Giving Away Treats

Connell (suspected bronchitis and all) and Ray gave away our Halloween treats to trick-or-treaters this evening. We gave away freeze pops instead of traditional candy because they are one thing that our boys can actually eat. Our joke to people who asked "Are these popsicles?" was "Yes, and they will probably be frozen by the time you get back home in tonight's cold weather".

Liam's New Stunt

Liam has become obsessed with climbing onto the kitchen table now. I remember when Connell started and we got worried and put bungee cords around the chairs. Within a few weeks, Connell taught himself how to climb up the back of the chair (still tied to the table mind you) and so we aren't planning on doing much except trying to get Liam down when we see him up there.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Parade at Preschool

Here are a few photos from Connell's Halloween party at preschool this morning. They walk through the church halls so that the parents and church staff can see everyone and the kids can "trick or treat". You can see the line-up of children and Liam watching the parade from the bench in the gathering space. Connell "trick or treats" from Father Bodin and then the entire class (minus Gabe who refused) got into a class picture.

Clare Enjoys an Evening Out

I had the opportunity to spend a little more than 3 hours away from home tonight as I was invited to the 70th anniversary celebration for the Phi Beta Kappa chapter at St. Catherine's.

Honestly, this was the first organized event that I have attended since leaving in 1994 and so it was fun to see the new Coeur de Catherine center that was built and also to reminisce about my days there from 1990-1994. Although there were hundreds of people there and I couldn't see every name tag, I never did run into anyone else from my induction year although I chatted for a while with my former professor and mentor, Sister Jackie O'Hara who hasn't changed a bit. I sat with two current juniors who were invited to the reception simply because they look like potential Phi Beta Kappas for the coming spring. It was very interesting to talk to them and hear about their St. Kate's experiences. Come to find out, the one from Lonsdale who attended Northfield High School had attended the A Vous la Parole oral French contest that I coordinate in the years of 2004 & 2005 (while I was coordinator!). The other one was a fashion merchandising major who currently has a professor who I was in class with in the fall of 1990. This Family & Consumer Sciences professor took a French class (for free -- a benefit of being a CSC prof) every so often to brush up on her pronunciation so that she was able to pronounce the French fashion words. We were in a class of 7 students together and so I got to know her well and told this student to give her my regards.

Being on campus reminded me that as an alum, I am able to take one undergraduate class per academic year (audit) at St Kate's (at no cost) for the rest of my life. Recently I was perusing the class schedule and thought that one of these semesters before I go back to teaching that I would try to take a theology class or something else of interest in the weekend college program just for fun.

To summarize, I enjoyed my evening at St. Kate's and Marta, Brian and Ray enjoyed splitting the babysitting duties 3 ways during my 3 hours away. Liam did well with everyone, yet both boys were in bed by 6:30 which means we are probably in for another 4:30 or 5 am waking like the last few nights. Sigh.

Eye Problems

Friday morning, Connell poked Liam in the eye with the sides of his sunglasses. So Liam has been sporting a bloody inner eye since then. I thought you could see it in this photo (his right eye and in the corner by his nose) although for some reason he also has red eye from the photo being taken.

Tattoos for Halloween

Connell was obsessed with getting Halloween tattoos put on his hand this weekend. He actually has two on each hand and Liam has one on each!

Enjoying the Rocking Chair

After a fun-filled day with their playgroup friends, Connell and Liam spent the evening sharing the rocking chair. They had fun rocking back and forth and just sitting side by side. Of course, there was the share of fights and pushing each other as well! Once again the boys find themselves naked in pictures.

Ready for the Halloween Luncheon!

Before going to the entire playgroup party at McDonald's today at 11, a few of the playgroup friends dropped by for a group photo. As you can see, it is difficult to get 7 children to even sit for a photo.

Liam is on the left as Donald Duck but without the hat that I made. Nathan is next as an elephant holding his baby brother, Nicholas who is a sack of peanuts. Connell is next as Mickey Mouse with his hat over his eyes. Riley is nearly falling over as a dragon (or an alligator as he calls it). Riley's sister Brooke is a purple princess (like a Dora princess) and Amy is Pooh bear (no big surprise since Amy is a Pooh fanatic).

