Halloween Extravaganza

I literally have NO time to blog these days. Max doesn't nap. Sam only naps in the car. So, I really only have time to do things like vacuum and mop, shower, email and blog after they go to bed which is typically around 8 pm. The problem is, Max has gotten into this crazy habit of crawling into our bed at night. This started back in July: after sleeping with us while on vacation he realized it was quite nice to sleep in the big bed with Mommy and Daddy. And so, he started coming in around 2 or 3 am every morning. At first, one of us would march him back to his room and lie down with him for 20 minutes before sneaking out. But, he would do this like 3 or 5 times a night so we finally gave up and let him into our bed. Gradually, however, the getting out of bed has started earlier and earlier. Tonight, for instance, he went to bed in his room at 7:45. Great--a little earlier than usual so I am hoping that I can get a lot done. I start to do the dishes, clean up the kitchen a little bit, do a load of laundry and I am just thinking about getting into the shower when, at 9:30 pm he gets out of bed. Paul tried to put him back in bed, but daddy doesn't always do and mommy inevitably had to go in there and spend 20 more minutes with him. Okay, now it is 10 pm. Let me hurry and shower, then I can get swimsuits together for Sam's first swimming lesson tomorrow, catch up on email, and maybe do a little blogging before it gets too late. Wait a second--11:10 pm, did I just hear his door open? Yup, the little bugger. I rush to his room to intercept him before he gets too far down the hallway and lie with him until I think he is fast asleep again. Now it is 11:30. If I hurry I can get thru my emails before midnight. What?? Did I just hear him getting up again? It has only been 10 minutes since I left his room. I rush back in there and lay him back down. When I finally get out of there again it is about 12:20 am. I am going to get thru those emails before I go to bed!! 12:40 I hear him again so I am a little irritated when I go back in there. I spend 20 more minutes in there, and when he wakes up as I try to sneak out this time I lose it--I tell him that he has to stay in his bed or I am turning out all of the lights. (He is a little afraid of the dark and sleeps with a night light and a bedside lamp on). Obviously he complained and cried at this remark and when I marched out of his room I bumped into Paul, the big softy, who was on his way to lay with Max. I don't know what we are going to do with this monster we have created. I love snuggling with him and I love when he crawls into my bed--when it happens at 4 or 5 in the morning. I can even do 2 or 3 am, but when he wants to crawl in our bed for the night at 9:30, that is just not cool. Moreover, it only gives me an hour and a half every night to vacuum and mop, do dishes, tidy the house, fold laundry, shower, email and blog. I can't do it!! Help!! At least Sammy, the fearless daredevil who climbs onto everything, has not yet figured out how to climb out of his crib--he gives us at least a solid 12 hours a night.


Anyway, I have no time to blog so I will make this short and sweet. Halloween was crazy busy. The whole month of October was filled with Halloween parties and Halloween playdates and trick or treating at malls and Halloween parades and pumpkin picking and wearing costumes around EVERYWHERE!!

Max has a spiderman obsession, as I mentioned in my last post. I have no idea how he really knows so much about him, but he can't stop talking about the superhero. He wore his costume on a daily basis and often even insisted that Sam put his on as well. I have utilized my limited sewing skills more this last month than probably ever in my life patching holes and tears in the flimsy material.

Just a couple of superheros hangin' out at home on a regular day.




We had 8 kids over for a playdate, and wouldn't you know it--Max had to wear his costume.

A little off the subject but too cute not to include: Sam helping bake the cupcakes for our playdate.



My MOMS club had a Halloween party at a park and it was a lot of fun to see all the kids running around playing, climbing and swinging in their costumes.





So Max wore his spiderman costume all day every day for a couple of weeks when he suddenly decided that he wanted to be "black" spiderman for Halloween. What?? Who is black spiderman and how does my child know about him? Paul found him a costume for $10 at Target and so the black spiderman craze begins...

Max was black spiderman at his preschool Halloween party and parade.




And he was black spiderman on an outing to Longwood Gardens with some friends.


Cute little Sam loved the trains and the pumpkins at Longwood.


Great shot I got of all 4 of them actually holding still and looking in the general direction of the camera.









But, he was only half black spiderman at a cute little Halloween parade we went to. Unfortunately, the rest of the costume needed to be laundered and patched so he had to break out the old red and blue one to go with the beloved black mask.




Paul and I were really creative this year with our costumes. We actually went to a grown-up Halloween party and had no time or motivation to do something better so we recycled our punk-rocker costumes.

And finally, the actual holiday...

Black Spiderman returns!!


Supersam!!


Sam is actually saying "Cheese" in this picture.



We went trick-or-treating with our friends Sara and Eric and their two little "Things"--Brandon and Gracie.

That night--the anticipated event that should culminate all that we had been awaiting and preparing for all month--was a little disappointing. The kids didn't really enjoy trick-or-treating. It was more of a struggle than we imagined and they wanted to open every piece of candy before it even hit the bottom of their pail. Too much work. We only hit 5 or 6 houses before throwing in the flag and calling it a night (or a month). Enough Halloween for one year--bring on Thanksgiving! Oh, wait--Max's birthday is coming up. Bring it on!! (Why do I have this suspicion that he will still be wearing his spiderman costume at his birthday party?)