Trunk or Treat

Last night, Al, Drew, Reese, Jodi, Jeremy, Lainey, and I went to Trunk or Treat at Valle (the school I teach at and my children attend). This was our first Trunk or Treat, and it ended up being a fun, family night. Cars were parked at 6 p.m., and trunks were opened. The kids wore their Halloween costumes: Lainey - Old Macdonald, Reese - Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, and Drew - Tony Stewart. The night began with a costume contest. None of our adorable children won, but we did see some really cute and clever costumes. The best of the night was a 2 foot, 3 year old, Elvis. Then the kids went trunk to trunk and "trunk or treated." Al and Jeremy took the kids around to all the parked cars, while Jodi and I passed out candy and pencils. I got to see some of my students dressed up, and talk to the kids of Valle. After candy gathering, the kids played Halloween games for prizes. The cutest game was a fishing one where the kids cast a line with a clothespin on the end over a large board. There were older Valle students on the other side, who would clip a prize on the clip, and then tug the line. When the little kids pulled the line back over the board, they had a prize. One time, one of the kids behind the board put the clip in his mouth and popped up behind the board, nearly giving the small fisher a heart attack. Very Funny! They also had a small concession stand that included hot cocoa, which was perfect on a chilly, October night. Jodi and I commented that we could really skip the Halloween hullabaloo next week, as our kid's buckets are overflowing with candy now. We'll probably do a few houses on Friday, and call it an early night. Last night reaffirms why fall is my very favorite time of year: family, a chill in the air, blue jeans, coats, and scarves, hot cocoa, early nights, warm beds. Welcome fall, FINALLY!

10 minutes and counting!

The countdown is on! In less than 10 minutes, I will be headed out of town for my relaxing and rejuvenating weekend with my spouse, and yes, it will be childless. After two weeks of assessing 17 kindergarten students' knowledge of the abc's and 123's, and after a 13 hour day yesterday filled with students anticipating a 3 day weekend and 15 parent/teacher conferences, I can officially say I'm ready for some down time. My agenda for this weekend includes:

-sleeping in
-sleeping in a bed with no small arms, legs, heads, or other interesting body parts touching any of my body parts (unless you include Al, and I might actually welcome that this weekend:)
-eating out and getting to enjoy my entire meal without taking anyone to the bathroom, sharing my food or drink, or becoming a personal entertainer to help distract impatient kids as they wait for their food
-sitting at the winery, sipping a glass of my favorite Montelle wine, Himmelswien, and watching the leaves change from green to vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges
-talking with my husband about something other than dance class, work, fundraisers, etc.
-putting some energy into my marriage, because it often seems that is the area that gets the least amount of attention (thank God for Al's patience - I am extremely obsessed with all that I do and am involved with, and he often gets put on the back burner)

So, thank you Neenaw and Papa for keeping the kids this weekend. I do miss them dearly, but I need this.

Mrs. Metzger? No. Mom? Not today. Just Jill... and I can't wait!

Drew's News

I'm sure many of you are wondering when I'm planning on posting something about my first born, Drew. No, I haven't forgotten him. It's just that he hasn't really done or said anything too out of the ordinary lately. But, just to make sure no one thinks I'm leaving him out, I'll let you know the big things in his life right now:

1. For my birthday, I bought our family a new Wii. Drew Metzger and his father can not get enough of it! They especially love bowling, and Drew is trying hard to go pro like dad to get a pink sparkly ball with a star on it.

2. He's crazy about Mrs. Herzog's (his first grade teacher) pet guinea pig, Anna. He loves Anna, and has to check on her as soon as we arrive each day. They also had caterpillars that changed into butterflies, and now they're observing an ant farm. I know this is the reason he loves Mrs. Herzog so much; because she's an animal lover too!

3. Uncle Jeremy recently bought a new truck. Well, that seems to be all Drew can think about. Obviously, he has a million questions for U. Jeremy's new ride, and he wants to ride in it so badly.

4. He's lost two teeth since school began. The second one got lost in the couch (he pulled it out of the enevelope in anticipation of showing dad). Well, after he and dad cut up my couch (literally) to no avail, we ended up writing a letter to the Tooth Fairy about the lost tooth and sleeping on it. The next day the Tooth Fairy had left a note, and all was good with her. She left the cash, and Drew was fine. His chipped tooth (that he chipped with dad when he was 2) is loose now. The Tooth Fairy is going to have to fight me for that one:)

Drew continues to amaze and challenge us. Sometimes we wonder what to do WITH HIM, but most days we wonder what we'd do WITHOUT him. More "Drew's News" to follow soon:)

"No, Jean's"

I knew it would be hard for Trey to transition to a babysitter after staying home with me for an entire year. That was an understatement in August when I went back to work. Al and I were so worried about Trey, as each morning he would cry and not want to take his jammies off. He knew why we were changing him. He knew where he was going. He knew there was nothing he could do about it. And so... the phrase, "No, Jean's." This lasted for weeks, and it made it so hard to drop him off each day. (Luckily, that was a job left to Al.)

However, today, "No, Jean's" had a new meaning. I picked Trey up at 4:00, and he was doing puzzles at Jean's. He's doing puzzles almost every day when I pick him up. Well, Jean told me she bought some new puzzles at a garage sale. Amazing how great garage sale finds are to kids. Trey was in heaven. Usually, when I pick him up, Jean will tell him that a friend will finish his puzzle for him. Usually, he is o.k. with that. NOT TODAY. Today, no one was going to finish the new garage sale puzzle but him. When I picked him up to leave, he said, "No, Jean's." As in, "Mom, I'm staying at Jean's." Now if T were my first born, I probably would have cried, but because I've been around the block with this mom and separation thing, I just smiled. It felt good to know that he's doing well at the sitter. I'm so glad he likes Jean's (and her new garage sale puzzles)!

Tea for Two

On Saturday, Reese and I had girls' day out! No boys allowed, and it was FUN! We went to the Magic House with Jodi and Lainey, and my friend, Kenna and her daughter, Mackenzie for tea with Cinderella. Lainey and Reese wore matching tiara ensembles from Gymboree (and once I get a new computer, I'll post some of the pictures). They looked adorable. When we arrived, they seated us at our table which was decked out with jewels and a pumpkin centerpiece. The girls decorated paper crowns while they waited for the tea to begin. Then the fairy godmother came out and welcomed us. Cinderella arrived in her humble clothes, and I don't think any girl in the place had a clue who she was. Minus the big, blue dress and headband, she was just another cute blonde. Well, she sang and then went upstairs to change for the ball. That's when we were served our tea. They brought tea and apple juice, and plates of cookies, petit fours, and creme balls. They were very good. We ate and talked, and then Cinderella came back. This time she was joined by Prince Charming. They circulated through the tables signing autographs and taking pictures. When Cinderella started inching toward our table, Reese put her head down. I looked at her like, "What do you think you're doing?" She said she didn't want her picture taken. Are you kidding me? I bought these tickets and drove here for you to be bashful? I tried the, "Guess there's no need to go to Disneyworld if you don't even want your picture taken with Cinderella." No luck. I ended up having my picture taken with Cinderella:) I held Reese while she buried her head in my shoulder. Even Lainey, who had NOT A CLUE who
Cinderella was, had her picture taken. Just goes to show how unpredictable kids will be. Oh well, saves me $6,000 on a trip to Florida:)