Happy Halloween!

For our ward's trunk-or-treat party, Paul dressed up as Peter Pan's nemesis, a pirate...
...and I was a fire for Benjamin the Fireman to put out.

Benjamin all ready to go trick-or-treating.

Peter, wishing he was in bed.

This was the first time I'd ever gone trick-or-treating to a tipi. It was set up in one of our neighbor's front yards. It even had a little campfire inside! Pretty cool.

Laissez-faire Parenting

I've finally had to confront my own laziness when it comes to parenting. To give you a picture of life as of late, let me first begin by saying that there have been very few October-blue-sky days this month. We've had rain, rain, and more rain, with a few really cold days sprinkled in (this morning, I noticed that our "waterproofed" basement has puddles where the water seeped up through the foundation...nice). So we've been stuck inside a lot, and my resolve to keep movie watching and computer time to a minimum has weakened. Benjamin has been pushing me to see how far I'll go with a lot of other things too. I've had to remind him dozens of times each day not to injure Peter in any way, and simple requests that I make lead to massive meltdowns and temper tantrums. It's been sort of maddening.
This week during preschool, the parents met in a breakout session to learn about discipline. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, and I've already seen huge results. I was the problem.
I decided to go against my nature, and make a schedule. I blocked each hour of the day for an activity, like music/exercise time, scripture time, learning time, creative time, cleaning time, and so forth. And it's worked so far! Benjamin loves the structure, and it's been nice to have the schedule to rely on, and not try to come up with stuff for him to do in the heat of the moment when he just wants to watch another movie. It's taking me a while, but I'm learning...

Costumes

I finished Peter and Benjamin's costumes yesterday! They took way more time than they should have, and didn't end up saving me much money, but it was fun. And I think they turned out pretty well. I figured since I put so much into their costumes this year, I'd get their portraits taken. We've been listening to the original Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie in the car, and thoroughly enjoying it. I find myself remembering that Peter Pan musical (with Mary Martin as Peter Pan) that I thought was so dumb as a kid. 'Hook' also included a lot of the fun details from the book that the Disney cartoon left out.
And no, Benjamin didn't get his wish to be "Benjamin Pan" this year. But he looks pretty happy as a fireman, huh? I even spray painted an old hose for him. Happy (early) Halloween!

Our One-Year-Old

We had a pretty low-key celebration for Peter on his birthday. I made him a pumpkin cake.
It's funny how every one-year-old is different. Benjamin burst into tears when we sang "Happy Birthday" to him on his first birthday, but Peter would not touch his cake. When we lit the candle, Peter waved his hands at it, saying"Bah, bah, bah!" which, interpreted is "hot, hot, hot!" So Benjamin blew it out.
I finally shoved his hand in it to show him what was expected of him. This is how he felt about it.
I guess he's a tidy kid? He hates touching mashed potatoes or getting his hands too messy during mealtime. He's even started demanding a fork.

Peter's personality has just exploded in the past few weeks. Here's a few fun things about him, in no particular order.

• He loves shoes, and he likes to bring me new pairs to put on his feet throughout the day.
• He is an angel when it comes to sleep. I couldn't ask for a sweeter baby.
• He loves raspberries, and will find his way over to our bushes every time he gets outside.
• He enjoys dropping marbles down Benjamin's marble track. He also likes to make car noises while he pushes toy cars around the room.
• He is a snuggler. He lays his head on my chest and gives me nice, long hugs. He also loves to pick stories and come sit on my lap to read them.
• You can tell if he's walking or crawling by listening from the other side of the house to the intensity of the "pat-pats" coming toward you.
• He has a few words that he uses. "Dada," "Pop Pop" (popcorn), "Bang," "Bye-bye" (no mama yet.) He and Benjamin have their own language, where they shriek or growl together in perfect unison.
• He has a great giggle. He was laughing and laughing at the doctor's office today as she jabbed her hands into his torso. Speaking of, he measures at about the 60th% for height, weight and head.
• He has a coy, silly little smile where he sticks his tongue out of the side of his mouth.

Happy Birthday Peter!

It's amazing how fast they grow in that first year of life! We love our Peter Pumpkin!

How to Make Bubble Pictures

We got this idea from one of our videos, and decided to try it out. Benjamin loved making these "bubble pictures," and it was especially nice how long it occupied him. To make them, you need water, a few containers, tempera powder (tempera paint would work just as well I'm sure), dish soap, straws and some paper.
First, I let him pour the water in each of his buckets. Then, he scooped the tempera powder into the water and added the dish soap. (It's a very forgiving recipe, so I let him have free reign over "measuring")

Next, you use the straws to blow (don't suck!) bubbles until they form a mountain.

Next, place the paper on the bubbles. (Use whatever you have, can be cut in shapes if you want)

Pull the paper off, and you have a "bubbly picture!"

Let them dry on a flat, dry surface.

Curious?

Benjamin is really into Curious George. He especially loves the old John Clark Matthews stop-motion movies on YouTube. So he was elated when Curious George finally made an appearance at the Magic House. "George" looks really creepy in this picture, but Benjamin thought this giant monkey was the best ever. He kept going back and giving him high-fives and hugs. The new Curious George exhibit is a lot of fun. It has a mini golf section and a kid-powered conveyor belt machine that is really cool. We go a lot.

I like this picture because it shows the difference between the two boys' personalities and how they respond to music. Each chair plays a section of an orchestra, and Benjamin loves the Strings the best. He listens pensively, while Peter climbs and jumps and dances excitedly.

Peter is so funny. He is a very easy going baby, but he has an appetite for adventure. Peter is generally fine going along for the ride, even when he isn't welcome. Benjamin was trying to get him off here.

We celebrated my birthday this week by going to our new favorite Afghan Kabob restaurant. Benjamin insisted on wearing his "date clothes," and he looked awesome (he wore a clip-on tie over his sweater vest over a polo). I got a yogurt machine, which I'm really excited to start using!

This weekend, we went to a pumpkin patch (after we bought a fabulous giant pumpkin for a great deal at Sam's Club). Benjamin loves this particular pumpkin patch for all the old tractors and the vintage fire engine.

He also loves it for the creepy "cave," which he insisted on going through several times.

Benjamin aspires to be a "Kool Bus" driver. We had a great time!