Hoo-ting Good Halloween

 One thing I especially love about the ECDC is the way they do Halloween.  The entire class dresses the same.  All I have to do is send Gavin in a specific colored shirt.  This year, Ms. Becky's class got to be owls.  The masks were ordered and Ms. Becky put some time into making their "feathers." 

Gavin, Collin, and Paige are wise owls.

 On Halloween morning, the kids have their Parade of Costumes.  Each class parades around outside to the applause of the parents.  I almost didn't go this year.  I had popped in earlier in the month when the FFA kids brought goats over for the kids and left Gavin in tears.  When I asked him if I should come to the Halloween Parade because I didn't want him to cry and be sad, he first told me, "Mama, you should stay at your office. I would be sad and want to leave."  That made me sad, but encouraged that he was honest.  The day before the parade, he changed his mind, telling me I could come.  I confirmed this again with him; he still said I could come.  So, I went. 

These before pictures are courtesy of his teacher, Ms. Becky.  I love that she sends pictures to us from time to time. 

Gavin is lined up and ready to go.

A group shot before the big Parade.  G is to the left of Collin's "wheeling chair."  Poor Collin broke his leg a few weeks ago and is too small for crutches, so a wheel chair is his mode of transport. 

 As the kids came to the front of the parade route Ms. Molly Minnie Mouse gave them some candy.  She sent me these pictures.  She said she and G had a great conversation about the candy.  She thought it was cute that he had to double check his bag to be sure he got his treats.

 Gavin did a great job flapping his wings as the line leader!

Red Ribbon Week Revisit

A few more pictures from Red Ribbon Week.  Thursday was slated to be Sweats Day, due to the unseasonably warm temperatures we're having they changed it to "Put a Cap on Drugs".  Gavin and his classmates were happy to wear their hats that day. 

 For the record, I had a really cute navy and yellow hat picked out to go with his Yellow Jackets shirt, but Daddy mentioned his red hat, and that's what he wore.  I attempted to change his shirt to match, but got vetoed.  Oh well.

Below is a picture of Gavin and his buddy, Blake.  G enjoys playing with Blake at school.  I've got to work on arranging a play date outside of school.

Homecoming

 G and I are establishing our Homecoming Traditions.  Last Thursday before the parade, my coworkers and I picked him up in the golf cart.  We rode to La Hacienda for dinner before the parade.  Gavin loves the rice at "La-Ce-Hinda's."  He also usually rides the mechanical pony out front for 25 cents. 

 After dinner, we went back to campus for a few minutes.  G needed a clean shirt--black does not stay clean on a little boy.  Then, we walked to the parade line up.  Since I've been an AP, one year we drove golf carts; the other years, we rode in the bed of a truck or a Hummer, one year.  This year, we all had convertibles.  That was exciting enough.  As I walked down the line up past the Mustangs that others were riding in, imagine my delight, when we got to our car and IT WAS A CORVETTE!!!

When Gavin asked me if it was a fast racing car, I said yes.  I probably shouldn't have.  He was hesitant to sit in my lap on the back.  After the parade started, and he saw we weren't going fast, he settled in.

My co-worker, Ted should have been in the car with me, but he was watching his eldest play football.  His youngest, Jackson, rode with us.  Within a few minutes, G was chatting up a storm.

After the parade, the crowd gathered at the football field for a Pep Rally and fire works.  There were lots of kids running around playing.  One mom told the group that when the band started playing they needed to sit down on the grass because the lights would go off after the song for fireworks.  When the band started playing a song for the dance line, Gavin and Brooklyn sat down.  Sadly, it wasn't the right song.  But when the Alma Mater started, Gavin and I went to the field house to shut off the lights for the fireworks.  He snuggled close as we watched them.   When his ears could be uncovered at the end, we turned the lights on and headed home.  It was a long, fun-filled afternoon.

Silly Sock Day

 

This week is Red Ribbon Week, the anti-drug campaign.  The ECDC is celebrating in full force.  Each class has decorated a door.  Gavin is posing with his class' door.  Dave and I found it a bit ironic that he's posing with the door and pray he is reformed after his trip to the ER in February for his Benadryl-overdose.  (We have to laugh now, but I shed lots of tears then.)

Each day, the kids have a dress up theme, Monday was easy:  red shirt.  We have lots of red shirts since G and I love red.

