Happy Halloween!
Halloween was kind of an after thought this year. I say this every year, but I am not a fan of this made up "holiday." But I participate for the kids...like most moms do.
This year Wiggy was going to be "Foofa" from Yo Gabba Gabba, but we couldn't find her a costume locally. So we did nothing. Then the day of "Trunk or Treak" at the church arrived and I had to do something. Magically, that morning I got an email from Old Navy that said all of their costumes were $5.
Perfect.
I called and had them hold a costume in a 5T...a cupcake.
Even more perfect.
Tubbs picked out his costume a few weeks earlier at Party City. He wanted to be something else, but they were all out. He settled on the "Red Ninja."
Bubba didn't want to buy a costume, which was kind of unusual...but it made my wallet happy.
The night of Trunk or Treat, five minutes before we headed out the door, he decided he was going to dress up. At first he was a hiker....then that turned into a Cub Scout. So, he grabbed his walking stick and his uniform...and he was set.
There are a few things I will miss when these bugs "grow up." (Even though Bubba swears he isn't.)
1. Crazy morning hair and the fact that she has no idea how crazy it is.
2. My kids making silly faces for us to text to Grandpa when he sends us silly pictures.
3.How hard she makes me chuckle with the items she finds fascinating and insists on wearing. I hope she is always this "fashion forward!"
4. Tubbs ....showing off for a good laugh....even in front of the camera.
5. The strange positions Tubbs sleeps in.
6. They way Petunia wears her thongs...between the wrong piggies and on the wrong feet--- But still finds them perfectly comfortable.
7. Bubba letting his little sister snuggle up while watching her favorite TV Show before bed.
8. Being able to bribe my kids into doing chores...with a smile on their face
9. Being the Cub Master in Bubba's Den at church.
10. Bugs who make their own party wherever they go. There is laughing and more laughing with these three kids....and i love it.
When I look at my children and wonder what Heavenly Father has up his sleeve. There are also moments when I feel so blessed I don't want to blink because Im afraid of what may be around the corner.
I love these kids. Today was a special day....the annual primary program at church.
Its the one Sunday of the year I can almost guarantee we will be on church on time...possibly five minutes early to get a good seat.
Daddy made us a big breakfast this morning---which we love on Sunday morning. After breakfast the kids showered and I got them ready to go before I got myself ready to go. The kids let me take a few pictures of them before they managed to get into anything.
I love this little black Gap dress I bought on a really good sale last time we were in Roseville. Aunt Linday got us the Gap shoes on clearance for dirt cheap as well. We love a bargain. :)
Classic Bubba. THankfully he isn't squinting...yet.....and we haven't reached chapped lip season. Thank goodness.
Bubba is such a big boy...with the heart of Peter Pan. A few nights ago after I tucked in into bed he came running down to our bedroom. He asked,"Who will tuck me in when I go away to college?"
Oh bubba!
Mischievious Tubbs smile. He's always grinning like the Cheshire Cat in "Alice in Wonderland." He always something brewing in that head of his. He is thee instigator of the house....right behind his father.
These boys....are inseparable. They may be fighting like cats and dogs but they won't leave each other's side. RIght now they are both addicted (or maybe just obsessed) with Pokeman. Bubba got his brother into it I guess. Bubba owns way too many Pokeman cards and tried to seal his brother's "good" cards any opportunity he comes across.
I managed to snap quite a few of them before they started squinting and whining. Thank goodness my camera has the continuous shutter snapping capability.
They all look confused in this picture---which is normal around our house. :)
I love you bug-a-boos.
Where do I start? Where do i start.....
This last week has been especially long for us. After 8 painful days (and I do mean painful) we are pacifier free and lived to tell to tell the tale.
Only a parent who has lived with a pacifier addict can relate to the sense of relief I feel making it to day eight days of "sobriety."
There were sooooooooo many moments I almost broke.
Almost.
Several moments where I considered taking up the pacifier to calm MY own nerves and frustrations.
It all began on a Friday morning. Wiggy had lost (what I naively believed) was her last pacifier. I contemplated buying her another "back-up" but took it as a sign that it was time. Time to give up the nasty habit for good. No more pacifiers for Petunia!
I do have to blame the formation of this nasty lil' habit on our wonderful babysitter....who will remain nameless...and thankfully doesn't read this blog. :)
When Scout was five months old and I went back to work, the babysitter gave her one. Funny to look back and think Wiggy survived just fine without one until she had to be separated from mom. Tubbs took a pacifier too and I think we told him a dog chewed up his pacifier and he did okay with it.
Friday night was pure hell but thankfully her wonderful daddy stepped in to soothe her back to sleep....every few minutes...all night long. She would wake up searching her bed for her beloved pacifier--only to wake up and realize her nightmare was a reality.
There was no missing pacifier. The pacifier was in fact gone.
Luke slept in her bed all night and tried to snuggle her back into sweet dreams.
