Happy Halloween!

from the Smith family!

Looking back, we had quite a jam-packed Halloween week. As usual, Ava had trouble choosing just one costume, so she fluctuated back and forth between Sleeping Beauty and a ballerina for our various activities. Hudson was content with his adorable little pumpkin costume (selected by Ava, back when she considered being Cinderella and thought they could match). Erik even surprised me by volunteering to wear his authentic Notre Dame leatherhead helmet, thereby dressing as a Notre Dame football player. And me? Well, I first planned to dress as a harried mom (robe, slipper, teased hair, etc.), but according to my daughter, That’s not pretty! You need a pretty costume! So I drew inspiration from my kitchen and created a last-minute costume as Rachael Ray, my favorite cook! I wore an apron and a black wig and carried a wooden spoon, a bottle of EVOO, and a Rachael Ray cookbook to flash whenever no one recognized me.

Here’s a rundown of our Halloween:

1. We began our festivities with a Halloween party at The Gaslight (my favorite pizza place, remember) last Tuesday night. Erik had a game that night, so my aunt Sandy watched Hudson while Ava and I attended along with my parents. We enjoyed a pizza buffet and a magic show while there.

2. On Thursday night (after her usual music class), Ava was off to the Huntingburg Public Library for a “haunted” house where fairy tales came to life! Once again, Erik had a game, so my aunt Sandy and aunt Jenny entertained Hudson while Ava and I braved the spooks at the library. She LOVED it, although there was a witch that frazzled her a bit. According to Ava, She got up in my face too much! Which was absolutely true. She loomed so close you could practically smell the onions on her breath!

3. Finally, our fun culminated in the Halloween party my parents throw every year at their house. As usual, we had excellent food, breathtaking costumes, and more tricks and treats than ever. In fact, as we drove away after 10:00 with both kids still awake, Ava informed us that it was the best party she’d ever been to in her whole life. Yeah, it was that fun.

P.S. Thanks again to everyone who blessed my family, particularly my children, with treats and love.

P.S.S. I forgot my camera today, so I will upload pics tomorrow!

Pumpkins 2009

Over fall break, Ava and I laid integral plans for our Halloween preparations. We shopped for costumes, created goodie bags for her preschool party, and prepared to carve pumpkins. This year, instead of creating our own designs, we opted to buy templates from Wal-Mart, along with carving tools. I personally preferred this method, since we were able to carve without the use of knives. Last year, Ava was very respectful of the dangerous tools of pumpkin-carving, but I didn’t want to push my luck again.

Together, we chose two templates to carve: a wicked witch and a demon face peeking through blinds. Because the witch was listed as a difficult design, I convinced Ava to begin with the demon face. Luckily, the day we chose to carve was beautiful and crisp—perfect for the task at hand. We moved Ava’s picnic table onto the front porch and arranged our tools. She was in charge of de-gutting, which she loved, while I tried to figure out the new carving methods. Hudson watched through the screen door from his bouncy seat, surprisingly interested in our goings-on.

Almost two hours later, we finished our first pumpkin. This explains why the other one has yet to be carved. If the easy pattern took two hours, I can only imagine how long the witch would take. Hopefully we can manage to finish that one before Halloween actually arrives. Keep your fingers crossed!

More Halloween magic to come in a later post….

Oz Pause

Lately, Ava has been very into The Wizard of Oz. It has always been a family favorite, and recently an updated version of the movie was released on DVD. So of course we bought it! Since then, Ava has been quoting and reenacting various moments from the film. Mamaw Karen even bought her some sparkly red "Dorothy shoes!"

To highlight her new obsession with all things Oz, take a recent interaction between Ava and Erik. He was pestering her (as usual). Her response? She paused dramatically and replied:

I'll get you, my handsome, and your little dog too!

Snippets

Here are a couple of snippets from this past week's fun:

Hudson tried an Exersaucer for the first time—and LOVED IT!
(Trust me, that serious stare means he's filled with excitement.)

At Hunter's birthday party, Ava played with her "cousins."
She even wrestled with little Rueger, giving her a glimpse
into her future with a rough-and-tumble brother!

