Mommy's Favorite Day of the Year

Today was Mommy's favorite day of the year-- Halloween!!

We started the celebrations a day early on Thursday at another local shopping center's Halloween festivities, where the kids could go from store to store trick-or-treating. Ari and Alex are getting really good at it, and kept saying "more?" after every store! Kira rode along in the Baby Bjorn, which is really too small for her now and especially with the extra bulk of her bumble bee costume, but it made it easier for us to navigate through the big crowds without a stroller in tow.

We had a big, exciting day planned today. It started out with school and today we were the Shabbat family, so Daddy came home early so that Mommy, Daddy and Kira could all be there. We led the Shabbat prayers, helped the kids with their lunches and played outside during playground time. Ari and Alex both mentioned how they were "sooooo happy" to have Mommy, Daddy and Kira come into the classroom, and Mommy and Daddy were happy to see the class in action and watch the kids interact with each other and with their teachers.

After an attempted quick nap during which Alex ended up just playing quietly in his room (we're guessing everyone was too wound up in the excitement of the day to really rest!), we headed out to a local Halloween celebration. It was another perfect Halloween day for the second year in a row-- temperatures in the high 60's and warm enough for short sleeves! The kids' hair salon where Alex gets his hair cut was right next to the festivities, so Daddy took him in for a quick hair cut while Mommy, Ari and Kira scoped out the fun activities and goodies being handed out. Alex, who dressed as a fire fighter this year, was elated to see the fire truck at the celebration and even got to climb up in the truck for a picture. We also met up with our friend Savannah and her mommy, saw a ton of other friends, visited the petting zoo, Ari went in a moon bounce, and both Ari and Alex collected lots of sweets and goodies. After the Halloween festival, we headed over to friend Matan's house for a Shabbat dinner celebrating his 3rd birthday. Ari and Alex were excited to see their friend from their "old school" and all the kids had fun playing with each other before dinner. We tried to get all four together for a picture, but that was almost as impossible as getting Kira, Alex and Ari to look at the camera and smile at the same time:

We came home from Matan's house to meet Nana and Poppy Jack, who came over to hand out candy while the rest of us went out trick-or-treating. We met up with all of our neighborhood friends and headed out in a stampede of little people. There were three fire fighters (Alex and friends Jeremy and Mitchell), Minnie Mouses, Batman and Robin, and lots of other really cute costumes. Kira even joined in the excitement for the first half of our outing, and then rested at home with Nana and Poppy while the big kids (including Mommy and Daddy!) went out for some more candy. When we got home, Ari and Alex were each allowed two pieces of candy...Alex chose Dots and M&M's, and Ari chose M&M's and Skittles. They only had two mini-bags each, but by the sight of them shortly after they ate the candy, you'd think they ingested a gallon of sugar plus three cans of caffeine! Probably from the excitement of the day, in addition to the sugar, they were bouncing off the walls and crashed at about 8:30, barely making it to their beds before they fell fast asleep.

It was so interesting to look at the changes that have happened in just one year, from where we were last year at Halloween until now. First of all, this year Ari and Alex really "got" what Halloween was all about, and even chose their own costumes. Alex, who was timid and a bit overwhelmed at Halloween last year, was excited and eager to go up to every house and say "trick or treat" (followed by "thank you!") Second of all, this time last year Kira was still in Mommy's tummy and getting ready to make her big appearance. This year she's almost a toddler. Tonight she opened two of her first birthday gifts- a doll from GG and some clothes from Nana and Poppy:

Mommy used to get very sad when Halloween was over, because it meant the start of the cold winter and another whole year before Halloween would come around again. This year, though, the excitement of the season has been extended into November as we now have something just as exciting to celebrate- Kira's birthday!!!

Catching Up

Mommy is staying up extra late (after a fun girls' night out at $1 sushi night) to catch up on the goings-on in the Reichmann household the past week.

We started out the week celebrating the last of the Jewish holidays (and the last of short school weeks for Alex and Ari!), Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, at a playdate at friends Izzy and Sammy's house. Their mommy came up with some Shemini Atzeret-themed crafts (rain sticks!) and the kids enjoyed playing with their summer playgroup friends while the mommies caught up. Alex even played with Izzy and Sammy's dog Billy this time- in the past he's been a little scared of him, but this time he gave Billy big hugs and kisses.

