Pam’s Blog

I love Halloween. I mean what could be more fun then getting to dress up as whatever you want and begging for candy.

It’s just fun.

One of my favorite parts, ok, honestly my most favorite part, is giving out the candy. I love it, it’s so much fun to hold the big bowl full of candy and listen for the knock on the door.

It is great seeing all the kids dressed up in silly, or cute, or “scary” costumes and to watch them grin when I drop candy into their bags.

Last year, in Columbia we had 87 trick or treater’s. It was a blast. Jason took the kids out to collect Candy and I manned the house distributing candy. Like we do every single year.

This year same deal. I have the huge bowl of candy. I have costume for the kids and I have lots and lots of excitement about handing out candy and meeting lots of kids and their moms and dads.

6:45pm. I sent Jason and the kids off, it was dark and seemed about the time to start. I saw some other trick or treaters at the end of our street. Excitement mounted. They would be here any minute. Except, they never came.

So, no big deal, maybe they turned in another direction first, they’d be back this way.

7:15pm. No one yet. But still early, no problem. Jason and the kids still out all was well.

7:30pm. Starting to worry. Jason returns with Willoweve, whose feet are tired and Quinn who has a stinky diaper. They are going to stay home to “Help” mommy, daddy and Xavier headed back out to get more candy

Yeah – like we need more. I bought candy for about 90 kids, and still not a single trick or treater.

7:45pm. I think I am going to cry. I am sitting here watching dragon tales on TiVo with Willoweve and Quinn and not a single child has come to our house to collect candy.

7:56pm. About this time back in Columbia things started to slow down. Most of the elementary kids were back home and now the middle school crowd were out. For the next hour or so things thinned out. Then tapered off completely by nine. Here in West Seattle there is no tapering off because there was never anyone to begin with.

There must be kids trick or treating because people bought the candy in the grocery store and people are giving candy to my kids, heck I even saw some of them. But they aren’t coming here.

My lights are on. I have a kitty cat Jack O Lantern in the window. I have a huge bowl of candy.

I feel rejected. What’s wrong with my house.

Maybe my front garden is too weedy. Or maybe the people who lived here last year didn’t give out candy.

8:03pm. They came – two of them, a gorilla and… I’m not sure what the other one was. Hell for all I know Jason paid them to come – don’t care – we had trick or treaters. I gave them both a big handful of candy. Maybe they’ll tell their friends.

Hmmm, I think next year I’ll buy less candy. This has by far been my saddest Halloween ever.

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I mean really – she’s 4.

Yesterday Willoweve brought home a little boys address from school.

They want to have a play date. Oh and she is VERY insistent he must come to her birthday party. I pointed out we had a few months, that didn’t seem to matter any, she still needed to know he would be invited.

Last week it was another little boy. They where playing tag with each other. Willoweve was chasing him, and, in her words “he kept looking at me over his shoulder and smiling.”

SHE’S 4!!!!!

To all those who have only boys – be glad. Xavier decided in late kindergarten he was going to marry Amara and has stuck by that declaration ever since.

Jason is off course very concerned about the teenage years, personally, I think it’s funny.

Ok really though, the little boy who smiles at her, he is one of the non peers in her class. He doesn’t say anyone’s name… not the teachers or anything… except Willoweve’s. It is really pretty cool. Our daughter has made an impact on his life.

I remember at this age when Xavier was in a similar program in Maryland. There was a little girl who was very shy. But Xavier made friends with her. After that she always held his hand while they were walking down the hallway.

I feel so privileged that both my children have had the honor of being a peer in preschool programs. I know that it has impacted their lives by exposing them to different types of people and helped them learn not to be afraid of people who are different, in physical or emotional ways. Not only that but it has given them a chance to impact people lives in a positive way at a very early age.

We have been blessed.

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Willoweve rode the bus for the very first time yesterday. She did great of course and loved every minute of it. I have to admit it was nice not to have to run out in the middle of the day to pick her up from school.

Her bus even has seat belts which is pretty darn cool. I never saw a school buw with seatbelts before.

Xavier is home sick today. He’s complaining of a sore throat, has been for about three days now, and a headache. His fever is hanging out at about 100.9 high enough to keep him home but low enough he wants to play. I’m hoping this isn’t the beginning of strep throat.