U-Turn

Usually Erik and I carpool together to and from work each day, but now that his sports coordinating and coaching positions have kicked in, there are several days we drive separate. This fact alone has made me realize how truly spoiled I am—it’s no fun driving all by yourself! Not only that, but sometimes a solo driver finds himself (or herself in this case) in a precarious decision-making situation. Take yesterday, for example. I was happily driving home in the good ‘ole mini-van, cruising to 80's music, when I made my first bad decision and took a back-road-short-cut. This is in Pike County, remember.

As I crested a hill on this remarkably narrow country road, I saw the flashing brake lights of the large truck in front of me, which was carrying a fully-loaded trailer as well. This explains why my vision was partially impeded, but it became increasingly obvious that there was a block in the road ahead. No traffic was coming from the other direction, and the driver in front of me seemed to be getting comfortable for the long haul. He removed his hat, rested his arm along the seat, and settled down to wait.

If you know me at all, you know that I do not wait well. At least in traffic.

Five minutes passed. Ten. Fifteen. Frustrated, I fished my cell phone out of my purse and called my mother, who was at home watching the kids. I may be a little late.

You see, the idea of an illegal U-turn had already occurred to me, and I would’ve been footloose and fancyfree if not for the size of my vehicle in relation to the width of the road. Uneasily, I glanced to my left and to my right, realizing there was a sharp drop-off both ways. A U-turn might free me from this interminable torture, but it could also turn nasty and plunge me into an even worse situation. As I gritted my teeth and tried to make a decision (another weakness of mine), two more cars appeared behind me. I grunted. This would only make a U-turn more difficult. I should’ve been brave and tried it while I had the chance!

I looked forward. No movement. Just the flicker of flashing lights—maybe police, maybe the department of transportation. What was going on?

I looked behind me. Three more cars had joined our caravan. Great! It was then I noticed a flash of movement. A man in an SUV behind me was growing impatient. Wildly, he hung his head, neck, and shoulders from the window to try and see the cause of everyone’s mounting irritation. He mirrored my earlier actions, looking left and right, forward and behind. Aha, I thought! He’s considering a U-turn! If he tries it, then I’m right behind him.

Expertly, he slid his vehicle from the line of traffic and executed a perfect three-point turn. As I watched—impressed—I couldn’t help but notice that he drove a rather compact SUV and that his portion of the road was markedly wider than mine. Did I dare to follow him?

I took a deep breath. I was either going to go down in the Guinness Book of World Records for performing the first successful U-turn in an unwieldy mini-van on an undeniably narrow Pike County road, or I was going to lodge a tire off the edge, trapping my vehicle and providing utter embarrassment to me and added frustration to my fellow drivers. I glanced at the clock. We were nearing a nearly twenty minute wait.

With renewed determination, I blared my 80’s music and pressed down on the gas. I inched forward, blocking the entire road. I could see at least seven cars behind me now, all of their drivers keenly focused on my progression. I reversed, inched backward, delicately balancing on the edge of the road. Forward. Backward. Forward. Backward. No, this was not the textbook three-point turn of my predecessor, but by some miracle I suddenly found myself pointing in the opposite direction. I had done it!

As I drove proudly away from the still-waiting line of traffic, a random woman waiting in a red car caught my attention. She was giving me the thumbs-up sign! Shaking off a mixture of annoyance, relief, and amusement, I had one lingering thought as I took an alternate route home.

I miss my co-pilot.

Gratitude Attitude

This week, I was reading my newest addition of Reader's Digest (yes, it is one of several mags I receive—do NOT laugh). Inside there was an article on the art of living with a gratitude attitude, and this completely struck a chord with me! Lately, it seems everyone around me, myself included, has been complaining about myriad items. It's so easy to fall into that trap, and so I've been actively trying to escape from it. Then at church on Sunday we talked about finding Jesus in our lives and living a joyful existence through Him. That really cemented my desire to overcome this obstacle of complaining.

Well, I found my answer! GRATITUDE ATTITUDE!

