The Perfect Christmas....with a heaping side of guilt...

We all have dreams of having the perfect Christmas season.  We have our plans in our minds and they rarely (ok, pretty much never) live up to our expectations.  That is probably why the Christmas Vacation movie is a holiday standard.  We all know that we are only 1 squirrel in a tree away from following Clark's footsteps.
 
How many times have many of us planned the perfect trip to Silver Dollar City to see the lights....only to have so many people in front of you that you can't see them.  Then don't get me started on the crazy walk to your vehicle where you are being herded like cattle and terrified you will loose your grip on your child's hand.  Yeah, that is the stuff that holidays are made of!  Or when you buy chocolate and pretzels and have the cutest photo op in your head where your children will be covered in chocolate and look so sweet.  But then your oldest one breaks that beautiful thought by saying he doesn't like mixing sweet and salty so it would be better for him to not help dip the pretzels.   

Then there is the guilt that creeps up on you.  I think especially with the whole blogging/facebooking/tweeting world that is a big thing anymore.  People tend to only post their best.  So when someone posts that they decided to give away all their wordly possessions this season they don't share how the kids screamed and cried and their husband said the TV was leaving over his dead body.   And I'm not judging anyone's choice at all - but then there are those who decide to not do Santa at all and then you feel like they sit around and read the Nativity story so much that their 12 month old could quote the KJ Version to perfection. They don't get caught up in the holiday commercialism and they sit around their tree sipping hot drinks and admiring the lights.

Things like that used to really bother me with Cade.  I always wondered if he was getting the true meaning of Christmas? why couldn't I get him to learn Away in a Manager from the moment he could talk? was he never going to grow up and be a good citizen if I had good intentions of doing an Angel Tree but either forgot or decided it was easier to do the shopping without him?  Ahh that guilt will get you.

 I usually ran out of time to do those things because we were wrapping 10+ giant boxes for the kid's Christmas program at church...or painting (what seemed like) 5 million sets of Angel wings..or organizing costumes..or trying to spend our precious weekends leading up to Christmas with a mixture of celebrating with friends and family and making sure the presents were wrapped and under the tree..or decorating the house with all of our special decorations that when you are half way though you wonder why you are even bothering, etc.  Whew!  Then I would have these mini-meltdowns and think that I was horrible because things seemed out of control and all the really good, have it together people were joining hands and walking through a snowy field singing Christmas Carols.

I think our wait for Camryn changed my perspective on a lot of things.  I don't care so much what other people do and I know that in our family we make our own traditions.  Also, the fact that Cade didn't know the words to some basic church songs really bothered me.  But I've finally realized something - I can't sing.  That is clearly one talent God did not bless me with.  I don't go around singing because no one wants to hear it.  So why would Cade know the words to those songs when his mother doesn't sing them because it sounds like two cats fighting outside the window???  Duh.  Once I came to that realization that because those things were important in other families didn't mean it had to be in mine.  What a relief!!!  I know we do the best we can and how we act while doing them will be what Cade and Camryn remember. 

Things get crazy around our house this time of year.  Right now I've got to giant boxes from Oriental Trading company sitting in the garage.  The garage is a wreck because of getting the decorations down last weekend.  I've got to go through those boxes and get the stuff I ordered for the church program organized.  I've also got several craft projects I want to finish plus presents to wrap, Elf on the Shelf to plan, Advent reading to do, Christmas Script to finish, music to pick...and that's just this week :)  No, there is a not a lot of time for quiet reflection on the past year or the year to come.  But there is a whole lot of fun times to be had and crazy memories to be made with a bunch of family and friends.  These things will be what Cade and Camryn remember.  Our season may not be perfect for someone else...but as long as someone doesn't set my tree on fire I will consider the holiday a success!

I found this great article this week where the author did a really great job expressing how I feel about the holidays.  I love how she describes what really happened when the Word became Flesh.  Hopefully it will help someone else who may struggle with these same thoughts.  Enjoy!!

Kids and Christmas

    

Thanksgiving

I've started a Thanksgiving post 2 times and it has disappeared from my Blogger app. Highly annoying!! I had a really good one for Thanksgiving and no one will ever get to read it. You are really missing out :) but I did want to post the pictures. I'm sure you will see a common theme from Camryn. She was not thankful for cameras on Thursday.

First Haircut

Camryn got her first official haircut today. I've trimmed her bangs a couple of times but she was in need of a major shape up. Of course Jay went to watch it. He said this was the first and last time he would ever be in a Beauty Shop!

