The Christmas Letter

Dear Friends & Family,

Three reasons why we're not sending out a Christmas letter:

#3 Postage is expensive

#2 I don't have anyone's address anymore

#1 I'm lazy

Instead, you get to enjoy this super-modern digital Christmas letter! I know it's not as exciting as getting a legitimate card in the mail, but it's the best I can do (see reason #1 above).

2009 has been a good year for us. We've been here in Maryland now for two years and feel so blessed to call it home. We love it here. We've been in our own home for a year and a half and still feel so lucky to be here. With so much uncertainty in the world right now, we've been incredibly blessed to be where we are.

Now for the good stuff:Seth is almost 17 months old now, which means almost old enough to go to Nursery (our church's childcare for kids 18 months to 3 years old). Two months ago I couldn't believe my baby would be in Nursery. Now I'm ready to drop him off and leave him there until Sunday night. Is it possible for him to be going through the Terrible Two's already? Those temper tantrums look pretty legitimate to me...

It's been a big year for Seth. He's gone from being a immobile blob (but a very cute blob) to full-on running. From single syllable exclamations he's progressed to sentences ("Bear, please"). And from "Serious Seth" he's evolved into a world-class flirt. If you are a girl or woman over the age of 11, watch out. Girls his own age just terrify him. Every day he's learning something new (this week it's been climbing onto the kitchen table). It's amazing how much he's changed in just one year. That old saying about raising children--"The days are long but the weeks are short"--is so absolutely true.

I (Megan) am managing to keep myself just busy enough to have an excuse for not cleaning my house. I'm 2nd Counselor in our church's Young Women's Presidency, which means I get to help out with the 12 and 13 year old girls. All thirteen of them. Between Tuesday activities, Sunday lessons, firesides, presidency meetings and stake activities, some weeks I feel like I should just pack up my room and sleep at the church. But I really love working with these girls, even if I do have to suffer through Twilight discussions over and over and over again...

When I'm not at church I'm teaching piano lessons. At the moment I have 15 students and a waiting list of 7. Any piano teachers feel like moving here and helping me out? Teaching has been a great way to earn a little extra money, plus let Seth (and me) interact with lots of different people. That flirting I was talking about earlier? It's directed mostly at my students' mothers.

The rest of my time is occupied by my wifely and motherly duties. Some days it's overwhelming, some days its mind-numbing, but mostly it's the best job I've ever had. And, of course, I still manage to sneak in some reading when I should be cooking/cleaning. My house hasn't been mopped in weeks, but I made it through Vanity Fair and Bleak House!

Jon is in his final year of the AMC Fellows Program. He's currently "interning" with JPM NBC CA (10 extra credit points if you have any idea what that stands for) on the Edgewood side of APG, but will head back to AMSAA on the Aberdeen side in January where he will transition to a permanent position. He seems to be enjoying his work. Occasionally he tries to explain to me what he's working on, but it usually involves math and/or chemistry--my two weakest subjects. Something to do with detecting chemical agents, Google Earth, and a trip to Dugway, Utah.

The highlight of Seth's day is when Jon comes home from work. Jon is a fabulous dad--he knows all the right ways to entertain the Monster Man. From the moment he walks in the door, Seth is his shadow until bedtime. I love it (and not just because that leaves me free to actually cook dinner). When he's not being Daddy (and sometimes when he is), you'll find him downstairs on his computer. "Doing our finances" usually ends up turning into Diablo II or Civilization IV. Sometimes he'll read a book instead, but only ones that his sister Mary recommends. He doesn't like my books.

And that's 2009 for us! Now if both of our cars will just make it one more year and stop breaking down before every temple trip, we'll be perfectly content. We love you all and hope that next year will find you all happy and well.

Love, The Bloods~ Jonathan, Megan & Seth

"For unto us a child is born..."

For Now We See Through a Glass, Darkly...

2009 has been a wonderful year for our little family. I feel so humble when I think about everything we have been blessed with.

On the other hand, this year has been one of many sorrows. During the past 12 months I have had many, many of my good friends lose their babies during various stages of pregnancy. Some lost them soon after conceiving. Some had already heard a heartbeat and thought they were past the fear of miscarrying. Some had literally experienced miracles, but weren't able to carry the child full term. Every time, I cried for them.

