Halloween 2012

For several months Josh has been asking to be Diego for Halloween. He wanted me to be Dora and David to be Boots or Swiper. He couldn't decide on David's costume. ;) The closer Halloween got the less sure Josh was about what he wanted to be. By the time the fall festival at church came around he had changed his mind to be Spiderman. I was totally okay with this decision since he already had a Spiderman costume and he was all set. He got his costume on and was ready to head to church until he realized he was hot and sweaty and immediately stripped! He did this several times before we left the house and when I told him that he wouldn't be able to take his costume off at the festival he decided to try the football uniform he has instead. So, after a quick wardrobe change he was now and ECU football player and ready to party.

I was concerned that he would change his mind again before tonight. He wavered a little between a "football player man" and Spiderman and even decided he wanted to be a "scooby dooby halloween bucket" (Aunt Bonnie got him a candy bucket and it was inspirational! LOL). At the last minute he went with his football uniform again. 

"ECU Football player man"

Ding-dong

"Trick or Treating!"

Daddy & Josh on a mission

We stopped by one house with the porch light on and Josh went up and knocked. He waited and waited and we finally determined that no one was home so we'd just move on. He said "Aww man, bummer! I wanted some of that kind of candy they have at that house!" :) When the lady at the next house answered the door Josh told her "Us went to that other house but there wasn't nobody there." Haha! 

The houses with lights on are safe.

I was amazed that he went to the doors all alone!

The bucket is full!

I grew up in a place without sidewalks and the neighbors aren't exactly close together so we spent our Halloweens riding around from house to house (usually in the back of Daddy's truck) and going to people we knew. David grew up going house to house and loved the whole thing. This was my and Josh's first Halloween where we went from house to house! Josh had so much fun and was excited and brave. He saw a house with lots of orange and green lights and decorations outside and said "Oh, let's go there!" :) When he saw a scarecrow or a halloweeny decoration he would pretend to scream and yell. He's a trip! It was fun to see him excited and enjoying himself. He is so much like his Dad in so many ways. It's fabulous!

I think we'll get started on next year's costumes a little earlier. Maybe if he helps me make the costume he won't waffle on what he wants to be. ;) 

Joshisms

-- Josh was wrestling with Uncle Matt and as usual it was getting pretty rough. Megan asked Matt to be careful and Josh (as he's being pinned down) says to her "Us just wrestlin', Mae Mae. Don't worry 'bout it." Matt said "Tell Mae Mae that this is just what boys do." Josh said "Boys do dis sometimes." :)

-- We were at Daddy & Mama's when a bad storm came through. Josh heard the weather report of a "Tornado Watch" and when Daddy came in the room Josh said "Poppa, us is on a potato watch." 

-- Josh pronounces the word "penguin" a little funny.  It sounds more like "ping-one". The other day we were watching The Cat in the Hat and Josh heard the word penguin. He turns to me and said "Penguin, pengtwo." (ping-one, ping-two....) 

-- Josh was sent downstairs to wash his hands so he could help make dinner. On the way back up he realized he had to use the potty. I reminded him to wash his hands again after using the potty. His reply: "But, I'm not gonna touch my penis, though." 

-- David was out of town for a few days on a big job for work. I was talking with him on the phone and asked what the business they were installing phones for (over 100 phones!) was going to do without phones in the meantime. Josh, always listening, said "Mom, meantime or nicetime?"

-- Josh loves to play Superhero and we never know which Superhero will show up around here. The other day he came stomping over and said "I'm Hulch!" (Hulk)

-- We were all at the park and David said to me "We need to work on getting another kid." Josh (again, always listening!) looked at him and asked "A Spanish kid?!" (He thinks it's amazing when he hears someone speaking Spanish. I've been trying to teach him what I remember from High School.)

