Halloween: Part I

Zeke has spent a couple of days this week posing as a little turtle. Don't be fooled, though -- this turtle can get some speed. Anyway, it is a green costume in more than one way. You may recognize it from some photos from last year -- we've recycled our old costume by putting some pajamas underneath it for a little warmth. We've gotten a lot of good use out of something we bought for less than $10 two years ago!

He wore his turtle costume to a children's parade in the park on Saturday. (As an aside, I was pleased that all of the mini sweet potato muffins I made for for the bake sale at the end of the parade sold out -- there may be hope for my domestic skills yet!) Zeke was exhausted and fell asleep on the way home. We were pretty tired, too, come to think of it.

More to come about this Halloween, as Zeke the Turtle also visited an event for the children of Turner employees (or freelancers like Aaron) and preschool and then tomorrow night will go around the cul-de-sac in a wagon with Cookie Monster (aka buddy and neighbor Kal-el).

Zeke started the parade out on trike. Isn't the cutest carrot in the world behind him? That is our adorable neighbor Zora (Zeke's not the only "Z" kid on the block!) who came up with her costume by herself -- I love a little girl that says, "I want to be a veggie for Halloween!"

Turtle pops a wheelie!

Halfway through, Zeke wanted to walk.

Then he wanted to walk with Daddy.

Then he wanted to dance.

Then he broke off from the parade to explore. Good thing the parade wasn't too long -- who knows what he would have had us do next!

Broadcast to Resume Shortly

Sprout and Sprout Mama are on the road. Sprout is sick and running a fever. Sprout and Sprout Mama to be back home early. Better times and miles ahead, we hope!

Down on the Farm

This Wednesday we took a trip way out of the city to a children's farm. There were alpacas, ducks, chickens, birds, miniature horses, a goat, a pig, sheep, a guinea pig, bunnies, cats, a lizard, and lots of opportunities to get dirty. Zeke of course enjoyed the contact with animals, but actually was most engaged with a train table in a playroom in the "farm house" and a little red wagon to pull. He also enjoyed the picnic we had in Sprout Daddy's car (sorry, Aaron!) when it started to drizzle. I'm a flexible parent and try not to be uptight -- kids are supposed to get messy and farms are messy -- but by the end I think I went through too many wet wipes! (I also wish the ground was a little more even -- more in next post on this and the resulting "souvenir".) This was a first for me. Still, I'm always excited for new experiences for Zeke and for us to spend time with friends.

The enclosure works well for all the bunnies -- seems to stand up well for my mischief maker, too!

Zeke marvels to see an actual cat -- one that will let Zeke pet him and one that isn't hiding in fear of a certain toddler. I told the kitties at home afterwards how nice Zeke was to the farm cats, but I don't think the boys could hear me from under the bed.

A photo of Ewan, Parker and Zeke almost sitting still and almost looking in the same direction.

These boys go way back together. As a reference, this is a photo of Parker, Ewan and Zeke last year at Halloween when we all attended Little Gym classes and their new skill was standing! Oh, it just breaks my heart to see how they have grown.

Good News, Bad News

Good News

Today was a big day at school. First, I asked Zeke if he wanted to walk down the driveway to the school, rather than having me carry him. He hopped down and walked into school with me trailing behind. He started reconsidering this move when the gate to his classroom closed behind us, but then he walked over to his favorite chair and blew me a kiss goodbye. Then, I spoke with the mom of one of Zeke's classmates, Che. He is just a little bit older and this is his second year in the same classroom. She asked Che when she was dropping him off who he wanted to play with today. Che said, "'Eke!" My boy has a new friend!

Bad News

This is the baby. On the dining room table. With my laptop, checkbook, phone, Tivo remote and my work. He did this all by himself with the help of a folding chair that he pushed to the table. When I left to grab my shoes from the bedroom just a minute (I swear) before, he was on the floor playing. Opportunist and daredevil.

Good News

I found out today from my new dentist that I don't need a root canal.

Bad News

This is Zeke trying to liberate chickens from their cage at the petting farm we went to with Jen, Ewan, Traci and Parker on Wednesday. The ground was uneven in places, so the toddling boys fell a few times. This was Zeke's fate at the chicken coop and he tumbled right into a tree root and mud puddle. He was upset for a second, but bounced back pretty readily. As a reminder of this incident, he got a scratch that runs from his hairline to eyebrown and then across his nose. The bright side? He could make a pretty convincing Harry Potter for Halloween. Please no one call DFACS.