Trick or Treat!

It's officially Halloween today, but it seems to me like the whole month has been nothing but candy, ghost, goblins and costumes! Jacob is absolutely obsessed with this holiday and we eat, sleep and breathe Halloween at our house. Don't ask me why, but in our county, we trick-or-treat the last Thursday in October. Everywhere else in America does it on the 31st. Fortunately for Jacob, this means that he gets to double dip into the trick-or-treating basket. Not only did he get to go on Thursday, he is also going to Pittsburgh to trick-or-treat with my niece and cousins tonight. Andrew, Greg and I are staying home. We've had enough!

Our boys went trick-or-treating with my nieces Brooke and Kiersten and two of their friends, Nick and Rachel. Brooke and Jacob were like wild children, running ahead. At one point, my brother-in-law Rob asked Brooke to slow down. She was frustrated, and when Rob was out of earshot, she said to Jacob, "I don't think my dad understands just how fast I really am and how slow the younger kids are!"

"I know!" said Jake. "I mean, I'm like a cheetah!" Oh my goodness! It was so funny to listen to the two of them complaining about the younger kids. Really, all they were doing was wearing themselves out, because they still had to wait at the end of each block anyway! And by the end of the night, Jake was so tired, I had to carry him for two blocks on my back!

Andrew, on the other hand, was the picture of stamina. Stamina for eating sugar, that is. He began with a tootsie pop before we even left our property. We used it to bribe him to sit still for the group photo. It worked. We then gave him pretzels to keep him in the stroller. He then had another tootsie pop, and then opened a bag of m&m's himself and dumped them into the cup holder of his stroller. At that point, we decided that the night was shot. I believe he had another lollipop and who knows what else! He ended the night with a layer of slime on his face that was so thick, his costume had to be pried off of him! He was happy as a clam in mud! He gets that sweet tooth honestly, though - from me. While it makes me cringe, I can't fault him for it!


Jacob's class party was yesterday, and I was lucky enough to be one of the moms picked to help in the classroom. Jacob asked that I bring cupcakes for the kids to decorate, so that was what we contributed as our snack and activity. I also volunteered to be the photographer for the yearbook. It was a great way for me to ensure that I got lots of pictures of my own, without needing to make excuses as to why I kept clicking away! When I told Jacob that the homeroom mom asked me to be the photographer, he said, "Oh boy! I hope they know what they're getting into! You'll take 5082 pictures in one day!" I didn't take quite that many, but close to it!


Greg, Andrew and I are invited to a Halloween Parade party tonight at a friends house, so we will have one more opportunity to dress Andrew up and take photos. Because of Andrew's steady stream of goo on Thursday, I was forced to wash his outfit yesterday. When I got it out of the dryer today, he wanted to hold it. I gave it to him, and he carried it around, but kept handing it back to me, like he wanted something. I put the top on him and he then grabbed the pants and motioned for me to put them on as well. When the costume was complete, he laughed, ran over to the table where the candy buckets were, began squealing, jumping and pointing at the candy! He thought that if he put his costume on, I would give him candy! What a memory! Just for that, I did give him a few smarties, even though it was only 8:30 in the morning. It was, after all, pretty darn smart of him!

That's all the Halloween stuff for now. Perhaps a few more photos after Jacob returns from Pittsburgh.

I hope everyone else had as great a month as we did! As Jacob went to bed on Thursday, he said, "Mom, it's too bad Halloween only comes once a year." For him, I guess it is. I'm glad he had such a great time!

Andrew this morning with his bowl of smarties. (mobile upload, sorry for the quality)

Class party - "pass the sticky eyeballs"

Jake's turn

Making a spider he planned to scare Greg with!

Wowed with all of his food!

I spotted my niece Brooke out in the hallway!

Trick or Treat night - "Let's get this show on the road, Mom!"

The trick or treating gang

"I can lick my chin and pat my head at the same time, can you?"

Getting ready to hit the streets

Loading up on goodies at Pap Ed's

Andrew's sticky mess - and one final M&M stuck to his face for later, in case he needed it!

A Champion in My Eyes

Last night Greg and I had the honor of watching my niece Katelyn play for the District VI Championsip trophy in volley ball. What Katelyn lacks in stature, she makes up for in spunk! She's in 10th grade at Penn Cambria High School and plays both Jr varsity and varsity. They played against the Somerset Eagles. Both teams were undefeated 17-0.

It was an extremely tense set of games. The best of 5 won the title. Somerset won the first two, but not without a fight. Penn Cambrina came back around, however, and won the third game of the series. Unfortunately, Somerset won the 4th, which gave them the majority and the trophy. It was a sad night for Penn Cambria, because the girls had worked so hard all season.

I give the whole team a lot of credit. Throughout the night, they remained positive, and supportive of one another, even in a loss. Katelyn deserves extra credit as well, because she played almost the entire time with an extremely bad cold. The school's pep squad literally jammed the bleachers of one side of the gym and cheered the entire time! It was clearly an atmosphere of respect all around, something that is admirable, especially among teenagers these days.

