Olé ~ Halloween 2010

October 31, 2010- It was another fun year and cute costume for Halloween this year.  Pecos was a Matador with Brazos standing in as Ferdinand the Bull. 

This idea all started sometime this summer when Pecos got the Ferdinand children's book.  We read that book over and over at bedtime for many, many nights.  Which started a conversation about bull fighters and how the Matador was different from the bull fighters in the PBR and the rodeo.  And somehow that led to the idea that Pecos would be a Matador for Halloween and Brazos would be Ferdinand.

So the search began for a matador costume.  I found a vintage pattern on-line but I held off on buying it because I knew it would be so much work to make a 5-slim out of a size 10 pattern. Apparently PETA has pushed their agenda onto the Halloween scene and a Matador is neither popular nor available as a kid's costume.   So it was back to the internet to purchase the pattern I had seen previously; no such luck because of course it was already sold.

I did more searching, figured out ways to create one out of regular clothes and accessories, and then I hit the jackpot.  This costume was in an on-line estate sale listing complete with the shoes, hat and cape.  Who has this kind of thing in their estate? I guess we do now!  It was not in the best condition and needed quite a bit of alterations and repairs, but it was worth it because Pecos was the best little Matador with Brazos as a rather cute Ferdinand Harper has ever seen.

And of course he had to mimic the pose of a true Matador.

Brazos' costume was not easy to come by either.  When it comes to bovine costumes the only thing available is a Holstein cow.  And because it was a polyester blend I wasn't able to dye it.  So I spray painted it instead.  He wore it long enough to take the photo and make a public appearance at the Fall Festival but I didn't want to overdo it with the paint fumes or let his bare arms get too cold.  He switched to more comfortable attire for trick or treating.

We missed the official costume contest at the Harper Fall Festival but I think Pecos was the crowd favorite; he and Brazos were our favorites!

 

pumpkin carving

October 28, 2010- What do you do with your pumpkin from the pumpkin patch?  Carve it, of course!  Pecos was so very excited at the chance to carve the pumpkin from his class field trip to the pumpkin patch in Medina. 

First, remove the "yucky stuff".

Next, let your little brother help remove all that yucky stuff while you point out where you want the eyes to be.

Then let daddy and Brazos do the carving.

Show off the amazing creation.

Finally, put it in your room to make a cool new night light.

pumpkin patch

October 28, 2010- We made our annual visit to the pumpkin patch in Medina.  Pecos' class went there on a field trip and Brazos and I tagged along for the fun. 

Pecos' favorite activity is the hay maze as it has been for the past three years.  There are always pumpkins on the hay bales and Pecos always seems to want to rearrange them.  They were each allowed to select one pumpkin to take home and after much discernment Pecos selected a great one.

Then he played on the hay bales for a while.  Funny, we have hay bales at home but he never wants to play on them here.  He has a clear definition of work and play and doesn't want to cross that line I guess.

The barrel train was a big hit with the kids.

 Happy Fall Y'all !!

5 months old

October 25, 2010- Brazos is 5 months old now!  My how time flies. 

This past month has been full of laughs and fun times for Brazos.  He REALLY loves laughing at Pecos.  And if Casey is home at night to put Pecos to bed and tell one of his famous bed time stories I usually put Brazos in the bed with them.  He gets really wound up with high pitched screeches and wiggles...maybe not the best thing to do just before bedtime!

After switching off the hypo-allergenic formula last month we realized that wasn't going to work because apparently little Brazos has a big sensitivity problem with milk protein- at least for now.  Maybe he'll grow out of it one day, who knows. 

Thrush was back again and this time we're trying a different medicine for it because he's getting it so frequently.  I hope this is the last of it.  Pecos went in to the doctor in early October for an allergy induced sinus infection and the doctor thought Brazos was also getting the start of it so she prescribed Amoxicillin for him.  He took it for 4 or 5 days and then I forgot it for a day or two- (bad on my part, I know).  A few days after that he was getting a little snotty again and I remembered the Amoxicillin and gave it to him to finish it off.  But he broke out in HIVES.  Yes, hives; and lots of them.  But thankfully it was just a skin reaction and no constriction of his airway to cause a complete panic attack for me.  So I'm pretty sure he's allergic to penicillin.  But hey, we've made it 5 whole months without an ear infection!

buckle boy

October 3, 2010- The mutton bustin' buckle has finally arrived!  Back in June when Pecos made a spontaneous decision to do mutton bustin' at the Peach Jamboree, Casey promised him a belt buckle if he was one of the winners.  Sure enough, he was in the top three so we had to order him his very own buckle. 

That turned out to be a much more drawn out process than we expected thanks to the multiple mistakes made by Montana Silversmiths.  First they did the engraving wrong, then they lost the order.  Finally it arrived and made our Pecos one very happy cowboy!

laser at the ready

 October 2, 2010- Pecos was invited to a birthday party at the arcade in Kerrville.  Laser tag was part of the party fun and Pecos was VERY excited to strap on the vest, grab the laser gun and begin shooting. 

So what if he had it backwards and was shooting himself most of the time!