Halloween!

Now that Christmas is over, I guess I should get the Halloween blog out. I know we had a great time at Halloween this year but I am going to have to remember back and, after the holiday season that we just wrapped up, I hope I didn't forget everything I was going to jot down!
The biggest highlight of every Halloween for me and the Hoffman boys is a trip to Halloween Express and Spirit of Halloween. This year, not so much. They were pretty freaked out and will probably never want to go again. The man carrying the demon- head swiveling baby in a baby bjorn didn't really help. We basically got in, found costumes, were terrified and had to leave. Garrett chose his adorable boxing costume (thank goodness because he was really wanting to be sponge bob and that wasn't happening) and Parker found this weird cobra snake ninja. I was not a fan. I am not ready for them to grow up and make their own choices, especially when they aren't what I want. :) The snake actually worked for him though- he is skinny enough!
The school parties were fun, everyone thought Garrett was appropriately dressed and too stinkin adorable. No one knew what Parker was but he was happy to explain. The night of Halloween finally arrived and the boys and I tried a lame trick out on daddy complete with dry ice, ketchup blood and flying ghosts and spiders. We all hid under the kitchen table when daddy got home and before he could be scared, we all started cracking up. It might not have paid off this year but I hope I am teaching the boys how to be good pranksters... I know for sure this will come back to haunt me but I like surprises.

With all of that commotion, we had to rush out to go trick or treating. I had big tears after about a block because they took off without us and never looked back. ALREADY? They are 5 and 2! Parker told every single house (literally, every single house), "Trick or treat. My brother is dressed up like a boxer and he has a black eye, but it's not a real black eye. It's really just marker. The marker comes off, its not permanent marker. Have a good night. Thank you for the candy. Have a good Halloween" as he walked away, turning back to them with a wave and a smile. Ahh. My little politician. He told another house how our dog Murray used to have that dog costume but he got cancer and died. Kevin and only heard cancer and died and were a little curious as to what he could be telling out neighbors. ha ha! The things they say, to strangers no less!

Garrett was out after about a block. One skinned knee, several fun size M&M bags and one old man terrifing the you know what out of him, he was in daddy's arms the rest of the way. Parker and I went to a few scary houses and one in particular that was so scary I was almost too chicken to approach it and ran screaming out to the street where Parker had been smart enough to wait for me. Parker is still making me tell people how the lady in the weird noisy pants scared me to death but he didn't run, he was brave.

Another great Halloween. We are already thinking of next year. I'm sure it will invovle mustaches. After our Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton Jr. costumes (winning Best and Funniest Costumes of the party BTW), we have all been a little obsessed with mustaches!

Pirate Party

What boy doesn't love pirates? I know mine do and, thanks to gobs of birthday party leftovers and some clever ideas from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, we invited a friend over for a a summer-time pirate day. Our guest, Davis began with the pirate treasure map at the front door that gave him directions on how to enter. He couldn't ring the door bell because it had been booby trapped and would blow up the treasure. Once he sang a pirate song and did a little jig, the door magically opened and the hunt for the treasure began.

The boys followed the map to the castle (made from washing machine box) and recieved their gear. Pirate hats, eye patches, telescopes, loot bags (old Crown Royal bags), and of course, tattoos and they were off to the next clue. 10 paces to the kitchen where the task was to decorate pirate ship cookies. When they finished, they got to count out 5 gold debloons for their loot bags.

8 more paces to the back yard where each had to count out 10 more debloons in the murky waters of the pirate ship play table. 12 more paces to the soccer ball challenge earning them even more gold. 5 paces to the right and up the ladder to search for more loot and down the slide to check out the final clue. Through the tunnels and through the tent and out the other side, they found a a big X and shovels waiting. Yes- I buried thier treasure and it was so hilarious to see their faces. It was like- We get to dig up the yard? There is really treasure in there? When they found the box, they freaked! More gold, necklaces, candy and a few other toys that were laying around and these pirates were on cloud 9! Then it was off to the pirate ship pool to clean off and get ready for lunch. What a fun summer!