Brunswick Fest 2012

Most of you (all 3 of you) know that I grew up in Brunswick County, VA. And I'm sure you've heard of Brunswick Stew. Many of you have probably eaten what you think is Brunswick Stew. ;) No offense, but unless someone from Brunswick County made said stew, you have never had real Brunswick Stew. It's a big deal back home. Such a big deal that for Pleasant Hill's (my home church) Homecoming, we have BBQ and stew for lunch. We have a cookhouse and stew pots and everything! Everyone brings a vegetable to go with the meat and stew, Grandma Colon brings fried cornbread (yum!) and there's always a caramel cake for dessert. Several of the men start a day or two before Homecoming to prepare the BBQ and the ladies prepare the ingredients for the Stew. I'll always remember how the men who work the cookers and stew pots smell like smoke when it's time for church. And I'll always remember Ms Glennie tasting the stew a little at a time and adding a pinch of this or a handful of that. And every year it comes out juuuust right. Anyway...I digress. This is not a post about PHCC or their Homecoming menu. 


Josh and I went "home" to Gasburg for the Brunswick Fest last weekend. I've never been to one and since Mama and the other ladies from P.S.A.L.M.S. were singing the national anthem there and since I love (love love) Brunswick stew, Josh and I decided to tag along. :)


The JROTC from the High School presented the American and State flags. (Go Bulldogs!) The lovely ladies of P.S.A.L.M.S. (Prayerfully Singing and Loving My Savior) sang the national anthem. I love hearing them sing in harmony. Patty has been my Dad's right hand at work since we moved to Gasburg and she's affectionately known as PatPat to Josh (and all the other kids in the church), Esther (Mama E) is Ms Glennie's daughter and is so funny and kind; Kathy was my teacher in middle school (bless her!) and is quiet but very funny; and Mama is Mama and I love her the most. 

 

There was a lot to see and do at the festival. There was a car show, a tractor show, several animals to touch and feed, a bunch of vendors and all of the stew-masters cooking away. I brought the stroller for Josh so we wouldn't have to carry him around when he got tired of walking. We haven't used the stroller in over a year and don't need it for trips to the store, etc but I knew that after a while of walking around that huge field we would hear "I can't walk...." and would have to endure the whining or give in and carry him. So to save us all some sanity I just made him hang out in the stroller. He didn't mind a bit so it was all good.

We walked around to see everything with PatPat and Logan (her nephew) and waited for my Dad, Matt, Megan and Jackson to get there. In the meantime we held baby chicks,

Fed a pony, sheep, goat, and donkey. We tried feeding the cows but they wouldn't come over to anyone.

 

Logan rode the mechanical bull and did pretty well! I would have fallen off right away but he held on for quite a while.

We ate stew cooked by Aaron Gibson & crew. Aaron and I went to middle and high school together. His Dad won the paddle several years ago and I'm glad to see Aaron out there carrying on part of his Dad's legacy. It was delicious, Aaron!

Josh checked out the motorcycles and made friends with a couple of the riders so he could test them out. He is obsessed with motorcycles right now.

This man had a cd player, radio, satellite radio, gps holder, cup holder, sunglasses case, and a few other gadgets on his motorcycle. Who needs a car?

Josh rode the "train" and turned the steering wheel the same direction the train turned. It's amazing how he understands which way is the correct way. He'll be driving on his own when he's 13! (He already steers down Poppa & Grammy's driveway mostly by himself. He even parks it on his own!)

There were a pair of horses at the festival that are owned by a logging company. The loggers use them to pull downed trees out of the forest to the trucks so they don't have to cut a path into the woods. Buddy and Bob are their names...the horses, not the loggers. They're HUGE. An average horse wears a size 7 horse shoe. Buddy wears a 13 and Bob wears a 14!!! It's hard to imagine that any animal that size would do anything you wanted it to. They could easily hurt or even kill a human. But they're big babies. Buddy just nuzzled the man working with them and he said when they take the harnesses off of them after working they'll roll around on the grass like dogs. ;) He also said they love to eat crackers with peanut butter...but who doesn't love that?!