At the party at McDonald's there were 30 people (including 16 children and 14 adults) which is why we needed to do some sort of smaller group photo!

Shredding gone wild!

After shredding documents from several years (canceled checks, utility bills, etc.), I wanted the boys to help put the "shreddings" from the garbage can to the plastic garbage bag. Well, it didn't quite turn out like that. They did have fun for about 10 minutes, but it took about 30 minutes to get it all cleaned up again!

Good morning everyone!

Connell got a favor bag at preschool yesterday in honor of Abby turning 4. I thought that he got a girly one by mistake, but it's possible that they all were alike (flowery sunglasses, purple beads, etc.) Liam was obsessed with the sunglasses and somehow a lens turned up missing within hours of getting the favor - I'm sure that Connell is blaming it on Liam! Add the runny nose into the mix and I thought it was a great picture of Liam to start the day!

The Pumpkin Patch

Connell, Liam and I went to a Lakeville pumpkin patch after Liam's nap today to pick out a few for our front stoop. It was so windy (46 mph gusts) that we nearly blew away, but we managed to get 3 pumpkins anyway.

Connell Cannot be Trusted

Connell was quietly playing in the kitchen while I slipped down to check email. I went back up to find the following. Maybe you can follow the story from the pictures...

Donald and Mickey are Ready for Halloween

I finally finished the boys' costumes and so we had to try them on.

Never again will I plan such a seemingly simple costume duo with no patterns --- I had to make everything for Liam's costume (except the white onesie underneath that you can't see) and without a single pattern! I spent hours and hours toiling trying to make that sailor top and adding the yellow stripes and button embellishments. Not to mention trying to make something resembling duck legs and feet. You can't even see the stuffed feathers that he has on his behind! The hat was difficult to make and Liam won't keep it on for more than two seconds. I decided against something resembling a beak because I knew that he wouldn't wear it anyway!

Connell's outfit was a little easier, but still had its share of complications --- I bought the pants and black shirt and red shorts at Saver's and simply had to alter them all to fit better. I used some tagboard for the white buttons that I sewed to the shorts. The gloves were totally sewn by eye --- first they were so big and so I slowly cut inches off of the fingers until they fit better. The ears were the problem -- I used a black pirate hat and cut all the extra stuff off. Then I took 2 covers for Hormel microwaveable meals and painted them black and used some black painted stickers to cover the air holes. A little gluing and more paint and it turned out ok. I used the extra pirate hat material to cut a cute spiral tail which is barely seen in the photo. Connell liked having black make-up on his nose, too!

All in all, I am happy with the fruits of my labor although I probably should have been cleaning my house instead of piddling with these costumes that will be worn for a few minutes total! I spent about $15. on all the materials that I used to make both of them which is more than I was going to spend, but like I mentioned early -- I didn't think this whole project through before I dove into it in August!

Halloween Costumes

Playtime with Seth & Hannah

Jackie brought Seth (17 1/2 months) and Hannah (her 17 1/2 month daycare girl) over to play this morning with Connell (3 yrs old) and Liam (16 1/2 months old). Seth liked wearing the engineer cap that the sandbox grandma made for Connell.

Two Little Devils

The pictures say it all...

The Sandbox Grandma Babysat the Boys

Sunday, the sandbox grandma (Ray's mom -- she has been known by this nickname ever since she bought the boys a sandbox for their birthdays this summer) came over to babysit the boys from 8-4 while Ray had a meeting in Kansas City for the day and I was at a mental health conference put on by the local Jewish Community (a requirement for renewal of my teaching license). They went to the park before the weather soured and had fun doing crafts and playing card games like Old Maid. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the three of them.

Haircut Night

The boys really love getting their hair cut by daddy followed by a joint bath. Here are a few photos from the big event this evening.

Crazy and Goofy

The boys felt the need to make silly faces as I was snapping photos today!

Liam Develops a Peanut Allergy Too!

This is what happened after Liam had a couple of baby spoons of my frozen yogurt with peanut butter and chocolate in it last night. The original picture was a little graphic according to Ray so I focused in on part of his back only. I had suspected that he was getting some food allergies in recent weeks with some eczema showing and also some bad rashes that were very itchy on his bottom. Up until last night, all the reactions were quite subtle and so I couldn't pinpoint the food item. This reaction was within a minute or two of eating the peanut butter and so it was finally obvious. We will be seeing the allergist Nov. 1st to see what options we have in finding out more of Liam's allergies even though he is only 16 months old. I suspect that he might not have totally outgrown his dairy allergy (he had a reaction like this on his face to yogurt at 6 months) and we might be told to eliminate it from his diet for a year as well. Would be quite easy to have both boys on the same foods for the next year at least!

