Halloween Eve

Tomorrow is Halloween. And to be honest, it makes me a bit nervous. As far back as I can remember, Halloween has been an anxiety-ridden day for me. Except the one year I went as a Japanese Girl in a kimono (oh how I wish that my mom had a blog where I could link back to a picture of that), I never have a good idea for a costume (and it probably wasn't even my idea, I think I was 6). And on a more basic level, I have never actually looked forward to dressing up. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-Halloween. I buy & carve pumpkins every year and give out candy (good candy!). Our across-the-street neighbors in Virgina were VERY in to Halloween, and I always enjoyed watching Diane put her yard together every year. But me, I'm just no so into it.

And then came Luis.

While I'm still not that into Halloween, I would love for Luis to develop Diego's love for the holiday. Diego really enjoys dressing up and going to costume parties. He likes brainstorming good costumes - coming up with something clever, original. I really do want that for Luis, so I vowed to put my best Halloween foot forward with him. Luis's first Halloween was in Mumbai and we didn't actually do anything for it. Last year, we were actually visiting Dallas on Halloween, so I dressed Luis up the night before and we went car trick-or-treating to a few friends house.

This year was going to be our first "normal" Halloween year where Luis could pick a costume (or at least have a vote), and walk himself to our friends house to trick-or-treat. All month at school, they've been making paper plate jack-o-lanterns, bats made from hand prints, a pumpkin wind sock (made out of construction paper - better for hanging on the door) and other Halloween-themed crafts. None the less, I was a little surprised when Luis came home, three weeks ago, and announced that he was going to be a Box for Halloween. When I asked him what kind of box, he held up his hands and said, "I don't know".

Then two weeks ago, he came home from school and said, "I'm going to be a BOX for Halloween." When questioned further about the costume, he again held up his hands in a shrug and this time said, "I don't know that part yet." Was he waiting for divine intervention? A sign from the pumpkin-gods?

I didn't start on the costume because, quite frankly, I was sure he'd change his mind. But he didn't. This week, he changed it up slightly saying that he wanted to be a Scary Box - though he still had no details on exactly what that meant.

I am proud for Luis for coming up with his own - rather original - idea. I doubt he gleaned this costume idea off any of his friends at school. I am impressed that after three weeks, and countless conversations about Halloween, he still wants to be a box. I'm absolutely terrified that once we get out to trick-or-treat, and see all those store bought Batman and Princess costumes, the intricate face painting or anyone dressed as a fireman that Luis will be overcome with Costume Envy.

And it will be my job to fix it.

What to do? I don't really want to spend a lot of energy (or money) on a "back up" costume which would have no chance of being worn again. But more importantly, I don't want to doubt Luis. And then, I don't want to watch Luis's love for his thought-up-himself costume melt down his face with hot tears because he thinks someone else's costume is better.

On Thursday, I borrowed a Fireman's hat from one of the teachers at school, with which we can fashion a Fireman Sam costume if we need to. Today, Luis and I made the "frame" of the box costume - cutting out holes for his head & arms, and opening up most of the bottom so he can walk. Undecorated, Luis LOVED LOVED LOVED the box. He put it on about 15 times before I had to put it up out of reach (it is the perfect sized box and the only one we have in that size). Then tonight, Diego creatively designed the "scary" part for the Scary Box after consulting with Luis, who suggesting using a seen from his Olivia book. (I'm sure he'll love that part!)

All that's left to do is wait and see how it unfolds. I really, really, really hope it goes well - that Luis loves his Scary Box and that the people we see out tomorrow value the creativity that went into it. Stay tuned to see how it goes.

Gingerbread Men

Mom gave Luis a book this summer about a Gingerbread Boy - which he really likes. While she was hear visiting, she and Luis made Gingerbread Boys (and Gingerbread Girls). It was a two day process - making the dough on Friday and the actual cookies on Saturday. Luis really enjoyed both phases, mixing all of the ingredients for the dough (and cracking the juevos) AND rolling out the dough & using the cookie cutters. Last year, Mom gave Luis a Luis-sized rolling pin. Thus far, Luis has only had occasion to use it on his playdoh. I think he enjoyed using it for cooking, alongside Bibi who was using a regular-sized one.