She did better than I thought she would. Marsha didn't trim a lot off but at least
her bangs are shorter and the back is more even. I tried to get an after pic and she was not at all interested in that.

On another note- notice her red shoes in one of the pictures. Those came in the mail Saturday. She was thrilled with them. They are squeakers so she has been running all over the house in them. Saturday night she cried every time we tried to take them off...so we let her sleep in them. Since she was in bed with us the plan was to slip them off during the night we both fell asleep so she slept in the shoes all night. Sunday morning I asked Jay if he realized she slept in them all night. He said that yes he did realize it - and if he hasn't had a shirt on he would've had rubber burns on his back. I guess she must've rubbed her feet on his back all night. Whoops! We had to hide them Sunday morning while she was in the tub.

Happy Thankful Thoughts

Wow!! I'm surrounded by a lot of cranky vibes today. My co-workers must've both taken cranky pills this morning. One I'm pretty used to the moods but it is abnormal for the other one. Again...WOW!! I've escaped to Sonic for lunch and a non-hostile environment...LOL

But I've refused to allow their bad moods to ruin my good mood. We only work 3 days this week. That alone can put me in a good mood. Not to mention the other things I'm happy and Thankful for...
My dad is coming to our house for dinner Thursday. I also think our neighbors will also be there

We are going to Springfield to get some last minute things...which means eating out!

I've started on a fun Christmas project/gift for Camryn. I'm excited to makes couple more for some other special girls

Camryn is obsessed with Mickey Mouse right now. Too cute! She went to the Disney Store for the first time Saturday. She was a hoot! See below picture.

We are going to Fayetteville Friday.

Got to spend this past Saturday with my mom in Tulsa

It is almost time to put our tree up

Cade watched Sophia the First with Camryn last night. Watching them together melts my heart. It is so sweet.

I know there are many, many other things but it is time to head back. I'll just keep reviewing this list over and over until 4:30!

Anyone else ready for Christmas???

Camryn and I are!!!  Camryn was so excited about it she insisted on wearing her snowman jammies this week.  Actually...she doesn't have a clue what these are.  She just smiled because I was excited :)

Not to bore you with the infertility details, but this is the most excited I've been about Christmas in a looooong time.  Prior to last year infertility was such a pressing cloud over me that it was hard to get excited.  Then before you all think I'm ungrateful - I was happy last year, but I was also rather numb during the holidays.  Our lives changed so much in 2011 (all of it wonderful) but things were kind of crazy.  Then when you add final home visits and finalization and a huge party the same week as Christmas - well it wears out a person.  Oh, and Camryn was only 6 months old during the holidays.  That didn't help the crazy part!

So this year I think we've finally adjusted to the new normal that is our family, we don't have a court date pressing on us and as much as I love our friends and family - I will not be hosting a huge party on the 23rd :)  That means I'm ready to enjoy the holidays with my little family and get back to some of our old and new traditions....like cookie baking, the Nativity reading that Corey and Kristy gave us in 2010, our church's live Nativity, Hallmark Christmas movies, house decorating, gift buying, gift wrapping, Christmas music going all the time, looking at lights, etc.  Love. It. All.  I'd put our tree up tonight if Jay would let me :)  Actually it's not that he won't let me - I just don't think he's interested in getting all of those boxes down prior to Thanksgiving. 

Speaking of the tree - I'm pretty excited about that this year.  Except I'm going to do it differently.  I'm a huge ornament person.  I love my ornaments.  There are really only 2 personal possessions that would hurt me to loose - my Fiesta dishes and my ornaments.  I love putting all of our ornaments on the tree because they all mean something special.  Since they are so special I'm not going to put them on the tree this year.  Jay and I decided that with Sticky Fingers Camryn on the loose it would be better to go without this year.  As much as it pains me I've agreed.  I'd rather sit out a year than have them lost in the abyss of her toy box.  That girl squirrel's things away all the time.  I've lost a few earrings at her hands.  I don't need that kind of stress with my ornaments.  That's also why I shudder in fear every time Cade loads the dishwasher.  Yes, I know that skill is important....but it is my Fiesta dishes!!

I'm also not putting up ornaments because I had a vision of something else that would probably happen...Jay and I standing in front of an X-ray of one of Camryn's various body parts (eye, hand, stomach, etc). Then I hear the doctor say "yeah, there is the ornament hook..." I'm not interested in that.

I'm also thinking about doing Elf on a Shelf this year...with all my plans I probably should have started July 5...