Play-Doh Disaster

While I was filing papers and Ray was glued to the Vikings Game today, Connell took his Play-Doh up to his room and literally rubbed it into his carpet. We are absolutely livid as there are lots of dried spots (small and large) all over his room. I am about to look on the Internet as to how to get it out, but I am not very hopeful. I am to the point where I am going to throw all the Play-Doh in the garbage and he will only get it at ECFE or preschool on occasion. Unless we find a good method of removal, he may have ruined his entire room carpet which was in great condition before this ordeal.

A Visit with Grandpa and Grandpa Hagen

Ray and the boys drove up to Little Falls to spend the day with Grandpa and Grandpa Hagen today. They were gone from 9 am until 6 pm which gave me a little time to put some things away, clean the bathrooms and bedrooms and simply relax. The last time that I had a day to myself was in February '06 and that was before Liam's birth and so I couldn't believe how great it felt. I could open the refrigerator without someone slipping in behind me, sit down for more than 3 minutes without having to attend to a boy's need and actually do some cleaning which is impossible with the boys around.

Ray and the boys said that it was a blast up with Grandpa and Grandma. They rode in the golf cart, skipped rocks on the pond, made a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. Connell even got into something itchy in the woods and needed a dose of Benadryl to help it go away. The weather was perfect!

A Visit with the Waldrops

We spent a couple of hours with the Waldrops this afternoon. Unfortunately, the boys were so excited about all the new toys that they didn't want to cooperate for a photo shoot. When I finally bribed Connell to come over, Liam had already left his post. And I guess it was very traumatic for Keira to sit for a photo and so she cried and cried. Sydney was the only willing participant --- clad in her Ariel mermaid Halloween costume.

The Fendrich Girls Help with a Cake Too!

Maria and Natalie came over while their parents were at parent-teacher conferences at RHS and to help pass the time, we made a maple pumpkin cake. This recipe came from the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network's bulletin and was dairy-free, egg-free, peanut-free and tree nut-free. Everyone loved helping add ingredients and stirring the batter (except Liam who was forced to watch). After it had baked and I served a small piece to everyone, it was apparent that no one really cared for the taste except me!

Liam's Anxiety Update...

Today I had Bible Study which was scheduled from 9:30-11:15 at the church. We got there at 9:10 and Liam instantly started panicking when we entered the church to drop off Connell at preschool. We got a lot of strange looks from other parents and teachers, but I simply responded, "he's not happy about going to the nursery".

So we headed towards the nursery around 9:15 and he was worse than ever -- kicking me and screaming and so the nursery worker suggested that I come in and play for a while. Since I had 15 minutes to spare, I thought it was a good idea. He started playing with the shopping carts and telephones and found Ian with whom he played with some trucks. When 9:40 rolled around and I knew that opening prayer would be starting already, I left the nursery hearing him screaming bloody murder as I walked down the hall. Since the nursery and Bible Study room share a wall, everyone was well aware that he cried for the first 30 minutes. They still didn't page me which I was happy about. Then the crying stopped and for the next hour, I was sure that he has calmed down. When I went back to pick him up at 11:15, he was playing nicely and I was told that they had an hour of peace and contentment. He cried when he saw me of course, but I was happy that they didn't give in and page me (thanks to Wendy who knows what I have been going through and is trying to help me out any way she can). I wanted him to see that it could actually be fun in the nursery without mommy.

We still will have to take each time as it comes as Tues mornings, there are many more kids in there and they simply cannot put up with lots of crying like they can on Thursday mornings.

Making a Halloween Cake with Connell

Due to boredom, we decided to make a Halloween cake this afternoon with dairy-free cake mix and frosting. Connell wanted to do everything himself although I had to assist him at times. We added orange food coloring to the cake mix and then put black and orange sprinkles on top (can you tell where Connell dumped all the sprinkles in one shake?!?!).