Neighborhood Party/Trick or Treating

Every year a couple of families in our neighborhood host a Halloween party, and we have a blast getting together with all our neighbors...the friendliness is one of the reasons that we LOVE our neighborhood!

This year the kids didn't have much choice in what they were going to dress up as...I picked out the costumes at Karousel Kids consignment shop for $3 each!  Sean was a pirate and Lilly was a kitty cat.  Sean was disappointed his costume didn't come with a sword, so I made one last minute this afternoon!

I decided to go ahead and join the fun and dress up like a pirate too...but by the time we got around the small loop at the end of our road, my feet hurt, so I let Jon go ahead with Sean while I stayed behind with the girls...and we're currently watching football while trick or treaters come by the house.

Here's just a few pics from tonight:

A New Family Tradition!

We made caramel apples for the first time last night/today, and this MUST be a new family tradition!  Everyone had so much fun melting the caramel, dipping the apples, then waiting overnight to dip them in chocolate and assorted candies!  Sean and Lilly absolutely LOVED rolling their apples in the candy, and placed some extra M&Ms on them (and in their mouths!)  I tried to capture as many pictures as I could--but we had to work fast before the chocolate dried!  Can't wait to enjoy one later!

Somebody wanted to help lick the plate where we rolled the chocolate covered apples in the chopped candy...

Eulogy of the Aquarium Swing

We purchased this swing for such a great deal at Wal-Mart 5 years ago as Fisher Price was discounting the "Aquarium" line of products.  We got the bouncy seat, crib attachment, and the swing back when Sean was born.  And, alas--everything seems to be slowly dying and tonight came the tragic end of the swing.

We changed the batteries a few weeks ago when the fish stopped going around in circles--they wouldn't ever start back--and the music sporadically played until it stopped last week.  I gradually had to increase the speed on the swing for it to even work.  Then tonight--we noticed it getting slower...and slower.......and slower....and I said, "I hope that thing doesn't die."  Then 5 seconds later....it stopped.

The bouncy seat seems to be coming to the same unfortunate end.  Even with new batteries, the music sounds like it should be playing at a funeral, and it does not make for a happy baby to hear such somber music.

Guess it will be off to the consignment store soon to find another...But Alas!  As writing this, Jon tried as a last resort to again change the batteries, and the swing seems to be moving again--but still no fish and music.  Jon joked and told me to save this in the drafts to post later.  But I'll go ahead anyway, because it will probably die again tonight.  The battery-sucking machine will probably drain the new ones within 30 minutes.  We shall see...

Sean in the swing as a baby

Brilee in the bouncy seat

Rainy Day Activities

This is how we spent most of our rainy day...

Dried beans + lots of containers and scoops= endless fun

I ended up having to just leave the room while they were doing this due to my inability to deal with beans that spilled on the floor---I had to tell myself---they can clean up when they're done--don't get upset at every spill of a scoop of beans....breathe...

 I can't believe Brilee turned 4 months old yesterday!  She has her dr. appt. tomorrow and I am excited to see how much she weighs!  She is on a really good schedule eating about 6 times a day every 3 to 3 1/2 hrs.  and sleeping from 9:30 till about 6 or 6:30 in the morning.  Related to this--hoping that I can continue her on this schedule--she is really happy and healthy and it's one that Sean and Lilly were on also.  My eye dr. told me today that if my eye doesn't heal more by Friday, that she wants to put me on a medication that would not be safe for Brilee while I'm nursing and that I would have to "pump and dump" my milk.  I am REALLY praying that I do not have to do this as I have never had to feed any of my babies formula and I would prefer not to have to do this.  I have some milk stored in the freezer for emergencies, but not enough to give her 6 times a day for however long I would need to be on this medication.  In addition, even though I have a wonderful pump from when I used to work full-time, I'm afraid it might affect my milk supply with her not nursing at all.  Hoping to get a chance to talk to the lactation consultant at Matthews Children's Clinic tomorrow to ask her how I should talk to my eye dr. and to try to avoid this if at all possible.  Especially going into flu/cold season where she gets her immunity from me.  Praying for wisdom and discernment!