Happy Halloween!

Wm said today was "one of the best days of his life."  Steve works this weekend, so he was off today.  That meant both Steve and I could go to Wm's school Halloween party.  And Mimi was there to watch the parade (in the cold!) It was quite the adventure!  Then, he went trick or treating with his BFF this evening.  Despite the cold, sleety rain, they had SO MUCH fun!  Then, the boys came back here and divvied up candy and watched Ninjago videos while they ate their allotted pieces.  Then, we went to Mimi's to show off Wm's costume and get even more candy.  On the drive home, Wm spent the entire time talking about what an awesome day he had.  

Wm and Friend battling

The class Halloween party

The whole class!

Steve: Pumpkin Whisperer

Here is the pumpkin Steve carved this year.  Himself.  Freehand.  He didn't use any of those pre-made things at all.  He drew it on a piece of paper, then carved it onto the pumpkin.  I was super impressed.  

Genius

Wm laughed at some cartoon he was watching and then told Steve that a character on there thought a parallelogram was a triangle.  Then he goes, "a shape has to have the same number of sides and vertices."  Steve looks and me and goes, "do you even know what a vertex IS?"  Burn.  But, I was so impressed, I asked Wm to repeat it.  I got a little out of him before he rocked himself off the ottoman.



Wm had a substitute teacher today.  Apparently she was Chinese and taught the kids to count to ten in Mandarin.  Wm said she shared that she had only been in the US for a little over a year.  He came home with a piece of paper with a bunch of Mandarin written on it and was all excited about what he learned about China.  So I go, "The sub sounds awesome!  What was her name?" Wm says, "Mrs. Johnson."

Autumn

I was driving up our street the other day and the trees made this amazingly colorful tunnel that was gorgeous.  I tried to take a picture of it, but it didn't turn out well.

Not representative of the Full Fall Glory

I was feeling full of autumnal joy.  Yesterday was super sunny and 78.  This was a great fall.  Then, I saw the forecast.

When fall started sucking

We will have to plan some indoor activities for next week.  Note: Wednesday is trick or treat.  Wm will be super pissed about having to wear a coat, I am sure!  And, you are seeing that right, folks - SNOW on Tuesday!  Ghost will be getting her first trail (Wm says Ghost is a girl).  She seems to handle rain slicked roads like a champ!

Mimi brought over a giant box for Wm to play with this week.  Steve and Wm spent all last night making it into this amazing fort.  It actually looks like a livable little shanty now (when I pointed this out, Steve was insulted and said it's not a shanty, it's a FORT).  They have added a drawbridge, windows, a periscope, and mounted telescope.  It's not complete yet, but I will be sure to take pictures!  

Again...

It's becoming a nightly ritual

Wm asked to watch something on Netflix with me this evening, so I talked him into and episode of this BBC series called Primeval because it has dinosaurs in it.  One of the guys in it is majorly hot.  So, as we're watching, Wm goes, "that army guy looks cool."  And I say, "yeah, I think he's pretty cute!" Wm goes, "me too!"  We kept watching and the guy appears to eaten by a dinosaur (don't worry, he made it out!) and Wm goes, "Oh no!  Did the cute guy just die?"

Weekend Wrap up

Steve has been working all weekend, so he's exhausted.  I looked over at him sitting there at about 7:30 yesterday evening and this is what I saw:

Tired Daddy

Wm had crawled onto his lap and Steve was out like a light.

Meanwhile, Wm has been having the weekend of his life.  He had a GREAT time at Boo at the Zoo last night with his friend.  Steve, however, had a mini-panic attack.  I dropped Wm off at his friend's at 3:00 and Steve arrived home around 5.  So then about an hour later, Steve is all, "how well do we really know these people?!!?"  Then, "what do we do if they don't bring him back?!!?"  When these totally normal people (actually above average nice and normal people) brought Wm back at 7, Steve was very relieved.  He's a worrier, that Steve.