Morning Breath

Ah. My favorite time of the day. Just as the sun peeks through the blinds. Birds are chirping, Murray is snoring, sprawled out happily at my feet. I am all snuggled up in my white sheets, super old comfy quilt and white bedspread. There is something about a white bedspread and white sheets that helps me sleep but I digress.
I know it will happen soon. I check the clock. 6:59 am. In one minute I will hear a thud and then a door slam and then pounding. And seconds later, another thud and a door slam and then 2 sets of pounding feet. "Last one down is a stinky rotten egg." Some days when I hear this I want to cry. (I stay up too late.) But on most mornings, this is my favorite part of the day.
Parker is full volume the second he quite literally leaps out of bed. Lord knows I have tried to teach him how to wake me up with a sweet kiss and a few minutes of snuggling before he goes all Robin Williams on me but to no avail. Garrett is sweet and snuggly but very demanding. "I need my chocolate milk mommy and I want to watch a show." But honestly, how can I get mad when he is holding my hand and smiling at me with that devil grin?
So here's the best part, and what I think I will remember the most about our lazy mornings in bed watching tv. All of our morning breath, Murray included. For as long as I can remember, even when it was just Parker and me in bed with Murray, they have told me I stink. First thing. No, "Good morning Mommy." No, "It's lovely to see you today Mommy." No matter who is first in bed, no matter if Murray and his nasty dog face is next to me they both say, "Mommy, you stink" and act like they are going the be sick.
So naturally I have to defend myself and I can be quite fiesty in the mornings. I don't like waking up, even to the loves of my life but especially when the first words out of thier mouths are insults. So, in my defense, here is why I know it is not me that stinks... just for the record.
First of all, whether it was Parker when he was still in a diaper or Garrett now, morning diapers stink. I really think that is what they are smelling. It is a really strong, gross smell. I literally can not wait until the day of the last diaper is here. Secondly, I believe Murray should get some of the blame because he REALLY REALLY does stink. But seeing as he has cancer now, I refuse to blame him and he can do no wrong because his days are limited. And lastly, as a woman, I never stink. My breath doesn't stink. My armpits don't stink. My farts don't stink. They are crazy. It is not me they are complaining about. I think they stink and just don't want to admit it. They are the ones that brush their teeth in 3 swipes with candy flavored toothpaste and consider a 2 hour swim at the pool in 102 degree weather a suitable bath. They are boys. They sweat. They wear shoes without socks. They are supposed to stink. So nanny nanny boo boo. It's not me!
It cracks me up every single day. Our silly little routine. They are too funny. And now, with Kindergarten less than a week away, I know my days are limited. We will have to get up early and rush around. Well, I will have to get up early. I know for a fact that the boys literally sit and stare at their clocks until it hits 7:00 to come downstairs. I will be the one forcing my feet onto the floor one at a time at 6 AM so that we can get ready in time. No more happy birds chirping as of next week.
I get mad at myself on the days I get annoyed at them for being so loud or just simply awake at 7 am. I should be happy they want to rush down to jump in bed and snuggle with me. Who knows? By next year, Parker probably will think it is lame to even like his mother, much less cuddle with me. Ugh. He will probably start calling me "Mother". So, for the next couple of days, before summer is over and they leave me to go off into the world, (dramatic pause) I will enjoy every minute of our morning breath. Even Murray's.

Fabulous Quotes of the Summer...So Far.

Fabulous Quotes of the Summer...So Far.

Parker- I need to rest.

Mommy- You've done nothing but rest all day.
Parker- I did not take a butt rest!

Garrett waiting for a rootbeer to get cold in the freezer.

Garrett- Mommy, is it beer time?

Mommy- Yes sweety. It is beer time.

Garrett- PARKER! COME ON! IT'S BEER TIME!

Garrett spying on squirrels eating the nuts we put out.

Garrett-Mommy! Come downstairs and see what my nuts are doing.

Parker getting a great hit at TBall
The Crowd- Way to go Parker, Great Hit!

Parker to the Crowd- Thanks, Mommy and I have been working out.

Garrett getting up from from his nap.

Garrett- Nicole! I don't want to sleep! Nicole. Nicole! Nicole!

Garrett climbing in bed with me one morning and holding my hand.
Garrett- I sure missed you last night mommy.

One more- Parker has been having "nightmares" he says so I told him again to ask God to help him sleep better.
Mommy- Why don't you ask God when you say your prayers to help you have happy dreams?
Parker- Can he do that?
Mommy- Yes, God can do anything.
Parker (without missing a beat)- Can he juggle?

61 more days of summer by Parker's calculations. I can already tell... it's gonna be a good one.

Sharp-dressed Men

Just had to show off my sharp-dressed men. Easter was so much fun once again this year. Nothing like 2 days of Easter egg hunts, good food, cold beer and fun family. One of these days when I can slow down for 5 minutes, I will post more fun stuff!

I have 2 stories to share this morning. One about a 2 year old boy wonder and one about a 4 year old extortionist. I am so in awe by my boys, sometimes for better reasons than others. I'll start with Garrett...

He has been in his big boy bed for a couple of weeks now and I am truly astonished at how well he listens and follows directions. The first night, we put a gate up so he wouldn't go wandering around the house and down the stairs in the middle of the night. We told him to stay in his bed until the morning. So, he stayed in his bed and called out for me like he has always done in his crib when he woke up. After about a week of this, I took the gate down just to see what he would do. He still stayed in his bed and called out for me between 6 and 6:30 every morning. Even with all that freedom, he stayed put.