Finding out you're expecting means so much more than I realized. Immediately you begin thinking of how life will change. "By this time next year I'll have a 3 month old." "Next Christmas I'll have a little one around." Your whole paradigm suddenly changes, never to be the same again.

And that's what makes it so hard to lose a pregnancy. It's not just the loss of a tiny life, which is tragic enough. It's also the loss of all your plans--all the hopes, dreams, and preparations for the future.

One week ago a dear friend from church lost her little girl days before she was due to deliver. We've all spent the past week grieving, trying to understand why this was part of the Lord's plan. It hasn't been easy for me to understand. I'm not angry so much as I am frustrated and confused.

The one thing that's given me peace is this sweet mother's incredible faith. Would I be able to write, just days after losing my little one, "Blessed be the name of the Lord"? I don't know. But because her faith is so strong, I've felt mine grow, too.

This is what I know: Our Heavenly Father knows each of us and cares about us deeply. I know He is watching over each of my grieving friends. I also know that He has a plan. Sometimes it's difficult to understand, but it is in place. We just don't remember the beginning and can't fully comprehend the end. So we're left to muddle through the middle and pray that the answers will come, one day.

But I know this much about the end: these mothers will one day hold these little ones in their arms again. That knowledge has made this Christmas season so much more poignant for me this year. Because of that baby born 2,000 years ago, these little ones will live again, reunited with their families for eternity.

And for those who have to live the rest of their lives with a hole in their hearts? There is solace. "Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows." I know that these mothers grieve longer and more deeply than most of us could comprehend, but I know that they are not alone. Even when it seems like there is no one in the world who understands their pain, there is always One who has carried all our sorrows and knows how to succor His people.

And that's why we celebrate this season. We celebrate the birth of our Savior, who gives us this hope and made it possible for us to see our loved ones again. I don't think I've fully understood and appreciated this Gift until this year. But I also know that I will never forget.

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."

(My sweet friend Val has a blog to share her experiences here. Sweet Sommer wrote about her loss here (there are three posts, right in a row--click 'Newer Post' to read all three). Incredible Catherine shares the story of her Mariah here and here. Others have shared their experiences, too, but I won't link to you unless you're okay with it).

Thanksgiving

Ready for some math? (Don't worry--it's simple)

10 kids
-1 kid serving a mission in Chile
+2 parents
+4 spouses
+4 grandchildren

=19 people in one house

Yes, it's a little crazy, but we wouldn't do it if we didn't enjoy it. We were able to spend a week in West Virginia with Jon's family and had a great time.

After the disaster that was last Christmas, we learned from our mistake and put Seth in his own room. Which meant we had to share a room with Kade and Elizabeth, but they were very gracious about it. Jon even designed a partition out of toy boxes so we had our 'own' rooms. It worked fabulously, but it's only a matter of time before we run out of bedrooms!

We all had a great time, but Seth was in HEAVEN. A 5 gallon bucket, full of cars? Another bucket, full of balls? And an Uncle Jakey to play with him all day long? I seriously felt like I never saw the child. He was so exhausted from playing all day that he slept like a dream the entire time we were there.
We didn't do much besides hang out together. There was a lot of Wii playing, a soccer game, kickball game, and lots of inside game playing (don't ask Jon about the Rook game). My favorite part was watching Seth while we played kickball & soccer. He'd run around the field, pointing at people and babbling away. Sometimes he'd even get himself worked up to a yell. He was a great little coach. Unfortunately, he had to continue his coaching from the trampoline so he wouldn't get run over.
Thanksgiving dinner was delicious. I got to help by making the rolls and a lemon meringue pie. My only complaint is that there are NEVER leftovers. Bloods don't believe in leftovers--they stuff themselves as full as they can because they know there won't be more later. Guess that's what happens when you grow up with 9 siblings...

(Seth & Megan trying to figure out why they can't get to each other)

It was fun watching the grandkids (sort of) play together. Seth, Rebekah & Megan were all born within 6 months of each other. Next Christmas they'll all be 2--it will be a very exciting vacation!

(Seth & Rebekah going on a walk. Everything was great until she turned around to look at him. As soon as he realized she was in there, he clamored to get out. Poor wimp is still afraid of little girls)

Of course, the best part was seeing Jon's brother, Stephen, who just got home from a mission to Spain. We got to hear all his stories, see his pictures, and enjoy his fabulous cooking (he made us a Thai dish--go figure). And he got to meet the 2 nieces and 1 nephew he'd acquired while he was gone.

I'm quite proud of the fact that we only managed to forget three things during all the chaos of leaving: the breadmachine yeast I bought for the rolls, my library book, and my camera cord. Could have been worse. After all, Mary forgot her wallet...(Scott, Mary & Rebekah headed home at exactly the same time we did, so it was extra chaotic for all of us to make sure we had everything we owned).

(Our son: The Cheeseball)

I am grateful for many, many, many things, and our family is one of the biggest reasons I have to give thanks.Happy Thanksgiving!

Baby Steps

Bringing a newborn child into your home is a little terrifying. For the first several months of his life, you are EVERYTHING to him--food, protection, warmth, and entertainment.

Then, slowly, he starts doing things for himself. He sits up. He feeds himself. He plays alone for short intervals.

Finally, he starts to walk. He'll start by cruising around the room, holding on to the furniture. As he gets braver, he'll stand unsupported for a moment before he realizes what he's doing and sits down in terror.

Because walking is scary. The idea of letting go of your support and venturing across the room alone keeps many children from trying.

But one day it will be worth it. One day there will be something across the room that makes it worth all the fear, and he'll go. And suddenly your baby isn't a baby anymore--he's growing up.

Not to say that it will be easy from now on. He'll still lose his balance, trip over toys and run into corners. For a few months he'll have a perpetual goose egg on his forehead. But with practice comes confidence, and the bruises will fade.

So why do we let our babies fall down and get hurt? Wouldn't it be easier to just carry them wherever they want to go? After all, they're just little! They need all the help they can get.

The problem is that they don't stay little. Eventually your baby will become too heavy for you to carry, and then what do you do? You've carried him for so long that he's never learned to walk! Better to let him work his way through the fear and bruises than to leave him totally dependent on you.

But what if instead of a child, you have an adult? An adult who, because of traumatic circumstances and poor decisions, is still completely dependent on those around her? An adult who has her own little child to care for? Then it's not so simple anymore.

It's easier to be carried than it is to walk. And once you've been carried around for so many years, the thought of walking gets scarier and scarier. So when someone tries to put you down--to get you to take just a few steps, they'll hold your hand--you rebel. You push them away so completely that you're left sitting on the ground alone, waiting for the next person to feel sorry and pick you up.

The problem is that no one can carry you around forever. Like a child, eventually you get too heavy for people to bear. It's a natural consequence. After being put down so many times you should start to realize that everyone else is walking--everyone except you. And maybe you should take the hand that's offered, and try a few steps on your own. It will be hard at first. There will be fear, mistakes, and pain. Just stand up and try again. It gets easier with time.

But you don't want to try. You push away from the arms that have carried you for so long and wait there on the sidewalk for someone else. You'll never learn to walk until there's no one left to carry you. And then you'll have to do it all alone--no hand to hold. No one to help you back up. And you'll wish that you had taken the help when it was offered.

And how do the rest of us feel? Those of us who carried you for a while before you got too heavy? Who decided that it was time for you to learn to be independent? Who offered to hold your hand and were cruelly shoved away? We're angry. And hurt. But mostly, we're sad. Sad because we thought we were helping you learn to walk, but instead you used us to carry you. Sad because by the time you're forced to learn, it may be too late for you to teach your daughter.

We're angry and hurt, but we can't stop worrying about you. And since you've pushed us away, there's nothing we can do but pray. Pray that somehow you'll learn, and that when that time comes there will be someone to help you. We just wish you would have let us be that person.

An Exercise in Futility

Ever tried to get three kids under the age of 18 months and a 3 1/2 year old to simultaneously cooperate for a photo shoot? Well, we did, and here are the results:

Getting three of them to sit still was fairly easy:

"Our parents must be crazy"

See? They're even (mostly) looking at the camera!

