A PIRATE LIFE FOR ME

Last October, would have been Lukes first Halloween, but we moved to North Carolina just days before Halloween, and getting together a costume and attending Halloween events wasn't very high on our to do list quite then! After the chaos of the move, when things settled down, I felt a little guilty, that we didn't get any cute '1st Halloween' pictures of baby Luke dressed in something adorable, like a snuggly little monkey, or something equally cute... Halloween pictures are so typical for the growing up years of every American child. lol.

So this year, I decided to make sure that Luke had a costume, and a really cute one at that. At first I was just going to buy one, but then I decided I would like the challenge of making a costume myself. I decided to start simple... a Pirate Costume.  Jake bought me a sewing machine just a few months ago... I was completely clueless how to use it... he had to read the manual, and then help me figure out how to even thread the thing, let alone actually sew something on it. LOL.. I did not come from a 'self sufficient' family... my mom generally stops wearing something if a button falls off... so needless to say, sewing was not a skill I inherited! But, here I am, proud of my first official sewing project (not included the pants and curtains I hemmed... I hardly think hemming in a straight line counts)
I made Luke the red and gold vest, the black pants and the stripe sash he is wearing! The bandanna and shirt were borrowed from a friend! Luke usually refuses to wear anything on his head.. so was pretty sure that a hat or bandanna were going to be out of the question, but I was able to do things smartly... I didn't even attempt the the bandanna and earring on, until right when we arrived at the party, and got out the car... Luke got so distracted by the other kids and new environment to wreak havoc in, that he didn't even realise he was wearing them. LOL


Don't you just love the pirate earring. lol

Yesterday, was the first Halloween party of the season...



School was out for the day, so my friend Rachel, the 'Martha Stewart of Kids Parties' threw together a fun Halloween party! Rachel has a great talent and amount of patience for organizing kids parties. She picks a theme and runs with it, full force.. from invitations, to games and activities to themed food... everything fits the theme. It looked so great yesterday! I don't have the patience to do all of that... making Luke a themed birthday cake was about as far as I have patience to go. LOL...

WITCHES BREW: Green slushy punch stuff with a sour worm in it


MUMMY PIZZA'S

BUGS ON A LOG

BLOODY FINGERS


MONSTER MOUTHS


SCARY GHOST 'SWEET CAKE ROUNDS'
My friend Sandy, makes these, and they are so yummy! She makes just about any flavour and colour/decoration you want, and you can get them either on or off of a stick. They are a cake of whatever kind, mixed with frosting, then dipped in chocolate. SO DELICIOUS!

It was the perfect day, and such fun! All the kids costumes looked adorable, and the themed food was just brilliant! Thanks Rachel for such a fun first ever Halloween party (first for me and Luke. lol)

HILL RIDGE FARM

Last Saturday, we decided to do a family day at Hill Ridge Farm. It's about an hour away, and they have a pumpkin patch, hayrides (for my South African readers, a hayride is when you sit on bundles of hay, in the back of a large wagon, pulled by a tractor), a kids maze, corn house (big 'sandpit' but with corn kernels), an awesome 80ft pipe slide, and lots of other fun things to do! Luke really enjoyed the time outside... it was a surprisingly HOT day considering the weather lately.

We had a great time, and lots of fun!

Walking through the little kiddie maze!

The animal enclosure! He was fascinated, but not nearly as excited as when he sees a dog... we're still trying to convince daddy that Luke needs a dog!

 Stopping for a drink

 The Sand Pit... Luke mostly just loved the truck. I hate the feeling of sand all over me too!

 How Tall This Fall?

 The 80ft Tube Slide... sooo fun! Jake went down first so he could get pictures from the bottom of me coming down with Luke... Luke cried when he saw daddy disappear into the black hole. LOL.

Fall wouldn't be fall without enjoying some corn on the cob... this was the  most delicious, buttery corn! SOOOO good! (We had awesome apple cobbler too)

 Picking out Pumpkins in the pumpkin patch!

In other events, Luke is learning how to use a spoon. We didn't push it much, until he started showing signs of wanting to feed himself.. he would grab at the spoon/fork etc and insist on holding it himself. We showed him a few times how to scoop up some food and put it in his mouth, and now he enjoys trying himself.

 This is how Jake gets the mowing done. Luke goes completely crazy if he hears Jake outside with the mower, and he can't be out there with him.

Some cute pics of Jake and Luke 'playing golf' in the yard!

A LITTLE ARTSY

Jake always laughs at me, because I am such a planner... I compulsively plan things WAY ahead of time! Well, we plan to move Luke into a his big boy room around his 2nd birthday... that next May... 7 months from now. However, I have already spent the last couple months looking for a good deal on linen, and working on theme ideas etc. So now, 7 months before he even needs the room, we have his big boy linen, matching valance, wall decal stickers, dressers, and nightstand... all we need is a bed, and we're completely ready for him to move over. LOL...That's just how I roll! LOL.

Anyway, I found some linen on clearance on Target.com... it is a cute trucks and cars themed comforter set, so I grabbed it up (just in time too, cos the next day it was no longer available).

This is just a stock photo of the comforter set... it is really brightly coloured when you see it in person, and the underside is in blue, red, green and yellow plaid... very cute!

I decided to do a little art project for his wall, to match his linen. I had seen some little paintings that a friend had bought for her little boy, that matched his bedroom theme, and loved the idea, but being cheap and on a budget, I decided to try my hand at painting some myself. I am not an artist by any means, and don't have the steadiest hand, but I figured, it's for a toddler room.. I hardly think he'll care if his mom doesn't paint like Picaso. LOL.

So, I bought a 3 pack of canvases from the art shop for just over $3, and some $0.75 ribbon I found in the clearance section, and started my project. (I already have paints)
I chose 3 vehicles I liked from the linen I bought, and painted each one onto a canvas.

And, this is the result! About $5 and 5 hours later!





Though if you look closely, you'll see the definite proof of my unsteady hand... I was pretty chuffed with my accomplishment.. not bad for an amateur! :)