Toy Story - Broxterman Style

This week has been full of Halloween events and our Toy Story theme did not disappoint! Buzz, Woody, Jesse and Rex were a hit on the streets of San Carlos and I don't think Jacob could have had more fun this Halloween. This kid was ecstatic. I actually think that's an understatement but you would have had to seen him tonight as he was trick-or-treating to see what I mean.

But to start, our Wednesday playgroup had a Halloween party on Wednesday afternoon hosted by our lovely friends Millie and Emma (thanks again guys!) The party was great and it was a chance for us to take our costumes for a test drive. I also learned that Jacob doesn't quite understand what a Halloween party is (which is essentially just an excuse to dress up, eat yummy treats and take silly pictures). He kept equating it to a birthday party so when we arrived, he was asking me over and over again "when was the party going to start?" He kept asking when we were going to sing and got overly upset when I tried to explain to him that it wasn't that kind of party. So, instead, I asked our friends to humor him and sing "Happy Halloween to you, Happy Halloween to you, Happy Halloween to everyone, Happy Halloween to you". Thank goodness I have understanding (and humorous) friends. They didn't even hesitate, and once we all sang, Jacob was satisfied and the party continued. I dressed Maddie up in her angel costume for this party since Mark wasn't there to play Woody so the Toy Story clan wouldn't have been complete anyway. Besides, it was an excuse for her to wear at least one of the other costumes I bought her! And what a cute angel she was. :)









Millie was SO creative! This is graveyard hummus dip



And spider cupcakes



And string cheese fingers...



On Friday, San Carlos closed the streets of downtown and hosted the "Goblin Walk". Mark was able to join us this time so the Toy Story family was in tact. I can't tell you how many looks and comments we got! Everyone loved it. Including Jacob -- he got a BIG kick out of us all being dressed as the Toy Story clan. Also, I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said that every 5th boy out there was dressed as Buzz Lightyear. It was insane! There were also lots of Jesses -- but of course, I was the only "big Jesse" on the scene. One father (whose little daughter was also dressed as Jesse) pointed to me and said to his daughter "that's the REAL Jesse!" You should have seen this little girl's face! It was priceless.





Jacob was SO excited when he saw Mr. Potato Head. I should have asked this woman to join us on our walk.









We have no idea who this little Tiger was, but Maddie loved her!



I had to get a pic of another little Jesse









Our playgroup friends!





Finally, tonight was the real deal and we got all dressed up again to go trick-or-treating. Our friends Lauren, Derek, Tyler and Sydney hosted a little Halloween get together at their house in San Carlos and then all the kids went trick-or-treating together. Jacob was so incredibly happy -- he sprinted to every single house and screamed at the top of his lungs "trick or treat!" followed by an emphatic "Thank you!" and then came sprinting back to us to show us what kind of candy he got. I think this holiday may turn out to be his favorite of the year. I don't quite blame him. I think I enjoy it just as much as he does! Maddie even got into the spirit by walking with the kids up to the houses and taking candy and putting it in her bucket. Ah, I can't wait until next year already!!

For the love of baby sisters

Before I forget, or, actually, before Jacob forgets, I want to document how amazingly in love with his baby sister this little boy is. Yes, she annoys him, especially when she wants to destroy a puzzle he has just put together. Yes, she makes him cry, especially when she won't do something he wants her to do (like hold his hand). Yes, she makes him crazy, especially when she gets more of Mommy or Daddy's attention than he does.

But, I have to tell you all, unlike most older siblings his age, he has never once asked that "we take her back".

In fact, just yesterday, almost 13 months since she's been in our lives, he said to me, "Mommy, I love my baby Maddie so much. Can we keep her? PLEASE? Please Mommy?!" My heart melted and I realized how lucky we are to have a boy as sensitive as he is. I seriously wonder if he fears that she will be taken away from him.

And even more heartbreaking, when Mommy or Daddy are not pleased with his behavior for whatever reason, his immediate reaction is "I am not a good big brother" or "I cannot take care of my baby sister". As if that would be the ultimate punishment.

God bless this boy and his amazing heart!!!

If you've been looking for me...

...I've been doing this:



And this:



Once again, my crafting bug has surfaced and after Maddie pulled out, and misplaced, a considerable number of her bows, the infamous words "I can do that" came out of my mouth as I was looking at purchasing new ones. I love that I can create any combination of colors, styles and looks to match any outfit of hers. I wish she'd just keep the darn things in!

