Just Another Day in the Clove House

Just a quick note about today- We had a children's Halloween party here at the house. And even though I left the camera out on the counter I didn't take a single picture. It was the right sized group- about the perfect mix of old and new friends- boys and girls. I made fruit and veg trays, cheese and crackers, pumpkin muffins filled with spiced cream cheese, and a cranberry bread pudding with pecan praline on top (that recipe needed a little refining). The kids put glitter stickers on a pumpkin coloring page and we made carmel apples and let the kids cover them in sprinkles, m&ms, or peanuts (or all three). It was fun to see the kids different approaches and interest levels to these activities. It was a fun day. Some nice visiting time for the mothers and my house was less torn up than it usually is. Also two new borns and those are always fun.

During the party Beckett was not so pleasant. He went to bed really late last night and was a little grumpy about kids touching his things- so he put them all in his crib and got in there and yelled at Kennedi to stop looking at him. He also didn't like kids touching the M&Ms (but he then got a baggy and put some in it and sat in the corner and was okay) he also didn't like them spilling on the floor. Then in the middle of the party he fell and split his head open and wouldn't keep the steri strips on it and so I had to superglue it. sigh.

Coen loved it and played and visited the whole time. He is my social guy. When everyone left he made all the left over apples for his cousins and Tractor Grandparents. And he made them cards- my personal favorite was the "circle ghost with four wheels".

Then I went to cooking class at the Toro's and that as usual was fabulous. Yum and lots of ideas for fast easy asian meals at home.

As I was getting Coen ready to go eat dinner, Alma told him he couldn't take blankie. Coen had a melt down. I trying to calm him down explained that he usually never takes blankie out of the house and did he want to go eat with a baby blankie? He agreed with one caveat- blankie wasn't a baby blankie- it was a big boy blankie.

When I got home Alma was in bed and the boys were running around like maniacs. They had dinner with Tractor Grandpa while Grandma and I were at the class. We played a little longer and cuddled and got hyper and finally are in bed.

When I was laying with Coen he said "You like to sleep with Dad."

I responded "yes I do. When you get married you will probably like to sleep with your wife."

"Kennedi is my girlfriend and we are getting married in 4 months."

"Oh Coen" I said, "I will miss you so much."

"Well, I will send you cards. I will put an M on it so you will know it is for you. And inside I will write HBCTKM because those are the letters I know." (Whenever he sees an M he say M for mama)

"You won't visit me?"

"Well, we will be pretty busy."

As I left the room Beckett had wrapped his Star Wars DVDs in his blankie and was rocking them.

All is finally quiet in the Clove house so I am off to sit in the tub and read a book.

And on an unrelated note-just because I want to record it. Coen and I were in Ben Franklin (where they rip you off because they know you have no other option in town) and he was chatting and playing with some Halloween decoration and I was only half listening. He kept saying this is a B and this is O and this is O and moving the letters around and then he said "Mom look I just made them say Boo. See B O O says boo." I got all excited- our first sight word. And with no coaching other than all the stuff he helped me hang up for Halloween at our house. Maybe he is starting to get interested in letters! And I wasn't really paying attention so I hope that those paper mache letters weren't injured in his letter exploration.

And another note- I din't get anything done Alma had put on my to do list- sorry. And I just kept thinking about all the people I wished lived close enough to come play at my house and do crazy messy activities and crafts with- like Becky and Megan and Andrea and Emily and Christy and on and on and on. I wish I could see those I love more often. But then if you all lived close I wouldn't have to force myself to go out of my way to meet new people.

Oh and Megan- Tara Kellerman (married to Seth Kellerman) was at the party with 2 of her 4 girls and that was so fun and I look forward to doing more with them- I just thought you would think it was fun too. They moved back into town when he got a job as the minister at the Episcopalian church in GV last year. Isn't that fun!