Our kids joined the Frozen bandwagon a little late. We had tried to show them the movie maybe a year or two ago, but it never really caught on. I can’t even remember why at this point, but Sean started playing the soundtrack for them and wow, were they hooked. Maya still regularly requests the music, and Ian sings along to most of it.

Getting ready to go to the preschool carnival

Ian decided pretty early on that he wanted to be Anna from Frozen. Maya, being the great big sister that she is, figured she’d be Elsa to go with his Anna. It was with much glee that I ordered costumes from Amazon and called it a day. Big checkmark beside the Halloween costume box on my to do list.

The kids made decorations and then insisted the ALL be hung in their rooms

As usual, nanny Anna (not the be confused with Frozen Anna) drew the designs on the kids’ jack-o-lanterns, I gutted and carved, and Sean lit the candles. They were easy on me this year. Ian decided to go traditional and Maya wanted a ghost. And Anna chose designs that weren’t too fiddly. Ian painted a pumpkin at preschool. So that Maya wouldn’t feel left out, we let her paint a pumpkin at home.

Jack-o-lanterns!

These kids have had an action-packed holiday. This past Friday, we went to Ian’s school carnival. The folks at his preschool rent all sorts of inflatable bounce houses and climbing structures. They get local businesses to sponsor booths at the event. They raise money for a good cause (this year it was Austin Pets Alive). Maya and Ian had a ball running over and over again through bouncy obstacle courses, bouncy ball pits, bouncy slides, you name it. They both learned pretty early on that it’s no fun trying to climb and run and jump in a long dress, so neither of them stayed in costume for very long.

On Saturday afternoon, we went to Dolphin Fest at Maya’s school, which is basically their fall fundraiser event. Sean and I had planned to devote an hour. I think we were there for somewhere between two and three. It was an emotional roller coaster. The kids laughed, they cried, the won some things, they tried to cope with not always winning everything. Maya scored a photo booth photo with her beloved kindergarten teacher.

Ian bouncing at his carnival

Also, by Saturday, it was downright hot. We were out in the full sun for a couple hours, feeling certain we were getting burnt (amazingly, we didn’t). By the time we got home, we were all beat. We threw on a fun halloween movie for the kids, ordered pizza, and vegged out on the couch. Around bedtime, we noticed Ian had a weird wiggle in one of his legs as he was going up the stairs. Both of us dismissed it as him being silly, but a bit later, Sean saw that he was really favoring his left leg. It seemed to rapidly get worse, to the point that if he put weight on it, he just crumpled. It took a while before he admitted that he had fallen down and maybe hurt his leg.

Maya this afternoon after school, demonstrating how her pink teeth worked

He was acting so strangely that we loaded up the car and took him to the children’s ER. The nurse and doctors quizzed him about exactly what had happened and where it hurt and how much it was hurting now, and they all seemed bemused by how well 3-year-old Ian speaks and explains things. An x-ray machine was wheeled in to get some images of his leg. There were no fractures, and the kids were both pretty excited that they got to see what Ian’s bones looked like. Ian was a little miffed that the machine didn’t make his leg stop hurting though. Alas he was sent home with most everyone shrugging their shoulders. We were given instructions to rest his leg and provide ibuprofen for the pain. For those playing along at home, that means Ian has now had TWO visits to the ER while Maya has had zero. Who would’ve thought.

Sunday he still wasn’t putting weight on it without some serious wobble. But Monday, he woke up excited to show us how he could straighten his leg out and walk. And sure enough, by today, there was no evidence that anything had happened. Kids are amazing. Sean had taken him to our pediatrician on Monday who suggested that he may have strained a joint.

Trick or treat!