Using the actual cutters - on dough rolled out to about 1/4" thick - turned out to be a bit difficult for Luis. He pretty much abdicated that part to mom. But he then spent quite a bit of time "rolling smooth" and then "cutting out" gingerbread boys from the floor on the counter.

The finished product were very yummy - just like in the book. They finished them before lunch time, and he had two right away (and then was mysteriously uninterested in lunch). However, I think that Luis has forgotten about them, as he hasn't asked for any more since Saturday.

The Zoo with Bibi & Grandpa Sandy

On Friday morning, Luis and I took Bibi & Grandpa Sandy to one of our favorite places - the Zoo. It was a beautiful day (after many, many weeks of not-beautiful days!). Of course, our first stop was to the carousel - where Sandy joined Luis. The attendant gave them two rides for the price of one. Luis rode the nest (his favorite) the first time, and then a horse after that. The carousel makes me a bit dizzy, so I was happy to let Sandy go with him. The pictures don't quite do Sandy's smile justice - he appeared to be having a GREAT time!

Luis still likes to look at the map, carry it around, and consult it from time to time. He still has no idea how to read it.

Bibi treated Luis to a pony ride at the zoo.

Bibi, Sandy, and Luis spent some time watching the koi (?) fish swim in the big above-ground take. Luis spends a bit of time there every time we come to the zoo.

Luis was pleased to show Bibi how well he can climb the turtle statue!

Luis loves this "spiders web" in the kids zoo. He climbs all over it. I was a little surprised to look over and see this:

I have never seen Luis hang like this - upside down - from any climbing apparatus before. But it wasn't the last time either; just today Luis was working on a similar move at one of the parks near our house.

All of the animals were out, which was nice. We saw the tiger walk right in front of us at the tiger exhibit, saw the giraffes, elephants, monkeys, etc. (Well, the turtles weren't out - it was a chilly day.) But I think what we enjoyed most was listening to the monkeys. They were making all kinds of noises singing out to each other and responding. We stayed and listened for a bit, but could still him them over in the kids zoo!

A Fun Afternoon

Besides making Diego's Birthday Cake, Luis had a great time with Bibi & Grandpa Sandy. Bibi brought all kinds of great treats for Luis, including a kit that had sheets of un-colored-in stickers and special markers. Luis stuck with blue and red for his stickers but was (a bit surprisingly) generous with both the stickers and the markers - allowing both Bibi and I to take turns coloring. No matter who colored the sticker though, it was to then be placed somewhere on Luis's face or hands. He was quite the sight by the time we were done!

After dinner, Luis availed our guests of the updated version of Get Down, Take Pants Off and Run Around Like Half-Naked Boy - called Chase Me. Again, it's a pretty self-explanatory title. Luis runs around the house (usually) after dinner, and someone chases him. Grandpa Sandy was kind enough to indulge Luis in a few rounds after dinner on Thursday. I'm not sure how the game turned, but it ended up with Grandpa Sandy on the floor laughing a lot and Luis tickling him and playing the drums on his belly. It was a good night!

Luis & Bibi Make A (Birthday) Cake

Mom and Sandy arrived on Thursday for a long-weekend visit. Shortly after picking up Luis from school, Bibi and Luis got started in the kitchen making Diego's birthday cake (he was in Austin on his birthday, so we delayed the celebration a bit).

"Cracking the juevos" is Luis's kitchen expertise - so a cake mix that called for three eggs was a big hit. He also did a great job pouring the water and oil, and stirring. Bibi did a great job following Luis's very complex instructions (and making sure the right things - at the right proportions - made it into the batter). When all was done and it was time to lick the spoon, Luis said no thanks to Bibi - a bit of a shock to us all. He had something else in mind...

Puzzles

About 3 weeks ago, at a play date with Caleb, Luis discovered puzzles. He has since been very interested in this puzzle he has (thanks Sarah!!). We put it together several times in a row, several times a week. Luis's puzzle aptitude is currently low, but getting better. Though he seems to have little concept of how the edge pieces go together, or how abutting pieces have similar colors, he can actually, eventually, get these 30 pieces hooked together.

Eating (??) his Sandwich

This is the plate Luis handed me after he "finished" eating his 1 1/2 Jelly with Sandwich on Top. No wonder he's gone from one sandwich to one and a half sandwiches!

(I've tried cutting off the crust myself, but he still will not eat the 'border' of the sandwich.)

