Halloween-Part Two

I'm going to be taking this week off from blogging because I want to catch up on e-mail and some other things. But first I wanted to record what has gone on since my last detailed post on Tuesday (This & That)!

Not much happened that day. . .I took Logan to the park and we had hoped to meet Joe for a picnic because we didn't do that all summer, but by the time Joe got there with Jimmy John's, Logan had already played on the playground for 15-20 min and it was too cold to stay any longer. :( I thought it was cute, though - Logan ran over to the picnic table he & I had gone to for our own picnic one day in September, he clearly remembered. :)

On Wednesday Joe took off from work early so that he could go to Vala's Pumpkin Patch like I did with Logan and friends in early October (my post was titled Our Life This Week). After trying to go the third weekend in October and realizing we were going to have to wait 3 hrs to get in (that's what I heard later it took for people that day), the only way Joe was going to get to go this season was by going during a weekday afternoon!We had so much fun! We saw the opposite things as I had seen when I'd taken Logan three weeks before and it took another two hours. There were even still a couple of things we didn't do! So if you figure in food (because there's a lot of places to eat there) it's a five hour day to do everything! Or maybe even six if you like to take your time when shopping (there are stores there as well)! Here are just a couple of Logan's enjoyable moments (riding his first tricycle and pony):There are also: Pig Races, Pumpkin Eating Dragon Show, Howl-at-the-Moon Stage Shows, Scarecrow Band, Pumpkin Chuckin’ Cannon Show, Tractor Rides, Train Rides, Peddle Cars, Pumpkin Mine, Storybook Barn, Haunted House, Spook Shed, Giant Sling Shot, Paint Ball Shootout, Petting Zoos, Slides, huge trampolines for kids, a barn full of corn to play in. . .the list goes on.I want to start a petition to have them open August 1st (if being open year round is too much to ask :p). August seems like the beginning of fall since school starts that month - October goes too quick for all that they have to offer! Seems like there'd be less crowds that way but they'd make even more money than they do now, and have more chances for nicer weather. Maybe after this year's winter-during-fall they will extend their hours on their own next year. . . On Thursday Logan and I went grocery shopping - I figured it was time to buy Halloween candy, lol. Usually we hand out M&Ms, Reses, Skiddles, and Starburst. This year I kept the Skiddles (they're always the most popular) and instead of the others just bought Milky Way.

On Friday Joe's mom and her friend were passing through to go to Colorado on Saturday to see Joe's nephew's son who was born 8 weeks ago. They arrived to our place around 6:30 so Joe picked up pizza from Pizza Hut (I was SOOOO bummed that my favorite pizza place in our area, Gambino's, closed. It's my life story - every time I find a fav restaurant or a fav food at the store, it goes out of business or they take it off the shelf. Prior to Gambino's, I'd loved a place called Mancino's when Joe and I moved here in 2003. It was right by our apartment and even though we moved to our first house in 2004, I went back to that area for their grinders that were like eating heaven. I panicked in 2005 when they disappeared, but then they opened with a new owner in 2006! However, then they left for good. Around that same time, Gambino's showed up where our new house was, and while I didn't like their sandwiches, they definitely had the best pizza in our suburb. So even though we moved farther away in 2007, we've eaten there & ordered from there several times over the past couple of years. Both places were always busy so it was a surprise. Now I'm going to have to find a new favorite pizza place, bummer. I still haven't found a new all-time favorite restaurant here since Macaroni's closed in Omaha as well.)

Anyway, Logan entertained us (now when he needs a diaper change he plugs his nose which is really funny) and then when he went to bed we played cards (Joe won as always. . .after 6.5 years of marriage I'm really getting tired of him always winning any game we ever play with anyone. Seriously, so many games are based on luck, what's up with me never beating him?) They left while we were still sleeping this morning at 6 am. Logan slept until NINE O'CLOCK A.M.!!!! I don't know what is going on with him lately!!! His cold was really minor and lasted a week - he was recovered by Wed night/Thurs morning. The past week-and-a-half he has been taking 3-4 hr naps every day and sleeping in (he was late to his babysitter's on Thursday where he goes 8 hrs a week because he slept until 8 am)! Joe and I actually woke up on our own and got up without him this morning - it was really weird to be downstairs in the morning with Logan still sleeping upstairs, having not seen him since we put him to bed the night before! But he's been easy and in a great mood. . .which was good since today was Halloween! Check out the post I wrote this morning (Halloween--Part One) for pictures from past Halloweens that Joe and I have spent together. (Here are Bella and Cosmo this year)I realized after writing the previous post that we are boring - we do the exact same things each year, LOL! This afternoon Joe carved his annual jack-o-lantern and I baked the seeds (although I did take two years off from baking the seeds since last year I had a six month old and the year before I was in my worst month of morning all day sickness.) As you can see, Logan helped, too!This year there was a big difference, though - Logan dressed up in his Tiger costume and went trick-or-treating! It was SOOOOO fun!!!!! I couldn't believe he knew what to do. We put a Mickey Mouse pail I'd bought at Walgreens last week in his hand and he just took off walking down the street like he was a pro. Then we told him to go up to the door of the first house, and he did, then put the candy they handed him in his pail and waved goodbye! It was pretty adorable to see this thirty-some inch tiger walking around.Joe & I went together to three houses with Logan and then I came back to hand out candy while Joe took Logan to 10-12 more houses. We had the most kids we've ever had - it was the first time we ran out of candy so I had to break out my emergency bag (each year I get a random sack and usually end up taking it back to the store - this year it was an assortment of suckers, tootsie rolls, etc.) In this house where we've lived for the past two years we've had around 60 trick-or-treaters, this year it was around 100!

One of the houses Joe & Logan went to was the nurse who came over when Logan had jaundice a year-and-a-half ago (that post was titled Strong Baby)! We hadn't seen her since! On all of my walks I always checked for signs of her but have never seen her (she lives around the block). So I was glad Joe was able to say hi and show her Logan now. She was happy to see him again, as a healthy 18.5 month old!

For the rest of the night, Logan helped Joe & I pass out candy. It's amazing to remember last year how he couldn't even crawl yet, he just sat on the floor in his clown costume and watched us, haha - and now he was able to pass out candy! The dogs stayed in our bedroom for the almost 3 hrs (usually I have them on leashes and either Joe or I go to the door and the other one keeps them in the family room, but this year I didn't want to deal with them).Logan didn't understand that he couldn't eat all of the candy at once that people gave him. We let him have a roll of Smartettes, a mini pack of M&Ms, and pretzels. A couple of times he dashed out the door when we were handing out candy and jumped off our step to run and try to join the kids for more trick-or-treating! The little stinker! Next year we'll probably go all over the neighborhood. . .I can't believe how much more fun Halloween is with a little one!!!! I remember thinking last Christmas was neat but not anything spectacular - this year I think it will definitely be, because Logan is so intrigued by holidays now! (I didn't take a good pic of him in his costume today, but I took one last week in my post titled This & That.) It's cool because as adults we can't remember the first time we experienced stuff like this for ourselves - but by being a parent you get to experience that excitement through your child - and you feel the same thing and can appreciate it now!

Well Logan is in bed so Joe and I are going to end the night with a movie or two! :) Hope everyone else had a happy Halloween, as well!!!!! I'll return on Friday.