Halloween Candy Solution

My friend Julie (http://www.lifeasaleach.blogspot.com/) came up with a genious idea!  We were talking a while ago about Halloween candy and how to stop our kids from eating it all.  Julie said she buys a few toys that she knows her kids will love and she cashes the candy it (like money) for the toys.  GENIOUS!  So...I tried it and it worked!
Over the weekend, we got a lot of candy from trick or treating at Annemarie Gardens and the Boo Bash.  Mia LOVES candy so I knew I had to act fast.  I had picked up a few little gifts:  coloring books, and lightening McQueen book that makes sounds, Sofia the first crown, etc.  The kids happily handed over several pieces of candy for each "prize". 
What do I do with the leftover candy?  Well, I take all of the good stuff for me :), leave Chris some of the other stuff to take to work for his candy bowl, and I take in a little for our candy bowl as well at work. Win/Win!
What do you do with your leftover candy?

Cowgirl Party

We went to the cutest Cowgirl Birthday Party on Sunday (Oct 27).  Our friend, Melissa's little girl, Lily turned 2.  It was so incredibly cute.  Melissa did a great job.

She had hats, bandanas, and sherriff's badges for all of the kids

Mia thought she was a real cowgirl

Pax just wanted to play on the tractor

He was giving rides to all of the little kids.  He is such a big boy now.

The decorations were so cute! 

All of the kids posed for pictures.

She also had a horse pinata.  That was fun.

We came home with even more candy.  Ugh...

I love that they are best friends. 

This was Paxton's first ride on a horse.

Mia has rode a few times.  She loved it.

It was such a fun day and a great party! 

Halloween Happenings

I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, but I do love activities with my kids.  I'm lucky to live in an area where there are so many awesome activities and events geared towards kids. 

Storytime at the Library

Thursday, October 24th our local library had a Halloween Storytime event.  The kids listened to a few books, danced, and participated in some interactive stories.  It was fun.  Yes...those are their pj's under their costumes.  The event started at 7pm so we had baths and were in our pj's first. 

Saturday Morning- Annemarie Gardens Trick or Treating. 
Annemarie gardens is widely known in Southern MD for their "Fairy Houses".  They also do a trick or treating event every year.  This was the first year we went.  They had tables set up throughout the nature trail with various local vendors who handed out information and candy.  The kids loved it.  I did not.  It was crowded.  It took over an hour to get in and people were everywhere.  But...the kids had fun and that's really what matters.

I'm rarely in pictures, but a nice Mom offered to take this of me and the kids on the way in.

We broke down and got this Dusty costume for Pax since he is so obsessed with Planes. 

There were a few random characters dressed up.  My kids loved them!

This was after.  We were exhausted.

Saturday Afternoon:  Boo Bash

Saturday from 3-5 we went to Boo Bash at the Beach.  This is where kids trick or treat at the local businesses.  They also had a costume contest- which we did not enter. 

I love it when they hold hands. 

Yes, Mia changed costumes between activities.  Good thing we have a dress up bin full of costumes! 

catch up

I've been a terribly blogger lately.  I've had so much on my mind and so much going on...but I haven't wanted to put any of it in writing.  So...this post will be a sort of catch all. 
So...first, update on Pax's eating situation.

There is no update :(.  There has been little to no improvement.  We had a visit with the ENT at Hopkins last week and there are no next steps---other than to meet back with our team at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital.  I'm frustrated and sad.  I had such high hopes after they found the laryngel cleft.  Pax was a champ at the Doctor's office as always. 

Update on my Dad-- He has refused another biopsy, therefore, he cannot start chemo.  There are currently 9 nodules in his lungs.  He goes back in January for another MRI and we will go from there.  He may or may not change his mind.  I am not going to go into my thoughts on this right now.  I am still trying to wrap my head around everything.  We are going to visit n a couple weeks so I'm hoping to have more to share after that.

The kids:

We wen to a fundraiser on Oct. 19th for a local family.  The SoMd Superheros were there.  My kids really liked Superman.  It was a great event and raised over $7000 for this family.

Mia has decided that she wants to match either me, Paxton or her baby doll as often as possible. 

The kids and I went to another Sam Grow concert.  Keep an eye out folks...he just signed a record deal. 

We also had a play date recently with my friend, Stacy and her 2 little girls.  We made this canvas.  Hers looks much better.  I think we all know by now that I lack artistic ability.  Oh...and Pax's foot is not bigger than Mia's, he moved his foot. 

Quirks

Do you have any funny quirks?  I do.  I didn't realize how strange they are until I was at book club and I was apparently the only one there with a fear of traveling near/through the Bermuda Triangle :).  Seriously though...it's real!  I did a report on it in school.  Why would anyone want to travel through it???  Anyway...here are a few of my others.  Feel free to share yours as well.

1.  I am terrified of frogs.  TERRIFIED! 
2.  I do not like anything or anyone touching my nose.  I think it comes from the fact that I'm claustrophobic.
3.  I cannot stand to have dishes in the sink (or on the counter).  Just put them in the dishwasher.  It isn't hard.
4.  I also do not like anyone touching the tips of my fingernails or toenails.  It feels weird.

How many babies do I have?

I struggle with this question whenever I'm asked.  Do I say 2 because I have 2 children at home with me?  This is the easy way out as then I don't make them feel uncomfortable. 
Do I say 3 because Parker was stillborn?  Or....do I say 4 because of Parker and the baby I miscarried?  I truly believe that my miscarried baby is waiting for me in Heaven as well.  So...how would you answer it?  I feel so guilty when I say 2. I feel like I am intentionally forgetting about Parker and it breaks my heart.  On the flip side, I really dislike making people uncomfortable. 
So...please feel free to tell me what you would do. 