Wm and I had a busy day, which included Wm "helping" me grocery shop and "helping" me make cookies for his lunch (which was troublesome because I had to find a way to sneak the pureed carrot and flax seeds in there without him noticing).  We also went to the park with friends and found out that the Mommy has a baby in her belly.  Wm was very excited to share that his Aunt Jess also has a baby in her belly!  Then, once Steve arrived home, we ran to Target and found great ears:

I love this picture so much.

Glad to be done with work!

While Wm and I were snuggling lazily in bed this morning, he says, "I can hear your heart beating!"  I asked, "is it going 'thump thump thump'?" And Wm says, "no, it's saying, 'I love Wm, I love Wm, I love Wm."  Then he paused and goes, "Daddy's says, "I love sports, I love sports, I love sports."

Play Date Hilarity

So many awesome conversations overheard during all day play date today!  Here are my two favs...

#1 - Taking The Boys to Graffiti Burger for lunch.
Friend: Are there toys here?
Wm: No.  Only restaurants trying to trick you into eating bad foods give you toys.
Friend: Well, my mom said it's OK to go once a month.
Wm: Hmmmm...no.

#2 - Riding home from seeing Hotel Transylvania and passing graveyard.
Wm: If you die while you are in the army, they put a "t" on your grave.
Me: That's actually a cross, Wm.
Wm: Oh. [whispered to friend] I don't know what that is.
Friend: Me either.  I am going to join the army!
Wm: No you're not.  It's much too dangerous.
Friend: Yeah.  My mom won't let me anyway.

And, dude, I SWEAR TO GOD, Wm said word-for-word "it's much too dangerous."  I nearly ran off the road.  HILARIOUS.

Picture Day!

Today is picture day at school and I couldn't resist snapping a shot of Wm before he left.  He looked SO CUTE.  Like a tiny, disheveled hipster.  I love the coordinating/clashing prints and his askew tie along with wrinkly jeans and slept on rooster hair.  I only wish I could have paired this with some Chuck Taylors and all he'd need is an ironic mustache and a fixed gear bike.

Wm liked Legos before it was cool.

Wm is beside himself with glee. Tomorrow is a teacher in-service day, so I took the day off.  We are having one of his friends over all day because his parents have to go to work.  I told Wm I'd take them to see Hotel Transylvania and to the playground.  Then, he is going to Boo at the Zoo Saturday with his BFF and his dad.  He can hardly contain himself!

Opposite Day

Wm: It's opposite day.
Me: Oh, really?
Wm: Yeah, at lunch today I was saying, "I love Romney!" Because it's opposite day.
Me: HAHA!  That is awesome!
Wm: My whole lunch table was saying it.  For opposite day.
Me: Really? A bunch of Obama lovers, eh?
Wm: Yes.  I love Obama.
Me: This is my greatest success as a parent, Wm.

Wm was also invited to go to Boo at the Zoo with a friend this weekend.  He is PUMPED.  As am I.  Steve works all weekend, so this will be a nice break for me.  Especially since I volunteered to watch a friend of Wm's all day Friday while school is closed.  Mama needs some quiet time.

Big Wheels

I have been telling Steve ever since that horrible winter we had two years ago that Perwinkle Dinkle, my beloved toy-sized car, did not handle the snow well.  I think Steve assumed it was mostly due to poor driving (a safe assumption, really).  But then he drove it once in just a bit of snow and came home ranting all around screaming, "THAT CAR IS A DEATH TRAP!" and "IT'S A TIN CAN!"  So, we knew before this winter that a new car was needed - we got lucky last year with the mild winter, but figured we couldn't get so lucky twice.  

I found a used Subaru Forester online - it was certified, only a couple years old, was tripped out with every available option, and at a pretty good price.  The only problem (for Steve): it was white.  Steve does NOT like white cars and was evil about going to see it.  But, I finally convinced him to take a look.  I was jazzed.  So I did a bunch of internet research about how to negotiate, even what to wear when buying a car.  I plotted a good cop-bad cop routine with Steve (I was good cop, of course). It was on like donkey kong.