After being on "show" for a few hours they hooked the big guys up to the stage coach and gave rides....bumpy rides! I can't imagine several days of riding that way. Josh loved it, though.

We ate stew cooked by Ricky & the Gasburg Volunteer Fire Department (they won 2nd place this year!) and it was also really yummy. I bought a quart to bring home to David (we ate it that night with Ritz crackers after Josh went to bed).

Grammy got some Jackson snuggles in during the festival. I made sure to get some in, too. (With Jackson...not Grammy) ;) Jackson was a good boy and slept or snuggled the whole time.

Before we left we checked out the new special response vehicle the Sheriff's department has. It's pretty cool. Matt and I joked that you wouldn't even need car seats in that thing. :) (Side note: my kid has the coolest Uncles.)

It was a long day but we had a lot of fun. I'm hoping to go back again next year!

A week at Poppa & Grammy's

This is several weeks old but I've already written it and can't remember everything we did that week without this post. We have the internet at the new place now and I'm trying to catch up with what's been going on since the move. :) 


After a weekend together we took David back to my Uncle & Aunt's house for another week apart. Since we had packed so much of our stuff up Josh and I went to spend a week with my parents before the big move to Raleigh. On our way to Gasburg we stopped in Youngsville to visit with Robert, Kate & baby Holton. It had been almost a week since we'd seen them and I was anxious to love on that baby! :)

This is Holton's serious face.

Josh asked to hold Holt and was so gentle with him. Then he was ready to play! He went outside with Robert (whom Josh calls "Dude") and did some guy stuff while Kate, Holt and I visited. That sweet Holt is so precious. He is a good baby and Mama says it's like looking at Robert when he was a baby. I see some of Kate in him and he's changing every day. Either way, he's adorable!

Kisses for baby Holt

Josh holding Holton

After a bite to eat and a little visit we hit the road to Gasburg. Josh told me on the way there "I love staying at Grammy's house" and he really does. He's so busy and follows Poppa & Grammy around like a little shadow. If Poppa is eating something, Josh wants to eat some, too. If Grammy is cooking, Josh wants to help. If Poppa goes outside, Josh follows right behind. If Grammy is doing school work, Josh gets his papers out to "work" beside her. If Poppa goes downstairs, so does Josh. He loves playing outside on the swingset and chasing Dixie around. I've written about the small group of deer that have been visiting the yard lately. They've very curious and don't seem to be bothered by any of the human noise coming from the house and yard. A few times last week Josh came running inside to drag us all outside to look at the baby deer! :)

Josh the Lion!

Watching a crazy looking spider on a rainy day

Dixie was looking for rabbits, deer, or squirrels.

My handsome kid!

The gate is the "turn around spot"

Dixie loves chasing lizards

The deer came out to visit

My Grandpa & Grandma Hand were at my parents when we got there. They had come for the weekend to visit each of the new great-grandsons and we got to see them before they left on Monday. They followed us over to Matt, Megan & Jackson's to visit with them before heading home. Grandma got some snuggles in before heading home.

Great-grandma Hand and Jackson

Josh and Sadie played together

Jackson and I played together :)

Josh and baby Jackson

We had a wonderful week at my parent's home. We spent most of the day with Megan & Jackson on Monday. Tuesday we just lazed around and did a few other things around the house. I made a big pot of potato soup and Matt, Megan & Jackson came and ate dinner with us. It rained all day Wednesday so we put on comfy clothes and laid around the house. We took lunch to Grammy at work on Thursday and went to Roanoke Rapids to eat Mexican food and Sweet Frog frozen yogurt. We slept in Friday, had breakfast for lunch and got to visit with both brothers, their wives and BOTH of my nephews!!! :) I was one happy Hen. No one was happier than Grammy, though. She had all of her grand kids in her lap at once and was in heaven!

Grammy and ALL of her boys!

We left Friday afternoon to head back to Greenville and meet David with the moving truck. It was a wonderful week and I'm glad we were blessed to have the opportunity to make those memories.