I left the game with mixed emotions. One one hand, I felt grateful that Katelyn is a part of such a positive team, but we all couldn't help but be disappointed for her loss. I actually dreamed about her all night long, because I know that Katelyn herself was also disappointed. It is often easy to criticize ourselves, to think about how we could have done things differently, or what should have been. While it is good quality to constantly strive to be a better person, it is also important that while striving, we do not lose track of the monumental strides we have accomplished thus far. Katelyn's teamwork this season can be seen as a metaphor; they worked hard all season, were undefeated, and although they lost the district trophy, the pride they have in themselves should outlast any title. They will take the lessons they have learned with them throughout their lives.

I can't speak for the team as whole, but I can speak for my niece. She works hard. She identifies her weaknesses and instead of cowering or running from them, she attacks them head-on and defeats them. She's an honest and caring young woman, and she's a team player. Those qualities are going to take her far not only in volley ball, but also in life. She has a world of opportunities ahead of her, and if there's anyone prepared to take them on, it's Katelyn!

Good luck in the play-offs, Katelyn! And feel better soon!

When I Say Partiers, I'm Not Kidding!

People think I exaggerate when I say our family is constantly getting together. I'm not. Between Greg's family and mine, there isn't a time of year that isn't busy. We have birthdays and holidays, football games, graduations, dance recitals, sporting events, etc. You name it, we are gathering for it! It's a blessing to be surrounded by so many loving people, and even though I must admit I have fleeting moments when I long for some quiet solitude, I know that solitude is not what I truly want. What would I do without the hustle and bustle of kids and commotion? Isn't it, after all, family that strengthens and nourishes us throughout our lives and fulfills us emotionally and spiritually?

That said, this weekend was no different than the last. We celebrated my niece Savannah's 12th birthday on Saturday with a lovely tea party coordinated by my sister-in-law, Angelique. She rented a room at a local Bed and Breakfast, and had every detail planned to the "t" (pun intended)! We all wore hats, in typical tea party fashion, played games and enjoyed some delicious food. No men or boys allowed, which was a fantastic idea! We all need a break from the testosterone in our lives from time to time!

While we were enjoying our tea, the men were smoking brisket back at my other sister-in-law's house. We wandered over there after the tea party to enjoy the men's hard work, open presents and eat more cake! At the end of the day, we were all stuffed to the gills, tired and satisfied! Thanks to Angelique for all her hard work, Rob, Scott, Ed and Freddie for smoking the meat, Monique for hosting the after party, and the whole family for a lifetime of togetherness!

Knowing me in person with my frequent sarcastic commentary, you might not always guess that I care so much about you all, but I do. I think you all know there's love under those snide remarks!

Oh yeah...Dalann is having another Steeler's party today at her house, with Trick-or-Treating in her neighborhood for the kids too! See - I'm really not kidding! :)

"Kiersten, stay right here, next to my heart!"

Dalann and Monique coordinated their hats to their outfits.

Katelyn and Karissa

Dale Ann and Renee

Brooke and Monique

Brooke, Kiersten and Monique

Renee, Dale Ann and Dalann

The Williams family women, hats on, at the beginning of the party.

Karissa sings "I'm a Little Tea Pot" with a marshmallow in her mouth.

Savannah enjoys her party.

Dalann makes good use of her party favors!

Getting ready for cake

Gram and the girls

The "hat" seat!

The after party at Monique's - getting ready for presents

I think Tony was getting a little fed up with all of his sister's attention!

Brooke, however, was very interested in Savannah's loot!

Enter The Mind of Jake...

Jacob made a clay sculpture at school the other day. He didn't bring it home yet, because it still needs to be fired. He made a riddle for me to guess what it could be. It went something like this: It starts with 'f' ends in 'n' and comes by your house every day. I guessed and guessed, but just couldn't get it. Before you read on, can you think of what it could possibly be???



It was a...frying pan of course! Oh, it gets better - a frying pan to bake cookies in! Because that's what you normally do with frying pans - bake cookies. Yeah. Good clues, Buddy. Thanks! Can't wait to see the finished product!

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Jacob went to the Pittsburgh Zoo with my mom a few weekends ago. When he came back, he told Greg and I about these beautiful birds that he just loved. They were called "pecans." I could barely keep a straight face. When I told him that people eat pecans, he was appalled! I said, "yes, they eat them in pies and on pastries, for breakfast!"



"That's awful, Mom!" Haha! I never did correct him!

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One day while in the tub, I told Jacob that he was starting to look more like his dad. He said that boys usually look like their dads and girls look like their moms. I said, "I think I look more like my dad than my mom."



He said, "Oh, I don't think so!" Jacob doesn't know that my "dad" is really my step-dad. I haven't had a reason to tell him. I didn't correct him, I just let him keep talking. He continued, "Mom, you don't have glasses like Pap."



