Hurricane Halloween

This post is late.  Last week was a blur.  My school is still closed due to the absolutely devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy, and I have been staying with my parents since they have important things like heat.  I am so blessed to have no major damage to my home, and I've been enjoying a lot of extra time with my boys.  However, the images I have seen of nearby neighborhoods is heartbreaking and surreal.  Just today I learned that JD's teacher is among the many who lost everything.  Please keep those affected in your prayers for the next few months as families struggle to find housing and begin rebuilding.  Many of my favorite places are just... gone, and that will take a while to sink in.
  
But having two little guys means that the fun still continued.  They enjoyed watching the small cleanup projects in my parents' backyard, and we did our best to celebrate Halloween.

"You do realize that this isn't working, right?"

Woody wanted a pic by himself.

An amazing friend hosted a Halloween party, even though she didn't have power, so that the kids didn't miss out.  She's the best!

We tried trick-or-treating.  O was way more interested in collecting rocks.

VERY few people were home or were prepared for trick-or-treaters, but this group brought smiles to faces.

Buzz + Woody = BFF

A Halloween we won't forget!

Wordless Wednesday: O Turns 2

His 2nd birthday started off much better than his first!





O's Sesame Street 2nd Birthday Party

I'm baaaaaaaaack! I know it's been a while, but I'm getting in the swing of this working mom thing, and I'm ready to dive back in to blogging.  I have to start by sharing O's Sesame Street birthday party.  (Also, how is MY BABY 2???!!)



He had the biggest smile all day, but he took his hat very seriously.



It was easy to decide on a Sesame Street party theme because we are not only fans of the show, but we visit Sesame Place as often as possible.  We have also collected more than enough Sesame toys over the years, which made decorating super easy! 

We covered the paintings that usually hang on our walls with Sesame wrapping paper and placed pictures of O with his favorite characters on them. Outside, we used a Cookie Monster pumpkin kit to go with our regular Halloween decorations, and I hung streamers made from shreaded plastic tablecloths in the party colors. For favors, I used Sesame lunch bags to package cookies, goldfish, and a small Elmo book for the kids.  Adults got to take an extra cookie home in personalized wrappers from Little Beane Boutique.  After displaying our Sesame stuffed animals and toys on the mantle and shelves, our house was ready! 

I knew better than to take on too much in the food department- that stressed me out when I wasnt working full time!  I had a local Italian market deliver sandwiches and salads, and I only had to set out snacks and veggies. A former favorite student of mine has a baking business (& an awesome blog), and I was so excited to hire her to make the treats!  I made the replica of Cookie Monster's cookie jar from a stainless steel trash can.  Stainless steel is not as easy to paint as the guy at Michael's made it sound, but after 20 coats, I was happy with it.

Suzanne was such a huge help!  Getting blog-worthy pics is always easier when there is another blogger at the party.



Last year, there was a snowstorm the weekend of O's birthday party, so we majorly lucked out with the GORGEOUS weather last weekend!



I didn't even get to decorate with these because O insisted on carrying them around and passing them out.  He had to sleep with one that night, too.

Happy birthday, O!

First Day of School (and toddler interviews)

Today I dropped my boys off in the middle of a crazy downpour and headed off to my first day of teaching.  As much as the rain was annoying, it was a great distraction from all the other emotions of the day.  And the day wasn't bad.  JD ran right into class without a second thought.  O was a little weepy, but he ended up having a great day.

Work was fun.  The kids were (mostly) on their best behavior, and I got a lot of compliments on my shoes.  The part that kinda stinks: I have to get up and do it again tomorrow.  The waking up early, the getting the boys ready and out the door, the daycare drop off, the sitting in traffic... I know the year will go by fast, but right now it all seems exhausting.

The good news: I took some adorable video of the boys answering those interview questions that have been circling around the interwebs.  Enjoy!

(My favorite part of this video? When O tries to physically get "Call Me Maybe" out of his head.  Love that kid!)

Our Week in iPhone Photos

It's been a while since I've linked up with Amy for a week in iPhone photos, but we crammed SO MUCH SUMMER into the past week that it seemed the best way to share.  It was my last week before school, and my last week as an official stay-at-home mom, so I really wanted to savor it.

Last Sunday, we went to Splish Splash with Suzanne & her kids, my mom, and my brother!

JD & my future daughter-in-law.

There wasn't much for them to ride there, which means the adults didn't get to ride much either.  boo.  We'll go back when they're teens- or at least 44 inches tall!

I was more than a little relieved when it was rainy on Monday and Tuesday so I could recover from the previous week.  But we started all our adventures up again on Wednesday!

An afternoon in the city was made better with cookies at FAO Schwartz!

We took spontaneous trips for treats.

We hung out on the hammock blowing bubbles.

On Friday, we went to three (3!) different playgrounds.  

We went to a different beach to eat dinner and listen to a band.  The boys just cared about the playground.

Yesterday I ran the worst race ever.  It was basically torture.  But at least my friends were there with me, and the boys had fun with my mom while I was running.

The Suffolk County PAL kept them entertained.

We survived!

Somebody loves Elmo.

And winning medals.

Then we hit another beach for more family fun.

And capped off the week with the perfect summer meal!

I hope you and your family are soaking up the rest of summer!

And if you haven't seen Amy's week, you must go there now!  Tiny baby! I don't need to say more.  And link up with your phone pics while you're at it.

Transition to a Toddler Bed: Take 2

After a very unsuccessful bedtime last night, I realized that there was just no way to get O to see the benefits of staying in his crib.  So I gave up, climbed to the attic, dragged down the conversion kit, and I no longer have any cribs in my house.  (sob)

He was super excited to hear that he wold have a "big boy bed", but kept insisting, "new orange bed!" (Maybe I shouldn't have shown his the pics of Amy's kid's bed...)  Since it was already past bedtime, I was hoping the conversion would be quick and possible with just one adult & two small helpers people.

JD was a helpful screw counter.

It was easy and quick to convert the bed, and O didn't seem to mind the lack of orange (Grandma is getting him some awesome orange bedding for his birthday.)

In the end, the night was pretty much a success.  There were a few minutes of O knocking on his door to get out, but he made his way back to his bed and fell asleep faster than I expected.  I did, however, check on him before I went to bed and saw him sleeping like this- very similar to the antics his brother pulled, but more uncomfortable than comical.

I did pick him up and tuck him in after I took pictures.

I was hoping I could put off this transition until after we adjusted into our work/day care routine, but this kid works on his own schedule.  Hopefully today's nap will happen, because I'm looking forward to taking one myself!

Making Myself At Home At Work

Although I am going back to teaching the same subject to the same grade level at the same school, I did have to set up in a new classroom.  I knew that making it as welcoming as I could would not only ease my students into a new year, but me, too!

I've spent several days over the past few weeks rearranging, unpacking, and decorating, and I can't wait to start fresh here next week.

The before:

yuck

blah

And the after:

I always put my desk in the back of the room, so when I'm not teaching, I can hide back there.  Plus, being behind the kids during a test is awesome because they don't know if I'm looking at them or not.

Now I just need to fill up those boards with student work!

My favorite part of my new room is the picture JD drew of me.  This IS what I will look like on the first day.

My helpers weren't really into helping.

Did you have a favorite classroom to hang out in when you were in school?

Wordless Wednesday: More Sesame Place

I've already given you my tips, and Suzanne did a great recap of our trip, so here are some wordless pics of our trip to Sesame Place!

she's adorable even when she's miserable

typical: big boys up to no good, O trying to get his straw up his nose & Caroline snuggling