It was when we added a fourth child that things got complicated:

The adorable Baby Megan screaming into her father's lap

It was pretty much downhill from there. First, Seth tried to leave...

Then Rebekah thought it would be cool to crawl on top of him...

...and by the time we got Megan to look, Rebekah was done with the glamour shots.

The result: a collage of the 3 best shots:

Notice that Seth is throwing a fit in one and that Megan isn't looking at the camera in any of the shots. At least we all got a good laugh while we were attempting this...

Many thanks to poor Jocelyn, who still smiled through all these pictures while her sister/cousins weren't cooperating...

More Sethisms

I had to cancel my piano lesson this afternoon because my poor little baby is sick (just in time for the holidays!). But I have to admit, I kind of like it when he's sick. It's the only time he'll snuggle with me.

Of course, now that his medicine has kicked in, he's off and running again. So I'll blog while he watches Lion King. ('Watch' is used very loosely. At the moment his back is to the screen and he's throwing ducks around).

I love, love, love this age. He's getting more self-entertaining, doing new things every day, and generally just makes us laugh.

Seth and Books:
This child is addicted to books. We read to him when he goes to sleep. We read to him again when he wakes up. Then we read to him several times during the day when he walks up to us with books and says, "please?"

He loves finding the kitty in the books we're reading. If the page doesn't have a cat, we can't get a single sentence out before he's turning to the next one. He's also getting good at finding cows and ducks.

A friend in the ward passed along a book with buttons that you press to make noises. I thought Seth would love it--a book that makes obnoxious noises, two of his favorite things. Turns out he's terrified of it. As in chin quivering, wailing, run away kind of terrified. Guess we'll save that one for later...

Seth's Words
He's picking up new words almost every day. My favorite addition is 'bubbles' (buh-ba). My new screen saver is a bunch of bubbles that bounce around, so now every time he sees my screen he points and says, "Buh-ba." At which point I have to stop whatever I'm doing and turn on the screen saver until he gets distracted by something else.

Other new words: push, trees, duck, balloon.

He's also really into grabbing my phone and running around with it by his ear, babbling away. He actually managed to answer it yesterday when someone called it. Don't know who it was, but they got an earful. They didn't call back.

Seth's comprehension is getting better and better. Except when it comes to the phrase "come here." When he hears that one he'll stop what he's doing, look at me, and then run away. Stinker.

To sum it up: I have the smartest, sweetest, cutest baby on the planet.

First Sentence!

It's official.

Sentences that may or may not have counted previously:

"Cheese, mmm."

"Car, crash."

"Dad, please."

But the official winner is:

"Bear, please."

(Spoken yesterday after his nap when he wanted the bear on his shelf. You'd better believe he got it. Oh, and it was totally unprompted, too).

Neglecting my Motherly Duties

What's that you say? It's been THREE POSTS since I put up pictures of my son?

Totally unacceptable.

Unfortunately, I've only taken 4 pictures of Seth so far this month. I figure he deserves a slight break before all the picture-taking insanity of the holidays begins. So here are my 4 pictures of Seth, in chronological order:

Investigating his loot from trick-or-treating. And yes, I did let him eat it all, with the exception of the sucker and the gum. We're not going there yet.Helping me put away the Halloween lights. He was not happy to see them go. If only he knew what's going to happen at Christmas...Wearing the same pajamas I wore as a kid. Jon thinks he looks like a clown with the collar, but I think it's adorable.We are SO into tongues right now. He ALWAYS has his hanging out, and tries his best to touch ours whenever possible. So gross.

He officially passed his 16 month mark, which we celebrated by taking him in for a flu shot (seasonal--his pediatrician is STILL waiting for H1N1. Grrr....). He didn't cry at all--such a tough little man.

New skills include word recognition: he can find the kitty in every single one of his books (we're working on cows now). He can also point to his belly, toes, and leg, plus my eyes, nose and teeth. Very cute.

New vocabulary words: clock "cok", bird "beah", and please "peas." That last one melts my heart every time and gets him a lot more sweet stuff than he really should be getting. And no--still no "Mama." Half the time he doesn't even recognize the word--if I say "Where's Mommy?" he looks at me like I'm nuts. I have to say, it doesn't really bother me. It's just one of the many, many little personality traits that make him so adorable.

Just one story:
Seth loves pens and is always trying to steal them out of my hands during piano lessons. One night after lessons last week he walked up to the shelf where I keep the pens and started begging. I finally gave in and passed him a pen.

He immediately dropped to the ground and started swiping the pen underneath the couch. Turns out his bouncy ball had rolled underneath and he couldn't reach it. I was floored--neither Jon nor I had ever used a pen to get anything from under the couch before. This was all Seth's idea. Still blows my mind.

In totally unrelated news, I NEED TO GO SHOPPING. It's officially been an entire year since I bought myself a new article of clothing. I want a dress. A cute, black dress that I can wear for Christmas. Anyone up for a shopping trip?

5 more days until we leave for Thanksgiving vacation. I don't think I've ever been so ready for a break in my entire life...

Hello, My Name is Megan and I Live at the Church

Sunday November 1st: 3 hours of church + one presidency meeting after

Tuesday November 3rd: 1 hour of Mutual (insanity) plus 1/2 hour cleaning up

Thursday November 5th: 1 1/2 hours of Stake YW Presidency Training, plus 1 hour driving time

Saturday November 7th: Ditched Super Saturday to go to the temple. Total time: 5 1/4 hours

Sunday November 8th: At church 15 minutes early + 3 hours church+ Linger Longer+presidency meeting +choir practice+fireside

Monday November 9th: 2 hours setting up for YW in Excellence

Tuesday November 10th: 1 hour setting up, 1 hour of YW in Excellence, 1 hour cleaning up after

Wednesday November 11th: Choir practice (which I have to ditch because of a piano lesson. Sorry Catherine!)

Friday November 13th: Regional Auxiliary Training. 2 hours + 3 hours driving time

Saturday November 14th: Ward service project/swap meet=2 hours

Sunday November 15th: 3 hours of church + presidency meeting

TOTAL for two weeks (approximate): 33 hours

Don't get me wrong--I LOVE serving with the Young Women. But this time of year makes me want to scream. Or go inactive for a couple of months.

Thank heaven for Thanksgiving and Christmas vacation...

Two Years Ago...

Two years ago we left the wonderful friends we'd made in our 14 months in Iowa and headed to Jon's new position in Maryland. We knew no one. We were paying $900 a month to live in a tiny, smokey, purple-carpeted apartment. But we had no doubt that this was where we needed to be.

Two years ago sweet Dawn took the time to invite me over and become my first friend in Maryland. I'll never forget that.

Two years ago I was teaching Primary and slowly getting to know the people in our ward. And two years ago I was assigned to be Sommer's visiting teaching companion, which soon led to an amazing friendship.

And, of course, two years ago we found out we were going to be parents. It was wonderful and terrifying to think about how this baby was going to change our lives.

I've thanked Heavenly Father many, many times in the past two years for bringing us here to Maryland. For the first time since I left home for college, I feel like I have a place to call "Home."

We love it here. I've spent my entire life on the West Coast, but I have no qualms about raising our family here on the East Coast. Except, of course, for the fact that we are so far away from much of our family--that's the one thing I wish I could change.

But we do have a family here. Our ward is absolutely incredible. I love going to church every Sunday (and Tuesday, at the moment) and seeing all the amazing people we've befriended in the past two years. They've become our family away from our family. I honestly think if they ever split our ward that I will have a meltdown. I can't imagine this ward without every single person we've grown to love since we got here.

I also can't imagine my life without Seth. It's chaotic, sleep-deprived, and demanding, but it's also amazing, hilarious, and the best thing that's ever happened to me.

It's been a good two years. Here's to many, many more!

For those who asked...

To get the stretched out blog template like ours:

Go to Layout, and select Pick New Template.

The first option in the second row has three options:
Minima Lefty
Minima Stretch
Minima Lefty Stretch

Our blog is using Minima Lefty Stretch. If you'd rather have your links/photos/etc. on the right side of the screen, choose Minima Stretch.

WARNING: Choosing a new template will get rid of any color schemes or fonts you've selected. It will keep all your posts/pictures/links, though.

