Happy Halloween!

It's Halloween all over the place around here.

No costumes allowed at school, but it's orange and black day, so Wayne and Cole wore orange shirts with Halloween logos on the front and back. Heather wanted in on the fun, so she's wearing her sweater. Each class has a Party at school later in the afternoon. Heather and I will go and have fun even though it really should be her naptime.
Heare are Wayne and Cole's pumpkins for the contest. Wayne's is on the top and Cole's is on the bottom. After carving these, Wes took the boys on a haunted hayride at Hazen. Heather has been feeling mean with a cold, so she and I stayed behind. Sorry, no pictures. Wes is not the photographer in the family.
Usually I just go for the triangle eyes and nose look, but this year I got creative. Look like anyone you know?

Check in later in the weekend for an update on W,C,H's Halloween antics: costumes, parties, trick or treating, calendar making with Joanie at Katie and Lizzie's house, ice hockey, and of course we have to bake a birthday cake somewhere in the midst.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Hockey Night in Lyndonville

When Wes and I met in college, I used to go watch him play hockey at the Fenton Chester Ice Arena in Lyndonville. I never dreamed that years later, I would be watching my own child play hockey on that same floor.

Here is Wayne on his very first day on his very first hockey team, Red Wings. This is not a game - just a practice.
It's ridiculous - there's something like 40 kids on the team. They broke them into red and yellow.

I always thought Wayne was a pretty good skater, for his age, but most of these kids were even better. This is the very beginning level, called the X-Ice league, but some of these kids look like they already have some experience with the game. Here I think they're learning how to fall, spin, and get back up again, all in one swift move. They loved that.

Wayne Gretzky, make room for the other Wayne in hockey.

First Snow

Wayne and Cole got dressed and ate breakfast in a hurry this morning. They had to get in some "snow time" before school.
This is the first time Spike has seen snow. He was excited as Wayne and Cole were. He even loved it when they (gently) threw snowballs at him.

He is so fast, they were hardly able to get him. Sparkle was a nice dog, but now I'm so glad we ended up with Spike.

Later in the morning, Sophia went outside with Heather. They were out for a long time and then came in for hot cocoa when Joanie stopped in.
Remember when you were so excited about the first snow that you had to be out there at the crack of dawn?

Fall

Today started off cold and rainy. By afternoon it was cold and sunny.

The maple tree out front is the last to turn and the last to start dropping its leaves. Wayne and Cole managed to scrape together a couple of piles for leaf jumping. I think this picture is funny.
It may look like Cole is break-dancing, but really he's just getting up from, or falling into, his pile of leaves.
Heather was taking her nap so she missed out on all the fun.

Last Halloween Grammie gave the kids this arts and crafts project. We didn't get around to making it last year, but this year Wayne rediscovered it while he was getting all the Halloween decorations out of the storage room.

We put it all together and we agree that ours looks even better than the picture on the package!

Those of you non-dog-lovers might want to stop here. Bye. Have a nice day. See ya later.

For the rest of you, here are a few things that Spike likes to do in his spare time. (By the way, see his ears? They both went up. He's a German Shepherd!) He seems to like Wes and Cole's shoes the best. Probably because they have the most interesting aroma.

Dig a hole to hide his rubber squeaky bone.

Play an indoor version of "Find Wayne" and smother him with kisses when he does find Wayne. (yuck, even I don't like dog kisses)

And wait, wait, wait by the parlor door for the kids to get up in the morning.
I promise, Heather will make an appearance next time.

Lap Dog

For the dog lovers out there:

This morning Heather threw her arms around Spike's neck and said, "He's my bwover, Mommy. He is." Here they are watching Curious George together while her human brothers slept in - until 7:30.