And I've added several Christmas outfits to Camryn's collection. I have a disease. I can not resist holiday outfits. I have to stay off of Zulily right now. Too much smocking and Christmas goodness combined in 1 outfit. I can hardly resist.

When you realize you are getting older...

Our church has hired a college Freshmen from OCC to be a Youth Minister. Kolton must definitely be doing it for the experience because he sure isn't getting rich doing it. We are thankful for him doing this because he has been a great addition. Our church needed some new blood with some new ideas. Also...being 19 helps a lot to with carrying out those ideas...

Kolton wanted to have a Lock-in this past weekend. This is why having someone young is great. There is no way in the world I'd voluntarily throw a lock-in. I did not like them when I was young and I sure as heck don't like them 20 years later. But the kids loved it last night. I think we ended up with 7 kids total. Six of them were boys and 4 of those are 10. You can imagine what last night was like.  I'm just glad the screams I heard last night were coming from the church basement and not my living room!

The lock-in started Friday night at 8:30 pm.  Jay took Cade and another friend to the church and he also took Camryn.  Taking Camryn had a dual purpose.  I was trying to clean and he thought he could use her as an excuse to not stay all night....oh, I need to run Camryn home.  We are not people who enjoy being up for 24+ hours straight.  I would've gone but with Camryn not feeling good for 3 weeks my house had crossed over into the realm of absolutely disgusting.  If given the choice between a public restroom and one of our bathrooms it would've been a tough choice.  The only reason why I might have picked ours would've been because I was at least related to the germs. 

There were so many little things that I hadn't done around our house for so long that I cleaned from 5pm to after 10:30pm.  When I was done I realized that Jay wasn't home yet so I thought I'd better check on him.  He might have been having so much fun that I needed to pick up Camryn. 

Jay and I talked and we decided he'd stay longer and I'd come pick up Camryn.  I told him I had to switch out some laundry and I'd be right there.  I got started on the drive into town and I was very cautious about the area where there are always deer.  I knew they'd be all stirred up.  Then I was ready to turn onto 96 and I had to wait on several cars.  Then when I got to crossroads I couldn't believe all the activity.  There were a few cars at the gas station and a couple of cars on either side of 96 waiting to cross it.  Since I had been trying to spot any cars driving erratically from either drinking or falling asleep at the wheel I was extremely put out by the number of cars I spotted.  What kind of business did all of these people have being out so late?????  Then I looked at the time on my car...10:55 pm.  Good grief, I am old!  I kind of laughed at myself and then tried to remember the last time I wasn't home before 10.  It has been so long ago I don't remember.  Once I got the church I did end up staying until almost 2am.  It has been a very long time since I willingly was up at that time.  At least I redeemed myself to myself a little bit....I was pretty glad though when Cade told me that they wanted to play Hide and Seek in the Sanctuary but couldn't because Camryn was sleeping in a pew.  I gladly took my leave at that time.  But not before reminding Jay to watch for deer on the way home....

If I'm having a hard time with Cade, can you imagine what it will be like when Camryn has a lock in?  Since I'll be eating dinner at 4:30 pm having to drop her off at 8:30pm will really cut in to my bed time.  I remember being so put out with my dad when he said that there was nothing going to happen after midnight that I couldn't do before then.  At least he said midnight.  I'll be asking my kids why they want to go out after 7pm.... 

On Yesterday's Post...

** I edited this post because when I was talking about the verse that mentioned Noah I said the next verses below mentioned the false prophets.  Sorry - those verses were prior to those mentioning Noah.  Not trying to mess anyone up!!  I just caught it and corrected it. 


After my post from yesterday I started thinking some of it probably came across harsher than I meant for it to. I think it was the tiredness talking!  I felt bad about it and was afraid I was misleading.  So this may be the "heaviest" post I've ever written.


I am not a great Bible scholar. I’ve never claimed to be. I didn’t go to Bible College. I don’t know as much about the historical things surrounding the time periods in the Bible as much as I should or would like to know. I grew up in a pretty simple Bible preaching Christian Church and Jay and I now attend another very similar Christian Church. One thing I’ve realized over the years is that, at least in the 3 Christian Church’s I’ve attended, there has never been a lot of talk about the end times. Not that we are avoiding the subject, I just feel like what we believe is what the Bible says – no one knows. Recently our preacher even gave a sermon on it and his take on it is that the only thing he knows is that each day is one day closer.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the people I work with. It has been great to develop friendships with them and I love having someone that I can have in depth religious discussions with. I just don’t think we completely agree on a few things. I just know one day I got a handout on how God has given us a “calendar” of when things will occur. It had a lot of math surrounding different feasts and years of when Biblical events occurred. I couldn’t get past the first page, especially when the very first verse quoted was the one I had yesterday (Matthew 24:36). To me using that verse at the beginning of what they were trying to convince me of negated the rest of the handout.

