mostly treats

Our Halloween was simple and fun.  We woke up and watched Halloween themed Super Why & Dinosaur Train.  We made Halloween brownies, got Halloween cards from the Post Office and read our stack of Halloween books.

Once Josh was home, we passed out candy to some trick-or-treaters. (Here in Marshall trick-or-treating starts right after school lets out at 3:30pm because it's so cold and gets dark so early.)  Then we got the twins ready in their Captain America costumes (thank you Nanny & Aunt Julie!), and I took them to trick-or-treat at the other teachers' houses.  It was 21 degrees out, with about 15 mph wind, and oh-my-goodness, it was so COLD!  

When we got back inside Jack sat at the table sorting his loot 

and said, "Whew! That wind very blowed me!"

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Lucky for me, life has been mostly treats this week. And I am grateful.

My big boys are getting to that hilarious age where you can't believe what comes out of their mouths.  

This is especially true when they pray.

Two nights ago Logan prayed "Please keep Susan safe and bring her home to us." Susan is our neighbor, and likely their best (grown up) friend in Marshall.  She's in Anchorage for training.

And Jack prayed, "Please help mommy not break her fried egg thing again." I always make Logan's fried egg perfect, and mine, since I am trying to hurry to get the food on the table, inevitably ends up broken. But eggs being such a hot commodity, I suffer through and eat it anyway, lamenting my bad luck.  Apparently Jack thought maybe God could help me out there.

This morning I came downstairs wearing yoga pants (let's be honest, I come downstairs everyday in yoga pants) but instead a grey t-shirt, which is what I am usually wearing on top, I was wearing layers. A green long sleeve shirt with a floral short sleeve shirt layered over it.  Logan took one look at me and said sheepishly, "You look fancy, mom."

 They are working on reading books to themselves more.  The other day Logan was supposed to be reading and I was in the living room with him reading my own book.  He looked over at me and said, "Mom, I don't want to read." I told him  he had to. That it was time for reading.  He said, "No. I can't. I'm embarrassed." I asked him to elaborate and he told me he is too embarrassed to read in front of me. It made me sad, but was also sweet at the same time. So I let him go in the playroom to read by himself.

Yesterday they were playing "guys" and Logan goes, "I brought "Ruffie". He doesn't bite anymore."

Then Jack made his Lego guy "pet" Ruffie. It was just so dang cute!

I was changing Wyatt before afternoon nap and running over expectations with the boys.  I told them if they played fight game while I was trying to get Wyatt to sleep, there would be a serious consequence.  But I hesitated in saying "serious consequence" cause I was trying to think of what their consequence would be. So Logan jumped in and said, "Then we will have a situation." Where do they come up with this stuff?

I was blowing Jack's nose with him this afternoon and let's just say there was a lot of "business" in there, and I told him I thought maybe his nose was a booger factory. Logan retorted, "No, mom. It's a truck factory!"

After trick-or-treating this afternoon, we still had a lot of time to kill, so I decided to let the boys have a Halloween themed "Goo" bath in my bathroom upstairs.  They were so excited!

Once the bath was over, I let them shower and wash themselves off, which was also very exciting.  They love showering. I think it makes them feel like big kids.  Anyway, so I was still in the bathroom, getting towels and toothbrushes ready when I heard Logan ask Jack if he would please wash his back.  Jack obliged and then helped him rinse off.  It was such a tender moment.

Then tonight when Logan said his "I love you's" to Wyatt, myself and Jack, Jack responded in kind.  For the first time ever.  Another tender moment.

In the afternoons when I let the boys watch Wild Kratts, they lay side-by-side on the couch, even though they can barely fit, and lay with their arms up under the heads, just like Josh always sits when he's relaxing, and they will stay like that for the entire duration of the show.  It's my favorite thing lately to walk by and see them like that.

And finally I will close with what Jack said to me this evening as I lotioned him up and got him ready for bed.  He said, "Hey mom? Did you know I love you even when you're mad?"  Lately I have made it a habit of telling him that I love him even when he has behaved naughty, because he's my Jack.  Apparently he thought I needed to hear the same message.