Myke & Me Plus ThreeFour: Halloween

Hey, Look! We have autumn leaves!

Not too much to report here. We have been busy, as usual. I feel like I'm starting off every single blog with that line. I just know it's about to get even busier as we have guests coming into town, and I am usually less attentive to updating my blog when we have people visiting. So I thought I should at least post some photos and give a little Hines update.

We are doing well. Chloe, Owen & Eli continue to enjoy preschool. To avoid spending my "free days" (which are Monday and Fridays from 8am-12pm...and include Ella) shopping, shopping, shopping, I have signed up for a music class with Ella. So Friday mornings at 9am we now attend a "Music Together" class. It helps (forces) me to actually spend time WITH Ella and not just drag her around shopping and running errands (we can do that on Mondays). She's my last baby and I want to enjoy every minute of her baby-hood. She's just the sweetest baby you could ever ask for! So we did a trial class last Friday. At first I wasn't too sure about the class. She was the youngest child in the room. The teacher kept pulling out different instruments and hands-on things (scarves, little toys, etc) and would have the kids come up, get one, and then return to their space on the circle rug to play with it. Then, two minutes later when that song was over it was time to "clean up" the object and go put it back in the bucket by the teacher. Well, Ella can't walk. She's the only non-walker in the class. So, every single time we got something new or put it back, I had to get off my behind and get the item. I'm too old for that up & down. Plus, it got tiring fighting the 18-month-olds for the best drum or triangle! However, Ella really seemed to love the class and the stimulation. She "danced", clapped, and cooed the entire time....which was enough to have this mama writing a check and securing my baby a spot for the next month of music classes.

Halloween is tomorrow! Yay! I'm more excited than anyone else in the fam. Not a surprise. However, Chloë is really into Halloween this year. She is GETTING it more. So that makes it extra fun. The boys are still not as verbal...so I'm not always sure WHAT they get when it comes to a variety of topics. I ended up buying them both Thomas Train costumes to wear. I didn't ask what they wanted to be or let them have any say...because at that point I don't think they would have been able to communicate what they wanted...if they understood the whole concept at all. They're only 2, afterall. We did a trial trick-or-treat session the other night where we got out their costumes and had them put them on, ring the doorbell (to our own house) and I gave out a couple candy corns. Eli refused to put on his Thomas Train costume. Even for a candy. Owen & Chloe were all about it though. So we'l see how tomorrow pans out. Eli may dress as himself. Or a ladybug.... Today he told me he wanted to be a ladybug instead of Thomas Train. The boys' verbal skills are WAY better than they were a month ago when I purchased their costumes. So he may wear ladybug wings. We'll see. (The same wings you saw in a previous blog post about Eli in the ER). So I have a daughter who will be a ninja and a son who will be a ladybug. I'm fine with that :)

It's getting late...and Ella pulled a 2-feeding-night last night...so I better get some rest in case she does that again.

Owen & Ella

Halloween Baby!

Washing the car with dad

Date night!

pumpkin painting with friends

Owen

Elijah

Heading to "Red Toes":

A couple weeks ago the boys and I were taking a walk down our street when we came across a house with a bunch of Halloween decorations in their yard. They have tombstones, a skeleton coming out of the ground, a huge spider on their house, various ghouls hanging from the garage, and a severed head and foot hanging from a tree. I let the boys check it out (and prayed they wouldn't have nightmares for months on end). They were really excited to see everything, OOOOing and AAAAAHHHing at all the decorations. Then they saw the severed foot and just kind of stared at it. The foot is hanging from a chain and has fake blood dripping down the ankle I think it was Eli who pointed to it and said "red toes!". So, anyways, we now have to go on a walk to see "Red Toes" at least 3-4 nights a week. They get so excited to go see this yard...it's funny :)