He was good to go for trick or treating today. Rain was in the forecast. The clouds were thickening and the wind was picking up, so after some down time after school, the kids got dressed up in their costumes and we headed out to get some trick or treating in a bit earlier in the evening. We joined up with a few of our neighbors and their kids and managed to visit a handful of houses before fat raindrops were plopping on our heads. I had our raincoats in my backpack, so we all put ’em on and kept right on trick or treating. I can remember as a kid being annoyed when I had to wear a coat over my costume because it was a cold Halloween. Maya and Ian didn’t seem to care so long as the neighbors were giving them candy. We ended our evening by popping into our neighborhood block party for a little while.

Guess who we will be adding to our front yard decorations at Christmas

Ian and Maya both seemed like they had a really great Halloween. And now we get to add Elsa and Anna costumes do our dress-up drawer. Do you want to build a snowman? Because Maya and Ian sure as heck do.

Back on the weekend of October 13th and 14th, we took a trip to Dallas to visit the Texas State Fair. Sean and I have lived in this crazy state for a double-digit number of years, and this is the first time we’ve gone. Having adventures with the kids is a good motivator.

Bigger in Texas, I guess

Our plan had been to drive up on Saturday, play all afternoon and evening at the fair (which is immense), stay the night in a hotel, and then drive back down to Austin Sunday. The fair runs for several weeks, but there was only one weekend that didn’t conflict with some other event in our schedules. We noticed there was rain in the forecast, but we figured we’d make the most of it rain or shine and bought the kids raincoats.

Alas, the weather had other plans. By the time we rolled into Dallas (after a stop off in West, Texas for kolaches), it was flat pouring. We could barely see to drive. Making the most of that day would involve not going to the fair. Luckily, the Perot Museum of Science and Nature was in the same general area as the fair and our hotel, so we just drove there instead.

They were zero interested in having their photo taken

Our kids were maybe a wee bit ornery after the long drive that ended in NOT going to the fair, but the museum was great. Dinosaur skeletons, interactive exhibits, an on-site restaurant, an area of smaller children to run out their energy on the basement floor were welcome features. It kept all of us occupied through the whole afternoon.

The rain had died down by the time we left, so the kids played outside in the water area for a little while and then we headed back to our hotel. Throughout the evening it sprinkled a bit and the sky always looked like it was on the verge of dumping more rain. Still, the thought of getting in the car again was off-putting to say the least. Instead we made use of our raincoats again and walked to the Twisted Trompo restaurant, which 75% of us loved. Maya will still not eat food cooked on fire and the trompos and the flames were right where we could ogle them as we ordered our tacos.

Maya and Ian, riding parent-less

The next morning, after hotel breakfast, we headed over to the Texas State Fair. The weather on Sunday was much more agreeable, maybe even borderline hot in the afternoon. We rode a some rides, including a few kiddie roller coasters, which was a first for Maya and Ian. They loved them. At the end of our visit, Maya and Ian even rode a motorcycle ride together but without any grown ups.

We watched pig races, petted some bunnies, took photos with Big Tex (who is honestly kind of creepy), ate some fried foods (including fried butter – no joke), and walked ourselves silly all over those giant fairgrounds. We even went home with a state fair cookbook. Of course, it was filled with last year’s recipes, so Sean says we’ll have to go back to get the recipe for the Hoppin’ John Cakes with Jackpot Sauce that he loved so much.

We can’t help ourselves

The kids had a great time. When we quizzed them about what they liked the best, they agreed that the rides were their favorite. They tell us they wish we had just ridden the rides the whole time. Sounds like an amusement park visit may be in our future. Maybe once they’re a little better at waiting in lines.

We had a good time at the fair, especially the kids, but as I write about it now, my heart’s just not in it. This past week, my very young cousin Katie died. She was 32. She’s survived by a husband and 5 year old son, a sister, her parents, our grandmother. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago and after a long, hard journey, it finally took her. I’ve been away from home a long time, and she was 10 years younger than me, so we weren’t close, but the sadness has been overwhelming. My heart aches for her, her parents, her sister, her husband and son. My love, no matter how far removed, no matter how “other,” goes out to all of them.

Initial photos are just of some random hijinks that have been fun but maybe not blog-worthy between first day of kindergarten and now.