Octoberfest

What has happened to Spencer? Spencer was my eater. He ate anything with a smile, including the left-over spaghetti that he crawled up in his brother's chair to steal when he wasn't looking.

He still loves to feed other people. It is just a big hoot to make someone else eat the food on his plate these days. I am happy that he only wants to eat with utensils, and is a pro fork user, however, the only food he wants to eat with said fork is the following: bananas, cheese, crackers, mandarin oranges, cupcakes, and cookies. That's pretty much it. He lost two pounds this week because I refused to let him eat another cheese quesadilla. Meat is totally out. Nothing. You can't even hide it in that quesadilla.

He found out where I kept cookies in the house, and maybe because this is such a rare event, opens the cabinet and just stands there yelling, "Cookie! Cookie!" and points. We drove up to a bakery yesterday where he has eaten before. In the parking lot he gets super excited and points and says, "Cupcake! Cupcake!" I broke down and took them for a cupcake because they did a good job at their haircut. We brought a box home with a few for a friend. Spencer knew the box. Empty, I threw it away. Next thing I know, Spencer goes to the trash, gets the box out, opens it, ruffles through it, and tosses it back in because there were no more cupcakes. Oy! Oh, the only other thing he is begging for is his medicine. He is a junkie with his little syringes. He just asks for it and cries that he can't have more. I mean, the old man is on four daily, you would think that would be enough for him.

Cupcakes are a shared love.

Thought we should introduce sock monkey. Spencer knows he is a monkey but so far calls him "bear." As in the Alden and Wolfie romance, Spencer saw sock monkey on a shelf and pulled him off. He cried so hard when I tried to put him back that we just got him and he has been the best friend ever since. He is small and we already lost one. So, now we have 3 Wolfie Dog Dog's and 2 Sock Monkeys stashed away.

Big Bro is playing soccer these days. I know, people laugh when I say that the three year old is playing soccer. It is a much better success than T-ball because you just run from one goal to the other. It is the down time that is always a curse to Alden.

There appears to be some listening going on here.

And actual playing. I try to practice at home, but he has no interest. All he wants to do in the yard is pretend to be a pirate. I am playing more soccer in my backyard than the player. I will admit that I had to ask the soccer store man to teach me how to put on the equipment. Joey was highly offended when I told him that I reported to the salesman that no one in our family played soccer and so we didn't know what was going on. Apparently, world, Joey does know what is going on and how to put on soccer equipment. I have now set that straight on public record.

This is his little team, which includes Helen. Even though they do seem to actually practice and play, the interest is logically very isolated to about a 15 minute period. Then, the kids start tackling and talking to parents, or some even ask to go home. The coach got them all in a circle to talk and Alden felt that they all needed to hold hands. So, he started it and they followed. Then, the coach spent the next five minutes telling them they didn't have to hold hands to play soccer. Bless that man.

This right here is trouble. He says, "Please play ball. Please play ball." It is so sad. He runs into the game and has to be fetched all the time. At practice this week, Joey just had me put him back in the car and take a drive so the team could play.

He does enjoy wandering around the field and playing in the dirt and collecting rocks. Sometimes, he will just run into another team's game and check it out.

He does have Helen's sister, Sara, and cousin, Lawson, to play with on Saturday games. But, no, not so much. It is fun because the field is right down the street and we can walk to the games. We pushed Spencer (and sock monkey) in his car. Lawson and Sara loved the car. As soon as we would get him out, Spencer just ditched it and ran.

The "guys" chilling on the couch.

Yes, okay, I let my children play with straight pins. Only supervised, I promise. The absolutely amazing thing is that they know exactly what to do with them. Spencer only tries to put pins in patterns or fabric. Never eats them or runs off with them. He is such a great sewing buddy that I don't even mind that he takes out the ones I put in to move them to various other locations.

The greatest thing in the world has happened to me. I now have another stay-at-home Mom friend in Elizabeth that has, so far, carried me through many Fridays and made me feel super guilty because she is such a great snack packer. I am the worst about forgetting the great goldfish and raisin combo cup when I am running out the door, but Elizabeth is making me better in so many ways. Spencer and Clare had so much fun swinging on the new Mitchell backyard playground.

Alden checking out Ben's fort.

Ben playing a little frisbee with Mom.

Ben also had a super fun birthday party at the local indoor playground. Spencer loved the moving car on the track and rode it the whole time.

Well, except when there was cake and apple juice.

