Holidays Make Me Crazy!

Our neighborhood had an event at the pool this weekend since it was Halloween, they had a table full of food, a parking lot full of dressed up kids and parents, and several trailers with hay on them for the hay rides. I thought it had a terrific turn out, we didn't go to the one last year, mostly because we didn't know anyone, and because we didn't have a kid to dress up. I suspect that if we had attended last years function we would have gotten to know people faster, but too late to turn back now.....The good thing this year was that we got to see our neighbors and their kids all dressed up, and we got to meet some new ones. There is a younger couple that has a 4 month old daughter (she is so darn tiny) that lives on the street behind us. I am hoping that we will be able to get together at some point and have a play date with the kiddies...I think that would be fun for all involved. Quinn seemed to enjoy himself, as did I. Herb was in charge of taking pictures, he did an awesome job recording Quinn's first Halloween. All in all it went well, Quinn didn't get mad for being put in a ridiculously cute costume and it was semi-warm. There is one thing that Herb and I have to work on, and that is getting the candy situation under control....last year we bought way too much candy and ended up eating the rest of it, which did nothing but help with gaining the appropriate amount of holiday weight. This year we didn't buy enough apparently (or I give it out way too generously) and we ran out before all of the kids got to stop by, so we ended up being one of the people with the porch lights out, trying to be as quiet as possible to keep the kids from suspecting that we were actually home. The cats ended up being a huge hit with the kids though, we kept our inside door open most of the night and just had the glass storm door open, so the cats watched all of the kids come and go, if you look at the picture to the side you can just make out their eyes.












By the end of the night though I had lost it and I thought I was super woman! Actually though I was trying to make Quinn laugh at me, see I told you I would do anything to hear him laugh. He didn't think I was that funny at the time though, and didn't end up laughing at me.










So we put up our Christmas tree on Saturday and decorated the inside of the house. It turned out pretty well, Herb got a little chilled while looking for decorations though and had to put his hat on to keep warm (what this picture doesn't show though is that he is wearing shorts :)). In fact as soon as he realizes that I have put this picture up on here he will probably stop speaking to me....I guess I could use a little quiet time anyway (just kidding honey!). There is one thing that I always do when we start decorating for Christmas and that is put a "Santa's little helper" shirt on the cats, I know it is a little evil, but let me tell you, I get a kick out of it! This year I chose Bandit, and there was no real reason, except maybe that I don't think "little girl" would actually fit into the shirt. Once I got the shirt on him he took off like something was biting him in the butt!! I tried taking several photos, but this is the only one that wasn't blurry, and it was taken right after I put the shirt on, so he didn't have a chance to get going yet. I have never seen a cat react this way to the shirt (Sprout & Squirt just laid down and refused to get back up until we took it off).....I finally felt really guilty and took it off....the poor cat I think has a complex now. I tried to sooth him with treats and kisses, but truthfully I think he is going to try to smother me in my sleep for the humiliation of wearing the shirt. He did calm back down after I let him attack the shirt :).




To get in the mood for Christmas decorating and wrapping presents we watched "White Christmas" and drank hot chocolate, it was still a little hard to be totally in the mood since it was in the 70's outside.

I still doesn't seem the same (Christmas that is) because we aren't spending it with extended family, but I think this year will be better than last. Last year it was more of going through the motions. I can't wait for Quinn to really start enjoying these holidays, that will make it more fun for us as well.