Halloween 2018: Halloween!

Connor was a policeman last year for Halloween.  And he had a police birthday party in February.  And he wears his police costume at least once a week just for fun.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he wanted to be a policeman again this year.  Luckily, the costume that was a little big last year fits him great this year.

As Austin doesn't have a clue what Halloween is, I got to decide on his costume and I wanted it to be something that partnered well with Connor's.  Austin was Connor's prisoner a.k.a. inmate a.k.a. "policemate," which is what Connor kept referring to him as.

I DIY'ed a white t-shirt with stripes and Austin's inmate number (103118, of course).You can't see it on the front because it's behind his blankie.  I opted to skip stripes on the back and went with just the number.

Daycare had a costume parade earlier in the day so I left work early in order to go to that.  Austin's class was up first.

Then came Connor's class.

Note the missing button on his chest pocket.

I said that Connor's costume at school was an off-duty cop: shirt untucked, hat askew, no belt...  As soon as we got home, I made a few adjustments.  Thank goodness for hot glue!  I fixed his belt loops that had torn and glued a button back on.  When it came time to actually dress up for the night, I made sure he looked presentable and ready for duty.

We went to the neighborhood behind ours to trick-or-treat.  They really go all out with the decorations and it's a lot of fun to be part of the crowd over there.

 

Our policeman and prisoner made this Halloween one to remember, for sure.  I love doing holidays with my boys - all of them!

Halloween 2018: Pumpkin Shaving

Connor was so excited to "shave" our pumpkins this year.  I guess "carve" just isn't a word he hears very much so he got it into his head that it was shave and he couldn't get past it to learn carve. Okay by me, I love that 2018 was the year we shaved the pumpkins.

The McHusband and Connor got started while Austin was napping.

After I fed Austin a most nutritious lunch of ravioli, he joined in the shaving fun.

The first pumpkin and its proud creators.

Connor had taken it upon himself to clean the pumpkin and Austin, in true monkey-see/monkey-do fashion, also had to do some pumpkin scrubbing.

Then it was time to take the pumpkins down to the hay bales at the end of the driveway.  With our house so far back and behind trees in addition to the fact that we don't get any trick-or-treaters, it makes no sense to decorate the front porch.  Luckily we had leftover hay from planting grass seed so I was able to set up a little something closer to the street.

I love how excited Austin is in this picture.

 

Connor couldn't wait to put candles in his pumpkins and transform them into jack o'lanterns.  He even dressed for the occasion in his glow-in-the-dark skeleton pajamas.

Connor was pretending to be a zombie. 

I love my little spider pumpkin holder.  Even if we don't get around to any pumpkin shaving, at least one pumpkin will be ready for Halloween. 

Actual Halloween celebration up next!  And by "next," I mean soon...ish.  Definitely before Christmas.

Probably.

Halloween 2017

I need to fulfill my promise to future Austin, who I'm sure is totally awesome, and get his six-month post written up.  But first, I need to recap our Halloween this year because it was a lot of fun and I don't want to forget some of the details.

I'm calling Halloween 2017 Connor's first REAL Halloween.  In 2014, he was an infant; in 2015, he was sick and still didn't "get" it; in 2016, he just wasn't into the holiday and told me "Nothing" over and over again when I (or anyone else) asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween.  But 2017 was his year.

Connor knew a long time ago that he wanted to be a police officer for Halloween so I ordered his costume from Party City and it looked great!  The only negative was the hat.  It was so small!  So I had to shell out more money for a better and bigger hat, but it was worth it because it's more adjustable and will fit for a long time and it really completes the costume/uniform.  The hat arrived the day that Bass Lake Park hosted its annual Spooktacular Event - perfect timing!  Connor actually won a runner-up prize, which I'm sure wouldn't have happened if he hadn't had his hat.

Connor got to wear his costume to daycare on Halloween.  I didn't get a costume for Austin, but I dressed him in black and white stripes so that at least when he was with Connor, I could say he was Connor's prisoner.  I snapped a few quick and not-so-great photos before they headed to school.  (Please note the 6-9 month pants that are barely containing our little chunkers.)

