Halloween 2012

Despite Reese being sent home Tuesday with a 102 degree fever, we ended up having a great Halloween on Wednesday.  The little bugger was still a little sick, so we only took her trick-or-treating for a very short time.

Luckily Grammy had flown in on Tuesday evening, so she's been home to nurse our sweet girl back to good health.  As Reese threw her head back to cry the other day, I noticed her top teeth are coming in.  Not sure if that's the cause of her sickness?

Since the weather was gorgeously cool, we dressed her in her sunflower costume.

She was the cutest little sunflower in town!

Our little Mario had an awesome Halloween!  This is Cam's fifth Halloween, but it's really the first year he actually gets the whole trick-or-treating thing.  In years past, he'd always forget to say, "trick-or-treat" as he approached a house.

After we got Reese settled for bed at home with Grammy, me, Mike & Cam hit the streets in search of candy.

By the end of the night, this boy was DONE!  He could barely walk!

It's so great to have Grammy in town to help!  The kids are so happy she's here & so are we!

After the kids went to bed Tuesday night, we carved pumpkins.

I did the Red Bird

and Mike did the Piggy.

And Halloween night we dined on Trisha Yearwood's chicken tortilla soup recipe.  It was so, so yummy!  We had it for leftovers last night & it was even better.  Seriously, try it.  It's the perfect time of year for soup too.  Click here for the recipe.  But just try not to slice the tip of your finger open while cutting the onion like I did.

Hope you all had a wonderfully spooky Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Perneckys!

This Halloween we're wishing you a very spooky, fun-filled day 

with plenty of tricks & treats,

 

frights & delights,

candy galore,

and plenty of gore!

Don't fill your tummies too much,

with chocolates & such,

and be sure to check under your bed

before you rest your head,

 for you may have a visit from the undead!

Pumpkin patch

Sunday we headed to a pumpkin patch on a very gloomy, chilly morning.  It was the perfect day for a Fall outing.  And for the first time in ages, it was actually chilly in Florida!  It felt so good!

Unfortunately, I thought it was going to be warmer so I didn't bother packing sweatshirts for the kids.  Oops! Guess I didn't win the mom of the year award this time!

We met Matt, Kelly, Leah & Samantha.

Sam is such a cutie pie!

Getting both kids to look at the camera is nearly impossible!

Cam milked a cow

and then we took a hayride

which Reese thought was pretty darn cool!

My kids are such goofballs!

These two gals will be one in a little over two weeks!  Reese was born on the 14th of November & Samantha followed one day later!

Since they go to daycare together, they know each other VERY well!

We always joke that they couldn't look any different from one another.  Reese with her barely-there, very blond hair & Sam with her very thick, long dark hair & dark eyes.  Samantha just started walking last week so we've gotten on Reese to pick up the pace & get her act together.  I mean, she is older than Samantha!

After our long trek through the corn maze Reese was completely pooped out.

 

So she passed out in her sling as we walked.

We had such a great morning at the pumpkin patch!  We'll be carving our pumpkins tomorrow after Grammy flies in from Chicago.  I love Halloween so I'm very excited for this week!  And I'm so happy that we're able to have the windows open to feel the cool, fresh air!  Makes me feel like I'm back up North again.  Happy Fall!

Recent happenings

Since Reese continues to barely sleep at daycare, she is wiped out by the time I pick her up.  Within five minutes of driving, things get super quiet when I ask Cameron, "Are her eyes opened or closed?"  His answer is always, "closed."

So, by the time we get home, she's only been sleeping in the car for about ten minutes.  I feel bad waking her up, so I normally let her sleep for another twenty minutes or so.

 

Cam happily plays his Nintendo game while we wait & sometimes I'm not even sure that he realizes we're sitting in our driveway.  I'll bring groceries in, start unloading the dishwasher or work on one of the many things I have to do in the kitchen before bed.  I put the baby gate up in the garage doorway so the cats don't wander out & watch her through the open hatchback of my car.  Monday evening Cam & I ended up eating our leftover lasagna in the car while she slept!  Talk about killing two birds with one stone.  I get home from work at around six & Reese goes to bed at 7:30, so evenings are all about rushing, shoveling food into our gullets & rushing some more.  It's the American dream, I tells ya.

When I went to pick them up yesterday, Reese's teacher told me that she face planted out of her little ball pit.  Her lip looked so sad & swollen.  I kept thinking about her falling & crying while I was completely unaware at work.

I'm still doing Crockpot Wednesdays & this week I chose a chicken & dumpling recipe but modified it by adding 2 bags of frozen, mixed vegetables & a bunch of spices to kick it up a notch.  I used the Pilsbury Simple biscuits since they're trans fat free.  I have a major thing against hydrogenated oil!!  Click here for the recipe.  I can't yet you how good it is since we still haven't eaten dinner, but I can tell you that it was rated very well.  I've been using this website for Crockpot recipes & it's AWESOME!  There are 300 recipes all with pictures.  I found it on Pinterest which I also love.

This afternoon Cam & I worked on his homework which involved cutting out pictures that start with the letter E.  We chose eyes, ear, elves, eat & egg.

Then my shaggy little guy got a much needed haircut!

Now he'll be so spiffy for his many upcoming events.. we have a birthday party Saturday, we're hitting the pumpkin patch Sunday & then it's time for Halloween!  And... GRAMMY IS COMING!  Yay!  Lots to be excited for!

Pizza & football

This Friday we brought back Perno Pizza Friday & ended up making a sausage, goat cheese & sun-dried tomato pizza on wheat crust.

On Fridays we let Cameron watch TV as he eats dinner, so he couldn't be bothered with looking at the camera.  But at least he smiled, so I'll give him a little credit for that.

I'm pretty sure Mike enjoyed the pizza!

The Bears are playing Monday night football against the Lions, so the kids were geared up & ready to go for school this morning.

Cam had to have his bear, Staley, in the picture too.  

Since Reese is wearing Cam's old jersey, she sort of looks like a boy, so I always make sure I send her with a flower on her head so there's no confusion!

This is how we're able to get out the door on time for work.  We stick Reese in her highchair & she happily eats anything we throw on her tray.  When Cam was a baby, he loved watching his Baby Einstein videos, but Reese pays little attention to them.

And Cam always starts the day with his Nintendo DS or a cartoon of his choice.  Mornings are a major whirlwind around these parts, so we have to do what we have to do!

Here's to hoping the Bears kick some butt tonight!  Bear down!!