On the town (minus your brother)

Hans and Gabe

I'm trying to make both boys feel they are their own person and they are both treated fairly.  Of course I *think* they are treated fairly, but as with any siblings (most?  some? just mine?) there is jealousy and the perception of unfairness.  Wether or not they are accurate, their perceptions play into our family relationships and dynamics so I am doing my best to always respect their feelings and have discussions about fairness. Sigh.

Hans, Gabe, and Gabe's sister Lyla

Anyway, that brings us to the past week when Hans and I went with his friend to see the Halloween themed "Hansel and Gretel" puppet show at the Swedish Cottage in Central Park.  I had looked for tickets a few weeks prior hoping to find a date I could take both boys since the three of us typically go to the shows.  There weren't any dates that were going to work with school, birthday parties, and extracurriculars so I after briefly entertaining the idea of just taking Hans I moved on to the next thin because it actually made me a little sad to not have both boys share the experience.  And the Hans' friend asked if we wanted to join them during the week...when Freddie was in school.  Oh boy.  Freddie turned on the waterworks and moped with a broken heart when he caught wind of Hans going without him.  I was sad too, although I had to talk some sense into myself and Freddie!  We talked about all the things Freddie and I did before Hans as well as all the things Freddie gets to experience at school without Hans.  The kid had just gone on a field trip with his class so he kinda got it, although I don't think it took any of the sting away.

Michael Jackson

Hans had a great time with his friend.  (Although I bet he too wished he was there with Freddie.  Sniff.)  The show wasn't my favorite of the shows we've seen but it is good experience for Hans regardless.  He liked the dancing skeleton puppets, and his major concern is why the Michael Jackson puppet was dancing with his eyes closed....to feel the music better, of course.

And don't worry, Freddie AND Hans will go together to the holiday puppet show in December.  Although it will be a big dollop of fairness and nice to be together I can expect lots of bickering and me wondering why in the world I ever fret about taking them out together.

Jack O Lanterns

We finally carved our pumpkins which have been waiting for us for a few weeks now.  The boys have been anxious to do it for a while, but I kinda hoped they would last through Halloween so we put it off until now.  I'm not even sure if they will make it until Friday!

Charlie and I did the messy part.  The boys quickly lost interest in the seed scooping.  Wimps.

 I loved watching Freddie design his jack-o-lantern.  He had a few attempts before he was finally satisfied with his face.

Hans requested a dinosaur in a haunted house and somehow we got him to agree to a bat.  That boy is not easily convinced especially when he has made up his mind so it was no small feat.

I love the excitement of decorating the house and celebrating holidays.  It is probably best that all of our Halloween "decorations" must fit within a shoebox.  Freddie's got designs on a yard filled with tombstones and ghosts one day...he's a suburban boy at heart.

admiring his handiwork

More Halloween Fun

Our neighborhood had the annual parade and party.  All of the neighborhood kids don their costumes on the Saturday before Halloween, meet at the playground at noon, and parade down the one road on the island to the party.

Freddie pulled out his knight costume.  Again, too small.  I though it was going to split up the back when he bent over.  Hans wanted his pajamas and a cape.  My days of choosing cute costumes are long gone.

The boys jumped in the bounce houses, ate junk food, and ran around like madmen.

It is a fun neighborhood event, something I'll miss when we leave this area one day.

The came home with lots of "prizes" which were immediately consumed or scattered all over the floors.

We're trying to squeeze in lots of fall fun, as winter is fast approaching.

Decorations in our lobby

PreHalloween Festivities

Freddie's teacher and her son

Freddie's school had a Halloween Carnival fundraiser which the boys and I attended.  It kicked off the start of several days of costume wearing and junk food eating.

The boys pulled out their fireman's garb for the event.  Mama was a bit sad to see how much the boys have grown.  It's probably the last year for these costumes.  Sniff.

It was great to see Freddie with his friends and meet some other families.  It was nice to see my little boys so comfortable and confident, cruising around the school yard.  Hans was beyond thrilled he got to join in and be a part of the action on the school yard.  Freddie took great care of him and showed him all of his favorite spots to play tag and recess games.

Interestingly enough Fredde showed some thoughtful spending habits that afternoon.  He had a limited number of tickets and after a discussion about the cost of tickets and how many tickets each game cost he passed on several before finally spending his tickets.

A nice afternoon, and just the beginning of our Halloween fun.

Boo at the Zoo

This weekend we hit up Boo at the Zoo at the Bronx Zoo.

We've been before, and the boys loved it.  Who wouldn't....costumes and candy at the zoo!

We wandered the zoo visiting out favorite animals.  You wouldn't know it by looking at the boys but the temperature really dropped and I was uncomfortably cold all day.  It's going to be a long winter for me, folks.

I suppose it's time for cooler weather.  We're seeing some signs of fall.  It won't be long before the trees are bare and dusted with snow.

A little color

The boys were thankful for warm treats to warm their bellies.  nothing beats a warm funnel cake on a cold day, right?  (Except beignets and a hot chocolate but we won't get into that now!)

Although some freezing temperatures are in our future we'll still come out to see the animals.  It's quiet in the winter, which is a nice way to explore.

Lovin'

Peeps make the perfect hot chocolate marshmallow for Hansie, especially a ghost!

• Hot chocolate
• Wool socks
• Sweaters
• Low humidity
• Fuzzy scarves
• Teeny cold toes trying to get warm
• Ice skating trips in the works
• Halloween candy
• A new reader in our family
• Travel plans
• All things "ghost"

Visitor

• Gossip
• Cocktails
• Late night dinner ("late" is relative!)
• Book of Mormon 
• Laughter
• Shake Shack
• Walking, walking, walking
• Noodle bar
• Shoe browsing
• Beers
• Desserts
• Catching up