We drove out to test drive it this afternoon. Aaaand, then we got there and everything went to hell.  I panicked, did the exact opposite of every negotiation tactic I read about. Meanwhile, the dealer did just about everything the sites said they would - only we responded in the exact opposite way good negotiators should.  Eventually, Wm saved the day.  He was exhausted and cranky, we were tired, and we were all, "we're just going home...good day, sir."  That got them all stirred up and we finally got to where we wanted to be.  So, to be a master negotiator, all you need is a very tired, very crabby 6 year old!  I even talked them into throwing in an extended warranty!  Steve is still a bit bitchy about the white car.  But, Wm has named it "Ghost" and thinks it is the best thing ever.  He has SO MUCH more room to hang out in the back seat! We are going to haul stuff.  I'm not sure what yet.  But, there will be HAULING.  In the SNOW!

"Ghostie" as Wm affectionately calls her.

Wooooo!  So fancy! Heated leather seats!  Whaaaaat?

This is what sold Wm.  The "ceiling window." He couldn't believe it.

COSI

As promised, we took Wm to COSI today to see the big Lego exhibit.  It was REAL disappointing.  But, luckily, COSI is filled with awesome stuff, so Wm had the time of his life.  He kept saying "COSI is SO FUN!"  He went with his summer camp, but he told us he especially liked going with the family because it meant he got to do whatever he wanted to do for as long as he wanted to do it.

Wm's "go-go juice" pre-COSI.

Steve in the wind machine.  Not worth $2.

Explaining pay phones to Wm made me feel old. (This was in the "old timey" village.)

Wm pulling his body weight up with a pulley

Lego knight

Pumpkin Patch

We took Wm to the "fall jamboree" at Smith Farms this afternoon.  It was the perfect day for it - near 70 and super sunny!  Sadly, the actual jamboree was sort of a letdown.  But the Smith Farms store had lots of great stuff and made it totally worth the trip. We left with more pumpkins, fudge, buckeyes, and candy corn. We are taking Wm to the Lego exhibit at COSI tomorrow, so there will probably be more awesome pics of that.  Here are today's lot:

Buried in straw

Over 4 1/2 fee tall!

APPLES!

Biggest pumpkin ever

Steve picking free turnips

Corn maze.  Wm navigated it perfectly!

More fun in the straw

Wm picking out his pumpkin

Not pleased with the white one

I was talking on the phone with Suzanne and when I got off, Wm goes, "who was that?" I go, "Joe."  Wm asks, "who is Joe?" so I go, "JOE MAMA!!!" And Wm says, "I don't know him." HAHAHA!  (Fun Fact: Every time the phone rang when I was in high school, I had this same conversation with mom - and, without fail, she would ask "Joe who?" EVERY time.  It was awesome.)

Lil' Pimp

Wm is a p-i-m-p.  He came home from school today with a girl's digits:

Maybe she was attracted to his bling.  He went to school in a sparkly ring from Suzanne.  Apparently we are having a playdate soon.  What what.

Chubby

I was laying in bed with Wm trying to convince him to settle down and go to sleep. He was quiet for a minute and I thought I may be winning, but then he just slowly reached over, poked me twice in the cheek and goes, "chubby, chubby."  Aaaaand, that is why he is evil.

He has also taken to wearing components of his Halloween costume all around.  We had to run to the store, and this is what he wore:

The boots in 50 degree weather really make it.

The best part is, after going out in the above outfit, the next morning, as he was putting on this outfit I laid out, he goes, "I don't like this shirt."  I go, "just put it on, man - it's fine," and he goes, "it is embarrassing to wear this shirt out!" Clearly, wearing skeleton leggings, huge moon boots, and skeleton gloves out to the store is A-OK.  But wearing a gray flannel button-up shirt is soooooo humiliating.

Picture

Figured it out on my big 'ole Mac at work!

