Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Our little Thomas was pretty adamant all day long that he did not want to go trick or treating.  He did not want to dress up as Thomas (or anything else).  He did not want to trick or treat, even if that meant candy.  He did not even want to sing the "trick or treat song" (smell my feet...) which he has been belting all week long.  No sirree.  He wanted no part of it. 

Until he found out Charlotte and Dylan were going trick or treating.  Then, all of a sudden, the tune changed.

We sat on the stoop and lured in the trick or treaters, although Seb insisted that only those wearing costumes could get candy.  Which, as he got more and more excited, meant that he yelled out at everyone in civilian attire "You don't get any candy!" as they walked past. Including to his own father.

Hilarious.

The band assembled (Dorothy, Zombie Princess, her little caterpillar baby brother, and assorted witch and zombie and pink-wigged-parents), we went up a couple of nearby blocks.  I'm not sure what surprised me more -- that so many houses did not have any candy to give out (including some decorated to the hilt), or that so many houses did.  In any case, the kids had to work for it, but at the end they got a good little haul.

Afterwards, back to Charlotte's house for The Great Pumpkin and pizza, and of course, candy. 

When I'm not as exhausted, I'll share a funny story about how, despite my vows how I wasn't going to do that,  I spent hours yet again constructing a halloween costume which Seb refused to wear.  I'll never learn.  Never the mind.  It's now a toy, not a costume. 

Seb's first bike!

It's a 16" blue Specialized with coaster brakes and training wheels (yes, Daddy, training wheels -- despite what he may announce to people, he's just three!), and he knew it was The One when he first saw it. Happy kid.

This was in the bike shop -- and will be the only time he doesn't have a helmet on while on that bike, don't worry.  We even walked it home -- and that was a LONG way to walk a small bike, believe me.
Here he is testing it out in the little park down the block: 

I guess this makes me a soccer mom

Trouble

Seb's school went on a field trip to the park today.

Here's Seb, with his arms around Sadie "with the white hair".  Her mom was a chaperone, and sent me this pictorial dispatch.

They look very serious here.  My son -- taking his classwork seriously, already!

Happy Birthday Sebastian!

Friday, Seb came home from school with a fever (yes, before cupcakes).  102.  We decided to wait to make the call about whether or not to have his party (scheduled for Sunday afternoon).  Although it was down in the morning, his fever at 5pm Saturday was 103.  Ok, that's definitive.  What a bummer!

We made the best of it.  Downgraded to a Family Party.  And what a party!  Kind of.  I had a big "dog party!" a la Go Dog Go planned.  It was still a dog party.  I think it entirely escaped Sebastian.  He just saw balloons, cake, candles, presents...

Oh yes, did I mention cake?

It was kind of awesome, if I do say so myself.

 

Of course, Sebastian and Cyrus only had eyes for the racecars w the doggy  drivers. 

  

 

I, with the invaluable assistance of Sue the Sous-Chef, also made go-dog-go themed snacks:  dog shaped peanut butter sandwiches, a whole racetrack full of "car" shaped snacks (cheese/tomato roadsters, salami/mozzarella roadsters, carrot/string bean roadsters, apple/grape roadsters, and best of all, pizza with sausage dog roadsters).  And stoplight crackers (w/peppers and hummos). 

     

My goal was that Seb not even realize his party had been cancelled, and I think I succeeded:  he had an awesome day, especially since neighborhood friends still braved the germs and dropped by and brought him gifts.

  

  

Family, friends, balloons, presents, cake?  Seb has no idea his party was meant to be anything different.  Perfect. 

cupcake two: "cars with eyes"

Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater were requested. 





This didn't look that hard.  I did a few test runs with different "windshield" materials before going with wafer cookies.  White chocolate, which was recommended by a different website, was ridiculously finicky. 







Then a day or two ago, Seb announced that he wanted Mater cupcakes.  Well, with a little chocolate frosting, it's the same basic thing?  And I found a use for all that white chocolate, too. 

cupcake one: Thomas the Tank Engine

The advantage of Sebastian being in two different preschools is that I get to make two different batches of cupcakes.  Normally I'm averse to the Disney/Pixar/commercial consumption characters.  But Seb loves them, and it's his darn birthday.  So. 
I'm making the kid happy.   Here are the cupcakes he'll take to sunset park children's school:   Thomas!  