We are starting to get ready for our trip to Maryland. We leave in three weeks and will be gone for 16 days. We are excited to be getting to spend a full two weeks in Maryland. I have a feeling that going to Maryland is going to stir a lot of emotion. Most of which will be mixed.

I mean even now I am excited to see all my friends and family in Maryland, yet the idea of being away from home for 16 days and living out of a suitcase for so long is kind of a bummer.

Also I am hoping Nyktos will be ok without us here. I am not sure who to ask to come check on her and make sure she has food and water while we are gone.

I think when we fly home I will be excited about coming home but saying goodbye to everyone I love again is going to be very very hard.

Still I can’t wait to see everyone. The kids are excited to visit their friends too. Ok, enough for now. I’ll post again soon.

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This weekend Jason and I ran away for four days and three nights. We went to Canada. It was FANTASTIC.

I really can’t say it any better then that. We both had a great time and we got to hang out with others and relax for the entire weekend. It was just such a fabulous time. We didn’t even have to get up ubber early in the morning and I got to meet several authors I enjoy and get them to sign my books. It was a really fun weekend.

In other news Willoweve will be entering a new phase of her growing up. Tomorrow Willoweve will ride the preschool bus home from school for the very first time! How exciting. She has been waiting for this since school started. She is SOOO Excited.

She also did really well with Fiona this weekend from all accounts Xavier had the most separation anxiety. Although both Willoweve and Quinn have been very possessive since we came home. All either of them want is to sit in our laps. Quinn was quite devastated when I left to volunteer this morning. He did survive though.

I have heard some VERY funny stories of my children over this weekend. Including one about Willoweve being told she could “color on the floor” and taking that a bit to literally. Apparently instead of putting paper on the floor she proceeded to draw on the floor. Silly little girl. Fortunately it cleaned up easy.

I am behind on pretty much everyone blog having been away for four days but I will try to catch up reading them in the next few days.

I wish you all a happy Monday.

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I’m so excited.

On Thursday Jason and I leave for Surrey BC for four days.

We are staying in a hotel. Alone for four days!

WHOO HOO!

I can’t remember the last time we stayed alone in a hotel. I remember a lot of times we stayed with the kids in a hotel – but alone. Wow, the quiet, the nights without children – Jason and I will be able to sleep all night.

To make the weekend even more perfect tomorrow I am spending the day at the Spa to get ready for the trip. I am getting my eyebrows waxed, getting a manicure and a pedicure and a sixty minute facial. A full day of pampering for me.

Why all the fuss, can’t tell. But I will tell you Friday. I promise.

So until next time… Happy Tuesday.

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Ok Ok I am properly chastised, it has been WAY to long since I posted here. Time has FLOWN by around me.

Anyway Sorry.

What’s been going on. Well, The kids are in the rhythm of school now. Willoweve is doing spectacular in preschool and Xavier is enjoying second grade. He joined chess club this year. So far he’s enjoying it. Quinn is loving the alone time with me and occasionally Jason in the mornings. He likes being the center of our attention.

I am volunteering once a week at Westside baby. I am in charge of sorting the toys in the toy room. It’s a lot of fun and I really enjoy my time there each week.

I have started sharing a lease with Vicki for Little Joe so Willoweve will get to ride twice a month. I will likely take Quinn, my little cowboy out once a month too. Today is the first day and we are heading out after preschool this morning. Hopefully Deb will join us.

It’s going to get harder once I start teaching after school. We will only have about two hours there – it’s an hour drive to and from the farm. I will have just enough time to get home, change and get to the school to teach. I think it’s worth it though.

Deb arrives today from Maryland. We are so excited to have a visitor from “back East”. The kids are so excited to see Godmommy. I have to try to remember that I should only try to talk her into moving here once a day during her visit.

In addition we are getting ready to go to Surrey Canada next week for a long weekend, just Jason and I. I’m so excited we are going to go stay in a hotel and have a room all to ourselves. I honestly can not remember the last time we did that, went away to a hotel by ourselves. I am really excited. Any way enough babbling for today. I will try to be more consistent with posting.

Talk to you all soon, happy Wednesday.

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