Halloween Carnival

Last week the trio were invited to the church carnival at Auntie Melinda's church. After school, the duo raced home, completed homework (Mysteriously, most of the homework had been completed prior to their getting home. Why doesn't this happen every day???) and finished all other required tasks. At 4:00pm they were out of control and ready to have fun. Unfortunately, the carnival did not start for another two hours.  

We began getting ready. Velma and Scooby Doo were outfitted and in character right away. Lauren, on the other hand, had wig issues, and those did not sit well with her. Without breaching her privacy, I will just say that "did not sit well with her" is about as big an understatement that has ever been made. BIG understatement. HUGE.  

After an hour or so of discussions, we had the wig in place, and written apologies had been made to the entire family.  During this timeframe, Auntie Melinda had a medical emergency and was going to the ER (she is fine). 

It was just one of those nights. Did I mention Skip was out of town? Of course he was. (We have a longstanding joke that Skip is conveniently out of town for any major weather event or crisis.) 

Anyrate, we pulled ourselves together long enough to go to the carnival, inspect the fire truck and enjoy the inflatables.  

   

Skip's birthday

Back on the 24th, we celebrated Skip's birthday. We kept things casual by having our party at home, and William George took his cue to not really wear clothing for the event. Again, we pick our battles. Skip grilled steak, and we had his party in the dining room, per the trio's request. Later he had his favorite cake and opened a few presents.

Happy birthday, Skip!

Happy Halloween

The above costumes are an obvious choice for Halloween for this Mystery Incorporated-loving trio. As you may have suspected, Skip is supposed to be Fred, and I am supposed to be Daphne. The adult costumes just never really came together, if you know what I'm saying. 

Also, they tried to talk Grammie into being Hot Dog Water, but she (naturally) balked at the suggestion. 

The trio have Daniel Day Lewis-ed their roles and have been "in character" for approximately two months. They are Velma, Shaggy and Scooby... or, as they will tell you... Velma Dinkley, Norville Rogers and Scoobert Doo. 

George got a lot of laughs yesterday at the pediatrician's office when he responded to the what-are-you-going-as questions with pitch/delivery-perfect: SCOOBY DOOBY DOO!!!! He is ready for some voice work, should the current voice of Scooby Doo need to retire.

Lauren has been the biggest surprise with her love of Shaggy. To see girly Lauren don this wig has been a sight to behold. We tried to steer her toward Daphne, but she insisted on Shaggy. Even after the costume arrived, we told her we would order Daphne if she had second thoughts. She wouldn't hear of it. As she explained her position, "I like to eat... like Shaggy." 

We drew the line at decorating one of the vehicles as the Mystery Machine...

...although Lauren graciously offered to paint it green for us.  

Tonight they will be solving mysteries and occasionally trick-or-treating.  

Happy Halloween!

Daily Photo(s)

Grace and William George wanted to recreate their beach experience. A few pairs of sunglasses later, they were rocking an indoor beach party.  

Daily Photo

William George loves having Tuesdays and Thursdays to himself at home. He has the full run of toys and art supplies, and he has control of the screen, meaning he gets to select his favorite Scooby Doo episodes for viewing. Often, he announces that he needs covers (pronounced "cubbers") so that he can snuggle in and keep up with those meddling kids.

8th Birthday (One Last Thing)

The weekend of the girls' birthdays was a busy one. Between their two classes, there were three birthdays during that weekend, those of a sweet friend who sits at Grace's table and another set of twins.  

After attending a party, we came home for another family dinner, and William George presented the duo with their presents. 

Yes, he is wearing Elmo pajamas on a late Sunday afternoon. (Grace's beloved pair that she generously handed down to George when he was an infant.) Sometimes William George likes to wear pajamas during his nap, and then prefers to wear them instead of his clothing. We pick our battles.

Anyrate. The duo patiently waited for him to deliver presents.  

Sometimes he got distracted...

But mostly he stayed on track.

His reward for being awesome during birthday weekend was a Lightning McQueen car and some red sunglasses.  

These are truly the last pics from the duo's birthday. Skip's birthday is up next...

Happy Happy!

Today is Skip's birthday!

His contribution to our family over this past year (all years, of course, but this year in particular) has been incalculable. This year has been challenging, and he has been a total rock and endless source of strength.

We have made his favorite cake (caramel!) and will be serving up a birthday dinner and presenting a cake (while singing) later tonight. Skip, we are so glad you were born, and love you to the moon and back!

Happy birthday, Skip!!!

PS: Remember 40 fun facts about Skip?