The Pumpkin Patch

The church at the end of our block had their fall fundraiser this weekend - The Pumpkin Patch. It was a fall carnival of sorts with pony rides, bounce houses, petting zoo, face painting, pumpkin patch, firetrucks, games, and various craft booths (Luis had zero interest in the last two). We got there when it opened (9am) and stayed for more than 3 hours. Besides all of the fun things to do, many of Luis's friends were also there. The only downside was that I had put too much faith in the newspaper forecast - 70-degrees and sunny; it turned out to be 56-degrees and overcast. Luis and I were a bit chilly much of the morning.

In terms of time spent playing, the bounce house was, hands down, the most popular thing. It was crazy and chaotic with no adult supervision. I was pretty certain that there would be tears or blood spilled at some point. Luckily, I was wrong on both fronts. I was really impressed at how kind the bigger kids were to the smaller kids.

Climbing up, then sliding down the bounce house

The petting zoo was nice - bunnies, pigs, baby goats, a lamb and an alpaca. Luckily, no zebras. The baby goats would stand up on their hind legs and "kiss" you over the fence. Bethany has a picture of Luis getting kissed - which I hope to post later.

They had a pumpkin patch with pumpkins for sale. We didn't end up buying one, but spent a lot of time playing with them!

The pony ride was nice - we enjoyed it several times throughout the morning.

Alexandra, Elijah and Luis ride the ponies; Luis and the pretty volunteer

Luis took this picture of the horses - all by himself (he also took many, many pictures of the grass, the side walk and peoples shoes)

The very best "ride" of all was the two firetrucks parked in the parking lot. One had the cab open for kids to get in and crawl around, try on the equipment, pretend to drive the truck, etc. On the second, they extended the ladder out, horizontally, and then allowed the kids to walk across. Luis was a little too small to do it on his own, so I accompanied him. The further out we got on the ladder, the further from the fulcrum, the bouncier the ladder got. We both loved it!

;

Check out how charred the hat is!; Luis driving the big truck; Big shoes to fill

Luis at the beginning end of the ladder (about 15' off the ground; Luis and me mid-way across

Luis's Different Looks

The other night at dinner, Luis was practicing his "happy face" and his "sad face". He has recently taken to showing his - and asking to see your -"happy face". As he was practicing, he suggested that I take a picture of each (another thing he's taken to recently - requesting that pictures be taken of him).

After I looked at the pictures that I'd taken that I felt there wasn't really that much difference in the two. However, when he's in motion, the two looks are world apart.

Mystery Photo

I love downloading pictures from my camera, and finding hidden treasures like this. Diego took this picture of Luis yesterday (10/5). I have no idea the circumstances of it - but I LOVE the picture!

Two-A-Days (at the Park)

I got wrangled into being the Play Group person for 2006, for the neighborhood parent's group. This playgroup has been mostly abandoned by it's members - lots of working moms, but also lots of kids who go to their sibling's group. I'm doing my best to resurrect it, but am not having that much luck. On Friday, we went to Play Group in the morning - where it was just Sophia and Luis. (Sophia is ~ 6 days older than Luis and they are in the same class at school). In the afternoon, we walked to the park (so "mommy could get her exercises). Turns out we saw 4 or 5 of Luis's friends. So much for organization...

Sophia & Luis in the morning

Luis, Alexandra, and Elijah in the afternoon

The State Fair of Texas

Last Wednesday, Luis, Bethany, Caleb and I went to the Fair - or, as Luis calls it, The State Fair of Texas. Throughout the month of September, Luis's class learned all about the Fair. Turns out it's his teachers F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E time of the year. Each day was a different craft about the Fair. One week, Luis made various foods that you can get at the fair: funnel cake, corn-on-a-stick and cotton candy. He made a ticket booth (with a picture of him as the ticket taker). He made an Auto Show sign, a Pig Race picture, a Ferris wheel, an "Elsie the Cow" and assorted other goodies. The very last day, they made a giant Big Tex, the mascot (sort of) of the Fair. Needless to say, Luis was pretty jazzed up about going - though in the end, he really had no idea what to expect when we got there.

We rode the train (the light rail) to the fair - thinking it would be an extra treat. Turns out it was an extra 90 minutes because we didn't think to look at the train schedule (I was thinking it ran like the Metro in DC; I was wrong) and then Bethany and I wanted to hop off at the changing point to get a coffee from Starbucks. Sigh. Lesson learned.