Wm's Halloween Costume: scary grim skeleton

Halloween Preparedness

We went to the Halloween costume store today for Wm to look around.  He decided he doesn't want to be a ghost anymore.  Instead he is a grim reaper scary skeleton guy.  He found a sickle and built the rest of costume around that.  Now Wm has been running around the house all afternoon in his costume.  He lurks around corners and tries to scare us, then cackles and runs away.  All that's missing is his black cape.  I took an awesome picture of him in full costume on Instagram, but it was being difficult about sharing on the blog, so I shared it on facebook instead - you can check it out there.  But here he is on the car ride home:

Wm's Comic

Wm has spent the last hour hunched over the dining room table working on his comic.  It involves ninjas, soccer, Halloween, a surf race, and much, much more!  

Wm had homework this weekend: write an essay about a trip he has taken.  I had to drag him away from his comic to work on his essay.  But, he just finished and into his backpack it went!

At dinner, I asked Wm what he wanted for his lunch treat this week.  He said, "a dairy free cinnamon roll."

My response: I don't think so, man.  How about a mini muffin?

Wm: How about a dairy free cinnamon cinnamon roll?

Me: How about no?

Wm: How about a cinnamon roll? But dairy free?

Me: NO.

Wm: OK.  Fine.  How about a vegan cinnamon roll?

Me: ARG!  Forget it.

Wm: Hahahaha!

Soccer Pics

Wm's soccer pics are in!!  They turned out SO CUTE!  Wm is very photogenic. :)  They had another win today, 4-0.  The Fire is undefeated.  And Wm gets better every week!  He had a couple excellent kicks and a save today.  It was actually cold this morning, so he was all bundled up out there for the first time.  His little nose was all red, but he was not deterred!

More Wm Fun

Wm: Do you know what MF stands for?
Me: Do YOU know what MF stands for?
Wm: Why?  Do YOU?
Me: DO YOU?
Wm: Yeah.
Me: What?
Wm: Mini Figure - like a Lego mini figure.  What do you think it stands for?
Me: Oh, yeah, mini figure.  That one.
Wm: Did you think it meant something naughty?
Me: What? Me? NO.
Wm: I am telling Daddy.
Me: Nobody likes a snitch, Wm.
Wm: DADDY!!!!!!!!

King of Air Quotes

Wm: Can I have some crayons to draw in bed?
Me: No, Wm, it's time to go to sleep now.  It's past bedtime.
Wm: HMPH.
[5 minutes later]
Wm: Will you laaaaaaaay with me?
Me: Fine.
Wm: [ignore/pout]
Me: Are you ignoring me?
Wm: [silence]
Me: Okaaaay, then I am just heading out.
Wm: Noooooo!
Me: Well, buddy, it seems like you may be sleepy because you're-
Wm: [insane tired crying]
Me: Mommy out.
THE NEXT DAY
Me: Remember, it's a bath night tonight!
Wm: Ugh.  Fine.  Do I have to go right to bed after?
Me: You can play for a few minutes.  Hopefully we have a nicer night tonight.
Wm: What happened last night?
Me: You don't remember pouting, then creepily crying yourself to sleep?
Wm: Oh yeah.  You said I [FINGER AIR QUOTES] ignored you [FINGER AIR QUOTES]

Bad News

Sad news in the House of William.  He didn't get into Chess Club.  I guess they had 3 times as many kids want to do it as they have space.  So they picked names randomly and Wm's wasn't one of them.  He's pretty bummed.  It was the first activity he was really, really excited about.  So bummed that I took pity on him and "battled" him with his toy guys after school today (which is a favorite game of his that I loath).  As we were battling, Wm says, "I'm taking it easy on you - just so you know."

As consolation, here are more pictures:

Pictures!

Our professional pictures finally arrived!  All 100 of them.  They turned out really well!  Here is a sampling of a few of my favorites:

The photographer included ALL the pictures she took, so there were some winners in there:

Fire Marshall Bill