Halloween Night 2009!

Ok, so the pumpkin on the lace is our Bob the Tomato pumpkin (Cole's choice) from Veggie Tales. The pumpkin between the grave stones was the wild and goofy pumpkin (Kaleigh's choice). The shot of them both together (kind of dark) you can see the moon above Cole's hand, totally cool! As you can see and if you remember, Kaleigh was a mime again. Cole decided to go with Rock Star this year, but didn't get as many comments as Kaleigh did, so was a little disappointed. They love to hear the people comment about their costumes. I tell them the more they put into them the more people will comment. He was a bit lazy in his costume, he didn't want the tattoos or any of the other extras. he didn't even wear his glasses most of the trick or treating time. So a lot of people didn't even know what he was. Although it was a lot more than some. We tend to have a lot of families that come from other neighborhoods into ours and half the time the kids (even the little ones) aren't even in costumes! They come with plastic grocery bags and don't speak English.

Ah well, such is life. We still give them candy. Sometimes I buy the little pretzel bags at Costco and give those out to kids that don't wear a costume, but they aren't cheap either! Well, it is now 9:15 and their have been a couple of knocks at the door even though our light has been out for more than an hour! Get a clue people! So all in all a good Halloween! Hope everyone elses was Happy too! Boo!

H1N1 Vaccinate or Not?

Ok, I have been struggling with this for about a week. Normally, I don't like watching the news because it depresses me and I have enough to worry about in my own world of school, family and money. So, the other night Carl and I are watching the news, not by my choice of course, and they are talking about 4 hour lines waiting for the vaccine. I don't like flu shots and I and my family have very rarely gotten the flu. Allergy problems yes, head colds, definitely, not too many fevers or stomache bugs. I have a nervous stomache but that is totally different! : P
So, my dilemma. Do I get my children vaccinated or not? I will not get a flu shot. I am not in the dangerous age nor do I really want to do this. I am a wuss and proud of it. If I get ill, I get ill. I will see a doctor if it is worse than a usual illness. That is my stand. You may bash me for this, whatever. I am however, grateful for any and all advise concerning my kids. I have about 50% of my friends and co w0rkers that say no, they will not do it, and about 30% say yes. The other 20% is undecided like me. Give it your best arguement! Yes or no.

Kaleigh learned to knit today...American Style!

Ok, so I am a teacher that cannot teach my own kids! At least not outside of mother-type teaching. I tried to teach Kaleigh how to knit European style, but we both got a bit frustrated. I don't really give steps, I just expect her to watch me and learn. I know, I know, not the way to teach! Oh well.

So at her Girl Scout meeting, they had a lady from a local craft store teach the girls to knit. She was a little rough around the edges, partially deaf and in a wheelchair, but Kaleigh took to her teaching style right away! The lady was pretty impressed with Kaleigh too! What can I say, Kaleigh is a people person, no matter what type of person she comes in contact with! Some of the girls (and the mom's too) were a little intimidated by the lady. Like I said, she was a little rough around the edges (she spoke very loudly due to her partial deafness) so when she would correct someone, she would say, "NO, NO LET GO! And some of the girls were a little scared. One of the mom's told me later that she turned all red in the face because the lady yelled at her! But all in all it was really fun for all the girls! The Girl Scouts by the way, are learning to knit so they can make baby blankets for the preemie babies at the local hospitals! That is a service project that they will earn a badge for! yay!

Kaleigh playing the Flute!

Hey, I did it! So here is a sample of Kaleigh's flute playing! Some sounds are clearer and some are a little breathy. She is doing pretty well, considering she has never played any instrument before! Today was another practice and I must say that the woodwinds sounded a little better than the brass! : )

Enjoy!

Kaleigh playing her flute.

Ok, right here is where the video should be. I am extremely frustrated, because I HAVE done this before and it worked! For some reason it is not working now.

The video is 56 mb and I don't think that is too too big, so I tried again and again but no go. So unless someone can tell me how to do this and get our little 30 second video posted, you will just have to imagine how Kaleigh sounds playing the flute!

Aaarrgghh

Mickey's Trick or Treat Party - Celebrating Halloween a Bit Early!

So this year again, we decided to go to DCA (Disney's California Adventure) park, for the special Halloween party they do each year. This year we went with a different group. Kaleigh's friend, Grace, her mom and her little sister. It was fun, but the sister dragged us down a bit. We tend to move pretty quick since we only have 4 hours to get everything done. It was still fun and the kids got quite a bit of candy. You get to go on all the rides and go trick or treating too! As you can probably tell, Kaleigh and Cole were rockers, (as was I) and the other group were 60's. It was fun, but I don't know if we will do it again next year. It wasn't as crowded in past years and it seems to be getting more and more each year.

Well, at least I got a whole bowl of candy out of it to give out on Halloween! Mostly things like Smarties and Starburst and Lemonheads. But enough to fill a bowl! Cool, less buying of candy this year!