After I started feeling guilty about yesterdays post I googled some of this and let me tell you – there is a lot of stuff on the internet about the end times. And I’m just going to say it – most of it was kooky. Something I read yesterday said that people take that same verse in Matthew out of context all the time and then went on to explain how the next part when it talks about Noah tells us God does want us to know exactly when He will be back. But this particular author stopped after talking about the verse that mentioned Noah. So I re-read the whole chapter in Matthew to make sure I didn’t feel like what I had said was me taking it out of context. I think a  few verses above it (Matthew 23-26) are highly important because it talks about not being deceived by false prophets. Hmmmm….

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t understand The Book of Revelation. Maybe it is my own simple mindness that keeps me from understanding (and wanting to discuss) how this means that and when John says this he actually means that, etc. Personally I think it is us being humans and trying to put things in terms we understand because we like things tied up in neat little boxes. But I then again I just don’t know….

But I think that is one of the greatest things about God. We don’t have to know all the answers and the sooner we figure that out the better it is. It is so freeing. So I have no idea if I am right or wrong on any of this, all I know is what I feel. I think we are to wait expectantly and with excitement for His coming, whether that is today or next week or 10 years from now.  Strive to live each day like it could happen in the next second!  I still believe we’ve been in the end times since sin first entered the world – God gave us a way out of it even though we don’t deserve it. And yes, things in this world aren’t perfect and I know better things await me at the end of this life….but as I sit at my desk and look at the beautiful sun shining on the red and gold leaves I can’t help but think God gave us some pretty great things to enjoy in this life. I don’t think He wants us to waste it moaning and groaning about how terrible things are or are going to be or trying to figure out what we can’t understand.

But then again I’m pretty simple…..

Matthew 24

Guess What???

Camryn slept all night!!! There was no feet kicking all night, there was no wild eyed 3 am cartoon watching. It was great!! Last night we weren't sure how it was going to go. She was still pretty wild before bed. We decided to not give her the last steroid dose. We just couldn't do it. Her rash is gone so we decided to chance it. It was so great last night!! Now if we could get her to do that another couple of nights we might feel human again.

Hello, my name is Crystal.....

and I haven't slept in days. 

Our lack of sleep the last several nights and Camryn's case of Restless Leg Syndrome really took precident for me over the election last night.  I am exhausted today!  Therefore it was a leggings as pants (under a long sweater of course), crumb cake donut and coffee kind of day.  Even the 2 skinny butted ladies in front of me at Casey's didn't sway me from the donuts (or question the leggings as pants decision).  That is how bad last night was....

I hope it is still the steroid that Camryn is taking that is making her nuts.  Jay has never been diagnosed as having Restless Leg Syndrome, but we know he has it.  Camryn seemed to be suffering from the same thing last night.  She would not stop moving her legs.  Even when she was drifting off to sleep on my lap her legs were still moving.  It reminded me of how a cat will paw something until it is right before they lay down.  Except Camryn never stopped moving her legs.  Never.

Finally at 9 I was done with Jay's election coverage and I decided to go to bed.  You know that advice people give you with new babies....sleep when your baby sleeps????  No one really does that because they do little things during that time that make them feel human like shower and brush their teeth.  But I am here to tell you right now - when your child taking a steroid sleeps then you need to sleep.

Camryn was actually fairly still until about 11:30.  Then her legs started kicking.  By midnight she was full blown awake.  She is going to be so messed up after all of this.  We are giving her bottles of milk at all hours just to get her to go to sleep and calm down.  I put her in our bed and with a bottle.  Jay told me to sleep on the couch and he'd take her abuse for awhile.  She was quiet until 3:30.  Or at least I thought she was quiet.  I got up then and gave her another bottle and had to turn cartoons on for her.  I tried getting back in bed with them and it was awful!!  Jay said that Camryn marched up and down his spine all night.  I'd believe it because from 3:30 until 5:30 she had to have walked the equivalent of 10 miles.  Apparently Camryn didn't want Charity to get one up on her so she decided to hold her own marathon in our bed!