Being a self-proclaimed writer, I have decided to write down something I am grateful for every single day. That way, instead of drowning in a sea of complaints, I can instead float on the warm waves of gratitude.

I thought I'd share a few things I am grateful for here:

1. God's blessing of a family
2. Ava's smile
3. The way Hudson reaches up and touches my face
4. Erik's sense of humor
5. The fact that The Gaslight (my favorite pizza place) has returned in Huntingburg, after fire damage, bigger and better than ever

Take Me Out to the....

.....WEEKEND!

Each week, I eagerly anticipate the weekend and an extended opportunity to spend time with my family. With a smile like that to look forward to, it's no wonder!

The Swing

How do you like to go up in a swing?
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Excerpted from The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson

Yum! Yum!

A promised pic of Hudson enjoying one of his first meals. You'll notice he's holding the spoon, because apparently in his world he's big enough to feed himself.

Exs-s-s-s-scuse me, but what is that?

Little Miss Ava went on another walk with her Papaw Rich. She came back bubbly and excited as usual. Grinning, she marched toward me carrying a long stick. Again, not unusual for her. Then she giggled uncontrollably. As I was processing this, beginning to realize something might be amiss, she flicked the stick ever so expertly, and my thoughts were suddenly interrupted....AS A BABY SNAKE CAME FLYING RIGHT AT ME!

Yes, they found it. Yes, she flung it directly on me. Lucky for everyone, it was rather small and also no longer alive. But my heart is still pounding, thank you very much. Look closely at the end of her stick and you'll see what I mean.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Last weekend, Ava and I attended a baby shower for my cousin Nick and his wife April. They are expecting a baby girl next month (although I think April is willing to negotiate for the end of October!). We are all excited to meet little Chloe Evelyn. Currently, my two little ones are the only next-generation children in our family, so we're hoping to add many more little friends for them in the future.

As for Ava, not only was she excited to learn another girl was on the way, but she enjoyed playing with two of her own friends, Kiera and Ella, at the shower. Aren't they adorable? Little girls are so sweet!

A Lingering Question

You know, I consider myself a fairly intelligent person. I was valedictorian of my high school. At college, I was a full-ride Presidential Scholar.

SO WHY, FOR SMARTY PANTS SAKES, CAN I NOT PUT A PROPER PONYTAIL IN MY DAUGHTER'S BEAUTIFUL HAIR?!?

Joy of Eating

As many of you know, eating remains a central pastime for us in the Smith family. We love to eat at restaurants, cook our own elaborate meals (well, at least we try!), and experiment with new recipes. Although Ava has recently become somewhat of a picky eater (more posts about THAT later), she too enjoys both cooking and eating. Her specialty is homemade pizza. I provide her with the dough and the ingredients, and she assembles pizzas for everyone. Adorable!

Even Hudson has recently discovered the joy of eating. Within the past week, he has tried rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and squash. And—let me tell you—he appears to follow in our family footsteps in the eating department. My little man LOVES to eat! Until recently, his only source of nutrition was breast milk. As many of you know, I have been very blessed to be able to successfully nurse both my children. In fact, I am a huge supporter of breastfeeding; if possible, I would nurse exclusively for a year.

Of course, that’s not always possible. With Ava, I had several months of exclusive nursing before I had to return to work, at which point we switched her over to formula. With Hudson, I started school when he was only a few months old, so I have been toting the ‘ol breast pump with me every day to school. Still, it was hard to keep up with the demand, so he is currently on half breast milk, half formula bottles. And now, of course, he is beginning to try baby food!

Soon, I’ll try and post some pics of his adventures with eating! First rice cereal. Then sweet potatoes and squash. What will it be next?!?

Couple of Cuties Part II

Plus a big, hairy man-hand, but we had to do something to keep Hudson from cliff-diving off the couch, right?

Four Months

Hudson at four months: more interaction! more skills! more personality! (And if you look closely, you'll notice he's turning the pages of his book! Yes, he can. And does. Frequently. Could I be so lucky to raise two voracious readers!?!)