Wednesday we took a shopping trip to spend the money GG sent Ari, Alex and Kira. We ended up putting it towards laptop computers for Ari and Alex and a set of play keys for Kira since she loves playing with Mommy's keys so much. Ari and Alex love working at their computers and are really good at the letter and number exercises. Ari especially likes identifying the letters and Alex likes the program that plays music.

Thursday was a big day for all three kids, as we started out with flu shots for everyone, including Mommy, followed by a dentist appointment for Ari and Alex. Mommy was pleasantly surprised when we made it through the morning without a single tear (ok, except for a tear or two from Kira during her shot). Ari and Alex bravely rolled up their sleeves for their shots and then lay back in the dentist chair for their annual cleanings. Ari even lay in the chair by herself and was a total champ, opening her mouth wide for the dentist. Alex wanted Mommy to lay with him but giddily proclaimed, "Mommy, it doesn't hurt, it tickles!" when the dentist brushed his teeth. All in all, it was an exceptionally easy morning for taking three little ones to two medical appointments in a row!

Saturday we braved the cold rain to trick-or-treat at an early Halloween celebration at a nearby shopping center. Nanny joined us as we walked from store to store, trick-or-treating. It was cold and wet but totally worth it to get some free candy! Ari got her face painted with a blue heart to match her Cookie Monster costume and Alex was very excited to get more candy to add to his Halloween bucket.

Sunday was another three-party day for us, starting with friend Jeremy's 4th birthday party. It was an "inflatables" party with two big moon bounces, and Ari jumped right in while Alex preferred to stand outside of the moon bounces and watch (or nosh on the potato chips). After a quick nap, it was off to Cousin Naomi's fifth birthday party, another moonbounce and more cake! Finally, we ended the day at Daddy's boss' annual Halloween and pumpkin carving party where Mommy got to carve her pumpkin and we all enjoyed catching up with Daddy's boss' family and Daddy's friends from work. Today it was back to school for Ari and Alex, their first full week of school this entire month after all of the Jewish holidays. We have another exciting weekend coming up as Kira turns ONE!!!

Party Animals

Ari, Alex and Kira made the party rounds today, starting off with friends Lilli and Gregory's third birthday party at the local park with the outdoor train the kids (Alex especially) love to ride so much. We all had a great time celebrating with Lilli and Gregory and hanging out with our friends. Ari and Alex did train-themed arts and crafts before heading out to ride the train. Alex sat with his pal Ryan and proudly donned the personalized conductor hat Lilli and Gregory's mom gave out to all of the kids.

After Gregory and Lilli's party we joined Andrew to celebrate his third birthday at My Gym. Ari and Alex were so excited to be back at their gym and to hang out with Andrew and our other neighborhood pals. Kira even got to try out some of the equipment and show off her new standing skills. Everyone enjoyed a pizza lunch and yummy cake before heading home for a late nap.


While the kids were napping, Mommy headed over to our Parents of Multiples Club Annual Halloween Party to help set up and get the party started until Daddy brought the kids over to join the party. Alex and Ari were SO excited to debut their Halloween costumes, which they both picked out themselves this year: Alex is a fireman and Ari is Cookie Monster (or in her terms, "C. Cookie.") Kira was adorable in her bumblebee costume and we almost managed to get a picture with all three of them:

Unlike last year, when Ari and Alex were a bit overwhelmed by the festivities (and Kira was in Mommy's tummy!), this year they totally loved every bit of the celebration, from making arts and crafts to getting balloon animals to picking up the candy that fell from the pinata. Now they understand why Mommy loves Halloween so much!

After a very long day we came home for a late dinner, baths and a quick visit from Nana and Poppy Jack before bed time. Now Mommy is exhausted and off to bed...hopefully before 10:00 tonight!!!

Finally Fall?

It seems like our Indian Summer finally came to an end this week, with our warm weather giving way to blustery, yet sunny, days. Today was a bit of a reality check as the temperatures started out near freezing!

