Halloween 2010

What a great night. It was crisp and cool but we've had much worse over the years so we'll take it. My neighbor Rob always goes all out and loves scaring all the neighborhood kids. Tommy especially gets a kick out of him. He always tries to scare him instead but Rob always turns the tables on him. Poor Ashley though was definitely not enjoying their fun. She was very scared especially when Rob came flying through our house after Tommy. Everyone but Ashley thought it was hilarious.  She's a big chicken like me. 

Overall though she had a wonderful time trick or treating. We did a Monster's Inc. theme this year and the kids got so many compliments on their costumes. They were SO cute and there were so many people out tonight! Tommy was a great sport being something so childish.  He said all the little kids wanted to snuggle with him at school on Friday.  There is nothing cuter than Ashley hugging on him and calling him kitty. 

Austin won funniest costume in his division at school on Friday so that was cool.  I remember 7 years ago we went down to U of M to be with Austin after taking Tommy around our circle quick.  He was doing so well after being weaned off the ECMO and they were starting to wean him off his vent.   I think I'll always think of his first Halloween when we head out TOT.  For how rough his life started he's doing remarkably well.  I am a bit miffed at a neighbor a little ways down the road.  They had another couple over with them handing out candy and they had a very high step.  He had some trouble getting up and down this step and I had to help him.  We'd also find issues when people would say pick one.  He has to set his bucket down and then grab the candy and he just moves so much slower.  I was walking away and I hear the neighbor say "I'm not sure what but there's something wrong with him."  It didn't even faze me when I heard it but now hours later it's bugging me.  I wish I would have turned around and said, "No there's something wrong with YOU!"  But cool heads prevailed and hopefully they didn't mean anything malicious by it. It's probably no big deal.  I'll sleep on it and feel better tomorrow.  Can't let it ruin a great night.  So without further ado, a few of our holiday pics. Bring on Thanksgiving!

We all enjoyed carving our pumpkins.

Mike Wazzowski, Sully, and Boo were a big hit in town. Huge thanks to my mother-in-law for making Ashley's costume and also my costume I wore to school on Friday.

Zombie Rob - We could hear kids screaming the whole night. 

My Jack Skellington Pumpkin - Joe said it got many comments too. :)

Austin's party

Was completely insane!  No not really but it had some crazy elements. 

We came home Wednesday afternoon to find we were out of power.  In the almost 10 years we've lived here we've had maybe one significant power outage due to weather.  Just one!  So we quickly divert our party to Fairgrove at Joe's folks.  Make all the calls and such and about 45 minutes before the party suppose to start the power comes back on.  So quickly we call everyone again and it's back here.  Well lo and behold about 5 minutes later the power goes back off.  Boo.  So we decided not to call everyone back yet again, got every candle out that I owned, and with the help of a camping lantern we had a nice and dark gathering.  The big joke was that everyone looked much better with the lack of light.  My brother Scott brought over a friend and she said we had such a nice house and I thanked her and said if she could see she'd notice the very stained carpets and marked up walls, the couch is fraying and there are probably fingerprints on the windows.  ;) 

Overall it was a very good time.  The house smelled like a fruity pebble factory as I had about 10 different scents going.  Not very good for my poor smell sensitive father in law.  But he toughed it out. 

You can't tell from the pictures but it was quite dark in the house.  Austin told me all he wanted for his birthday was a stuffed animal and a rosary.  Oh be still my heart. :)  He got his rosary from Grandma and a bunch of new stuffies as well as some games.  Maybe it really was the best birthday ever. 



P.S. - He broke his glasses for the first time last weekend. They are fixed now and we'll pick them up Monday. I guess I should be thankful he'd had them a full year before breaking them.

Trick or Treaters Welcome

But only if you're 12 and under.  This morning on The Today Show they featured a town that has banned trick or treaters that are over the age of 12.

I guess I don't like the policy even though I kind of understand it.  I personally stopped tricked or treating after 8th grade so I went out when I was 13.  That didn't stop me from dressing up for Halloween and still enjoying the holiday but yeah I was too old to do the door to door "trick or treat smell my feet give me something good to eat" yada, yada, yada.  My Halloween enjoyment went the way of the crazy parties that I still like to partake of this day. 

So trick or treating teens/young adults??  Whatcha think?  In our neighborhood we get hundreds of kids trick or treating and we do get the 6 foot tall goblins here too and I'm fine with it.  My only issue I have is when you get the massive mob of 15 high schoolers show up on your porch and maybe 2 of them are dressed up and they're acting like a bunch of morons.  My thoughts, if you are over the age of 12 and you want to go around and get cheap tootsie rolls and dum dums there are a few etiquette rules that must be followed.