Book Review: Orange is the New Black

Orange is the New Black is a hugely popular book that is all over the news.  Apparently, it has also been made into a mini-series.  I just finished it and honestly, I have mixed reviews. 
I love true stories, but I found this one a bit anti-climactic.  She obviously survives her year in prison because she gets out and writes a book.  I also found some of the characters confusing.  She talks about so many different people and then—chapters later, refers to them again.  By then, I have forgotten all about Pom Pom and Delicious. 

I did; however, really learn a lot about prison life.  I found that…while Piper and I are different in most ways…we are similar in one way.  We both have the type of personality that allows us to fit in and get along in almost any group or setting.  I did find her elitist attitude annoying and I hope I never come across that way. 

I liked that Piper really learned how her actions impacted others when she was faced to live with people who had been addicted to drugs.  I agree that maybe some sort of community service where the prisoner must work to help others- and learn about consequences is a great idea. 

I found it interesting to learn about the ins and outs of prison life—the food, the holiday celebration, and the treatment by the staff.  It was both heartwarming and sometimes disturbing. 

I found it upsetting to learn about the pre-release classes and the lack of helpful information that they provided to prisoners.  It’s almost as if they are set up to fail—especially those with no support system.  Before reading this, I can honestly say, I had little to no sympathy for prisoners.  I had the “you made your bed, now lie in it” attitude.  I had even less sympathy for repeat offenders.  While my opinion hasn’t entirely changed, I do understand now how and why someone would be a repeat offender.  When you have no support on the outside and you’ve been locked up for so long—it’s probably extremely difficult to reintegrate into society in a positive way.  We do need a better system for helping those people before their release. 

I did not like the abrupt ending.  Yes, she got released.  Awesome.   What I want to know—and still want to know is..did she keep in touch with Natalie and whoever else got released during that same time.  Are they still friends?  What happened to them?   It left me with a lot of unanswered questions. 

Anxiety

I wrote yesterday about my struggle with anxiety right now.  Recently, I found this and wanted to share it with you as well:

Phillipians 4 6-7:  "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I need a silver lining

I always try to see the glass half full, but I'm really struggling to see the silver lining right now.  Like  many other people, I worry and I struggle with anxiety.  I always try to find the good in everyone and everything and I choose to be happy but right now...it is hard. 
1.  I'm furloughed.  Yes...I may eventually be paid, but right now, things are up in the air.  I'm trying to use this time to unpack some stuff at home and go through the kids old toys, but I really dislike uncertainty.
2.  While my furlough is frustrating...my Dad is also furloughed.  This could NOT come at a worse time.  If you follow me, then you know my Dad has stage IV colon cancer.  He has frequent tests and appointments.  Thank God he has his retirement from his previous job--though that will not cover all of his bills.
3.  Saving the worst for last...my Dad went in for another CT scan on Sept 25th.  The results were not great. He had another appointment today with the Lung Specialist.  He had 3 nodules on his lungs.  There are now 9.  NINE.  I'm literally sick to my stomach.  I can't even think about it without losing it.  I just rebuilt my relationship with him and now....this.  Today, he refused the biopsy needed to determine the type of chemo he would need.  Thankfully...he hasn't totally ruled it out yet.  He wants to talk to his Oncologist about side effects first.

** before you comment that I should respect his wishes because it is his body...please note...that is my plan.  I would never guilt him into anything, but I WILL talk to him about success rate, statistics, and offer to sit through every chemo treatment with him if it would help.  He is my Dad.

If you have any positive success stories, please feel free to share them.  I need some hope to grab onto. 

Jacob's Dream: bible lesson for preschoolers

So, I've fallen behind on my weekly bible lesson plans, but...in my defense, I've had a lot going on with birthdays, surgeries, etc.  I'm trying to get back on track.  This week, we learned about Jacob.  Ok...we sort of learned about Jacob.  It's hard to get the kids to sit down and listen when the weather here is so beautiful.  I try to do it during dinner...when they are sitting anyway.  Here's how it went:
We read the story and talked a little about it.  Then we did a few "projects".

This is a worksheet I found online and it asks you to list ways (on the ladder) that you can grow closer to God.  We listed 5 including:  Pray, Sing, Help, Love, and Share. 

I found a coloring sheet of an Angel and we colored this and talked about the angel in Jacob's dream.

Lastly...and this one was a little hard...we had to find the differences in the pictures.  Mia did ok with it, but needed a little help.  It is a picture of Joseph asleep on a rock. 

I found all of these online.  Sorry, I keep forgetting to note the website, but I just googled Jacob's dream for preschoolers and I found them. 

Cups by Mia and Elaina

Mia's 1st Pre-K field Trip

So, it wasn't an exciting field trip...unless you think the grocery store is exciting, but the kids had a great time. 

Mia and Elaina were waiting patiently to leave...

The kids outside of Giant

Looking at the lobster

Mrs. Cindy is teaching them about bread

Pumpkin Patch- Trip 2- Greenstreet Gardens

Have I mentioned my love for pumpkin patches?  I just love taking the kids and watching them have fun.  Last week, we went to Greenstreet Gardens, in Lothian, MD.  It was a little expensive, but we stayed for 5 hours so I think I got my money's worth :).  The kids had a great time and we had a few friends meet us there.  Here's a recap in pictures: