Halloween Parade

Before all the Halloween excitement begins, Jamie spends time with Violet carving pumpkins.

This year Violet put her own spin on pumpkin decorating. Markers are also so much safer than giving a 2 year old a knife.

I went over to go with Jamie, Melissa and Violet to the Halloween parade. Not wanting to be left out of the costume dress up, I picked up a pair of cat ears and bow tie. Melissa wanted to know where my tail was. That's all I need is something to draw attention to my backside. The ears and tie worked out just great for me.

Melissa's complete outfit included little Lincoln. Although this was the same shirt she wore when she was pregnant with Violet, she claims it's completely different because she removed the pink bow attached to the head. This is still kind of creepy but she got so many compliments at the parade. I also saw another pregnant women with white bandages wrapped around her body. Her shirt said "Mummy"!

Violet was totally against putting on her costume so in Halloween tradition, we put the costume on Khloe.

But with a little coaxing from her Daddy, Violet was finally dressed and ready to go to the parade. Instead of giving Violet a bag full of candy, I filled a Halloween bucket with small boxes and bags of cereal.

Then it was off to the parade. Lee's Summit seems to come up with great ideas to involve the community. The Halloween parade was made up of all the kids walking down the street with their parents and some with their dogs. A lot of dogs.

These were just a couple of my favorites.

After the parade, most of the stores in downtown Lee's Summit passed out candy. After a couple of stores, Violet finally realized what the Halloween bag was for. She's rush up to the store and even told some people "Happy Halloween". We didn't practice enough to say Trick or Treat.

Then it was home to wait for the Trick or Treaters. Violet decided to change costumes - or rather she saw her Princess dress and decided that's what she wanted to wear.

And as the kids came up to the door, Violet handed out candy. Happy Halloween!

Afghan Design - Green, Grey, White & Black Diagonal

Crocheting is more of a cool weather hobby. It's hard to crochet in the summer. As the afghan gets bigger and heavier, it also gets hotter to work on. It's like wearing fleece in the heat of summer.

I started this afghan last February and it's taken me this long to complete it. I can usually whip out one afghan a month. This one is for the basement. Now that Jamie and Melissa no longer live downstairs, it probably won't get used much. But when that guest does come, I'll be ready.

Baby "Sprinkle"

Apparently you don't have a baby "shower" for a second baby. You have a "sprinkle" instead.

The only difference is the amount of people invited and the type of gifts you buy. Since it's assumed you still have the big stuff from your first baby, a sprinkle is just a small celebration with a few close friends.

Jenny was the one who hosted Melissa's first shower and she hosted the sprinkle. Going through the same struggles as Melissa, Jenny has been the rock for Melissa to lean on.

As we mingled before the gift opening, we were asked to write a message on a diaper that Melissa can use to change Baby Lincoln in the middle of the night. I don't know how this will make waking up in the middle of the night any better, but maybe Melissa will giggle a little while changing a poopy diaper at 3:00 a.m.

Besides a box of diapers, Lincoln's baby blankets and a handful of gift cards, I gave Melissa original Lincoln Logs. I'm surprised other people didn't think of the same thing since Melissa's friends are very creative, but the more I think about it the more I think these girls have no idea that Lincoln Logs even exist. They're way too young.

It's been a long road and Baby Lincoln will be here soon. Melissa will have her hands full chasing Violet and balancing Lincoln. Hopefully Violet will be that protective older sister and help.

Thank you, Jenny, for a wonderful afternoon. For a third baby, if there will be one, do you throw a "Mist"?

Blankets for Baby Lincoln

Creating and crocheting baby blankets is one of my favorite hobbies. When I made Violet's blanket almost three years ago, Melissa wanted it in shades of pink, white and grey. That worked out perfect since grey has become such a popular color for kids and I was able to find grey in baby yarn.

Lincoln's colors are navy, white and grey and NO ONE makes a baby yarn in navy. You'd think the yarn manufacturers would come out with more colors for baby yarn than the standard blue, green, yellow, pink, white and now grey. So I opted for a soft yarn that makes his blanket a bit heavier but at least I got the colors right. Lincoln's blanket is the one on the right. The other is a little larger and drapes over the rocker in his room for those cool nights when Melissa needs to rock him back to sleep.

"Let's Go Royals"

While I was out last night the Royals were playing their second game in the playoffs and Melissa posted this video of Violet on Facebook.

That's my girl!

Saturday Night with the Girls

Hamburger Mary's was our destination for Saturday night Bingo.

Some of the girls in the group have never been. So it was quite a shock to see their faces when the drag queens put on the show.

Part of the charity event is a 50/50 drawing. I think the help gets a bigger kick out of selling the tickets than the patrons who buy.

Even though none of us won any of the Bingo games, we still enjoyed the show.

Afterwards we continued our night at a new bar and restaurant called the Saloon. This is the old Mustard Seed in Independence which has been sold, opened, closed and resold in the past years. It's a good thing we don't do this very often although I hear we have plans to meet again this Friday. I guess it's better than sitting at home.

Gymnastics - Round 2

Once again I had gymnastics duty with Violet. Luckily Melissa showed up just as we were starting the tossing of the child in the air. I still don't understand how that helps a 2 year old with gymnastics but who am I to judge an 18 year old teacher.

One of the things I found interesting - while watching from the sidelines - was Violet walking on giant feet. I've seen her walk around in her Melissa's flip flops but this is a real coordination effort. And she's pretty good at it!

But all that work really wears a girl out. She even missed dinner with Papa!

Busch Stadium

As soon as I got home from my cruise I quickly packed warmer clothes and headed to St Louis to meet my friend Sam. He was in town from Florida for a conference so we decided to take advantage of the St Louis Cardinals playoff game against the Chicago Cubs.

Downtown St Louis is crazy during ball games. Instead of tailgating like they do at Kauffman Stadium, St Louis has Ballpark Village. All the fun of tailgating without the hassle of setting up your grill.

There is also a restaurant at the top of the Hilton called the 360 Rooftop Bar. I didn't think we'd even be able to get close to the hotel but we were early enough that we beat the crowd. This outdoor restaurant looks directly down into the stadium.

I was anxious to go into the stadium and explore. The views of St Louis from out seats were spectacular.

Even the Clydesdales took an extra lap around the stadium.

I started out a fan of the Cardinals but ended up a fan of the Cubs. I checked online for tickets to a World Series game in Chicago should the Cubs end up in competition with the Royals. But with tickets starting at $2,200 I think I'll wait until a regular baseball game next year. By the way, the Cardinals lost to the Cubs. Go Cubs!

5 Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise

My friends Sonia, Debbie, Robin and I booked a 5 Day Eastern Caribbean cruise out of Miami, Florida heading to the Dominican Republic. I was a little disappointed boarding the Carnival Victory. It's a rather old ship and my last cruise was on a brand new ship. Such a difference. But we were on vacation and nothing was going to stop us from having a good time.

Our first day was a sea day so that meant spending the day at the pool. This ship was equipped with an adult only pool so at least we weren't flooded with kids. But as you can see from the photo, adults can be just as annoying.

Even though we didn't bring our prom dresses, we did dress up and join the crowds for formal night.

Most of the good entertainment seemed to be at the casino bar and lounge. Different bands would set up each hour and play songs from jazz to rock and roll.

Our second day we docked at Grand Turk in the Dominican Republic. I'm not much for shore excursions because most of the excursions are water related. I don't snorkel or enjoy lying on the beach. But I do like shopping and the ports are usually filled with many interesting shops. I did find Violet a Del Sol Minnie Mouse shirt and a pair of maracas - watch out Lola!

The next day we docked at Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic. Amber Cove is supposed to be Carnival's hottest new cruise place to visit. This was Carnival's first visit to the island in over 30 years.

And what were we surprised with? There were only 4 shops open and an open air bazaar. So disappointing. Plus the walk from the ship to the shops took about 15 minutes. I need to do more investigating before I plan these cruises. After we got back on the ship we heard how others had hired drivers to take them exploring which cost way less than the cost of the excursions. But I always wonder if the drivers will bring you back to the ship.

Our evening's entertainment was once again provided by our shipmates. Robin (in the purple mumu) was even asked to join the exclusive "mumu" club.

Our last day was at sea and full of pool and casino fun. That evening we went to "Vroom" - a musical journey through time and across genres, showcasing hits from Elvis

Elton John

and the Beatles (plus many more artists). It was a great show.

And each night our cabin steward left us the always famous towel animals. I can never figure out what this one is.

Departing a ship used to be the most boring, time consuming event of the whole vacation. But Carnival now offers a "walk off" service where you carry your own bags and just walk off the ship. The man at customs looked at my passport and waved me through. We flew out of the Miami airport and I was amazed at the stores in the airport, Victoria's Secret, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors. I'm not sure if that's a testament to the quality of the airport or the delay of the airlines. Even though there were disappointments, the fun we had made up for it. We're already planning our cruise for next year.