Today was a bit of a challenge:  crazy socks.  I didn't think G would care, but this morning he pouted a little that he didn't have silly socks.  So, Dave did what any good dad would do:  he got out the Sharpies and decorated a plain pair of socks.  I had toyed with the idea of mixing socks to be silly.  G decided that wearing socks as mittens is silly. So, he went to school wearing his silly sock mittens.  And after school we went into TJ Maxx and Carter's that way.  Oh well . . . I don't know those people who judged my three-year-old as "odd."  He's an original, and I couldn't love him more.

Gavin requested a red ghost on his sock.

Wearing "silly sock" mittens and engrossed in Bubble Guppies.

Pumpkin Patch Picures

It was CHHS night at the local pumpkin patch the other night.  Here are a few pictures of the fun.

 Gavin giving a pumpkin to a little girl.  He was sweet.

 Doing a little shopping

Riding the Kubota tractor just like Granddaddy. 

 Having fun

 A little kettlecorn

 Miranda holding Miss Laney Kate

 Good friends

Critter Wars 2012

I just happened to step behind the big pampus grass plant that we have in the frontyard last weekend.  To may surprise, I found a rather large hole that something had dug under the corner of the foundation.  It had moved some good sized rocks, so I knew it had to be pretty large.  I ruled out an armadillo since our flower beds were still in one piece.  My hunch was a possum, but the only way to find out was to trap the little bugger.

So, G and I were off to Tractor Supply to find a trap.  He REALLY wanted to "catch an ammminal now Daddy!" 

After a few minutes of learning the finer points of trapping, we baited the trap and set it by the hole. 

 I read online that catfood and marshmellows attracted most everything.  So, we settled for dogfood and marshmellows, and threw in a few carrots for good measure.

 We didn't get anything the first night, but the second night we awoke to find this pissed off dude in the trap.

 It was take your possum day at work, so he rode in the back of the truck.  Really though he is now a resident of a park in Southlake, and will have to travel 10+ miles to make it back to my house.  I still have to reset the trap again to see if there are any more in that hole.

Halloween PJ Posing

Gavin sporting some new PJ's from Grandma Sandra.  He's such a ham when he wants to be.  The truck is his new Tazmanian Devil monster truck he to yesterday after selling some of his old toys at the yard sale.

Cabela's Shopping with G

I forgot that I had this video of Gavin dancing through Cabela's.  We were there just looking at all the cool stuff, and he just started cutting a rug to the music.  It was cute.  He had no idea where he was going though - not that he cared about that part.

Texas State Fair 2012

It is that time of year again.  State Fair Time!  We have always enjoyed going to the fair to see the sights, ride some rides, and eat the fried goodness.  But it has become a special treat to take Gavin to the fair.  He has so much fun at the fair that it makes our experience that much better.  Josh, Sara, Avery and Riley came up from Austin to go with us this year.  Our first stop was the Working on the Farm exhibit.  Gavin loves loves loves doing this every year.  Here he is with his basket ready to go do some farm work.

 Riley and Avery feed some corn to the chickens.

 G waiting his turn at the next "job".

Then it was time to drive the tractors to take the feed to the pigs.

 Avery was a good little tractor driver.

 Gavin still needed a bit of help to get it up the small incline.

 For all his hard work, he got paid $1 to spend in the company store.  He bought some Doritos with his paycheck.

 Howdy partners.

 Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 Mooooo, and Riley says Oink!

 All three kiddos were posing.

 Riley makes a cute little piggy.

 This is Boris....he is an annual resident at the state fair.  If memory serves me correctly he is 1200 pounds of waking bacon and sausage.

 We all got to say hi to Big Tex.

 Gavin found the Midway games this year....I can't say I blame him too much.  I loved playing them when I was a kid too.  We picked out a fishing game for him to play (everyone is a winner kind of game).  He caught a mechanical fish and won a stuffed whale.  He was soooo excited and proud.  He had to take Miranda 50 yards back down the midway to show her what he did and where he won the whale.  

Gavin and Avery got to try out all the new trucks at the Chevy and Ford exhibits.  

 They also drove a big rig truck....the guy there locked the doors after they were done playing - I guess they aren't kid approved.

 Josh, Sara, Riley, Avery, Miranda and G watching some clogging....I didn't realize that clogging was popular outside of Appalachia...

 Deep Fried Samoas were choice for new fried food this year.  They were pretty good.  Not as good as you might expect though.

 The aftermath: