It was a little hectic. (OK, a LOT hectic), but fun was had and candy was received, so we'll call that a success.
Since this is (probably) the last year that we pretty much get to decide what they will both be for halloween, we went for Backhoe Loader (Dexter) and Helicopter (Desmo). Costume construction began on..... October 29. We're really dedicated to this particular holiday.
As with last year's Airplane costume, it all started with an empty diaper box.
Dennis is teaching the lab part of that bioreactor class at the Danforth Center again this year. He had class on Halloween night, so it was just me and the boys. It was an adventure.
Picked
the boys up just before 5:00. We were going to Chili's for dinner,
because tonight was 2 free kid meals with one adult entree purchase.
Woot.
Except Desmond said no, he did
not want to go to a restaurant. And
he proved it by really fighting the whole thing, refusing to sit down in
the high chair or in the booth, refusing to stay close to our table if I
put him on the floor. He finally settled down and ate once the food got
there, but it was a LOOOONG time before that happened, because they didn't even seat us for
10 minutes (no one in front of us & no big crowds for dinner at
5pm), then the server didn't come for another 10 minutes. I asked Dex if
he wanted to go to a different restaurant, but he already had his heart
set on his "popcorn" (corn on the cob), so we stayed.
THEN I took them to Krispy Kreme, where you get a free donut on
halloween
if you are in costume. Except Desmond wouldn't sit down in his carseat
so we could go. THAT took another 10 minutes and screaming.
Did I mention you have to be in costume to get your free donut? So
yeah, we get to the Krispy Kreme parking lot, get them out of the car, and put
their costumes on. I took some pictures with the good camera, even though
neither of them would stand still and barely even stood close to one another.
Desmond's helicopter blades kept falling off (See them on the ground behind him in that last photo?), and the shoulder straps
weren't working very well, so the whole helicopter was pitched backward,
which made it pretty hard to walk. We got to navigate through an outer
and an inner door in those costumes. Waited (forEVER) for our turn and
got our free donuts.
Took the costumes and jackets off to eat the
donuts. (Can you imagine trying to eat donuts in those costumes? Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.
Dex had to use the potty at Krispy Kreme, which turned out not to be so
terrible, since it gave all of us an opportunity to wash the donut off
of our hands. A nice man helped me carry the costumes back outside, where Desmond
refused to stay on the sidewalk and ran in front of a (slow-moving, but
still there and moving) car.
Managed to get Dex strapped back into his car
seat (who knew he would ever be the cooperative one?). Desmond climbed
all over the car while I made parking lot repairs to the helicopter
costume. Thankfully, I had brought clear packing tape just in case, and I
used the hell out of it. I reinforced the blades and the armature and
the headlight/spotlight (little flashlight) that was attached to the thing. The original goal was for the blades to be able to spin. But that just wasn't going to happen. So I opted for fixed, non-rotating blades over blades that rotated right off of the helicopter every 42 seconds.
While he was climbing all over the car, he found 2 suckers that were
left over from some recent doctor and bank visits. He very kindly gave one to
Dexter, but they were upset when I wouldn't let them have them, seeing
as WE HAD JUST EATEN DONUTS and were about to go get more candy.
As I was buckling Desmond's carseat, I smelled poop. Awesome. So we
got home, checked, and yes, he had poop. I changed him on the chest
freezer in the garage. He didn't want to get up there, because he was playing with
toys in the garage, and then he didn't want to get down - who knows why.
After THAT, we started putting the costumes back on to go trick-or-treating.
Dexter was excited to wear his and put it right on. He then went to play
with toys while I got Desmond into the helicopter. His shoulder straps
were falling down while we were waiting at Krispy Kreme, so I had to tape those
tighter, too, after I got the costume on him.
While I was trying to wrap 3 feet of packing tape around the
shoulder straps of a moving Desmond, I hear "I fell down! I fell down! I
fell down!" I finally realized Dexter had fallen and couldn't get back
up because of the backhoe loader costume. It was pretty pitiful. So I
went and helped him up.
Finally, everyone was ready, and I took a few more pictures with the
good camera. Again, no one would stand still or together.
 |
| Dexter requested a switch to yellow construction helmet instead of the much more buff, white construction helmet. I think the goal was a better fit, but judging by how many times this one fell off, I'm not sure we came out ahead there. |
 |
That construction helmet with a string taped to it is supposed to be
his candy bucket. That didn't work out so well. |
I did that as quickly as I could, because
by then it was after 7:00, and I was afraid people would start turning
their lights off. So I said, "Let's go!" and Desmond cried "Off! Off!
OFF!" Gah. So I went and got some scissors and cut the 3 feet of packing
tape that I had so cleverly positioned to keep the costume on him. Got
him out of it and taped that glowstick to his back so he would at least
be somewhat visible. At least his sweatshirt had a crane on it, so, with a plastic construction hat, it almost looked like he was a very planned part of an overall "construction" theme.
It probably took 15 minutes just to walk to the first house. Desmond
took a lot of detours and generally ran in every damn direction, to the
point where I had to carry him against his will for a large part of the
journey, stopping occasionally to pick up lost construction helmets, a
fallen Dexter, another lost construction helmet, a lost candy bucket,
and another lost construction helmet.
Right as we are finally approaching the first house, 2 cars of trick-or-treaters pull up and get out to walk up to the door. I'm sorry, but ARE
YOU @#%$^&* KIDDING ME?!