Finally, I told him that he can come downstairs when he wakes up. This was a little harder because he woke up at 2am so naturally, he came downstairs then. The next night I told him to wait until it was light outside and, guess what... he did.

Some days he sleeps longer than others but it's typically around 6am when he gets up. So I started thinking. If he follows directions this well, why can't I get him to use a clock and sleep until 7. I bought a cheap Target alarm clock and showed him the number 7 a few times. I told him to not get out of bed until he sees the 7 on the clock and I'll be darned! I heard his door open at 7:20 this morning. He didn't cry out for me or wait for me to come get him. He just came downstairs! Why have I not been challenging this 2 year old kid more???
Now, on to the little rascal. Parker has had a loose tooth since Saturday and I gave it a pretty good tug on Sunday to try and get it out. I think it stung a little so he wouldn't let me go near him for a couple of days but this crazy tooth was hanging on by a thread. I tried bribing him on Monday to let me pull it by telling him that I have connections with the tooth fairy and I could maybe get her to hook him up with an ice cream gift card along with some money. He wouldn't bite. Little did I know he was just holding out for something better.

I was trying to get them both in bed last night pretty early but he wanted to keep watching TV. I told him it was time for bed and he said, "What if I let you pull my tooth, can I stay up and watch another show?" I shouldn't have gone for such bribery but I wanted that tooth out really bad. It's like popping a pimple, I just couldn't stand it so I said yes. 2 seconds after I pull it he goes, "Yes! I am going to get money AND ice cream from the tooth fairy tonight!" What?! I so got played! I swear! These kids teach me so much everyday. Most importantly that they are WAY smarted than I give them credit for!

Growing Up!

We've had a lot of milestones this week which is just killing me because it means the boys are getting bigger and bigger by the minute. Let me explain what we see in the first pictures. My children... yes... Garrett AND Parker are eating! And it's not chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. They had brocolli and rice (a big scoop), turkey hot dogs (cut to look like octopus), peaches, green beans and a garlic roll. As you can see, they both almost finished! Who are these kids??? For those that might not know, Parker literally at nothing but waffles, chicken nuggets and mac and cheese for about 3 years. Oh- also, chocolate milk. Hold onto your laptops Grandmas.... Parker says it's not healthy anymore and would rather have water. REALLY?! Whatever his teachers are doing, it is working! I need to get them a fabulous end of the year gift!

The next pictures, I just almost can't even look at. Garrett looks 5 and Parker looks at least 8. Since the eating fredzie this week, Parker has talked about his legs and feet hurting and "killing him". I should have measured him at the beginning of the week because I am positive that he grew like 5 inches in the past couple of days. I've let out all of the button-elasticky things in his pants. He'll be enrolling in college soon.

Garrett is so ready for school too because he watches Parker go everyday. He tries to get out of his carseat everyday and he has to carry a backpack with him just like Parker. He's been acting so big lately I decided it was time to make his crib into a toddler bed. I thought I might seriously regret it being that he seemed perfectly content in his crib but his reaction was priceless. I told him I had a big surprise and when he saw his new bed he said, "Wow. That is so cool." I asked him if he wanted to try it out for his nap and he said yes. He put his hands behind his head and just looked around like "Oh yeah- I'm the big man on campus now." He went right to sleep. Hopefully tonight will go that smoothly!

We have our bad days, but I swear these two kill me everyday with the hilarious things they say and do and I love almost every minute I get to share with them everyday. Ask me in a week or two when Garrett starts potty training! ;)

Aggie Basketball

So, Parker told his teacher the other day that when he gets to "Aggie age" he is going to play baseball for the Aggies. How cute is that? Parker and Garrett just love the Aggies... THANK GOODNESS! They might be in trouble if they didn't. In fact, one morning while Parker and Gamma were snuggling in bed he told her, "You know what Gamma? I can make a bad sign with my fingers." Of course you know what her first thought was. The BIRD! What?! I know she was praying that wasn't what he was about to show her and, (I am so proud) he did the Longhorn sign! Yes! That is a bad sign! Ha ha!

Kevin decided we should randomly go up to College Station this week for a "cheap seat" basketball game. We had so much fun... once we got through 12,000 people trying to park and waiting in the freezing cold wind for tickets. We got to our seats a little before half-time and that was probably just about perfect for the boys. Any longer and it might have gone from the perfect night-out to a nightmare.

Our seats were the best... anyone ever wanting to go to a game, ask us where to sit- best ever! We got Parker and Garrett popcorn and nachos and Sprite and they were good to go. They loved the blimp and the fun music they played. The only reason I wish we had been closer is because they danced to every song and I am sure they would have made it onto the jumbotron. Parker got a new hat that he wore with pride. Garrett mostly watched Team UmiZoomi on my IPOD but, hey, at least he sat still and let us enjoy the game.

Best of all, the Aggies won. We should help them out more often and go to some more games!!!