We started Halloween celebrations early this year, and kicked off the Halloween Season on Tuesday.  Martin and Sophie each had their own parties that night, they have one this afternoon, another one tomorrow, followed by ACTUAL trick-or-treating on Saturday evening.  At first, they planned on wearing the same costumes, but now I can't be sure.  This morning they packed up costumes that were different than the ones they wore on Tuesday - but really, it hardly matters.  As long as it can be put together out of something we have, can be adhered with tape/glue/staples, and requires no papier mache, I'm all for it.

Here they are on night one - Martin as a Policeman and his K9 Partner, Sophie as a Ghost (old school style).


I like this shot because it makes me think of an opening shot for a new TV show.  Maybe CSPD Blue & White.  Or Martsky and Boo.


My favorite part of Martin's costume is his K9 Partner, obviously influenced by the K9 dog competition we attended this summer.  And he'd like to thank his sponsor.  He thought he might take along a few samples in case he ran into any dogs who needed energy.


Last night we whipped up a few batches up cupcakes for each of the parties.  I sure hope they last that long.


I could eat this WHOLE TRAY.

This fall Sophie and I signed up for a preschool class through the school's early childhood program.  Each week we explore a theme - learn a related song, visit stations on the same theme, play with her friends.  Its that last bit that has really caught Sophie's attention.  Learn about leaves?  No thanks, she'll play babies.  Want to make art about families?  Not now, she's still playing babies.  Each week we strike the same deal - do at least two stations, then she can play babies.  And each week its the same response, stand at the station, stare at me, move one item, head on over to the babies. 

So far, the only thing that has been strong enough to rip Sophie's attention away from playing babies, is the time each week where a student puts the spotlight on their family.  The student brings in a poster that shows family pictures and tells stories to explain each one.  Each week, there's been at least one photo that really caught her eye.  Two weeks ago Sophie told me that she had a plan for her own board.  She wants to re-enact the best photos from each of the previous boards.  That kid who had a photo after eating a blue sucker?  Nothing compared to Sophie's re-creation: 


The kid enjoyed going to the water park with his family?  Done.


I hope tonight some kid brings in a picture of their whole family sitting down for a quiet dinner, everyone happily eating whatever is on the table. Because THAT'S something I'd really like to see.

Seeing DUDE IT'S SUMMER still on this page makes me feel as if I've left the Christmas tree up and its well past Easter.  At some point, its time to clear it away and get back to regular living again.  So, I'm sweeping up the figurative dead pine needles and blowing the dust off this blog.

Its been a difficult time, and I guess that's reflected here in my absence.  While I haven't been posting, we still have been living - the kids and I have moved, Martin's enjoying first grade at a new school, and Sophie is semi-patiently waiting to turn FIVE when, according to her, everything good really starts to happen.  Let's hope we don't have to wait that long for the good to get even better.

3-D Glasses: Different design, still totally fantastic.

Dude, it's definitely not summer anymore.  Its been so long since I've posted anything here, that its kind of hard to know where to start.  What better way to kick things off than with a video about my birthday.  After much consideration (and collusion on the part of my mother), the kids bought for me the item which they believe that I've always wanted.  Here they are, giving a product demo of The Finest Birthday Gift Ever Given.

Download | Duration: 00:01:53

The kids went to get haircuts today, Sophie explaining to the stylist that she wanted her hair to look just like Dora.  And although she may have wanted a Dora, when she looked back at me, all I could see was Ramona Quimby, Age 8.

There's nothing like swimming in the lake on a hot summer day.  At first, the coolness of the water is a shock to your warm body, but before you know it, the water feels fine.  In some places you can feel where the water changes temperature, toes dipping into the layer of cool water below.

 


This week Martin and Dad went fishing on Long Lake.  According to Martin, he caught the biggest Big Mouth Bass in the lake.  "It was quite a fighter" he told me.  They threw the fish back, and I'd place bets that Martin's going to spend the rest of his life trying to catch him again.

Early on the morning of the Fourth, dad and I went out for a bike ride.  He's been training for the MS300 bike race and does quite a bit of biking every day.  My biking schedule is a bit different - the last time I biked any distance was in 1999 when I biked from Fridley into NE Minneapolis and then had to get a ride home.  Despite our differences, I figured I was game for anything.  He gave me a biking shirt and told me that it would help me not to sweat so much.


No problem, I thought, I'm not usually all that sweaty.  Then, he pulled out some velcro straps and tied my pant legs to my ankles.  Not really fashionable, but I figured that very few people would notice my ankles on this bike trip, and really, I wasn't in it for the fashion.  Still, I wasn't too worried about the whole thing and we went off to the trail.  It wasn't until he pulled out an energy gel pack and told me to eat it before getting on the bike that I started to feel a little uneasy about what lay ahead.

We did stop every five miles, and we went slower than dad normally does, and my legs did feel more wobbly than steady - but I made it.  All twenty miles, and it felt great.

When the kids were really small, we relied on the kiddie pool in the backyard to keep them entertained and cooled when it was really hot.  Last summer, I could see that the kiddie pool had become boring, only serving as a place to fill water guns and buckets of water.  Which were good things, but it no longer provided the hours of entertainment I was looking for.  One hot day last summer I bought a slip and slide, and so far, the entertainment value is holding up just as strong as the orange and blue plastic.

Just recently I discovered that on Wednesday nights our local Elks Club serves up buck burgers and buck fries.  We checked it out, and not only were they delicious, but they had a great patio and it was a kid friendly place.  If you're looking for me on a Wednesday this summer, I think you know where to find me.