Once you've saved the template, you can do whatever you want with the colors. Blogger lets you mess around with them a little bit, but you can do more if you feel like messing with the html. Here's a good website that will give you the html codes for the colors you like (you can plug them into the the Blogger "Fonts and Colors" page where it says "Edit color hex code").

Getting a header that fits correctly can be tricky, too. Ours is 1112px × 350px. The height is perfect, but (obviously) the width isn't quite long enough to fill the header wrapper. So yours can be a bit wider and still fit.

FYI: If you already have the correct dimensions on your picture, DON'T select "Shrink to Fit" on the upload page.

I used a combination of Picasa and Microsoft Paint to make ours. Classy, I know.

TO CHANGE YOUR FONTS:

Go to this website and do exactly what they say. I used their font named "Little Pot." If you need help changing colors or font sizes on your blog, let me know and I can help out.

That's all there is to it! Good luck!

Trick or Treating

After the disaster that was the Trunk or Treat, I cordially invited myself, Jon & Seth over to the Atkinson's for dinner & trick-or-treating on Halloween. Krystal keeps trying to make me feel better by saying it was a mutually decided activity, but it totally wasn't. I at least brought the dinner so I didn't feel completely rude...

Somehow we managed to all eat dinner, despite a constant stream of interruptions by trick-or-treaters. After we ate, it was off for Seth & Victoria's first trick-or-treating. Don't worry-we only took them to a few houses. Not like they're really going to eat the candy (okay, Seth will. Krystal's probably a better parent than I am and will just eat Victoria's candy herself).

The first door we went to let the kids pick out their own pieces of candy. Seth snagged a cherry Tootsie Roll and refused to let it go. He still had it in his hand when we got home.

The precious tootsie roll

Victoria prefers the animal crackers she snagged


Investigating his loot


The cutest trick-or-treaters on the block


Victoria makes sure Seth didn't get anything worth stealing


Seth helps Victoria put her hat back on (it was actually Krystal's hat, so it kept falling over her face. She'd knock it off and Seth would put it right back on. It was great).


The completed costume. I forgot the hairspray during trunk-or-treat and the shoes during trick-or-treat. So here's the entire costume, taken after we got home that night.

Thanks again, Shawn & Krystal, for letting us crash your Halloween. We had a great time. In fact, I think I'm going to invite myself over next year, too...

I Want to Believe

The moment you've all been waiting for is here. You want to see our costumes? Well here they are:What's that? You don't know who we're supposed to be? Tsk, tsk. That's sad. But if it makes you feel any better, only about 6 people in our ward knew who we were last night. ("FBI Agents? That's pretty cool.")

I'll give you a few more hints.

How about our pumpkin? That's a pretty big clue.

Still not getting it? How about this photo of the back of Seth's costume:Come ON, people! Okay, okay. Final hint:

Aren't we awesome? We look just like them! And the haircut was totally necessary. I know Scully's hair is long in the new movie, but it just isn't the same. (I was trying so hard not to smile. So instead I look like I'm smirking).

Yes, we are big X-Files fans. And honestly, who grew up in the nineties and WASN'T an X-Files fan? That's why I was so perplexed when no one knew who we were last night. For heaven's sake, our badges said "Fox Mulder" and "Dana Scully" AND had their actual pictures on them.

Granted, it did help when Jon walked around playing the X-Files theme song (he had it downloaded onto his phone). I think that was the best part of our costumes.

I knew hardly any of the youth would know who we were. But the adults? Especially the ones our age? COME ON PEOPLE! The 90's weren't that long ago!

I do have to say this: the people who did recognize us were awesome. Sis. Paul walked right up to me and said, "It's a good thing you're married. Otherwise I think my husband would marry you right now." Turns out they're huge X-Files fans. Made my night.

In case you're wondering, Seth is an alien. Do you know how hard it is to come up with an alien costume? I forgot his green hairspray at the Trunk or Treat, so no one understood what he was supposed to be. And his hair isn't completely green because the can of hairspray went crazy and wouldn't stop spraying. And yes, I did make his shirt myself. (As in the writing, not the sewing. Sewing is not one of my talents).