And, as a sneak peek, I have finished me and Mark's shirts/vests for Halloween. Woody and Jesse, here we come!

Costume Modeling

Since having children, our Halloween celebrations have transcended even beyond my own comprehension. It's an immense amount of pressure, this holiday. You have to come up with a great costume year after year and now that we have double doses of cuteness in this house, that just translates into a double doozy headache (oops, did I just type that and save it?) :)

My sarcasm is just that. Sarcasm. Because truth be told, I am loving every darn second of it. Halloween was never this fun until these little people came into my life.

And ever since Maddie was born, I have been stocking up on costumes like a Halloween hoarder. It's scary, I tell you (no pun intended.) About 6 months ago, I was at a consignment sale and found an angel and a witch costume that I just HAD TO HAVE. She wasn't even walking yet, but my brain was on "holy-cow-she-would-be-absolutely-adorable-in-this" overdrive and I bought them.

In the midst of cleaning out her closet today, we decided to do some costume modeling.

Exhibit A: Angel costume I had to have from the consignment sale. The photography is terrible because this little one won't stop for TWO seconds to pose for any sort of picture.



The back of the dress makes the whole costume. Mark was feeding her a snack to keep her still.



Exhibit B: The witch costume I just had to have from the consignment sale.



It comes with the most adorable witch's hat you've EVER seen. Unfortunately, Maddie refused to keep it on. Please take note of her right index finger and watch what happens next.



There it goes -- straight to the hat



And off goes the hat. That little index finger was KILLING me! Every dang time we put the hat on her head, up went that finger. Argh.



A running away shot of the dress from the back



A halfway decent shot



Here's Daddy trying to model how the hat should be worn. His face is priceless.



But seriously, how stinking cute is this dress?!?!



Jacob had to join in on the fun and put on his Buzz Lightyear costume.



And finally, Maddie has a Rex costume (from the movie Toy Story -- to go with Jacob's Buzz Lightyear). At this point, she was NOT amused by us changing her into these crazy outfits with head pieces she didn't care for. She didn't last more than 5 seconds in this thing.



Case in point.



There will be lots more Halloween posts in the near future. I spent an entire day yesterday making (yes, sewing) me and Mark's costumes so stay tuned for the big reveal!

Magic

I won't be exaggerating when I say that the most fascinating thing about raising a child is witnessing their growth. Growth of their minds and their bodies. I was looking at Jacob's hands the other day and they are already little man hands. They are not baby hands anymore -- his fingers are stocky, square and strong and his nails are bitten to the quick, just like his daddy's. I also marvel at how tall he is in comparison to his little sister, when it seems like only yesterday he was her size. Being back in this house brings back so many memories of that time when we first moved here, when he was exactly the age she is now. I remember him in that same bathtub, crawling around for those same bath toys, standing up and holding on to the same soap holder. When she's in the bath and does these things, and her hair is wet and slicked back, she could be his twin. I have to remind myself that it is 2 1/2 years later...

Jacob's imagination is astounding. He will sit and play with this cars and little people and invent a whole scene that is going on with people needing rescuing, a fire truck on the way, and with monsters in the shadows. His little mind just never stops. The other day, we were leaving school and his friend Max passed by and said "Hi Dinosaur!" to Jacob. Jacob started laughing so hard I thought he was going to fall down. He didn't stop talking about it for a good hour. "Did you hear Max mommy? He said 'hi dinosaur' to me! Wasn't that funny?! He is SO silly!" Then, just this morning (a few days later), he said to me "Mommy, do you remember when Max said 'hi dinosaur' to me the other day?" I said "yes, I do!" He said, "That was so silly. I was just thinking about that before I went to nap." He was thinking about something that happened days ago before he went to bed. Just laying there thinking about it and how funny it was. He is a little adult now! Just amazing.

One of my favorite moments recently has to be documented in the blog. This weekend, we were all together in the car and Jacob was playing with a toy. He shoved it in his pants and yelled "There's a rocket in my pants! And it's about to explode!" Oh dear Lord. Mark and I laughed about that for DAYS.

And don't even get me started on Maddie. She learns so many things every day it's just magical to watch. Magical, I tell you! As hard as this daily grind is, I have to admit how lucky we are to have 2 strong, healthy, beautiful kids.



At Maddie's 1 year check up, she was 23.4 lbs (83%), 31 inches tall (95%)with a head circumference of 18 inches. In comparison, Jacob was 27 lbs and 30.5 inches tall! She beat him in height by 1/2 an inch!