I know, I know, it looks impressive.  But it really wasn't that hard.  I started with Oreos (well, the Paul Newman's kind).  Piped thomas faces on with (shhh:  store bought) icing.  I got candy "eyes" from the cake supply place, (they also have them at Party City).  That made life much easier too.  Also that I did this part several days ahead, to avoid last minute stress.

I

Obligatory cupcake batter shot.  Seb requested "chocolate/vanilla twist". Your wish is my command, young despot.  I marbled.  Here's the vanilla.

Then blue frosting, put the cookie on top. 

Then add licorice cut in half for smokestack, red licorice as the bumper thingy, and done. 

Where we had dinner.

Cundy's harbor, Maine

pajama cha cha

It has been brought to my attention that those on facebook may not be up to date on all the Sebastian happenings.  Here's an indication of summer fun.  Because what could be better than hanging out past bedtime in your winter pajamas, doing the cha-cha.  This was actually June.

testing one two three

Checking ... checking ... checking.  Blogger wasn't letting me in for a while, but I just decided to give it a whirl and see, and look!  Here I am!  I think. 

Although it's telling me that my browser isn't supported by Blogger.  That's annoying.  I don't want anyone twisting my arm and telling me what software to use.  Not even Google.  Especially not Google? 

i'm a fast runner

twelfth night

Oh Enzo.

xmas pics, coming soon

We made it home! 

Someone had to be dragged kicking and screaming off the plane.  And it wasn't Steve. 

cousins

I love watching them together. 

watching daddy work

It's the tippy toes that get me. 

Thanksgiving

Seb was thankful for (in this order):  applesauce, Charlotte, backhoes, the moon, Grandma. 

It was fun.  The boys are old enough now for a kids table, and we were joined by Seb's buddy Nate and his parents. 

Cyrus wrote Seb and Nate letters the following day. 

Somehow, I'm glad Sebastian was not singled out for opprobrium. 

Seb enjoyed not only Thanksgiving, but leftovers in the backyard.  We're having unseasonably warm weather. 

And of course, Thanksgiving would not be complete without the turkey trot.  The women ran -- me, Aunt Betsy, Sue -- with Seb in the jogging stroller for the first mile (until the playground, where we passed him off).  Then I spent the rest of the race passing people.  My last mile was more than two and a half minutes faster than my first -- now, that's a confidence booster.   

 

at charlotte's bday party

fuzzy truck jammies!

yup, Eliza.  4T.

Halloween -- with a happy ending

 So as previously reported, Seb refused to wear the monster vacuum cleaner.

Sunday we tried again, the backup costumes. 

No monster. 

No hamburger.

Yup, those are real tears.  So we gave it a break.

We thought daycare might have better luck, so we sent him in with the hamburger costume.  He wanted nothing to do with it.  Wanted nothing to do with any of it.  Except for the raisins that were mixed in with the trick or treat candy.  He liked pretending they were blocks and stacking them up. 

He did start to become fixated on the vacuum cleaner, but "Mommy wear it.  Mommy wear it."  So that's what I was for halloween.  A monster vacuum cleaner.

Halloween day.  Last chance.  We put him in his plaid shirt, handed him a leftover hat from his birthday party, and I distracted him with stickers while Steve surreptitiously got his play tool belt on him.  He's a contracter! 

Still, he didn't want to wear his black jacket, and cried all the way up the block to Charlotte.  Only then did the tears stop.

So off we went to a party and then a trick or treat bonanza.   And then the lightbulb clicked on.  Trick or treating is fun!  And it wasn't even about the candy, it was about yelling "Trick or Treat" as loud as possible.

So we came home with a happy, wired, toddler.  The end.

we've still got two counting days to go...

"No costume, no costume, no costume".

And no, it wasn't just because it was a vacuum cleaner.  He didn't want to wear any of the backups (the monster, the hamburger, not even his sweatshirt in fear that it might be a costume). 

So I wore the vacuum cleaner monster to the neighborhood party.  And by the end of the party he'd even hold my hand while I wore it. Which is better than last night, when he was afraid of it when it was just on the other side of the living room.

We still have two days for him to decide he wants to wear a costume.  Or not.  I'm ok with it. 

That's my boy.  Scared of the vacuum cleaner.  And yet, these guys crack him up, no matter how scary they were trying to be.

  

(Charlotte was Foofa, from yo gabba gabba. Seb cared not a bit that he was one of the only kids not in costume.  Here the two of them are, transfixed by the Day of the Dead dancers).