Halloween Part 2: Anniversary & Reality Checks

Monday was kind of special around here.  It marked 2 years of wedded bliss for Natey and I...AND... it was Owen's first halloween.

We kept things pretty chill.  Oliver had yakked twice the night before so we spent the day relaxing and keeping an eye on his behavior.  He seemed pretty normal.  Phew.  He was in a very helpful mood actually and helped feed the baby his second ever bottle (Nate gave him his first bottle the night before).

Oliver seemed to nap well that afternoon, but then he woke up whining... which is never good.  It usually means an antsy, hard to please, still tired mood.  So I brought him out to the couch, propped him on the pillows and cuddled him up with a blanket.  He loved it.  Too much.  If he forgot how comfortable he was and moved, he would get upset and need me to tuck him in again.

This made me nervous.  He was so not himself.  But I kept telling myself the mood was emotional, he must have had a nightmare and it through him off...not illness related (turns out the kid had a case of mud-butt on the way, gross!).  This mood was a serious threat to my perfectly laid plans.

I could only hope that Nate's arrival home would pep up our boy a little bit.  And it did.  A package from Mema and Pepere in NH helped too.  Oliver got an awesome Monster Mash sound book... he totally gets a kick out of it!  Owen got a giraffe... can you tell how super psyched he is with it?!

So here's what was SUPPOSED to happen. Well first of all, it was supposed to be warm. Not so much. Nate was supposed to get home early and we'd take Oliver trick or treating early, before it was too dark and too cold. He was going to love it, walking down the sidewalk like a big boy and going from house to house holding up his pumpkin bucket and saying "Cheek-chee" (trick or treat) and "Buh-bye." Then we were going to come home and hand out candy to adorable children in adorable costumes.

What did happen:

Oliver was mellow.  We were concerned.  It was getting colder and colder and apparently Halloween doesn't start around here until it's pitch black.  Doesn't anyone have young kids around here?  We couldn't wait that long to bring him out... but we also didn't want to be the only schmucks ringing doorbells at 5:30.  So right as we decided to stay in for the night and sit down to dinner the doorbell started ringing.  FINALLY!  It was only pitch black out!

Oliver had a BLAST running to the door when the bell rang and handing out candy.  He said trick or treat, thank you, and bye bye... a very friendly candy hander-outer.  Eventually he let us put on his batman PJs...his costume for the evening.

It turned out to be a great night...totally different than what we expected, but once again our toddler taught us a new way to appreciate and enjoy things on a simple scale.

And after Batman (and the stupid group of teens ringing our bell after the light was off at like 9:30...WITHOUT costumes! grrr) retired for the evening, Nate and I plopped down to watch a movie together.  He had stopped at a Red Box on the way home and surprised me with the new adaptation of Jane Eyre.  So not his cup of tea... just another example of how much he loves me and knows that hauntingly romantic movie would be perfect for Hallowedding Hallow-versary.  And of course being the old folks we are... we couldn't make it through the movie and had to resume it the next night.

(PS- I didn't love the movie...wanted to... but as always, book was MUCH better!)

This picture cracks me up.

Drinking out of a cup like a big boy, while sitting in a baby seat with the illusion of muscles and monkey socks....priceless.



Halloween Part 1: Music Together & Mall Trick or Treat

Oliver got his first dose of Halloween on Friday when we crashed a mother's group party at our bestie's house.  Saturday morning he was very happy to once again don his "arrrrr" (Oliver speak for pirate costume...not to be confuse with "garrrrr" for bear...any bear- teddy, panda, koala, grizzly, polar) to wear to music class.  Owen was happy (as far as I'm concerned) to wear his Mickey Mouse costume.

Music class was wonderful as always!  Luckily, the freak October snow held off long enough for my mom to make the drive up from NJ since BDNP had to work that morning.  I don't know what I would have done without her help.  Well I know I would have been stubborn and brought both boys to music class solo, but I'm glad I didn't have to... I'm not ready for that just yet! 

I'll just post a pic or two now... I have a feeling I may put more in another post because once I get going about Music Together I can't stop!