Ball pit. Probably toddler boy heaven.

First time in a bouncy castle. We call all of them bouncy castles because that is what Peppa Pig calls them on our favorite afternoon show. He held his own with the big kids.

Of course, big brother is a pro. Taking the bouncy slide head first.

I think that air hockey was everyone's favorite.

The annual pumpkin patch trip. On our first trip, we had three kids. Look how much we have grown! In only three years!! This is my favorite part of Halloween.

Sweet brothers. This was the best photo of about seventeen attempts. Everyone is sitting. That is as good as it gets.

Spencer loved the petting zoo. There was not much petting, but a lot of smiles and laughter. He could not decide which goat he loved the most and ran from pen to pen.

Having a tete a tete.

A few sheep actually got a pat.

The A-man in his element. My little Jack Hanna.

Pony rides.

There was a beautiful field of sunflowers. I had this vision of the boys standing amidst the tall stalks in some Norman Rockwell moment that we could have made into one of those photo canvasses and hang in our living room. The problem is that this plan did not translate well to my boys.

What is a pumpkin patch without a bouncy house. Thanks to our practice at Ben's party, we were ready to jump. For some reason, this "bouncy castle" was empty and free for my sweet babies to jump safely alone.

Oh, perhaps that is because the other kids found the super, duper obstacle course bouncy house next door.

With bouncy obstacle course tunnels.

And giant bouncy house slides.

Then there was the giant, yellow slide that was seriously like 80 feet in the air. Let me just tell you, I think I have a fear of 80 foot bouncy castle slides. This is not a smile on my face. First, you have to climb the latter of claustrophobia to get to the top. Then, you have to plummet to your possible death going super fast and attempting to keep your child from plummeting to said destruction. On top of all this, even though Matt warns you that if you don't have socks the hot plastic will rip the skin off of your feet, you don't listen. Ouch.

But the three and a half year old had no fear or pain.

Nor did is Godfather, Paul.

Or Anna. Maybe it is just me.

All that bouncing and animal petting and horseback riding makes you thirsty. Well, that, and the fact that when you live here it happens to be 80 degrees in the middle of October. Spencer greatly enjoyed his very own big boy bottle of water, especially the part where you drink half and pour half on the ground and then ask for more..

He was in search of the perfect pumpkin.

Too tired to play, so just plopped down in the hay to watch...

his big brother still have so much energy that he blurs the photo with his constant movement. It will be a huge surprise that Spencer slept all the way home (an almost hour drive). Alden, not so much. If bouncy houses, hay bail jumps, pumpkin hauling, horseback riding, hay rides, and petting zoos all in two hours don't wear him out, I just don't know what will.

We had more fun with the Fishers at Boo at the Zoo. At our house, Godzilla has a Wolfie Dog Dog and sock monkeys have pacifiers.

Godzilla. In every photo, this is the "Grr!" face. Alden decided that he wanted to be Godzilla and never let up. He asked Mommy to please make him a costume and then he picked out the pattern and the fabric all by himself. He kept me on task. It took me quite a while to figure this thing out, and I just needed to take a few breaks here and there. Alden would come over to the machine and say, "Mommy, that is not my Godzilla costume! Is it finished yet?" About 17 hours later (nope, not kidding) we have Godzilla. If anyone wants to buy it after Halloween, I am selling it for $1,000,000. That is about how much went into that costume. I love, love, love my child!

Spencer was supposed to be Godsuki, the Godzilla counterpart. After the Godzillla costume, I just couldn't take it. He got the sock monkey costume which completely fits his personality and matches his new friend. I do have several yards of unused red and orange fleece if anyone needs it.

The sock monkey just loved the carousel. Lindsey and I joked that Boo at the Zoo is like the mini-precurser to Disney World. Lines and long waiting for one five minute ride. We waiting forever and Spencer was not happy. He kept saying, "I ride." I told him he had to wait his turn, so then it turned to, "My turn!" It was well worth the wait to see the smile on his face. I have to brag on Godzilla who waited so patiently and never complained one single time. Unfortunately, the train ride line was even longer. Again, Alden did a great job. Before we went to the line, we Trick or Treated, so there were a lot of snacks. Spencer thought the "cupcakes," aka anything with sugar, were great. Alden kept sneaking the candy from the stroller. Thanks to Paul, we were able to stop Spencer from screaming for more cupcakes by feeding him popcorn one kernel at a time.

ROARing good time had by all.