Halloween 2008

The Sanders Family - ready for Trick-or-Treating!

The Star Wars clan
(Master Yoda, Princess Leia, Count Dooku, Obi Wan)

Isn't my little Yoda soooo cute?

Joshua in the Halloween parade at school

Isabel as Queen Susan (from the Chronicles of Narnia). She didn't want to dress up as someone from Stars Wars, but I think she looks absolutely beautiful as Queen Susan.

Ben and his pumpkin.
He designed the face himself. He drew it on a piece of paper and told me where to cut it.
He's so proud!

And look at this adorable lil' punkin'. . .

Happy Halloween!

Dusting - Amelia Bedelia style

WILL THIS WEEK NEVER END?


I found David 'dusting' the family room this morning.



At least it's not dangerous (see previous 2 posts), AND it smells powder fresh in here!

(Does this bring back any fond memories Kathleen?)

The Very Next Day

As my sister, Lex mentioned, here is the story of what happened with David.

David was having what I call an "angry" morning. He was grunting, squawking, and screaming, pushing, pinching, and kicking. So, after dropping Ben off at my friend's for preschool I decided that I would spend some extra loving time with David. I thought maybe he just needed some one on one time.

I got out the hotwheels cars to play with him, but he just threw them at me or grabbed them out of my hands and hit me with them. So I put away the cars and got out the trains. Same thing. The trains went back into the toy box. Then I got a great idea to get out the little pop-up kids tent and play with him in that. (I am trying soooo hard to be patient and really kind and loving to him, but um, my patience is wearing a bit thin by this time.)

David is having a pretty good time in the tent, but doesn't want me in it or near it. So I figure okay, play by yourself and I'll go do dishes. That works for me. Of course, when I leave the room he gets out of the tent. He goes over to the little window on the tent and puts his head through it and out the top part, so there is a strip of fabric across his neck. Then he starts crying and screaming. So I come and get him out. Then he does it again. And again. And again. . . I really wouldn't mind this "game" so much except for that, remember he's having an angry morning, and everytime I get him out he gets mad at me. So finally I figure go ahead and do it. I'll let you cry for a minute or two and then maybe you'll stop doing this.

I hear him cry and I just keep putting laundry in the washing machine. And then I notice that his cry is now sounding very wheezy and raspy. I run to the family room and realize that David is tangled in the tent window. The fabric has been twisted and poor David can hardly breathe! His face is red/purple and he's just kneeling there. I'm thinking, "I need the scissors to cut this off, but it's also REALLY tight around his neck and the scissors are in the kitchen." So I quickly pick him up and turn his whole body around to untwist the piece that is cinching up next to his neck. Finally after a few more maneuvers I get him out. I was so scared and I just wanted to hold him and love him. Unfortunately, he really didn't want anything to do with that, so I put him in the stroller and we went for a walk. I needed some fresh air!

What would my days be like if I didn't pray every morning? That is a terrifying thought!

What Begins with 1040 and Ends with Black Ash?

Answer: My Day.

Let me explain. We filed for an extension on our taxes back in April, and now I'm in the middle of doing them. So my day began with form 1040, along with schedule C, schedule A, form 4562, and so on. Mind you, I am not a tax accountant, nor did I get my degree in accounting. It takes me FOREVER to figure everything out. In addition to that, they're not exactly kid-friendly. It's not pleasant to be interrupted every 1.3 minutes by young children who need you, while you are in the middle of reading about Schedule C, part 3, line 18.

If you can't imagine, I'll just come straight out and say - my disposition was not what you'd call happy.

Josh and Isabel came home from school and I was in the middle of trying to locate a paper (our kitchen counter and table had been taken over by this tax project). I told them they could have a cookie for a snack. Less than 2 minutes later, out of the corner of my eye I see flames and yep, this is where the Black Ash enters my day.

Isabel had taken her cookie out of the container but left the lid open. You know the hard, clear plastic containers cookies from the store bakery come in - the ones that are a bugger to open and close. Well, unfortunately my candle was also burning on the counter, right underneath the now burning, melting plastic lid.

I ran to the counter, grabbed the container of cookies and threw them into the sink turning water on everything. Only, did you know plastic become gooey and stringy when it melts. Yeah, so I had strings of burning plastic from the counter over to my kitchen sink. My counter had bits of burning plastic on it, my candle had flames much bigger than it should, and my children are all standing in the kitchen, wide-eyed, not saying a thing. I grabbed a cup, filled it with water and dumped it all over the counter and candle. Good the fire is out!
But then I notice little black stringy things floating all over my kitchen. Black Ash is everywhere!
I spent the next hour cleaning the black ash in my kitchen. And then found it had made its way into the family room, bathroom, front room and laundry room. Yay, I had been waiting for an excuse to clean these rooms! A blessing in disguise.
But in all seriousness, it really was a blessing that I was right there when the fire started. I am sure that with all the paper we had on the kitchen counter, if I had been upstairs even for 2 or 3 minutes, the entire kitchen would have been on fire by the time I made it back downstairs.

How about a day that begins with breakfast in bed and ends with a good book instead?