MONSTERS!!!

Susanne saw a fun idea to create cardboard cutouts to add a bit of spook to our Halloween. The boys were delighted to help her, although if they'd have had it their way, they would have been wielding the box cutter and the Exacto knife.  We thought it better to let them wield pencils. ;-)

I think they turned out really great, and now they grace our upstairs windows in the evening. She used translucent colored paper for the eyes and mouths--they really glow with the back-lighting from the regular ceiling lights. Can't wait til Thursday night when all the kiddies will come on by. Happy Halloween everybody! -Monica

Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave...

Tonight we'll make big spiders for our crafty web. And yes, our pumpkin is wearing a Cub Scout hat. It's his costume. ;-)

Cough, cough...

This is a picture of Danny taken last Monday. It was the last day he felt good for the rest of the week. Poor guy woke up in the night Wednesday (after running a fever) with a terrible cough and was having a hard time breathing. We decided to call the advice nurse and she recommended we take him into urgent care. Apparently this cough is called a barking cough and it helped the doc diagnose that he had croup. It's a viral inflamation of the tubes in the voicebox and down on into the lungs. They get inflamed and it makes breathing hard. He had to have an oral dose of steroids and then rest for several days.

He was a pretty good boy, but after about 3 days all he wanted to do was go outside and run! Today on Monday it's his first day back in almost a week and he was thrilled to go to school. That was pretty funny, as he's often not too thrilled to get out the door in the morning.

So now basically all 4 of us have sniffles and coughs. Not the croupy kind though. I'd appreciate never having to hear that sound again, thank you. So what's next up on our agendas? Danny and Mama are scheduled to go on his first ever Cub Scout Camping Trip, and Benji and I will go to a Halloween event at our church while they are gone. Did I mention that the boys love Halloween? Good thing for them Susanne is pretty crafty.

Making the most out of an odd October...

I've been meaning to blog the past few weeks since I've had a bit of time on my hands due to having been shut out of  my job in the federal government, but every time I get started, I just get mad again and stop. I have my fingers crossed that a deal has been reached to end it today, but only time will tell. I promise to blog more about my deep thoughts on the whole thing someday.

In the meanwhile, I thought I'd share something that does not make my blood boil. A visit to a local pumpkin patch with our favorite pumpkins on Columbus Day! It was in the low 70s and you'd think we'd have the boys dressed in long pants and jackets, but no. As Benji likes to say "up sleeves Mommy!" "Up pants too!" As it turned out it did get sunny in the afternoon so it all worked out. Without further ado...

Tractor men.

"Go cart" action got a thumbs up from Danny.

What can I say? Cool art there.

Can't go wrong with huge slides.

This place had a basketball court sized jumping thingy which was great fun for Susanne too.

Sure they are not "matchy matchy" with their colors, but aren't they cute?

Obligatory shot. Note the corn stalks behind us. A huge maze. Muddy but fun!

Special bonus from a school event last week where the boys and their neighbors biked to school. What did I tell you about Benji and his "up sleeves and up pants?"