder about ; )

When Mr. Fox saw this he said that he looks old and tired. 
I will admit that these few months have helped us both to FEEL old and tired,
but I still think he's a handsome devil.

Anyhow, then we finished out the meetings and everyone headed to our house for a luncheon.  There were Grandma and Grandpa J, Grandma and Grandpa N, my sister Laura, Fox's uncle Mark, and my sister Judy + family.  It was a much smaller group than for the others, but the food was delicious, the conversation interesting, and the happiness abundant (at least for me).

LOVE this picture of Owl with my goofy nephew Ben : )

Grandpa and Grandma N

Grandpa and Grandma J

Anyhow, the dresses.  I completely revised my plans for the dresses, because I'd procrastinated sewing them.  I decided to go with a simple shirred-top dress style.  I didn't use a pattern, and I made the dresses from an eyelet bedskirt that I'd bought at a yard sale for $1.  I love repurposing : )  Anyhow, I am happy with how they turned out, though they weren't as quick and easy as I'd expected.  And they aren't even the same, because I did one and then tried to improve upon it for the second.  There are things that I like better in one, and things that I like better in the other.  But I am happy with how both turned out.

Dresses with matching headbands and booties.

matching booties that didn't stay on well,
but were super adorable anyhow.

I know this isn't the best picture, but it shows Otter in her dress.
I love the sweet, innocent feel of white eyelet.

A note about the colors for the dresses:  I love both colors.  I kind of felt like the peachy color was more "Otter" and the bluer one was more "Owl"...but I don't want to type cast the babies before they've even had a chance to say what they like...so when it was time to get them dressed I just grabbed a baby without looking to see who it was, and I grabbed a dress, and that was that.  But it was contrary to how I had originally thought to do it...so I was confused for a lot of the day trying to remember.

 

It's enough to have to identify someone based on their clothing, but to have to go through the thought process of "that one is wearing peach, which I had in mind for Otter but today they are switched, so that is Owl" ...well, it's exhausting.  And I'd stayed up late making baby booties and headbands, and was recovering from being sick, so my thought process was a bit sluggish anyhow!  Long story short, I need to hurry up and get the babies' ears pierced, and when I do it, I need to make sure the earrings are what I really think fits that baby and not worry about it! sheesh.

I suppose it fits that Otter had the more watery color
and Owl had the more tree-ish color.  Right?
How much can I read into things?
wanna come over-analyse things with me?

 

Anyhow,  lunch was very nice and low-key, and then it was over and everyone left and I got to take a nap : )  and we ate leftovers for dinner.

the end.

Otter Pop.

Owly.