Before the cold weather set in, we enjoyed a few final days outdoors. On Thursday we hung out with pal Andrew and his mommy, first outside in our yard frolicking in the newly-fallen leaves and then at the nearby lake, feeding the ducks and playing around the small fountain.

Today we bundled up and went to watch Daddy coach a soccer game, where the kids got to play on a really nice playground near his field. Before that, though, Alex got a special visit from a friend of ours who is a Battalion Chief in our fire department and who brought Alex some fireman hats to go with his Halloween costume. Alex was so excited to meet a "real fireman" and see his Battalion Chief truck.

In the afternoon, Cousins Alan and Nicole (who are in town visiting this week) came by for a visit. Ari, Alex and Kira loved playing and reading with their Cousins.

After their visit, we headed out for a nice afternoon and dinner with Mommy's sorority sister and her family. We had a great time, and Alex found a kindred spirit in his new buddy, Jake, who is just a few months older than him. After a Japanese dinner, we went next door to Ben & Jerry's for a treat. Ari almost didn't get to partake in the ice cream, as she refused to try any of the chicken or potatoes at dinner (and instead just ate a whole plate of white rice!), but she finally realized we were serious when we told her she had to at least have a taste to have her dessert, and she ended up eating a bite of the chicken out of the take-out box so she could have some ice cream with the rest of us. The lady behind the counter treated all the kids to special crowns, which Alex, Kira and Jake wore proudly but Ari proclaimed she'd rather "wear it next week."

Tomorrow is jam-packed with birthday parties and a Halloween party, so stay tuned for pictures and a sneak peek at Ari, Alex and Kira's Halloween costumes!

Pumpkin Patch

Today we had a treat, as Daddy was home for Columbus Day and he got to see a typical school day, including dropping Alex and Ari off at their classroom this morning. We then enjoyed a family afternoon, along with good friends Sammy and Izzy and their mommy, at a local farm that has a big pumpkin patch. We rode the tractor/hayride out to pick our very own pumpkins. It was a gorgeous (hot!) day and didn't feel much like Fall, but we had a good time for the most part, with just a few tears from Ari when she got temporarily grumpy during the pumpkin picking and ride back. Getting a picture of all three looking at the camera was impossible, but we did manage a few cute pictures to capture the experience:

Jess & Josh's Wedding Reception

This weekend we went to New Jersey to celebrate cousins Jess and Josh's marriage and the birth of their baby, Davidson, who is just a few months younger than Kira. Jess and Josh were actually married a year ago but decided to wait until now to have the reception. It was a beautiful celebration and made even more special by the presence of baby Davie, who was on his best behavior (and dressed in a mini-tux to match his daddy's!)

It was a very nice chance for all of us to see lots of relatives and for the kids to spend time with aunts, uncles and cousins. We also took a lot of great pictures (some sort of funny):

We are sure Alex isn't looking at what it looks like he's looking at here...

The highlight of the evening was our dancin' fool, Alex, who jumped right out on the dance floor by himself to show off all of his moves. He was the hit of the party, and actually danced so much that by the end of the night he got a little sick (nothing serious, just overheated and too much jumping and swinging!) His favorite move was getting swung around by Mommy, but most popular with the crowd was his own style of dancing:

Alex starts going......and going...and going...and going...still going

After a happy, exhausting celebration, we packed everyone in the car for a long ride home...only to become a little longer by an unfriendly cop on the NJ Turnpike and an accident closer to home that closed the highway. We eventually made it home, and luckily the kids all slept on the way home so they didn't miss out on too much sleep.

This afternoon we took advantage of some beautiful weather to attend a local Oktoberfest. Ari, Alex and Kira enjoyed seeing all of the festivities, including Bavarian music, horses, balloons and especially the funnel cake Daddy bought them (for the kids, really, not for Daddy...of course). We also had a special treat when we met up with twin friends Sydney and Alex and their mommy and grandma. Syd and Alex were actually at Ari and Alex's bris/naming ceremony while they were still in their mommy's tummy, as the mommies have been friends since they were both pregnant with twins. In fact, Syd, Alex, Ari and Alex all attended the same Oktoberfest together two years ago, when the kids were all just six months old!! Check out the "then and now" pictures:

Then:Now:
Then:Now:

Another reminder of how fast time flies...