From class we drove over to the mall where Nate met up with us for the safe trick or treating.  It seems like fewer and fewer stores participate in this every year, which is a bummer because there are a crazy lot of kids who attend and the candy runs out way too quick.

It took Oliver a few times, but he warmed up to the idea of trick or treating.  It was so beautiful.  My heart broke just a little bit watching him go up to get candy and hold up his bucket... big brown eyes wide and shining with wonder at this new experience.  Nate says he even said trick or treat a few times... well his version of trick or treat, which is "Cheek-chee"...kinda.

He's just getting so big.  So independent.  It's happening way too fast for me.  The ride home from the mall took longer than normal (nasty slushy snow!  With the precious babies in my car you can be sure I took my time!).  As expected Oliver fell asleep in his carseat, and my heart broke even more gazing on that sweet little face- safe, secure, content and chubby.  I love how cute he is sleeping in the car (hate that it screws up his nap schedule, but love the cute!).  But it makes me so sad looking at the smoothness of his cheeks, listening to the adorable sound of his breath in it's sleepy rhythm... because I can't keep it.  That face won't be there forever.  That cheek will be rough and stubbly someday.  That sleepy inhale will be a man's deep snore.  And I will love that man because he is my baby... but you can bet your life I will miss that baby with all my heart.  I already do, and he's still right here.

Owen was there too... but he had no idea.  Sleepy kid.

Happy Hallow-versary

Today is the 2 year anniversary of the most beautiful and perfect Hallowedding. 

On October 31, 2009 Nate and I were married. 

I have nothing but happy memories about our wedding. It was wonderful, it was fun, it was...well...perfect.

Before you have visions of The Corpse Bride... here is a glimpse of our wedding.  Just a small taste...there are so many pictures and I love them all... which is amazing in itself since I usually hate being photographed.

My inspiration was Victorian Gothic.  Did that happen? Not quite as much as I would have liked;  I had haunted mansion in mind (not ghouls and monsters haunted, but candelabras and cobwebs...like the decor walking through the Tower of Terror in Disney).  Our colors were burgundy and champagne, NOT black and orange.  I would have loved to go all skulls and gargoyles with the wedding, but Nate is too normal and his mom (my mom too, actually) would have died!

Whenever I mentioned we were getting married on Halloween people responded with: "I went to a wedding on Halloween once! It was the best wedding I've been to! Everyone wore costumes, it was so fun!"  We aren't doing costumes at our wedding.  "Oh."

As much as I would have liked to go more "halloweenie" with the theme... I'm glad no one was in costume, that was never going to happen.  I would hate to have a friggin' power ranger or something in our wedding pictures.  Overall, I don't regret that I was reigned in with the Hallowedding theme because I think one day I would have regretted the gimmick and wished for a "real" wedding.  Well I got my "real" wedding and it was fairy tale quality.

BUT...someday...when there's money to spend...we'll have an awesome anniversary Halloween party and no one will stifle my crazy!  I'm thinking something along these lines...

When I was planning for the wedding I searched for Victorian Gothic and came across THIS on Offbeatbride.com.  HERE is their Flikr album...I absolutely love what they did and wish I was cool enough to do something like that... but I'm really pretty lame.

Party Crashers

We crashed a mother's group halloween party on Friday.  BFF hosted her group's party so we scored an invite.  We've joined in on a few of their get togethers already.  A very nice bunch of moms and a very adorable bunch of kids.

and that's not even all of them!

my two little pirates

she's not too happy abut the arranged marriage situation...

we're working on it.  She has very little choice.

Blackmail picture!

Ol's homemade pirate costume.

It is very hard to get a full body picture of a very fast toddler.  So there's no good head to toe picture of the costume I worked so hard on.  By "so hard" I mean that I cut a pair of his pants, layered two of his shirts and cut my red shirt for a sash.  It's no award winning costume, but it was cute enough for a kid who has little interest in dressing up...and it was free!

Wordless Wednesday- Halloween Flashback

Photo Flashback: Oliver's First Halloween

2010

Homemade Warehouse Mouse Costume