Halloween 2010

Dear Preston,

Today marks five years since the doctors told me you would be different, if you even made it here at all.  Since then you’ve been a monkey, a dog, a vampire, a dragon and this year, due to your love of trains, you were a conductor.  You can thank Uncle Chris and Aunt Anna for your costume.  They bought it for you last Christmas since they knew mommy bought you the Thomas table.  Five years ago today, at 9:10 pm, the time I am writing this entry, I had called a lot of people to let them know things were not going as planned.  I remember at this time I was speaking to Aunt Angela on the phone.  We had looked up “short femurs.”  We didn’t have a lot of answers at that point.  It was the beginning of what was to become a whirlwind almost six weeks until your birth.  Here we are, five years later.  Since Halloween is a major milestone day (and every year mommy breaks down and cries), we celebrated in style!  Friday you had a fall festival at school.  You just had a blast with your friends trick or treating and eating goodies and watching It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. 

Today we had a very busy day. First, in your very OCD way, you filled the candy bowl for our 140 plus trick or treaters:

Then you, PaPa and I carved the jack o lantern:

Then we baked for Michelle’s neighborhood Halloween party.  We hit the store for some last minute ingredients and you told the manager that, “After Halloween is Thanksgiving and I’m going to see the parade in New York.  Then my PaPa, who is my mom’s dad, is going to set up his Lionel trains.”  You are too much. Grandma and PaPa made spider cookies and we made cupcakes:

 

Then we were off to Shelby’s birthday party.  Yesterday you were at Liam’s birthday party.  You are so popular that your social calendar on my BlackBerry is taking up a ton of space.  After the party it was off trick or treating.  We went out with Grandma and hit a few houses and then you got on your scooter and zipped through the neighborhood. Your first stop was trick or treating at Grandma and PaPa”s.  You laughed when PaPa said, “Get out of here! No candy for you!”  We ended the night at Michelle’s house where you ate all your goodies. 

Thank you Preston for bringing the difference and making the difference in my life. 

I love you forever,

Mommy

Fall…Sort Of

We are T-minus one week until Halloween and I’m still pretending it’s summer because well, it’s 80 degrees still.  Yesterday was frigid in the morning, about 39 degrees, but a warm spell is descending upon us again. (Yay).  The neighborhood is once again in BOO mode.  Here is Preston with his boo bag and our two pumpkins we made to BOO two other houses.  My mother got very cool BOO goodies!

And to prove I’m not lying, this is the extent of the foliage thus far in my parents’ backyard.

Today Pres, my father and I went to the pumpkin farm.  Because I started this blog when Pres was over 2, it’s only fair that I include pictures from his first two pumpkin patch outings, at almost 11 months and almost two:

I miss those little curls…that have been replaced by the world’s most unruly cowlick.  If Pres does not get a trim on my highlight schedule (every six weeks) he starts to grow a Snooki poof on the back of his head. 

Here are some pictures from today:

These are water duck races that my mother and Katie were fond of last year.  The child to the right after one race started pumping water apparently too quickly as my son admonished, “Um, you need to wait until the man says ‘ready, set, go.’”  Thanks Pres.  And is it just me or does the worker in the black shirt look like Ray Romano?

Tackling the corn maze.  I was so proud of Pres.  It’s really long and he was a trooper walking through it!

Embracing Fall….Against my Will

Well it appears the Yanks are on their way to a pitiful end to the season. But this picture was still very cute:

I hate that I like sports. Because I get really upset. Like super upset. I curse, I let the game ruin my day. I just feel when you love baseball you invest good chunk of your year and then to watch an All Star line up basically pee down their legs AT HOME, ugh, just so annoying. Anyway, this weekend my sis came down to visit. On Saturday she went racing in a local 5K.

The above picture is true love. Getting up at the crack of dawn with no make up on and off to cheer my sis and it was COLD! I had to wear SNEAKERS!

Katie even beat her personal record or in runner’s lingo-PR. Go Tinka!

That afternoon we drove to Charlottesville to go apple picking. Pretty much us and everybody else in the entire Commonwealth of Virginia! It was a pretty mountain but there is barely any foliage here yet. Seriously, the summer flowers are still in our garden. We went up with our neighbors. It was a good time and a gorgeous day!

And what weekend is complete without a little baking?

Then Aunt Tinka became the coolest aunt ever and bought Preston silly string.

Going to miss Katie. I won’t see her again until Thanksgiving. When it will be really cold. Only 5 more months until mid March.

Good Morning Raab Family!

My house is going up quick.  I feel like Ty from Extreme Home Makeover is running around with a bullhorn!  I was finally able to go in and walk around.  Check it out!

When you walk in, garage on the left.  The room down the hall is the guest suite with a full bath.  These steps take you the second floor.

Living room with my fireplace.  The door will walk out onto a deck.

Kitchen and half bath will be to the left.

Stairs to third floor.

My bedroom and my walk in closet to the right.  Bathroom will be opposite the windows.

Beginning of Preston’s room with his full bath opposite the windows. 

I can picture it all in my mind!  So excited.  Cannot wait for the walls to go up!