I wasn't going to do trick-or-treating since Austin typically goes to bed by 6:30, but the McHusband talked me into it and I'm so glad he did.  I got Austin changed into his pajamas and gave him a bottle then put him in the stroller and kept my fingers crossed for general happiness followed by sleepiness.

Apparently I wasn't the only one tired from being up since four-something-in-the-morning because he dozed off pretty soon after Connor started ringing doorbells.

We had talked to Connor about how he'd say "Trick or Treat!" or "Happy Halloween!" when people opened the door.  He combined those and told everyone "Happy Trick or Treat!"  Yes, it was as adorable as you imagine - my little police officer toddler in his slightly-too-big costume and hat combining those phrases with gusto and holding out his little pumpkin for a treat.  I wanted to go to even more houses just to hear him say that over and over again.

The neighborhood we went to had lots of houses decorated with lights and blow-ups and all other assorted Halloween paraphernalia.  Some stuff was spookier than others but Connor didn't let it faze him.  Only one thing made him nervous and it would've gotten to even a seasoned trick-or-treater.  It was a hairy hand/spider thing mounted toward the ground that jumped out randomly.  Connor saw it before he hit that house, and I thought he wouldn't go past it but apparently the pull of more candy was stronger than the fear of being gotten.  He later told us, when asked how he liked Halloween, that he "didn't like those scaries."

Connor loved all the "Christmas lights," as he called them, that people used.  We stopped at one house that was all lit up and Connor told the homeowner, after he'd gotten his candy and said thank you, "I like all these lights.  They're pwetty."  She just loved hearing him say that totally unprompted.  When he joined us in the street, he looked ahead at the other houses and their lighted decorations, kinda motioned to the general surroundings with his arm, and said, "This is so beautiful."

Something else this neighborhood had?  Adult treats!  One house offered beer or wine, one had sangria, and another was giving out condiment cups of vodka Gummy Bears!

Connor loved Halloween and as we were heading home, he said, "But Halloween isn't over yet" because he could still see the lights on and people out.  But he was tired so it wasn't too tough to get him focused on walking home.  Austin had woken up by this point but was just content to ride in the stroller all snuggly under a fleece blanket.

Final verdict?  Halloween 2017 was a big hit all around, and we are excited to do it again next year with two trick-or-treaters.  And more of those Gummy Bears.  And maybe our own Thermos of an adult beverage in the stroller's cup holder.

Connor turned 3!

How do I have a three-year-old?!  I mean, it's not like I'VE aged three years.  Nope, no way, not happening. :)  The past three years have flown by and I now get that phrase The days are long but the years are short.  I'd add "and the nights are fleeting!"  I don't think I can remember what it's like to feel rested, but that's not Connor's fault so much as it is his brother's.  I'm just not sleeping too well most nights these days.  Might as well get used to it, I guess.

The McHusband and I both took the day off so we could celebrate Connor's birthday on the 15th.  I'm sure he would have enjoyed a party with his friends and extended family in attendance, but he plays with his friends every day.  What he doesn't get is his parents' undivided attention in combination with a fun activity and presents.  I knew we made the right decision when, halfway through breakfast and after only getting three helium balloons and a taxi to add to his car collection, Connor looked up from his waffle and said, unprompted and seemingly out of nowhere, "Thank you, Mommy, for my happy birthday."

(BTW, the surgery to repair my burst heart went very well.)

We spent the morning at a bounce place where always-cautious Connor waited until the last five minutes to finally try a slide, but he had a great time with his other options like shooting foam balls across a bounce house, dodging a wrecking ball, and knocking foam balls off the air they were balanced on.

We gave Connor three choices for lunch: a hot dog, Mexican (the kid loves chips and salsa), or pizza.  He chose pizza so we ended up at Blaze Pizza before heading home for a nap.  After his nap, he got his big (literally) present from us: a hand-me-down John Deere riding toy.  He was hesitant at first (remember, he's no daredevil), but he has warmed up to it quite a bit and now asks to ride it most evenings when we get home.  That night, he had a normal dinner and then he blew out his "3" candle and devoured his cupcake.  All in all, a very good day and one I know the McHusband and I will always remember and cherish.