No one trick-or-treats on this street. That house probably
hadn't had any trick-or-treaters for an hour, and these people pull up the same
MINUTE we manage to get over there? I managed to be nice. One of the
moms commented on Dex's costume (which was admittedly pretty cool with its
headlights and brake lights). There wasn't room for everyone, so I told
the boys they had to wait for their turn. Desmond took this to mean he
should run around and crush the woman's plants.
The next house was across the street and a few down. It was a good
one. Desmond was again being carried against his will, then decided he
needed to play with their garage doors instead of walking with Dexter
and me to the next house. So, yes, I had to go get him again.
At the third house, Dexter finally had his "Trick or Treat!" down
(so cute!), and they gave him lots of candy. That house had a giant bowl full,
and of course almost no one was trick-or-treating there, so they had plenty to
spare.
I wish we could have tried for a few more houses on the cross
streets, but I was done, and so were they, really. Desmond was happy but wildly misbehaving, and
it was already 45 minutes after bath usually starts.
Got home,
got everyone out of their costumes, told them they could have ONE piece
of candy. Interestingly, they didn't fight that, though they each
initially picked the "one" that was a treat bag with 3 mini candy bars in
it, so I still had to repeat my instruction that they pick ONE.
Naturally, instead of getting in the bathtub, they started jumping on Dexter's bed. I finally got Dexter into
the tub after probably 30 minutes of them running and screaming and
jumping on the bed while I tried to keep my patience and cajole them
into the (Orange! How fun! For
Halloween!)
bathtub. Dexter started crying and said he did
not want that colored
water. Fine. The water was cold by then anyway, since they wouldn't get
into the tub, so I let him drain it and add new, clear, hot water.
When I went to get Desmond to put him into the tub by force (sensing
a theme?), he pointed to the leftover pizza in the refrigerator and
said Eat? Pizza? GAH! The kid really didn't eat a lot of his dinner.
His whole nutrition for the evening was french fries, milk, and a donut.
Not that pizza is so nutritious, but I did think he was legitimately
hungry. So I let him sit on the kitchen floor and eat it. Except he
would take a bite, run down the hallway, wait for us to look at him,
then run back and take another bite. I finally said, "Last bite! Then
we're getting in the bathtub with Dexter!" Somehow, that worked, and he
got into the tub.
Bathed them quickly and got them out as quick as I could. That was
probably 8:40? Cue more running around. Dexter wouldn't put on his
underwear and pajamas. Desmond fought the diaper and the yeast cream.
(Dealing with an interesting diaper rash - not very much improved in the last day or 2 & will be calling the
doctor again tomorrow.) Then refused to choose pajamas, until I picked
some for him, which of course broke his little heart. Dexter pointed to some
digger PJs, and that sounded like a good idea to Desmond, so he picked
those, then proceeded to run around the room and jump on his floor
mattress.
Finally got Dexter into his clothes by threatening time out. The
initial comment didn't work, but when I said I was counting to 10 and if
he didn't have his pajamas on by 10, he would get time out, he brought
them to me and asked me to help him put them on.
I started to put Desmond's shirt on, but he screamed bloody murder,
gave me the pants and said, "Left foot!" (while holding out his right
foot, so don't get too excited about that part.) Okaaaaay, we'll put the
pants on first. Finally wrestle (literally, we *wrestle* their clothes
on and off of them twice a day) the PJs on, get him in some socks, and
say "book or night night?" Well, you know how Desmond is about night
night, and it was 9:00. Poor kid had been rubbing his eyes since 7. He wanted
to go straight to bed, so I let him.
This was a VERY distressing turn of events for (overtired) Dexter,
who wanted to read Desmond's book in Desmond's room. I mean, very distressing - tears and
hysterics for at least 10 minutes. Dennis came home about then and
managed to distract him with some pictures on the phone. Then there was
drama because Dexter didn't want Dennis around for books. Then there was
drama because the book he wanted wasn't in the room. Dennis brought it
to us, and that was OK for a while.
THEN he wouldn't put his books away. The same damn fight we have had
every night for what, six months? A year? Lately, we've been making the
connection:
Me: Dexter, what happens when you don't put your books away?
Dex: Mom puts them away.
Me: And how does that make you feel?
Dex: Sad.
Me: Do you want to feel sad?
Dex: No.
Me: So what do you need to do?
Dex: Put my books away.
And
then he puts them away. That's worked for the last week or so, almost, but
tonight it just wasn't happening. He wouldn't put the books away, laid
on top of the books to prevent me from getting them to put them away,
pretending to walk to the bookshelf and then walking away and holding on
freakishly tight to the books and saying he did
not want to put them
away.
Naturally, when I did finally put them away, he was again
distraught. Major hysterics again for another 10 minutes or more.
Distracted him with a story I made up about a boy and a dog. Partway through, he put his head
down on the bed, then cried "I don't want to lie down!"
Got him to sit in my lap with his head on my chest, but even after
that he didn't want to get into his bed. It was 10:07 when I finally
left the room with him asleep.
I was exhausted. I was exhausted at
7:00, more exhausted at 8:00, and now I'm dead. And I get to keep them
both at home tomorrow! And Dennis has firefighting training tomorrow night! And Dennis
teaches his class again Wednesday night! Somehow, we will all live through it.
If you made it to the end of this, you can have a piece of their
Halloween candy. :)
