October 2016- Birthdays, Braces, and Boo!!

So, at the end of last month, you’ll remember that the young man had some teeth pulled in preparation for his braces. Well, I can report that the mission is complete.

Looks like they’ve got some work to do, doesn’t it?!?

So, do you know what’s awesome? Birthdays. It’s no secret that I am a BIG believer in the birthday season….one week before and two weeks after your actual day of birth. And, anyone who doesn’t take the time to celebrate this season is just sad and pathetic. “Oh, you’re upset about getting older?” “Well, you could be dead….how about that?” Makes that birthday sound pretty great, doesn’t it?

Given the fact that I have such high expectations of my birthday season, my poor husband works his tail off each year to make sure that my needs are met. Last year we had an awesome weekend in Vail. This year he really pulled out all the stops and arranged for a Girls Night Out with a few of my favorite friends. He arranged a limousine, gathered all of the ladies, and secured reservations for us at a few local hot spots….

Or so I thought….

At the second stop, where I thought the 7 of us would be enjoying a nice dinner and wine, instead was a SURPRISE PARTY! About 50 of my nearest and dearest friends and family scared the bejeezus out of me. I was so taken aback that I have not one single picture of the entire night. Clearly I had a good time…..

Edit: Thank God for Facebook…I found a few from early in the festivities.

Directly after my birthday comes the young man’s big day. Because that’s how we do it in our family….we cram all of the birthdays into an 8-week period, so as to make Mom’s head spin around and shoot right off her body.

Now, because his sister had a sleepover, it was a given that he would do the same. My house had barely recovered from the last one, but who am I to deny? As the bonus activity, we took all of the kiddos to the local pumpkin patch ~~to wear them out~~ for some spooky fun.

Oh, and because we love it, Jackson and I got a little crafty in the food department.

And, probably the very best present of all is that Grandpa and Sue came to town for the official birthday dinner at the hibachi restaurant. Nice manners, Grandpa!

Now, a couple of quick items of EXTREME importance before we move on. Our mail-in ballots came towards the middle of the month, and I had to really, really stop myself from filling out John’s and mailing it in. Felony schmelony.

Moving on……

Well, we’ve clearly got that one covered. This was the first year that she was tuned into what Halloween is about, and was delighted to pick out this costume.

Speaking of costumes, check out this masterpiece. Jackson had an idea, and worked his little tail off planning, drawing and actually constructing his Mad Scientist ensemble. It was a group effort….who do you think ate all of the cheese balls that came inside of that big plastic jar?

And these two just crack me up!

Either way, I’d say our hard work paid off in the form of these awards at the annual Country Club spooktacular.

I think it’s also worth noting that at the spooktacular that another member of the family won a very important award. I smoked those other moms in the doughnut eating contest. I mean, I had that powdered delicacy ripped off that string and halfway swallowed before Beth even caught it in her mouth. Celebrate your talents, people!! Mine has to do with anything related to eating (or drinking). I’ll win that one EVERY TIME.

On the big day, we were blessed with beautiful weather for the candy pilgrimage. Our neighborhood friends host an awesome low-key dinner beforehand, which is really a way to “fuel up” with cocktails before venturing out. This year, Reese and Jackson took off in a flash with their friends, and John took Malory to a few houses before she discovered that people give other things besides chocolate. Then she was done. I stayed behind at Beth’s house to hand out candy to the masses. You see, our neighborhood is fantastic for trick-or-treating because there are a lot of houses, relatively little traffic, and the streets are easily navigated. So, people flock to our hood by the busload. I am not kidding.

Anyway, Beth had two HUGE buckets of candy sitting next to the front door. One was full of the standard Sweet Tarts, Smarties, and small candy bars of all kinds. The second though, had FULL-SIZED candy bars and BIG boxes of Skittles, Gobstoppers, etc. Well, I did not listen to the directions about giving the good loot to the neighborhood kids and the other stuff to the “visitors.” So, when this group of older kids came to the door, I gave each of them a big box of premium candy. As they were walking away, one of them said “God, I love white people.”

Disclaimer: That story was in no way, shape, or form intended to have racial undertones. It was a simple story for laughs, and it is 100% true.

One last thing before I wrap up the month….a few random pictures of my sweet kids that have no associated story. Just additions to the Harris Family photo album💖