Halloween 2010

Happy Halloween everyone! Our Socerress and Army Man were out and about trick or treating tonight. As always, the neighborhood was packed with kids. McKenna and Cooper had a blast running from house to house at first. Eventually Cooper wanted to be carried. Luckily Earl and Shane were along to help out with that!

The grown ups mostly stood out toward the driveways and let the kids go to the door by themselves. At one point Cooper came running up to us and said, "I forgot to say thank you," then turned and ran back to the house where he quickly explained to the elderly lady that he forgot to say thank you. I don't think she really understood his three year old vocabulary and explanation but he was happy and so were we!
McKenna enjoyed herself so much. She didn't run from house to house like many of the other kids but instead took her time and took in the whole experience. She did a great job helping to keep track of Cooper too! She's definitely my helper most days.

It's been a busy week since Earl and I were out of town until late this past Monday night. Then we turned around this weekend and headed to the Penn State game. Needless to say we are T.I.R.E.D today. I love those 8pm PSU games but it sure makes it tough to get to bed at a decent time. So, I think it's safe to say that we're all looking forward to a more relaxed week...if one should ever come our way. This week we have dentist appointments, doctor appointments, parent/teacher conferences and packing for Disney! It sounds like I better get to work!

What to Do With All Those Pumpkins?

Our trip to the pumpkin patch left the Richard and Mowry families with a total of 9 pumpkins. What in the world does one do with 9 pumpkins?
Carve them of course! And, since we picked them as a family we decided we might as well carve them as a family also! Luckily we had a perfect Sunday afternoon that was warm and sunny enough for us to make our pumpkin mess in the driveway.

There were scary faces and funny faces; pumpkins with fangs and some with hair. It was a nice afternoon spent together celebrating fall.

R.B. Winter State Park

I don't know about anyone else but our lives have been pretty noisy lately. With extracurricular activities, school, work, and the general day to day we were all feeling a little cranky.
So, when the forecast called for a beautiful, sunny Saturday we packed up and ran for the hills...literally. Well, maybe more like the mountains of R.B. Winter State Park. The weather was a little chilly but the leaves were as gorgeous as we had anticipated. But most of all it was q.u.i.e.t.
We spent a little time letting the kids play on the beach and the playground before heading up the mountain.

I'll be honest, we drove to the top - but once there we decided we were up for a hike. You all know that I love having babies around and I sometimes hate the fact that my kids are getting bigger and more independent. But somewhere along this trail it finally hit me that there are still great things to come. The kids both walked the 1/2 hour it took us to travel through the woods to our destination. And we were all a little tired on the 1/2 hike back to the car.

He was in awe of how loud it was when the wind picked up and the trees were swaying. And McKenna was quick to point out acorns and berries and move any fallen twigs off of our path. I spent the time soaking in the fresh air and loving every single minute spent up there with my family. I will be honest when I say that I didn't think we would enjoy ourselves so much.

We ended the morning with a picnic lunch by the dam discussing why the park is called R.B. Winter and watching other families enjoy the beach. Then headed home with tired feet and big smiles.

Pumpkin Patch 2010

Every year since McKenna was 10 months old, we take a trip to the pumpkin patch. It's been a fun tradition that we have enjoyed with numerous friends over the years but sadly never with family. On a whim I made a few phone calls and managed to gather my mom, Kyle and Cady, Shane, and Tighe at Ard's for Saturday morning pumpkin pickin'.

Don't they look like they're having a conversation?

He definitely has something to say. I think I'll make him the mascot for our next handwashing campaing.

Lots to choose from.

Kyle and Cady

Apologies to my mom and Shane, but all the pictures I had of them were with their eyes closed. Guess we'll just have to go back!

Thanks everyone for a fun morning and great memories. We loved hanging out with you!

Odd Woman Out

On Sunday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending a birthday tea for one of McKenna's friends. McKenna was ecstatic and I was admittedly excited to get out of the house for the afternoon and be around some other moms. Granted, I didn't know any of them but I figured, "What the heck."

The initial introductions flew by and soon the little girls were seated in one room having their tea while the moms gathered in the kitchen around their own plate of goodies. I was the odd (wo)man out almost immediately as the other women poured cups of coffee while I opted for tea. I mean, it was a TEA party after all, right? Anyway, things continued to go downhill from there. I found myself seated around the kitchen table with a poetry professor, a woman who spent her "pre-baby" days on Broadway and an Indonesian music professor. Oh.My.God. Before I knew it I was immersed in conversations about college days at Princeton and Columbia, performances at lavish homes in the Hamptons, years spent living in Barbados, FedEx deliveries of foreign foods I've never heard of. All I could think was that McKenna was going to have to make new friends because there was no way I could keep up with this. Let's face it, if you can't find the ingredients for pot pie at Weis then it ain't worth making! At one point it did cross my mind that I could handle this crowd. I mean, I work with doctors every day! But somehow I think that when people come together in the name of saving a child nothing else really matters.

I sat quietly for awhile sipping my tea and nibbling my biscotti wondering what I could possibly offer to the conversation. And then suddenly something happened. The "pre-baby" talk was over and the parenting topics were suddenly on the table. All at once I felt the mood (at least my mood) shift and before I knew it we were all laughing. Laughing at the fact that no matter how many cute outfits are hanging in the closet our kids always want to wear the same thing - you know, the one with the big stain on it; commiserating over challenges with new teachers; exploring the popular choices for Halloween costumes and the fact that our parents never let us buy costumes when we were young; tricking our kids into taking a nap via the famous "snooze cruise". You get the picture.

And so, as it turns out, it doesn't really matter who we were in a previous life. Or whether you drink tea or coffee. When it comes right down to it, we all face the same challenges and go through much of the same "stuff" with our kids. Whether we go to work everyday and read poetry or play the piano or in my case, deal with blood and guts - we are not at all different. We are mom's. And that's one club I'm proud to be part of.