Not only were her legs moving up and down on us constantly she is also obsessed with my phone right now.  I have a video of her singing her meow song.  She will look at my phone and cry "meow, meow".  So I will pull the video up and she will start to watch it.  Except she can't understand the concept of if she swipes her fingers across the screen the video will disappear.  Then she will continue to swipe through picture after picture until she lands on the exact same one every time and then she will hand it back and cry "meow, meow" again.  From 3:30 until 5:30 I kept finding the meow video for her.  But instead of handing it back most of the time it was thrown on my head.    Then she likes to play with my hair - which is fine, except that right now it has gotten quite violent.  She has been pulling pieces out around my temples.  I don't have a lot of hair to begin with so I really hate to loose anymore.  You know those poor old women you see who have no hair until about the midway point on the top of their skull? Yeah, that's how I'm going to look if this continues. 

So today I really dreaded coming to work....I'm exhausted, my back is killing me for some reason, and I knew I was going to hear about how the rapture is going to take place any moment since we re-elected the current president.  No, I don't believe the country is going in the right direction, I am concerned about our future.  But it clearly says in the Bible no one knows the day or the hour - not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself  (“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father Matthew 24:36")  So it wears me out to hear the analysis of every detail that is going wrong in the world and trying to pinpoint the day or the time.  All I know is that every day is one day closer.  And we've been in the end times since the moment Eve took the forbidden fruit. 

So unless it happens before 9pm tonight, I'm going to focus on what I do know.....if Camryn doesn't stop marching up and down our backs during the night Jay and I are going to need a padded room at the nearest mental hospital.

Here is some of what was going on last night.  She just kept circling our couch.  Then when she stops and looks into my phone her legs are still moving.  She can't keep them still.

And before everyone thinks we constantly have laundry on the floor Camryn had pulled a basket of folded laundry off a the chair in one of her crazy fits last night.  I am so beat down I didn't care.  It is still on the floor right now....

And here is the meow song.

The Rest of the Weekend...

Our weekend was mostly about rashes and medication but we were able to squeeze in a few other things...

Terry didn't use his ticket so Cade got to go to the game with Jay. It was a beautiful day for Football in Arkansas!! I think Cade had a good time. The whole ER thing happened about the 3rd quarter. Jay was starting to leave the game but I told them to stay. Nana and I had Camryn under control and I didn't want Cade to miss any of the game. They had already climbed down from their seats by that time. Since their seats are so far up Jay snuck into someone else's seats on one of the lower levels. As late as it was in the game those people probably weren't coming back anyway. It made Cade so nervous to sit in the wrong seats. I think it is so funny that even when I'm not with Jay I still am in a way. I hate it when he scabs seats! So they were sitting in someone else's seats and Cade kicked over 2 drinks that belonged to someone else. Then they watched the drinks spread out and and run onto some other people. I think those people were highly annoyed with the seat stealers.

On Sunday morning I went to Springfield and watched my sister finish her first marathon. I am very proud of her and glad I got to see her accomplish this goal. 26 miles is pretty impressive!

Especially since I confessed to her that I tried doing the couch to 5K program a couple of months ago and I thought my uterus was going to fall out. After I was done the first day I wondered if I was giving birth for a few moments. After several days of doing it I decided running wasn't for me. I had a vision of the boys going to school one morning....

Cade: Dad, what is that in the road?

Jay: Oh nothing, just your mom's uterus. She said she lost it somewhere this morning...

So I am amazed by anyone who can run 26 miles and cross the finish line without her uterus dragging behind her.

All natural hysterectomy jokes aside I am very proud of Charity and enjoyed being able to spend some time together after the race sans kids!

When asked if Camryn has any drug allergies...

We will now need to say yes!

Poor baby had a reaction to the amoxicillin she was taking for her double ear infection. Friday, about 11:30, Stacy texted me that Camryn had a rash. I didn't think it would be a big deal. We decided to wait a bit to see what happened.

About 2 Stacy told me it was getting worse. After seeing a picture of Camryn and calling her doctor I ran her in to see him. He said it was a reaction to her medicine (big surprise) and it would get worse before it got better.

This picture is Camryn normally - in case you've forgotten how light her skin normally is. This picture was taken Thrusday night.











This is how she looked when I picked her up Friday afternoon to take her to the doctor.  I thought this looked really bad at the time...
























But then this was what "worse" looked like Saturday morning. I kept calm because I knew that would happen..... 

