Halloween in (mostly) Pictures

Halloween was pretty low key for us.  With all the craziness of the previous week, we found ourselves on October 30th with uncarved pumpkins on our porch. With Scott still in recovery, we needed a quick solution and that lead us to Mr. Potato Head. Owen was able to carve almost his whole pumpkin, but still liked the option of adding Mr Potato Head ears. So easy. We may do that every year!

The kids were fearful pirates and it was fun to trick-or-treat in regular clothes and not the full winter gear that's usually required on October 31st in Bend. We even met some more neighbors with kids. Arrrrgh!!

What a Week!

Back in October, we had one of the craziest weeks of our year. And in 2012, that's saying a lot!

The Set-up (aka. what we thought would happen)
- I had accepted a new job the previous Friday, so the plan was to give my 2 week notice at work on Monday, followed by what could be a very interesting week at work...

- Spend a few evenings painting our bathroom and installing all new fixtures (including lighting)
- Josh's birthday on Thursday
- My parents come into town on Friday morning, bringing a bunch of shrubs for our front yard.
- Scott's parents and Ryan/Sara/Calla arrive on Friday evening to celebrate the birthday.
- Owen's final soccer day (and scrimmage against the parents) on Saturday.
- Celebrate the birthday and watch the Huskies Saturday afternoon.
- Home appraisal the following Tuesday (finishing it out!)

It looked crazy and pretty intense, but manageable.  And frankly, pretty much par for the course for 2012.  Why not have a birthday, a job change, a home appraisal, and a bunch of family visiting all at the same time?  It's just the Maxwell way.

The Actual Series of Events
- Turn in my notice at work on Monday. Though this went very smoothly, it really kicked off my week with a high stress level. It's hard to walk away from anything you've been a part of for nearly 12 years!
- Monday night, Scott started feeling lousy... 
- Tuesday night, Scott tore out all the fixtures in our bathroom and primed the walls. I wrapped presents.
- Wednesday, Scott had a second interview (with the company he now works for).  It was grueling interview, requiring him to really think on his feet and answer some pretty tough technical questions. He still felt miserable.
- As our evening progressed, Scott felt worse, and we found ourselves on WebMD looking up the symptoms of appendicitis...
- Thursday morning (Josh's Birthday), Scott called the nurse hotline, drove to work, waited for Urgent Care to open, WALKED to the clinic, and finally got instructed to go to the ER where they diagnosed appendicitis and lined him up for afternoon surgery. I spent the morning at Josh's birthday celebration at school, went to work, and finally got to the hospital around 2:00. Scott went into surgery at 4:00.
- Ethel hopped in the car to be at the hospital when he came out of surgery.

- I raced though Fred Meyer to purchase the nastiest tasting cupcakes possible and food for the weekend before snagging the kids from school. Once home with frayed nerves (all three of us), I attempted a birthday dinner while Josh smashed the box of cupcakes and we all put on brave faces to celebrate. The cupcakes were so bad that none of us finished one. Josh opened presents while I tried to do some frantic house cleaning. We waited for news on Scott's surgery (he was fine, just took a long time). I was stressed out and short tempered with the kids. At one point, we were all crying on the stairs. The kids finally got to bed and I A stressful day left us all crying and the kids finally got to be 1 1/2 hours later than normal,

- I spent Friday with Scott in recovery, while Ethel watched Josh and took the Owen to school. My parents showed up with two vehicles full of shrubs. By the time Scott and I got home, our yard was looking re-furbished on the outside and sparkling clean on the inside.

The rest of the weekend's events actually occurred as planned - soccer, birthday, husky game, visit to the Children's Museum - only with Scott knocked out on the couch. All of our family offered to reschedule their visits, but it turned out to be a great blessing to have everyone around. Uncle Ryan subbed for Scott at soccer, Calla gave the kids ample playtime and distraction, Sara helped me make proper cupcakes for our birthday, Josh had birthday toys galore, and Scott had lots of extra hands to take care of him in recovery.

On Sunday afternoon, I was even able to finish painting the bathroom while Ethel kept the kids busy. By the time our appraisal happened on Tuesday,  the house was clean and sparkly, with much improved street appeal.

We're glad to have that one behind us!

This was a week when we were SOOO thankful that our move away from amazing community in Bend at least brought us closer to family.  There's no way we would have managed this one without the help of EVERYONE that joined us for the weekend. It was also a good reminder of how much we all need a support system to come along side us when the going gets rough.

Josh Turned 3

Josh had a much awaited 3rd birthday.  For months (since Owen's birthday in July), he had following every mention of "birthday" with - "My Birthday's October!" I don't think he really understood what that birthday would mean, but he was excited anyway.  We didn't do a friend party, but we did have plans for a full weekend of family visiting to help with the celebration. Nana & Papa, G'ma & G'pa, Ryan/Sara/Calla were all on hand for a Pirate Birthday Party. (You might notice a recycled theme from Owen's summer birthday, but since the boys were still on the pirate kick... why not?!)

Nana heard about our party theme and brought tattoos for the boys. They insisted that everyone apply a tattoo for admission to the party. I'm sure papa's patients got a kick out of a dentist with a pirate on his arm that week. 

Auntie Sara's new accessory fit right in with the theme...

Josh decided to on his own that his newly acquired halloween costume would make for an extra festive party. I have to agree.

Three blondies  playing with new birthday toys.