24 hours without a pacifier and she finds one!! Luke locates me and tells me to look at my daughter. I walk into the living room and there she is posted up on the couch watching Yo Gabba Gabba with her doll and a pacifier! I'm horrified and at the same time wondering if I should just let her keep it....and cry Uncle.
I have to take it from her. Arrrrrrrrr!! I felt so awful.
She throws herself on to the ground, kicking and screaming. She calms down after a few minutes as I hide the pacifier in my dresser drawer. I can't throw it away in case she tries to dig it out of the trash.
Sunday afternoon rolls around and this time Bubba finds a pacifier in the hallway closet....and gives it to her.
Have you ever wanted to eat your young?
I did at this moment.
I had to take away another pacifier.
This poor girl. She did get to suck on it for a few moments before her mean mommy confiscated it.
I had a stern talk with the boys about what was going on and what they needed to do if they found another one.
This time I bribe her with her own mini container of Ben and Jerry's chocolate brownie ice cream. It does the trick. I probably just started some kind of eating disorder, but I needed to ease the guilt. The little girl deserved a little bit of happiness.
Monday morning the babysitter calls to tell me Wiggy is not having a good day. She won't let the babysitter hold her or snuggle her...and isolates herself to the playroom.
Broke my heart. She wouldn't take a nap or let them comfort her.
Thankfully Luke leaves work a little early from work, picks her up from the babysitter and takes her for a Jamba Juice to take the edge off...... Followed by a Tutti Frutti yogurt with mama.
Frozen yogurt always calms me down and I think after the last 72 hours Wiggy and I both needed something!!
Thankfully another pacifier has not been located. If Wiggy would've just found one a day earlier she probably would still be sitting pretty, sucking away on her pacifiers. Its a lesson in organization!! :)
This was how she looked most of the week.....distraught.
The last documented pic of Wiggy enjoying her pacifier....the night before D-Day!
Next item to tackle....potty training. Once I fully recover from this "intervention" I'll be ready to take on this beast. Wish me luck!!
In July we discovered Pink Berry Frozen Yogurt while we were in San Diego. They have an original tart flavor that is heaven in a bowl.
I was still safe because Pinkberry was over 200 miles away. :)
Well, in August "Yogurtland" opens about two miles from the house. And what flavor do they have? An original tart flavor that is identical to Pinkberry. Fantastic.
Fast forward another week and I am informed of another frozen yogurt shop about 4 miles from our house, called Tutti Frutti and it carries the same flavor.
The fantastic news is Tutti Frutti is a little cheaper than Yogurtland and has way more indoor seating. (They also have a larger size bowl....the beloved blue bowl!!) :)
I'm a happy camper.
Over the last month we have planned many family "activities" that centered around Tutti Frutti. The boys don't know it, but when Luke drops them off at swim practice he meets me at Tutti Frutti after I pick up Wiggy. Its diabolical...and I think very addictive.
I have actually considered the possibility that they put some illegal substance in the yogurt to keep me coming back almost everyday.
Who am I kidding?!
I have a "VIP" card and I am there almost every stinkin' day. I think I have earned my plaque on the wall for cusutmer of the YEAR ....and a front row parking spot come to think of it.
Luke's favorite flavor.
I ran inside one Friday night to get my crack fix and came across this "new" flavor. I made a small bowl and brought some out to Luke. It was a hit.
It was great for me because for the next four days Luke was taking me to Tutti Frutti every day. We were both in heaven since we both had a favorite flavor.
Then we find out they are discontinuing it since it's a "seasonal" flavor. Luke's little heart was broken!! It was a tragedy! He even went to their website to protest. No such luck.
I take these pictures and send them to Luke to taunt him when I wander over on my lunch breaks!! I'm so lame.
My fave combinations: tart yogurt with raspberries, strawberries and granola.
Wiggy mooches some of daddy's pink lemonade off of him.
That Stop Wasn't On My Itinerary....
So the Hogue's made it to Florida for our first official family vacation. It was Sawyer's first plane ride....and Simon's first plane ride that he can remember. We were excited....the boys were stoked. We had everything we needed! But it seems that Sawyer packed something with him that wasn't on our checklist: a big case of pneumonia. Yes, the little fella made it almost one whole day in Florida before he started heading downhill fast. Our 2nd day in Orlando we were in the Urgent Care south of Cocoa Beach. (By the way, to see a doctor more quickly, it helps if you vomit all over the waiting room in front of the receptionist. Little tip for ya) After chest x-rays they advised us to head to the ER in Melbourne, where they eventually admitted him to the hospital. So, we had 3 night deluxe accommadations at the Holmes Regional Medical Center. The little whipper snapper was a trooper though! The nurses loved him, thankfully, and made us all feel right at home. We were going to send postcards out with pictures of the hospital since we spent 40% of our trip there...but they didn't have any. Imagine that!Hmmm.....maybe its something they should consider.
