Happy Halloween 2010

The kids' costumes turned out pretty cute, even though they were thrown together last minute. Cole was supposed to be Spiderman, but apparently ordering the costume online 7 weeks early was not soon enough because it still hasn't come. So, thanks to Aunt Mindy's hand-me-downs and the dollar store, Cole was a Fireman. I wanted Elise to wear her cute pink tutu, but the temperature here dropped and her crown broke, so that costume idea fell apart and she ended up wearing the inherited Dumbo costume. She filled it out quite well though so I was happy :)

Once again, Halloween was a week long event here in West Des Moines. To start things off we had a Halloween party for Fun Friday with all of our friends Friday the 22nd. Almost everyone we know here in Iowa, and a few people we don't know, showed up for this. It was quite the event and we had lots of fun!

Monday the 25th we carved pumpkins for FHE. Daddy and Cole carved an awesome spider, and Mommy and Elise carved a happy face. Then we had a lesson on eternal families since there isn't really a spiritual lesson about Halloween. It was a fun family night!

It was a busy week, but we always make time for the library. Cole made an adorable spider hat there. It was a fun craft and we were glad we didn't postpone our weekly trip.

Cole also had a Halloween party at preschool Thursday the 28th. They made fun crafts all week, he got to dress up with all of his friends, and then they had a costume parade so all the parents could see the cute kids. {You'll notice Cole picked a pink pumpkin for trick or treating this year :) }

Ben's school also had a Halloween party for the kids on the 28th. We met Daddy at the school and played lots of fun games. Cole liked them all, but Ellie stuck to the ghost one with the balls. One of Ben's classmates asked me if El was a rhinoceros. He thought the hat was a horn. Apparently he has not seen Dumbo before :) We all laughed pretty hard about that one.

Friday the 29th Our branch/apartment complex had a trunk or treat. We only caught the end of it because we were at birthday party #2 for that day, the last of Cole's 3 birthday parties that were also the week of Halloween. We couldn't miss out on another chance for candy though :)

Saturday the 30th was Beggar's Night. That is the night the kids go trick or treating here in Iowa. We visited a few friends in our apartment complex, then we headed to the big houses for the good stuff :) Ellie just stared at everything and sucked a sucker, but Cole knew what to do and wasn't afraid. {You'll notice Cole has now switched to a purple bag and let Ellie use the pink pumpkin}

We are officially tired and sugared-out! But it was worth it :) What a fun holiday!

Cole's Bracelet

Dr. Hong, Cole's rheumatologist, decided that Cole needed some orthotics for his shoes and a leg brace to help straighten out his right leg and correct his gait. So, we made a trip downtown to see the orthotic man, Mike, where Cole had his legs and feet casted and then the casts sawn off. Mike was very impressed with what an awesome patient Cole was. He is always very cooperative and easy to work with when he has to see a doctor or someone for his arthritis. After the casting and cutting, Cole got to pick out designs for his brace. He picked fire trucks and dinosaurs. He wanted pink for the foam, but Mike changed it to blue after we left because he thought it would look weird. He doesn't know that pink is Cole's favorite color :)

I was skeptical that Cole would actually wear his night brace or the orthotics. I thought I would have to fight and/or bribe him to wear them. We talked it up the night before he got them, telling him that he was lucky to get such a cool brace. It worked. Cole loves his brace, especially the dinosaur straps! He calls it his bracelet and has to wear it every night all night.

He also loves his "cool new shoes" that Mike got him. His orthotics came with a brand new pair of New Balances. They aren't what I would have picked, but they are a good pair of shoes that insurance paid for and he loves them! Hopefully all of this helps him so that he doesn't have issues in the future.

Mr. Independent

Cole is either totally independent (because he's a big daddy) or totally dependent (because he's a baby), depending on how he is feeling that day. Today he was Mr. Independent. He said he didn't need a nap because he is a big daddy. I told him too bad and he was having quiet time anyway. I was just settled down for my quiet time when he started crying his frustrated cry, so I went to check on him and this is what I found:

He decided that he needed to change his clothes, but he was struggling. He is usually in "baby mode" in the mornings, so I basically dress him every day and he couldn't quite figure it out. He had his pants on backwards and his shirt upside down and all twisted up. Being the good mom I am, I started laughing and went to get my camera. He finally did figure out how to get his last arm in the shirt and he was pretty proud of himself :)

I eventually helped him get his shirt on the right way, but he insisted that his pants were on right and went out to play. At least he got his shoes on the right feet. I love my funny little man. He gives me a good laugh every day!

Pumpkins

Daddy suprised us this weekend when he said he wanted to go to a pumpkin patch with us. This was a special occasion, so we chose a huge one about 30 minutes north of us. It's mainly an apple orchard, but they also have a pumpkin patch and TONS of fun things to do.

We had to do the tractor ride very first :)

The tractor took us to the big corn maze. The sign tells it all: 4 acres of fun & frustration!

It's especially frustrating when the 3 yr old has to go potty NOW and we can't find our way out. It's a good thing it was such a big maze so we could find him some privacy :)

We also stopped to view the apple orchard

And of course, the pumpkin patch

We took a stop at the huge jumping pillow

And we couldn't miss the Super Slide...what a ride!

The kids ventured into the smaller hay maze. This one was all fun and no frustration :)

We found some fun pumpkin games: the ring toss, guess the weight, and the pumpkin roll. They were having too much fun to pose for any pictures for me, so I did the best I could.

Cole and Daddy had fun at the rubber duck races, and Ellie had fun playing in the yucky water

We couldn't leave before Cole got to take a spin on a tractor bike

Next we found the huge corn pool. Cole was having a blast, but that's when the camera battery died and Elise decided it was naptime. Ben and I were also tired so we told Cole it was time to go. That is when his huge meltdown started and we left without picking out a pumpkin. We went home, had naps, and headed to Hyvee's "pumpkin patch" to get our pumpkins.

We had a fun-pumpkin-daddy-filled day...even though it didn't turn out quite like we planned it. That is why our family motto is "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all". After all, it's often the bumps in the road that make life memorable.