Snoopy Unveiled

Yesterday I chatted with a friend who had recently had my children over to play at her house. "You're kids sure know a lot about Halloween, "she commented, "did you teach them all about goblins, witches, ghosts, vampires & frankenstein so that they won't be scared on Halloween night?"

Um, yeah . . . sure, of course that's why they know about all that stuff.

And then I picked up Ethan from his pre-school Halloween party. "Your son is just passionate about Halloween," was his teacher's first words to me.

I can't imagine where he gets this holiday obsession from.
Except it must be genetic.

You have to understand, in my family Halloween was practically an institution. Was it enough to simply throw together a costume the day before and trick-or-treat in your own neighborhood? Absolutely not. Not when you had an aunt who was willing to transform her entire garage into a full-blown carnival. And, that's just the finale of the evening. Before that you've got to eat chili served in a pumpkin, drink steaming "witches brew" cider served over dry ice, and trick-or-treat in a pack of 15 cousins while simultaneously being videotaped by your Grandfather. Your costume would be carefully planned, often hand-sewn, or at least selected from Grandma's vault of vintage costumes (that's right, an entire walk-in closet devoted to costume storage). And costumes aren't just for kids, the whole family had to dress up, often with a theme, like the year my Dad wore pink satin riding pants and a ruffled shirt to coordinate with my Mom's Martha Washington costume. Once costumes were decided, all competitive juices would be focused on winning the pumpkin carving contest. One year Uncle John, the family Dentist, blew us all out of the water by outfitting his jack-o-lantern with a complete set of real teeth in braces. And then the night would always be capped off with a rousing rendition of the Witch's Brew Song--if my cousins are reading this they will all start humming the chorus right now . . . . . (oooooh, my witch's brew, what's it gonna do to you? BOO!)

So you can see why, when Ethan told me back in May that he just had to be Snoopy, his request fell on a sympathetic ear. And it's also why Will's Aunt Wendy became a certified hero in my book the day she e-mailed me this picture and offered to ship me the costume:

Will's cousin Brian, circa 1985

Ethan as Snoopy, 23 years later!

My Mom added a dog collar, tail & feet covers to the ensemble. (Yes, that stuffed headpiece is as big as it appears, no he hasn't yet complained of neck pain).

Here he is with some of his pre-school buddies. He didn't care a bit that no child his age has any clue who Snoopy is. He was happy to educate them.
And we can't leave Luke, out of this post either. I'm sure you're all shocked he decided to be an animal (elephant this year, lion was already used last year). Here he is all ready for his Music Makers Halloween party.

Happy Halloween!

Taking it to the streets

Another sign-waving Saturday coming tomorrow . . . we had a great time last week with the eighty other supporters who helped us line the streets. 1 1/2 weeks to go to win this thing!

(the boys will stay home tomorrow though, they were more interested in going to the In & Out across the street, can you blame them?)

Why I Need My Book Club

If you had told me 10 years ago that the highlight of my social life would be a book club I think I would've laughed out loud.

However, that's before I developed "mommy-brain." As explained to me by my friend Luci, when you are pregnant blood circulates more heavily to your uterus instead of your brain, leaving you unable to remember simple facts, like where you put your keys, and what you were supposed to buy at the grocery store. Theoretically your brain is supposed to re-appear after giving birth, but that's when nighttime feedings start, again draining all energy from every part of your body and perpetuating the mommy-brain condition. After that comes toddlerhood, and if temper tantrums and potty training aren't enough to make someone lose their mind, I don't know what is. Of course, by now you could potentially make a case for the return of mental stability, unless of course you are expecting baby #2 by now, which starts the mommy-brain cycle all over again.

I'm certainly not suggesting that mothers aren't smart. I think motherhood requires some of the most creative thinking I've ever done. But gone are the days of sitting in the college library leisurely soaking up information like a sponge and staying awake long enough to really ponder it. Luckily, book club comes along once a month, just in time for me to pretend like I remember how to converse with adults. And I get to do it with a group of women whom I consider some of the most interesting, intelligent, and just plain fun that I know. By the time I leave I can feel the mommy-brain fog lifiting . . .

This month it was my turn to host. I had fun pretending it was Fall in CA (hello 90 degree weather while I'm baking Apple Pies and warming cider).
We discussed this, an old favortie of mine from years ago.
And I'm looking forward to reading this for next month. Good and gothically spooky, just in time for Halloween.
And speaking of Halloween, (drumroll please): I have located a Snoopy costume. Will's Aunt Wendy in Las Vegas read about my dilemma and mailed me a Snoopy costume she made around 1985 that's been sitting in storage all these years. I know you are all dying to see pictures, but I'm saving those for a Halloween post later on. But don't worry, Ethan has deemed this Snoopy costume perfect, and that's saying a lot.

Mexican Cruise

Ethan & Luke, overlooking the coast of Mazatlan, my favorite pic. of the trip!

Here it is, every one's favorite kind of post: the vacation re-cap.
And, to make it worse, I don't even have any drama to report this time around.

I know, you're thinking, how can that be--didn't she go with 14 people with the last name Bollard? But, it's true: no flights were missed, no rental car mishaps (like the Advantage Van of 2006 fame), no one was life-flighted to a hospital after cliff-diving, no ski masks were worn while touring historical sights, no video game all-nighters occurred (I repeat, no video games), no Amish were harassed with video cameras, no "scenic routes due to map-reading errors" were taken (although plenty was scenic), no one even got left on shore in Mexico . . . a cruise is truly the easy way to go for a large family trip!
About the most dramatic thing to report is that I found out I get horribly sea sick. Dramamine became my best friend and helped keep the nausea at bay long enough for me to enjoy most of the trip. I especially loved our ports-of-call in Mexico.
Besides eating my weight in chips & guacamole, it was so fun to see the amazing scenery, snorkel, swim, kayak, and just relax together. I was especially impressed with how well the boys did on this trip. They exceeded all of my expectations by just rolling with the adventures by day and sleeping like rocks at night, despite our rather "close quarters" on the ship.
Our day in Puerto Vallarta was full of nostalgic memories, as that's where we went on our honeymoon. Our time in El Eden was as fun as I remembered from 8 years ago.
I'll post more pictures, including some good shots of the whole clan, as soon as I get a copies from Will's Dad (the photographer in the family with the fancy camera).

Thank you Bill & Christy for planning a wonderful trip! It was a great last hurrah with Will's brother Sam, who began basic training with the Air Force yesterday.