7 Quick Takes

 1. Last weekend we went to the restaurant of a friend of mine, Avocado Cafe, in San Antonio for a Halloween party. We were hemming and hawing over whether to go, but decided we should because, 1) though late, Will always turns on the charm for a party and we'd probably have a good time, and 2) we could bring our own pumpkins and get her place messy carving them up and not mess ours up! Here's my hubby carving his spooky spiders into his Jack O Lantern and Will the assistant.

2. Brian loaded Will in the car and I brought myself and the puppy ears and we headed out. It's about a 45 minute drive. When we got to the parking lot we had a few rounds of "but I thought you had it" before we realized that the rest of the puppy costume was left home. That's how William got entered into the costume contest with dog ears and an airplane shirt (new from Grammy!) turned around backwards. He got second place to "the abominable snow girl." Uh huh, I wanted that gift card!

 

3. Tuesday we headed over to the library for the costume parade and story time. Will is sort of stuck between ages at the library. When we go to the rhyme time for babies, all the kids are sitting passively in their mother's lap listening to Miss Jenny read. My kid is running from the door to the easel banging on the windows as he goes. So I take him to the story time for preschoolers and they inspire him to behave himself mostly, but most of the activities go right over his head. Here he is trying to use the computers after I had completely offended some kind and modest mother who doesn't celebrate Halloween. 

4. The next day we had big plans for Trick or Treating, but they came crashing down around us when Will started throwing up every 1-2 hours starting at 3:00. I'm pretty sure statistics would back me up that kids are more likely to get sick on a holiday and miss out on all the fun than any other day of the year. I know the sickest times I remember were Christmas Eve, one Easter morning and a birthday. This is his first stomach bug, and calling it the 24-hour bug doesn't mean you're home free the next day. After a 14 hour stretch he threw up this afternoon too, poor thing, and is now running a low fever. The car seat and couch cushion covers, every beach towel we own and too many of my shirts have kept the washer running for the past 48. No photo evidence of his second Halloween.

5. Bound and determined to squeeze a little more life out of this costume, I fashioned a paper towel roll and tissue paper torch and let Will represent St. Dominic for All Saints Day. 

From here

You see the resemblance, right? 

6. Today starts the first day of Wurstfest, a 10 day salute to sausage, my German town's crowning celebration. Its the time of year I tout of my 1/16 German heritage and drink all the beer and eat all the sausage and funnel cakes I can along with the rest of the Krauts around here! We were supposed to be there tonight, but what, with Will's belly messing everything up, my big outing of the last two days was a family trip to the grocery store, with one pullover to make sure the baby wasn't about to throw up in the car seat again. That happened, oh yes it did. I can't believe how much it revived me though! From gloomy cabin fever before the trip, to singing through bath time after. I clearly needed out! Sick kid or not, I'll be at Wurstfest tomorrow, volunteering at the fried pickle booth with the New Braunfels Republican Women. I hope my Mitt Romney shirt makes it here on time! 

7. I know you're wishing for just one more darling picture of my boy in his puppy costume. Ok, I'll oblige. 

 I asked a couple of times if I made it myself. Cough cough. Well no. In fact, you might recognize it from the Pottery Barn Kids catalog. I'll have you know I bought it for $10 at a children's resale shop and am quite pleased with myself for the find. Willie worked on his vruff, and learned how to pant to really sell it. I mentioned to Brian that I ought to sell it back to the same shop and he said no way, we're going to be like all our facebook friends whose older child calls the Halloween shots and little sibling gets stuck being the prop costume. Think football player and ball, Angry Bird and golden egg. Oh those were your kids? Oops. Anyway, we're waiting now for when Will wants to be the fireman and his little brother or sister gets stuck being the Dalmatian. It'll be adorable!

Go see Jen for more Quick Takes.