Catch Up

I've had inspiration for what could have been 3 blog posts...but just haven't found/made the time to work on them. I am a little proud of myself because it means I have been cleaning, hanging out with the family, finishing thank you notes, doing creative things with the kids (read making messes), and trying hard to not make my kids think that adults can just always ignore them while on the computer. I sometimes wonder if their hearts sink as I sit down here..."Oh no, now we get Zombie Mom" which probably turns to "What can we get away with? She never follows through when she's on the COMPUTER!" Hopefully less computer time has led to happier and more well-behaved kids. We'll see.

We got Sam back from Atlanta on Halloween. It was fun to see him...Jeremy and Evan stayed in Flagstaff to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters and Annie and I went to get Sam. I had been disappointed to miss trick-or-treating, but Sam asked if we could go in Phoenix, so we went to the neighborhood by some old friends' house. He was tired after about 6 houses, but he seemed happy and not too jealous that Annie stole everyone's attention in her frog suit (from Aunt Kendra).

The next day, we did all the stuff we missed on actual Halloween.


I felt like such a good mommy ("I should do crafts and activities like this EVERY DAY! This is what HOMESCHOOLING would be like!") and then I fell exhausted onto the couch and looked at the mess ("Okay, public school will be just fine.") In the course of 18 hours, Sam dressed up as Batman, Spiderman, and a ninja.
Evan would barely put on a helmet and carry a sword over to our neighbor's house to do some belated trick-or-treating (she offered it!), and threw them on the floor the minute he stepped inside her house. They were only a means to an end (candy) for him.
Annie's thinking, "Can that Spiderman please leave me alone?" or maybe, "Really Mom? The frog suit AGAIN?"

The next day, Evan drooled some red dye from a piece of candy on his shirt.
I thought it made a good Halloween costume, just a few days late. So that's what I'll tell him he dressed as for his 3rd Halloween--a 2 year-old with a mortal sword wound.

Now we are just catching up on life and I sure am enjoying my kids. I love when they're all wearing their sleeper pajamas...they're so cute and cuddly (and they all smell like pee).

(and of course the two pictures show what Evan thinks about having his morning t.v. show interrupted by Mom and her camera again.)

The other morning, I woke up to this:

(I'd tell you they both had Bibles, but that would sound like I'm trying to brag.)

Evan has now progressed from totally ignoring Annie to calling her "It" to calling her "Sam's little sister." I'm not kidding. He also has taken to calling Sam "Evan's brother" when he is tattling. And I think I hear things heating up between Annie's brothers now...so I'd better get back off the computer and engage.