Sugar High

I've decided that Halloween is officially my favorite holiday. Seeing kids dressed up is as cute, scary, or hilarious as it gets. People give you free candy, and it's a great excuse to get out and re-connect with the neighborhood.

We kicked off the holiday extravaganza with a parade at daycare. I kept telling people that Cole's scraggly hair was part of his costume.



Next adventure: get a picture of the boys all together in costume looking somewhat cute. I'd say mission is slightly accomplished.


How cool is this pic? Here's Harry Potter flying on his broomstick on the front porch.



Before we went trick or treating we went to our friend's annual pre-party. Apparently Dean took this concept very seriously and found the backup supply. Luckily we caught him before he busted out the corkscrew.


Aaaaand....they're off. Cha hung the whole time, and even went back out with Phil after they stopped home to drop off the first round of goodies.


Here's Cole inspecting the loot. We're still working through all of their hard-earned treasure, including nightly negotations and trade agreements. I allow the nonsense because I figure it's good training for their future political careers. Or law school. Or I'm just numb to the fighting. Hmm...

You'll Probably Only Appreciate This Post If You Know Harry Potter. Sorry.

It was quite an eventful couple of days for us Muggles. Chestnut Hill held their Annual Harry Potter weekend complete with Quidditch Training, Defense Against The Dark Arts classes, and a Wizarding Chess Match.

Of course all our boys wanted to do was eat candy and buy Potter paraphernalia (they were particularly impressed when Daddy ate a barf-flavored Bertie Bott's Bean), but they did get a kick out of the sorting hat.

We were standing in line for a few minutes, and Ry started to get stressed. Really stressed. "I better get picked for Gryffindor" led to "I better not get picked for Hufflepuff" which led to "I don't want to do this."

By the time we got to the front of the line I could actually see the panic on his face. As I hollered, "I'm SURE you'll get into Gryffindor" while staring at Dumbledore with a threatening face, he reluctantly stepped up to the plate. Low and behold, GRRRRRRYFFINDOR!


Cole hopped right up and said to Dumbledore, "I hope I get into Slytherin." The sorting hat agreed, and I have to say that there's something to Cole getting into the house associated with "ambition, cunning, leadership, and resourcefulness."


After all of this excitement the boys were begging for Hogwarts robes. And with a flip of our magic wand (i.e. wallet) their wish came true.

Happy early Halloween to all you witches, wizards, and Muggles out there in blogland!

Vacay Day 3

Day 3 began at the Cape May County Zoo. It was super-extreme-ultra-hottness, but we gave it a quick go since it's free and they have new baby snow leopards and an albino alligator. Score!



Hitting the beach was a must after the hot zoo...Ry went boogie boarding and "face planted" in a big wave - Phil somehow managed to capture the moment.


When we got to the boardwalk we attempted our annual boys-on-a-bench-on-the-beach photo. It was sunny...maybe not the best time to do it...but we managed to get a few good pics.


Here's Cole on the ferris wheel:


Phil & the boys on the log floom:


Riding the "Superman":


On the walk back the skies looked a little ominous. Needless to say we scooped up the kids and ran home before the lightning started.


We finished the first Harry Potter book and stopped pre-storm to get the second one. Ry wasted no time diving in...then he flipped to the end to read the last chapter. This is something I do almost every time I read a book...looks like he inherited Phil's dashing good looks and my impatience. Sorry Ry!

Catching Up On Pics: Ryan

Ry has been oh-so-happy to declare himself a 1st grader. He's really into reading non-fiction books right now - which is great until he asks me to read to him. Not really my cup of tea to re-learn the Periodic Table or dissect the inner-workings of an atom.

Luckily, he's also into Harry Potter, so I've got a little bit of an out.