I said, "Actually, I do have glasses, I just don't wear them."



"Well, you don't have hard of hearing like Pap."



"Nope. I definitely don't have hard of hearing like Pap!" Too funny!

A Family of Partiers!

It's true, football season is upon us! While I myself don't personally care for football, Greg's family consists of die-hard Pittsburgh Steeler fans. It is pretty much guaranteed that almost every game during the season, someone will be hosting a party in honor of the Steelers. Last Sunday, it was our turn. Since we had Jacob's Halloween party on Saturday, it turned out to be a Halloween/Steeler theme in our house! What a combination!

Greg's aunt and uncle came in from Pittsburgh and brought a basket of Steeler goodies and decorations that they decorated the house with. Aunt Sandie (front center) had games that she divvied out prizes for during the end of each quarter. Here's the whole gang during half-time.

My mom had a cake made with my boys' photo, in honor of the team! How cute!

Sandie and Ed

Fred and Dalann

My niece Karissa in all her Steeler attire.

The Steelers won the game, which was fantastic for the whole crowd, but I think the most memorable part of the day for me was when Freddie came up to me and said, "Koelle, I'm not usually one for decor, but I have to say that I really like the pumpkin soap that you have in your bathroom. It's pretty cool, with the three pumpkins stacked on top of each other and it smells pretty good too!" Haha! The entire house was drenched in Halloween decorations, but leave it to Fred to notice the pumpkin soap dispenser in the bathroom! Hey, at least we know his hands are clean! We always did know that though! Our Freddie is a bit of clean freak like the rest of us - it's just another reason why we love him!

Halloween Extravaganza!

Yesterday was the big day. The Halloween party Jacob had been waiting an entire month for had finally arrived! On many accounts it was exactly what we expected, and on some accounts, it was nothing like we imagined...let me explain:

We had 21 kids arrive at the house. At times it felt like 221! Jacob and I had planned several games and activities, which we actually carried out, just not the way we envisioned. 21 children are hard to reign in. I could never teach first grade!

We set up two craft tables in the front room. One to decorate little pumpkins, and one to make tootsie pop ghosts. We also had a jar full of chestnuts on a table directly inside the front door. The kids each took a turn guessing the number of chestnuts. The child with the closest guess won a $5 gift card to Toys R Us. We played "Hot Spider" (like hot potato, but with Halloween music and a stuffed spider), and had a contest to see who could fish the most gummi worms out of a bowl full of cook spaghetti (cooled, of course) while blindfolded.

The kids enjoyed the games, but because there were so many of them, it was hard to keep them all focused. The boys seemed especially content to jump on the furniture and have pillow fights. I felt that it was to be a party for the kids to have fun, and forcing them to participate in anything was counter productive. I had the games and crafts set up. Those who wanted to do them, did them. The rest tore apart my house! Amazingly, it didn't really bother me. Actually, there was minimal damage done. I had some face paint to remove from the couches and carpet, but all in all, we made it through the two hours relatively unscathed!

I had personally pictured more structure. Of course I did - I'm a structured type of gal! But, oh well! I think I did well going with the flow yesterday! It was a nice opportunity to get to know the kids in his new school - to put faces with names and to meet parents as well. I think the point of the party, aside from simply to have fun, was accomplished.

At the end of the night, I asked Jacob what he thought about his party. He said he liked it. I asked if it was all that he imagined it to be. He said yes and no. I asked what was different than he imagined. He said, "Well, I kind of thought there would have been a bounce house." Oh dear! I think we have created a party monster in this child!

The game of "Hot Spider" mid-way. It was feverish at times!

My parents were good sports. They even came in costume!

Jacob and Master Hunter Greg

Jacob and Dr. Mom

A "Graveyard" treat

The spread - before shot

The dining room - before shot

Our front room before the party began - those were the craft tables.

Jacob, believe it or not!

Worm digging

My mom helping some of the Harbor House gang to fish gummi worms from the spaghetti.

Guessing the number of chestnuts. The girl who won has the last name Chestnut. How appropriate!

Someone got out in the game of "Hot Spider"

Kiersten sports her prize - fangs. She wore them all night! She'd make a good little vampire!

Jacob and one of his oldest friends, Noah.

The whole gang (or most, I think) pose for a photo.

My niece Kiersten watches a girl from Longer pull out some gummi worms.

Maggie and Lizzie - two Harbor House friends

The following pictures are of Andrew from last night. He didn't get in on much of the fun yesterday because there was just way too much for him to eat/destroy/choke on/tear apart/hurt himself with, etc. I thought the poor little guy deserved some glory too!

"A little privacy, please!"

"I'll have to take this one in my office."

"Excuse me. This is an important call."

He's saying "Cheese" under the binkie...You just can't tell!

Work is done and now I've got to relax a little!