1.  You must be in some sort of costume or attempt at altering your appearance.  Don't just show up in your jeans and aeropostale hoodie. If you do show up like this don't get all cranky when I start trying to guess who you're trying to be?  Una-bomber?  Transvestite?  Rotten teenager?  Just put a stinking sheet over your head or put some face paint on. Just do something!

2.  Say Trick or Treat!  You want candy?  You say the magic words.  It's just like when you're going to communion, you say Amen.  I think someone once told me they were giving out communion and a person responded by saying thank you.  Maybe it was at a wedding or funeral and the person's church attendance was rare.  I guess I'll laugh instead of cry over that one.  Hopefully that person will come to church again one day.  Anyways, I digress; it's "Trick or Treat" and say it with some zest.  Chances are I'll give you a Reese's & a Snickers with a smile if you're nice and friendly.  Just stand there with a scowl and you get a crappy individually wrapped nasty tasting cough drop. 

3.  Say Thank You! It burns me when older kids come and don't say thank you.  I don't care if you don't like the candy, or adults scare you, you say thank you regardless.

So older kids wanting to trick or treat.  I'm not against you.  I'll happily welcome you.  But you must not act like a bunch of hooligans and hopefully someday when you finally give up trick or treating, I hope if you're able, you'll be generous enough to be handing out Reese's, Nerds, and Snicker bars to young ghosts and goblins and leave the crappy bit-o-honey's on the store shelf where they belong. 

Happy Halloween! 

Happy 7th Birthday Austin!

Happy Birthday to my big boy!  He told me today that this was his best birthday ever.  And you know what we did?  Not much.  We started off in Ann Arbor to get new orthotics which equals getting new shoes so that is always great!  We ate breakfast at Bob Evans than it was back to school for him.  I got him a small balloon bouquet attached to a stuffed animal that was waiting for him on his desk when he got back from lunch.  I was always a little jealous when friends would get balloons and flowers delivered to them on their birthdays because I had a summer birthday and would never get the chance.  So here I go again living precariously through my children.  I'm sure his poor teacher was annoyed with the balloons.  They make for kid craziness!  Austin also had therapy today and then we went out for his birthday dinner.  He wanted to go to Long John Silver's.  Ok, so it was a cheap dinner.  Tommy had hockey practice so that was it for the night.  Tomorrow we'll have cake and ice cream.  He has been looking forward to this day since August and we've heard the countdown since the 1st of the month.  I'm glad he's had such a good day, but he is definitely easy to please.   

 

Austin in his 1st Birthday Hat

Austin in his 7th Birthday Hat

 Happy Birthday Buddy!!

We Love You!  

This year's pic

Since I made fun of Austin so much over last year's hilarious school pic I thought it only fair that I post this year's pic which is absolutely adorable. 

Austin's news

Austin went to Ann Arbor today for his yearly physical medicine check up.  He's tightening up a bit more they believe because he's growing so Dr. Green has referred him for some extra therapy.  He'll be going back to the same place he went when he was an infant.  Once he got walking they were kind of at a crossroads with him because there really wasn't much more to work on with him and he was only 2 so it was hard to communicate.  So hopefully a few years later and being a much better talker and listener we'll see some improvement. 

She also insisted he get an extra-curricular activity going so I wasn't crazy in my other post about him needing to do something.  She said swimming is more of a life skill and to get him some private lessons and then into group lessons once he's more comfortable in the water.  So I figured that's what we'd do.  She then on a side note said it's too bad we live so far away because they are starting a hockey team for children with disabilities down there and Austin and I both perked up.  It's still in the planning stages but if it's a go and Austin gets accepted we'll find a way to make it happen.  He loves to play hockey and our living room is the site of at least one mini-stick game per day.  It will supposedly only be one day a week, and heck what's another child in travel hockey?  Austin's ice is fully paid for by a grant.  Thank you Dance Marathon!  Now we just have to wait and see but hopefully we'll hear something soon.  We would love to have another hockey player out on the ice. 

Austin also was fitted for new AFO's.  He actually loves this as it means new shoes in a few weeks.  That's my boy!  We go back on his birthday ~ the 26th.  And he has said every day for about a month now how his birthday is coming.  Maybe we'll be getting him his own #10 hockey jersey with A. Papesh on the back.  Now that would be sweet!