Halloween Recap

I love Halloween. I always have. As a child, we always dressed up and went trick-or-treating. Rain or shine, we went out and we always had a great time.

Scott (Schmoo) and I (ET)- Halloween 1982

There was something so special about Halloween. We always went over to see my grandparents before having dinner and going out. My Grandma Ghrist would make a Halloween bag stuffed with all her best candy and give it to each of us. My grandparents loved seeing us in our costumes and I think seeing us was the highlight of their day.

Usually on Halloween day, we'd have a school Halloween party and everyone would try to keep it together for the day and then when 2:30 came, we changed into costumes and enjoyed a wonderful Halloween party. We never had homework assigned on Halloween night, and we would race home and count down the minutes until the street lights came on and we could head out.

When I was a trick-or-treater, my mom usually made either hotdogs, sloppy joe's, or we ordered pizza for dinner. It was never a meal that we savored, we pretty much scarfed down whatever we could so that we could head out and get some candy.

The crazy thing to think about is that I remember going without my parents. I'm thinking when we were little, we obviously went with my mom, but when we were a bit older, like 4th/5th grade, I think we went alone (I could be wrong). All I know is that Halloween has always been a fun holiday and one that brings back so many awesome memories.

I'm hoping to create the same love of the holiday with the boys. Hugh is too little to know what Halloween is yet, but Gus finally got it this year. Don't get me wrong, he had fun last year, but this year he was really into it.

Last year, we went to Lesley and Jason's and had pizza together and then Logan and Gus rode in the wagon as we went door to door in their neighborhood. This year, we decided to stay home and see what Halloween is like here in our 'hood.

Let me just say it was different.

We live on a street with a cul-de-sac. We have a lot of hills and our driveways are pretty steep. So to make it easier on the kids, the families on our street don't pass out candy like most houses. We all gathered down at the base of our street. There was a table set up and all the families put their candy bucket on the table. Then the dads took the kids trick-or-treating and the moms stayed back and sat in chairs at the table. 

When someone came to the table, someone told them, "This is all the candy for our street. Please walk around and take some from each bucket!" 

Now, it's definitely a smart thing, however, had we not attended the street carving party last Sunday, we would not have know about this. I would have been sitting on the porch with my light on, waiting for children that never came. I'm certain that there were a few houses on my street that did just that, because not everyone came to the party on Sunday.

Anyway, it was a beautiful night. It was the perfect temperature-- not hot, a nice cool breeze, and comfortable. Not a cloud in the sky, and really, the nicest night I've had for handing out candy in YEARS.

I missed going with Steve and the boys, but they had fun and I enjoyed talking to my neighbors. Here are some pictures from the night:

Fulton County does not allow the children to celebrate Halloween at school (totally bums me out). Since Gus's costume is just a shirt, I sent him in it and he was excited to wear his costume to school. :-)

We had been practicing saying, "Trick or treat!!" and then once he has candy, to say, "Thank you!!" 

Totally ready to go!!!

Ready for everyone to gather so we could take a picture of the kids

 Miscommunication-- several just left and we didn't get a whole-street picture

Loading up the boys to head out for candy!!

It was a fun night! The boys weren't out long, as Hugh turns into a pumpkin at 7pm (like clockwork) and started screaming because he was tired. Steve and the boys came by to get me at 7:30 and Hugh was beyond helping. He was so unhappy. We headed home and got the boys into their jammies and into bed and by the time we were down on the main level, they were both asleep. 

:-)

What's crazy to think about is that next Halloween, Hugh will be almost two. CRAZY!!!!

These Boys... (an Update)

I am so lucky to be able to stay home each day with these two delightful souls. Seriously, they make me so happy and bring a fulfillment to my heart that I'd never known before becoming a mom.

Both boys are making some awesome strides in their growth and development. Since he's the oldest, I'll start with Gus.

We has his IEP meeting (IEP stands for Individual Education Plan and goes hand-in-hand with special education. Basically, it spells out what areas he needs help and how he'll receive services to help him). We met back in May when he first qualified for Fulton County services. School started August 12 and from August 12-October 20, he met all his goals. His teacher called a meeting so we could set more challenging goals for him.

She sent home the proposed IEP and while it was awesome to see how far he's come, it was a little disheartening to see all the areas that he's struggling. Thankfully, we were able to ask questions at the IEP and we learned that Gus is making AWESOME gains and while he does have deficiencies to overcome, his teacher said she doesn't foresee him having any problems eventually overcoming these setbacks. They (his teacher and speech therapist) said he's so awesome and helpful, learning to deal with his impassivity, and his attention-span is getting better. His speech is the big issue, and they're working on helping him with his speech, and we're seeing a lot of improvement at home.

Just last night, Gus delighted us by narrating his favorite story, "Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons." Here's the video if you're interested:


I can't even put words to how awesome it is to watch this video. I know that not everyone will be able to understand what he's saying. Part of this is because he's saying is so fast, but the other part is because he's got speech delays. However... here's what I love about this:
1) He's so happy
2) He's so excited to be sharing this story
3) He remembers the WHOLE story from beginning to end
4) His voice changes to show inflection where appropriate
5) He's understandable (to me and Steve)
6) He's actually retelling a story!!!

Here are some of my favorite recent pictures of Gus:

 Yes, he's actually doing his own laundry!!! At age three!!

 We went bowling for the first time ever with my MOMS Club. Gus had a blast!

Now let's discuss Hugh.

I don't even know where to start with him.

For real, so many wonderful things are happening in his world. He has gone from gagging and eventually puking anytime you give him something that's not in liquid form, to trying a cookie (the above picture), and eating puffs and Baby Mum Mums without having issues.

Trying a cracker

As if the eating weren't enough to be proud of, he's decided that he's ready to walk. He took his first step on his 10 month birthday. He's taken a few more here and there, but isn't "walking" yet. He's trying to figure it out still and gather the confidence.

His tremors have totally stopped, he's not rigid like he was, and I personally don't think he needs an MRI at this point. His ankles have started to correct themselves, and he's not wearing braces or special shoes. He's just progressing at his own rate and it's awesome.

Hugh has such an easy-going personality. He's so laid-back and chill and doesn't get upset by too much. However, when he does get mad, watch out! He's got quite the little temper!!! His favorite person to be around is Gus. He loves to be anywhere near him and loves to play with him. Gus likes Hugh too, so we're very lucky in this regard.

Here are some of my favorite recent pictures of Hugh:

Hugh's baby playgroup had a Halloween party here yesterday- he had a great time playing in his biker baby costume with his friends!

We are so happy and blessed and excited for trick-or-treating tonight. The holiday season begins tomorrow and we are excited!!!