The first thing that the boys saw were these things you sit on to have your feet rubbed (vibrated, really). The boys loved them - and then wanted to sit on them every time we saw them. We saw a lot of them.

Not surprising, there were several places to see tractors, both big and small. There was the photo op place to take a picture on the small tractor, the place to actually ride a small tractor, and the John Deere booth (where the salesman took off the "Do Not Sit On Tractors" sign so that Luis could sit on the tractor). In fact, Luis's souvenir from the fair was a little John Deere tractor.

Photo Op Tractor

Tractor for riding in the Hands On the Farm exhibit

The REAL tractor

When it was lunch time, I was prepared to indulge Luis in all kinds of sugary and fried foods. (I was also prepared to indulge myself in some good carb-loaded food - which I did.) I had previously promised him cotton candy at the fair. But in the end, all he wanted was popcorn and ice cream. I was expecting to see lots of crazy fried food - fried butter was the new thing this year. Though the only really strange thing I saw this:

Fried Stuff - Typical Fair Food

We spent a lot of time looking at animals. We saw a dog agility contest that consisted of border collies catching Frisbees and black labs doing long-jumps into the water. It was fun, but mostly it made me sad that Ashley can't do those tricks anymore. The kids did not seem impressed. We saw puppies, kittens, and bunnies on display - a big hit. But the best was the petting zoo. They had typical farm animals (cows, goats, sheep) as well as some animals not native to Texas. My favorite was the kangaroo that was carrying around a baby in her pouch. I never saw the whole baby, but depending on how the momma moved around, an elbow or foot or tail would stick out of the pouch. It was mesmerizing. When I showed it to Luis, he was non-plussed. His response? "Look Mommy, a TURTLE." They also had alpaca, deer, zebra, llama. Luis was eager to pet the zebra. It took me at least a minute, while taking the second picture, to realize that the zebra had bitten Luis and was not letting go.

Luis was much more scared than hurt. He kept saying, "Mommy, that zebra BIT me - and that's not nice." Luckily it didn't break the skin (or do lasting psychological damage). I was much more careful after that.

After the animals and the food, we moved on to the rides. I wasn't really sure what Luis would think of it all - or if he'd be interested. In the end, Caleb was interested and so Luis eagerly followed suit. We rode a thing that spun around (which I did not like), a little train and the big slide (that you ride down on burlap sacks - a fond memory of mine from the Fair of my childhood). Luis was eager to ride them all, and enjoyed them. Although, once we had trekked all the way to the top, I was feeling a little nervous about how tall it was!! The one ride Luis could ride by himself was the bumper cars. Turns out that the simple direction of "push this pedal with your foot" was enough to keep him in motion. The steering part didn't go so well. He liked the driving part, but not the bumping part. He was in tears by the end.

As I suspected might happen, we kept the boys out about 30 minutes too long. When we started the trek from the back of the fair (where the rides were) to the front of the ride (where the train home was), Luis kept saying, "But I want to DOOOOOOOOOOO something else Mommy, I want to do something ellllllllllse." I promised him we'd go back, which did absolutely nothing to placate him. Bethany had it worse: Caleb screamed bloody murder the whole way and put up a physical protest as well. He wouldn't walk in the forward direction at all, and when she carried him, he kicked and howled.

On the way out, a very kind vendor gave each of the crying boys a balloon. Caleb was envious of Luis's purple balloon, and ticked that Luis wouldn't trade with him. When Caleb's balloon popped at the feet of Big Tex, he didn't shed a tear, just shrugged it off. When Luis's balloon popped 10 minutes later while we were waiting for the train, Caleb SOBBED.

The train ride back to the car was uneventful - mostly because Luis slept the whole way.

Sleepy Luis

Never Too Young for the Journal

Luis watches Diego read both the Dallas Morning News and The Wall Street Journal each morning before work. About two weeks ago (9/25), Luis took up his own interest in the Journal. He requested to "read" this section at dinner, asking all kinds of questions about what was happening in the photo (it was a photo of an explosion - not really age appropriate). He then insisted on taking the paper up to bed with him and even went to sleep with it.

Come to think of it, that paper is still mixed in with his books up by his bed...