Halloween

Gabe and I haven't dressed up for Halloween since before we were dating. At least I think we weren't yet dating (he would probably better remember). We went as "swing dancers" I guess you would call it. All I know is my hair was bangin'. We looked cute. That was the last (and I think only) time I went to a Halloween party. I honestly don't even remember much about it. I just have a picture as proof of Gabe and my's cuteness. And I remember getting my hair done, I think my Aunt did it for me. And I remember taking all the bobby-pins out afterwards and the affects of all the hairspray. My hair kind of just stood out to the sides like wings. I remember being in the house I was living in at the time (with my wonderful roommate Sabrina) and Gabe was there for the unveiling. I remember thinking how horrendous I must have looked with such horrid hair, but Gabe just seemed to be too gobsmacked to care. He's cute like that.

Since we've had kids, we have begun celebrating Halloween again, mostly just through dressing up our kids in adorable outfits and eating all their candy once they've gone to bed. Ah, the benefits of being a parent to gullible children.

This year it will be the most fun yet, now that we have the three kids to dress up. London is going to be a lion, Adelaide is going to be a monkey (so appropriate) and Porter will be a bat. We are having a church Halloween family party on Sunday. There is a costume contest. "Best family" is one of the categories. Once I heard that, I knew Gabe and I had to dress up. We decided since the kids were all animals we would be zookeepers (that is pretty much what I feel like most days anyway!). We are so taking that best family prize. There's also a "cutest" category. How will they choose just one winner from 3 of the cutest kids without costumes, let alone in costumes that only increase their uber-cuteness? One of my kids is so taking the cutest prize. I'd honestly put my money on Adelaide. She is dang cute in her monkey costume. And come on, we have produced three of the cutest kids known to mankind. We deserve some sort of prize for that. And if this is the only way we can get that prize.. So be it.

Gabe and I have the daunting task of making our zookeeper costumes. We're going bare minimum on the costume effort (after all, we're just a novelty, the kids will keep the focus off us). We'll doctor up some shirts to make them say "zookeeper" and that will probably be the extent of it. Sad, I know. But we don't have much time or money to be able to go all authentic zookeeper.

We will for sure get the Halloween pictures up on our website as soon as Gabe can. And we'll keep you posted on how we fare in the contest.

GO SEARLES!

Finally, some pictures

For anyone who's asking... homepage.mac.com/searlesbunch

You can see Mr. Porter Cash and the rest of the clan. We'll update pictures as regularly as we can (and by "we" I mean Gabe) so make sure you check back often. Porter is growing like a weed.. You don't want to miss it.

Hey Porter

Porter Cash Searles has arrived!

Friday, September 29th at 10:17 pm
7 lbs 5 oz
21 inches long

He arrived after only about 2 hours of labor, 5 minutes of pushing and no doctor in the room (don't worry, the bed caught him and the nurses were right there to grab him).

Just email me for details (if you actually want them!)

We are home and doing great. The other two crazies love their little brother and we are starting the adjustment to our bigger (much noisier) family.

Pictures will come soon!

Pregnancy Watch 2006 - Day 2

So I am officially past my due date. I am not surprised and frankly I don't know why it bothers me so. I knew, having gone late with both the other crazies, that I would also go late with this one. Why should I get a break now? It is quite a tough thing, still, to watch my due date come and go. Quietly hoping something will happen, but knowing deep down inside nothing will. Yet still being disappointed when my deep down insides are right.

I don't so much mind being overdue. It just gets harder every day to take care of my kids and normal household things. By 5pm each night I am feeling the aches and pains of being 40 weeks pregnant. No contractions mind you, but lots of sharp pains and loads of pressure of things wanting to fall out. So here I sit, a baby inside of me probably hanging on for dear life. Does he not know the angst he causes his mother? Of course, this pain he causes me now is nothing compared to the pain he is going to be causing me once my body decides it has had enough and sends him out with the force of a watermelon being squeezed through a straw.

I am going to try and not be induced, but we will see how long I can hang in there. I have my next doctor's appointment on Monday, the 2nd. I will be 5 days overdue by that point. I'm sure if I have a need for that appointment I will be begging the doctor to do whatever it takes to get this kid out of me. This is so reminiscent of my pregnancy with London. I was 4 days late when I was induced and I had barely even dialated. He also never dropped and so I spent 1 1/2 hours pushing him down and out the birthing chute. Adelaide on the other hand (though she was 3 days late), dropped into the chute around month 7. By the time I went into labor I was quite dialated and I only had to push for 15 minutes. What is it with the boys I birth? Why do they treat me this way? Why don't they want to come out???

Local newscaster

Best (real) name I've heard in a while:

Harry Beetle

He reports the local news on Talk 650 AM. Imagine growing up with THAT name.