Going for the Mulder and Scully look: bored, yet concerned

PS--If you knew who we were from the first picture, you're our new best friend. And if you knew who we were just by reading the title of this post, you get a treat. As in I will mail you a treat because you are AWESOME.

The Horror, the Horror!

(Extra kudos if you can place the quote used as the title!)

My friends, I have a sad story to share with you. It all began on Halloween Eve, otherwise known as Ward Trunk or Treat night.

Everything went swimmingly that morning. Seth was an angel and let me carve our pumpkin and make our delicious shrimp bisque (which I knew would win the prize for "Best Soup"). We even had time to go visit Krystal & Victoria. A lovely, perfect morning.

Things continued well as the afternoon progressed. The bisque was staying toasty warm in the crock-pot, the pumpkin seeds were ready for roasting, and the supplies for our costumes (which we had been planning for months) were all in order.

Just before 4pm, Jon came home from work, which meant I was free to go out and get the final touch for my costume: a haircut. (Yes, I am dedicated enough to cut my hair in order to complete a costume. We're serious about Halloween at this house).

And from this point on, our story takes a turn for the worse. Let me introduce our villain:(not this exact store, but you get the point)

What you can easily deduce from my choice of hair salons is that I really know nothing about getting my hair done. Oh, and I'm cheap. But I figured I was safe--after all, I had a picture of exactly what I wanted:

A cute bob (a little shorter than this one)

Seems simple, right? I showed her the picture, explained what I wanted, and even left the magazine open on her little vanity so she could look at it for reference.

To make a very, very long process short, this is what I came home looking like:Layers on one side, no layers on the other. Uneven. Too long. Basically just totally disgusting. And yes, I had that look on my face, too.

A few background details at this point:

#1--I had accidentally left my phone in Jon's car the night before, so I couldn't call him and ask him to come home a little earlier than normal so I wouldn't have to stress about not getting my hair done on time.

#2--Jon had volunteered to help set up for the activity, which meant he needed to be there early. He told me this about 10 minutes before I left to get my hair cut.

By the time I got home, it was 6pm. Time the activity started? 6pm. I rushed upstairs to do some serious editing on my hair. And no, I've never taken a hair-cutting class in my life. By the time I got it looking decent, it was 6:30pm.

Jon had called me several times asking me what was taking so long. I told him I was finally ready and rushed downstairs to leave. It was at this point that I realized that when Jon left early, he took 1) himself, and 2) Seth. Nothing else. Which meant that I was frantically gathering up costume odds and ends, our pumpkin, matches, candles, candy, bowl, and the crock-pot full of soup. I threw it all in the car and got to the church by 6:40. Trunk or Treating started at 7pm.

Grumpy Jon (he hadn't eaten) and grumpy Seth (who refused to be put down so his dad could eat) met me in the parking lot. We started unloading the car, at which point we realized the soup had spilled ALL over the backseat. This just added to Jon's good mood. We were bickering as we walked into the church.

Jon: "Why didn't you just put it on the floor?"
Meg: "It wouldn't fit!"
Jon: "Then why didn't you put it in a box or something?"
Meg: "I didn't have time! Why didn't YOU just bring it?"
Jon: "I didn't think it would take you so long to get here!"
Meg: "Well, neither did I! This wasn't my plan, either!"

I love my husband. But he's not very nice when he's hungry. I took Seth, he took the soup and went to eat. I tried to eat, too, but Seth wasn't helping. At one point he even dove into my soup bowl and covered himself with bisque. I think it was at this point I realized I'd left the crucial part of Seth's costume at home. No one knew what he was.

About 5 minutes after I walked in they asked all the adults to go get their cars ready for trunk or treating. Jon took care of that, but I was still stuck with whiny Seth who was only content when he was throwing my credit cards all over the table and floor (and into my soup).

At some point Marley took pity on me and started feeding Seth some pie so I could eat. He's lucky to have such a nice honorary aunt!

By the time I got done eating everything was done and they were cleaning up around me. I didn't get to try anyone else's soup (which wasn't too upsetting because mine was really good. Seriously). I didn't get any of Heidi or Krystal's pie. And I didn't get to see hardly anyone's costumes because I was so busy rushing around. I'd been looking forward to this night all month and it ended up being a disaster.

