Costumes!!!

This year is the first year since the kids were very small that I didn't let them pick out whatever costume they wanted.  I've always saved up beforehand, because I HEART DRESSING UP!  This year, I (sort-of) gave in to what Stephen has wanted me to do for years.

"Kids, I'm afraid we're going to have to be creative this year and come up with a costume from what you have."  I'm cringing as I say it wondering if I'll be able to stay strong against the coming disappointment. 

The kids start getting all excited, jumping up and down, discussing different ideas.

I'm looking all bewildered.  What?  They're excited about this?

They rush downstairs and go through the bins of STUFF. 

Iris quickly declares herself a Snow Queen.  She starts to frantically figure out a crown or tiara.  I pull out my wedding tiara-ish hair comb and the child goes NUTS!!  I mean...that meant much more to her than I realized!

Lucy took a few days and settled on Lucille Ball.  This is where the "sort-of" came in.  I did technically buy her something for this costume....a $9 wig.  But Stephen was  more than happy to let me make that small purchase....he still couldn't believe I wasn't trying to order entire costumes.

Clyde's ideas bounced around like crazy...a  minion?  a purple minion?  Zeus?  Mercury?  He really wanted to be a minion dressed as Mercury.  I told him to pick one.  Then he found a minion hat at the Days of Yesteryear festival and that decided for him.  So at $11 for the toboggan, $5 for the yellow shirts I pieced together, and $10 for the denim to try to put some overalls together, his was the most expensive costume this year.  But with Iris's being free and Lucy's being cheap, Stephen was quite reasonable about this.  He did watch me visit thrift stores and discount stores trying to frantically find a yellow shirt and overalls.  We just have a lot more girly dress-up stuff than boy dress-up stuff!

So here are the final pics!  I got more varied shots of Clyde and Iris, because Lucy was at Victorian school when I took them...her pics were a bit more hurried as I took them right before a festival.

The Snow Queen

 Minion

 The Snow Queen & Minion are long lost siblings!

This sneak attempt at a peck on the cheek totally shocked the sister who 

is always pushed away when she tries to give him a kiss!

I love Lucy!  :)

This is her mouth-stuffed-with-chocolates face.

Days of Yesteryear!

After our vacation we were able to make the last day of the annual Days of Yesteryear festival that my Dad helps out with.  We haven't missed one since the first one we attended when the kids were tiny, so we were excited to make it.

Here's Dad leading the opening prayer..

Someone who is part of the association that puts on this festival actually built this little pedal-go-round.

It's kind of funny...last year, the kids weren't as interested in the tractor train as they used to be, but THIS year, you would have thought they'd never seen it before- they were that excited!  They rode it 4 or 5 times.

This train started out with just a few white barrels that the man who drives it attatched to wheels and pulled around.  Then he painted a few.  Then he made those painted ones resemble brands of tractors.  Then other members of the organization started taking them home and decorating their own...so there is much creativity to this train now!

Here's Clyde in the tow-truck barrel.  Notice the blonde lady sitting on a little seat on the back of the tractor.  I got on that seat...it is SCARY.

The girls in some of the shiney barrels...check out the eyelashes and horn on that pink one!

The driver decided it would be fun to drive around the Daddy!

Clyde picked out this hat at one of the booths. 

Lucy tried this one on for fun at the same booth.

We watched this blacksmith.  He and Stephen got to talking and we found out that he grew up in Colonial Williamsburg...his dad was one of the reenactor craftsmen there.  So as a child, this guy would run down to the blacksmith shop and help out down there.  Pretty interesting childhood, huh?

The kids were playing with some of his cool stuff.  He showed them how when you pull this pole, it tips the hot pitcher and poors water.

We watched a chainsaw carver...

Clyde examined some birdhouses...

Kids give Grandad a hug.  Also, oddly enough, I met this lady on the left and her name is Janet.  Grandmom WAS there...I just didn't get any pics.

Fun at Days of Yesteryear!!!

More Beach Activities

Another photo dump!
We HAD to go crab-hunting at least a few nights!  It is a beloved activity after all!

                                                            Nena and Lucy searching.

                             A few of our victims!  Bwaa-ha-ha!  Just kidding, we let them go :)

              Clyde ran ahead of us and pretended that he had been lying there waiting FOREVER!

                                           Mumsy and the kiddy-poos with their prize catches.

This trip to the beach gave me a great opportunity to try my new camera out on some of the native fauna.

 I think this impressive guys is a guitar fish?  But I'm not sure.  We saw 3 together swimming in amongst our feet.  Kind of creepy.  Only got pictures of two.

                                                                            Fishy!

 This crab pinched the toe of Iris's friend's mom.  So he got scooped up with a net and thoroughly examined by both families.

                                                  I spied this little guys whilst shopping.

                                         There were lots of big pink jelly fish near the pier.

Back at the condo, there was a pretty great pool and fountain area!

                                                                      Mamasita!

                                                                       Sarasita!

                                       Long conversation between sisters.... was it a secret?

                                                Clyde's trying to find out a secret here!

                                        Lucy dunking Clyde while playing the "color game."

 Clyde playing the 'color game' and anticipating dunking his sister.  She doesn't look very scared.

We went souvenir shopping!

                                                      Kids on the giant adirondack chair.

                                                      Playing on palm trees on the strip.

              Iris was concerned about Papa's crocs not having any jibbitz...so she bought him one.

                                                                         aawww.

                                                           The view in front of me.

                         and behind me.  Sherry had gone to get David from the pier at this point.

 We got the really cool table in the boat at Margaritaville!  Great food!  I LOVE them because they're so awesome and friendly and thorough with the food allergy thing!

                                                                eating commenced.

We saw a guy making roses out of leaves.  Lucy stepped up to him and said, "Cool!"  So, of course, he gave her one :)

And then there was fishing!

 Sherry dropped David off early a couple of mornings and he fished most of the day.  Here he is surrounded by his expert gear.

 Stephen, Papa, Clyde, Iris and I joined him for a while.  (Clyde and I didn't last long before we started seeing white...so Papa drove us back to the condo and returned for the heartier stock.)

 Iris and her remora.

 Clydie reminding me of a Norman Rockwell, leaning over and peering at what he hopes to catch.  We did get to see something he was REALLY hoping to see.... a large hammerhead shark!  Yikes!

 Clydie holding what he  then tried to use as a baitfish, but I really thought it looked like a good catch by itself!

                     Clyde heroically holding up our bait (squid) so I could get a good picture of it.

 Papa and Iris while it's Clyde's turn to use the fishing pole.  Also, she thinks she's being sneaky with his Diet Coke, but really he's just letting her drink it.

Besides all of the above exciting activities, we also just had fun chilling back at the condo.

They look very serious here!

                                                              Iris working a puzzle.

                                                         Lucy reading on my nook.

                                                              Iris styling Papa's hair.

                   Clyde and Iris really enjoyed how free we were their screen time during vacation!

 Lucy began painting the beach as she saw it from our dinner table.  She asked me to help mix a color for the sand :)  Love watching her paint.

                                                               More painting.

                                     Iris must have read Calvin & Hobbs to Nena for an hour!

Lucy diligently doing her homework and Sherry making it easier on her by reading with her on the balcony.

Good times!  Thank- you, Nena & Papa!