So a little about Connor at age 3.  He's perfect, the end. :)

Okay, Connor for real.  He is smart, sweet, funny and, maybe most importantly, very agreeable.  We rarely have to resort to anything resembling a timeout and even when he does have a toddler moment, he gets over it quickly.  He still watches very little TV but we've branched out to include Doc McStuffins with Mickey Mouse and the Roadster Racers and Chuggington.  As is typical of toddlers, who get on a kick and stay on it until the next obsession pops up, right now (and new this week) Connor just wants to watch Doc McStuffins.  Thanks to Aunt Jenny, Connor now has some Play Doh to play with at home and he's been having fun with it and the trucks that came with it.

Speaking of obsessions...  Connor LOVES vehicles.  He has a fleet of rescue vehicles, some construction trucks, a variety of matchbox cars, and a few of the McHusband's model cars that he's allowed to play with.  He comes by this preference honestly so we aren't at all surprised that he loves just about anything with tires.

The McHusband and Connor went to the Monster Truck show when it was here at the end of January and Connor loved it. More recently, they went to Cars & Coffee, a once-a-month gathering of car enthusiasts in our area, and they saw two Lamborghinis among other cool cars.  He was adequately impressed.  But his favorites?  The garbage truck and police car that WEREN'T part of the show.

A pic that Heather snapped at the car show.

I expect Connor to learn new things at daycare, or school as we call it, but he surprises me sometimes with what he knows.  This past weekend, Connor was playing in my bathroom while I was getting ready and he just said, out of the blue, "Red, blue, and lello are primary colors."  I had to do a quick inventory in my head to make sure he was right as it's been a long time since I had that lesson.

Connor went to the dentist on the 23rd for a check-up/be familiar with the dentist so he isn't scared when they actually clean his teeth appointment, and he did great.  Like I said, he's very agreeable and is generally happy to just go with the flow.  Plus, he got to wear "gunglasses."

So far, Connor is still a good eater who turns his nose up to very little.  Right now, he LOVES bell peppers and raw tomatoes, his favorite condiments are flavorful ones like mustard (even the spicy kind) and salsa, and I don't think he's met a hummus he doesn't like.  Of course, he has a sweet tooth as well and is partial to Cadbury Eggs.  I feel kinda bad getting him hooked on a seasonal treat...

We have Connor's three-year check-up on the 3rd and I don't doubt that he'll be in the upper percentiles for height, weight, and head size.  3T pants at this point are barely long enough when he's standing and definitely too short when he's sitting, but they are also in danger of being too big around the waist.  Thank goodness shorts season is right around the corner!

As I mentioned in my last post, Connor is fully daytime potty-trained and for the most part handles all of that himself.  He is still using a training potty most of the time, but he gets it assembled and can empty it without any assistance from us.  I typically just let him handle things then go behind him to check for any lingering messes, but I think it's important that he feels a sense of accomplishment for taking care of business beginning to end.  Plus, soon enough, I could be otherwise engaged for a lot of his potty breaks so he needs to be somewhat independent in that arena.

Connor's Corner o' Toys

Connor often tells the McHusband and me, "Mommy/Daddy, you my best friend."  He also likes to dole out compliments and if I'm wearing a dress, he'll tell me how much he likes it.  Just the other night he told me how much he liked the flowers on my pj pants.  Connor also understands that he needs to use good manners.  He's really good about "please" and "thank you" and he even has us basically role-play with him where he tells us, "Mommy say 'Please I can have the car?" if he has one and he wants me to ask for it essentially just so he can ask for it back just as nicely.

Okay, I guess it's obvious, but I could go on and on about Connor.  He is a wonderful kid, and the McHusband and I are grateful that he's happy and healthy.  We are definitely trying to soak up these last two months with him as our only child before he becomes a big brother.  Pretty sure I'll need another heart surgery when I see him in that role...

PS  Happy Birthday to the McMom today!  We hope you have a fabulous day!