But there was some hope at the end of the long, dark night. First, there was my sweet husband who cleaned out the soup-filled backseat for me ("I got almost THREE CUPS of soup out of that puddle"). Then there were the people (like Marley) who sat through my sob story and empathized with me. Finally, there were Shawn & Krystal, who came to say hi and let me invite myself over to go trick or treating with them & Victoria the next night.

That made me feel better. We weren't planning on taking Seth trick-or-treating, but it's a good excuse to get ourselves dressed up in our costumes again--this time without all the drama. Because, amidst all the insanity last night, we didn't take a single picture. And our costumes are so awesome that we NEED photographic evidence.

And so ended our terrible night. Actually, I think it officially ended with me cleaning up the hairy mess I made in the bathroom. But tonight should be better. And you'll all have to wait until then to find out what we dressed up as (those who know: DON'T TELL!).

Lesson learned: never, ever, ever be cheap about getting your hair cut.

Oh, and another disappointment: they didn't award the prizes for soup, pie, and costumes! So I'll award them myself:

Best Soup: Me. Yes, I am that vain (recipe here)
Best Pie: Guess we'll never know, since I didn't get any... :(
Best Child Costume: Victoria. And that thing is HOMEMADE!! (Go Krystal!)
Best Adult Costume: (I really want to be totally vain and say "Us", but I'll restrain myself). It's a toss up between Shawn's Balloon Boy and Heidi's creepy ghost lady.

Congratulations, everyone!

Halloween Preview

A sneak peek at what's to come...

(Not our actual costumes--these were for a YW activity)

Be sure to check back later for the SAGA of THE WARD TRUNK or TREAT. Believe me, it's a tragedy in the truest sense of the word.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

I've been doing some playing around with the blog and am looking for feedback. It looks good on my browser (Firefox)--how about the rest of you? Any suggestions?

Many, many thanks to Krystal, who helped me figure out the sweet fonts.

Picture This

Want to know what you'd look like if you...

*Fell off the pew at church*
*Fell down the stairs*
and
*Ran into the fridge head-on*

All in less than 8 consecutive hours?

You'd probably look something like this:

But since you're tough as nails, you'd just grin it off.

Some days I wonder if my child will ever make it to adulthood...

Our Haunted House

I'm not kidding when I say Halloween is my favorite holiday. Christmas is a very close second (it gets closer every year), but Halloween still takes the cake. My favorite parts are decorating my house and picking out costumes (which will be featured in another post--oh, the suspense!).

Unfortunately, I'm picky about my Halloween decorations. I'm not a fan of the cutesy, crafty, country style:Nor do I go for the gory, bloody, creepy stuff:I'm more of the spooky, old, haunted house type style. Unfortunately, I don't have unlimited funds to spend on Halloween decor, nor do I want to put the effort into totally redecorating my house for one month. So I'm not totally pleased with it, but it has potential.

The family room:I found the tattered curtains for $1 each at Dollar Tree. Love them.

The dining room:Notice the black flowers in the vase (behind the laptop)? I spent a lot of time (and money) hunting them down at Michael's before Wal-Mart even thought about carrying black flowers during Halloween. That's right--I'm the original.

The living room:Not much in here. Spiderweb tablecloth made by me, plus some decorations on the shelf. Wasn't worth totally redecorating this room.

The piano:The pirate collection. Leftovers from my Jonny Depp obsession days. Remember that sign you bought me as a "wedding gift", Alisse?

Front entry:My personal favorite. I LOVE the candleholder. And yes, Seth does demand candy corn whenever he walks by.

As you can see, I have my standards. No spiderweb on any church pictures--that's pushing a bit too far for my taste. Family pictures, however, are free game for spiderwebbing.

I saved the best for last--the outside of our house:The spiderwebs on the windows are a bit too overwhelming--next year I'll make them smaller. But other than that, I love how it turned out. (Those are little ghosts in the tree, in case you can't tell).

The front door says "Laciate Ogne Speranza, Voi Ch'intrate." I'll let my Italian translator, Kristina, tell you what it means. I'll bet she's even talented enough to give you the reference.

I love Halloween.