But by Saturday afternoon, when she went from spotted to solid red and her face and lips were swelling I decided it was time to head to the ER. Of course we were in Fayetteville for the game so we had to use the hospital there which I'm sure is out of my insruance network! But oh well....she was pulling at her throat so that really scared me. I didn't know if she was just scratching it or if she was having trouble breathing. Since my policy is to err on the side of caution with my kids health we went to the ER. Yes, if you are keeping track that was ER visit #2 in 7 days! Yes, she has had no trouble meeting her deductible for the year!  This picture doesn't do the rash justice.  I am not exaggerating when I tell you her face was as red as her shirt.  It was just the lighting in the room making it look lighter.

When we walked in the ER with this swollen faced baby they got us admitted and into a room pronto.  We still had to wait a bit for the doctor but at least we knew by that point her throat wasn't swelling.  We left the ER with 2 prescriptions.

Last night was pretty rough at our house.  I think the rash has moved into the uncomfortable stage.  Her diaper area looks as bad as her face did in the picture from Saturday morning.  She keeps sticking her hands down the back of her diaper and scratching.  The steroid is also hyping her up so there was absolutely no sleep to be had for anyone us.  It even got to Cade because he told me that he was so tired he didn't think he'd make it through school all day.  I'm drinking lots of caffiene!  Jay is staying home with her, but he did ask Sharon to come stay with her for a bit.  Our washer is still broken and we had a ton a laundry.  Jay took 11 loads to the laundrymat.  I ran some lunch home for them and Jay was putting away the clothes and Sharon had started cleaning up my house.  Instead of the total disaster it was previously, my kitchen was spotless.  That will make it much easier for a tired mommy to take care of her sick baby after work.  Thanks to Jay and Sharon!!

Halloween

Cade was never really  "in" to Halloween.  His first one he was 7 months old and he cried almost the whole time he wore his Dalmatian suit.  A miserable night was had by all.  The next year Jay and I (were idiotic first time parents) took Cade, at 16 months, to National FFA Convention.  We were gone over Halloween so I didn't even bother with a costume. 

The year Cade was 2, I got pretty excited about Halloween.  Cade loved Elvis so I thought buying a (very expensive) Elvis costume would be the cutest thing ever.  He wore it once to walk around the square in Nevada a couple of days before Halloween and whined the entire time.  By Halloween night he was refusing to put it on and would scream every time I tried.  No trick-or-treating was done that year either. 

The year he was 3 I tried a different approach.  I thought that maybe if Jay and I would both dress up (which I am actually a closet costume lover) Cade would be more apt to wear one.  I ordered Cade and I costumes from Disney even.  I was already going through some infertility things at that point and I thought what the heck - I'll spend $$ to be Minnie Mouse.  So Cade was supposed to be Captain Hook, I was Minnie Mouse and Jay (who hates all things related to costumes) really stretched himself and went as a cowboy.  That night when I got home from work I could hear crying coming from the bedroom - Cade was refusing to wear his costume.  I almost lost it.  I remember wanting to scream just put the *&^& costume on!  Thankfully Jay took a better approach and got him to finally put it on.  But in every picture we have Cade has his foam hook in front of his face.  Finally after that year things got a little easier.  I decided not to buy him one until he asked for it, which he finally did the year he was 4.  But it was just never something he got really excited about.  He did like to dress up in his old costumes around the house, but he wasn't big on wearing them outside.  He also never ate his candy.  It would sit in the pantry until the next Halloween when I'd throw it all out to make room for the new.

So with Camryn I decided to approach Halloween with ZERO expectations.  I haven't even bought her a costume, we've just done cute Halloween outfits.  I knew I'd get frustrated if I had a really cute costume and she refused to wear parts of it.  If you are going to do a costume you need to do the whole thing - like Minnie Mouse without ears.  Who would do that????

I think Halloween may be Camryn's thing. She loved the chocolate last night. I think she ate a little bit of a Twizzler, a whole mini sized crunch bar and 2 tootsie rolls. She had a ring of chocolate around her mouth by the end of the night.  She also wasn't a bit scared by the other costumes.  She just seemed to take it all in.  We kept our treating to a minimum, but we did visit a couple of friends who had indoor pets.  There she got two of her favorite things at once - cats and chocolate.  We also went with Jim and Sharon to their church and ate hot dogs.  She and Memo also made sugar cookies.  Camryn was supposed to share one with me, but she ate the icing off of it first.  By the time we got home last night I think all of that sugar had kicked in....

The pictures are a little out of order....

And here is another video that gives you a taste of what she was like after we got home....