Happy Birthday, Marine Corps!

This November 10th marks the 237th birthday of Tom's beloved Corps.  We decided that this day should be celebrated by all in our household,  so we held the inaugural Pohl Family Marine Corps Birthday Camping Day.  Obviously, this meant clearing out some some inside space.  I think P was more excited about this night than trick-or-treat.  He was smiles all evening.  

Before...

Devil Dog Tommy pitching in to set up camp

Umm, anyone else think this tent is looking a little big for this space?



...and after.
We had to move the toy kitchen and make some other adjustments, but the tent just fit.  The tent was one of P's birthday presents from his uncle, Baba and Grampy, but we ran out of warm weekends this summer and never had a chance to use it in the backyard.

Today the boys made a detour to Dick's Sporting Goods and got an instant camping meal: Lasagna with meat sauce.

Just glad I wasn't eating this!

Tommy went up to his crib around 7:00 and P and Daddy prepped for bed.

A little nightcap

These two watched the first five minutes of the Notre Dame game before calling it a night.  Go Irish!

I left the boys all tucked in, but decided I should conduct an unannounced barracks inspection before I went to sleep at 10:00.  I crept down the stairs and immediately picked up Tom's snoring halfway down.  When I got to the entrance of the tent, one good Marine was still standing duty while the other was out cold.  I asked Patrick why he wasn't sleeping and with the saddest little face, P responded, "Everytime I try to fall asleep, Daddy's snoring wakes me up".  Tell me about it, buddy.


Family Fall Festival

It is always a good time when we get to hang out with Tom's cousins and their kids.  Last weekend we hit up the fall festival at O.C.C.  Tommy ate his body weight in food.  Really.  The horse drawn hayride was cancelled due to rain, and we opted to pass on the "haunted house" portion of the party, but Patrick enjoyed slathering on 10 lbs of paint onto a 3 lb pumpkin.

Kisses. Ahhh.

Trick Or Treat 2012

As you may recall, our trick-or-treat was pushed back to the Saturday following Halloween due to Hurricane Sandy.  We traded a cold, wet, windy evening for a cool, dry night, so no complaints here. The only downside was a much-missed Daddy who headed out for a fire call that lasted far longer than trick-or-treat did.  Luckily, my mom and her boyfriend (who we adore) had been planning on coming over for the big event anyways.  My mom helped me take the boys door to door while Mr. Rich handed out candy. 

After dropping off Tommy at home with grandma, Patrick and I hit a few more houses.  As we were heading home with our loot, P says, "This was so much fun, we should do it again next week".  If your doorbell rings again this Saturday neighbors, it's probably just us.

3rd Annual Neighborhood Halloween Parade

Last year it was snow.  This year it was rain.  Still, our annual neighborhood parade went on as scheduled last weekend just as the first drops of rain (that would last nearly a week solid) began to fall.  The adorable caped crusader to the far right in the blue and green is Patrick.  He is Super Why, a super reader from the PBS show by the same name.  He loves his costume, and did not want to take it off.  We could not believe the turnout despite the steady rain that progressively came down harder by the minute.  Our trick-or-treat is still yet to come tomorrow - it was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy.  No complaints here.   

Don't be shocked, but I did not do a theme with the costumes this year (two of the four super readers are girls, and the last is a pig, so that left Tommy high and dry).  Still, gotta love him as a spider.  The best part is that he seems oblivious to his costume and all the legs when it is on, so he walks around completely natural, like being a spider is second nature.

Every family brought a snack to share, and I plan on copying all these ideas in the future-what incredibly creative neighbors we have.

Apple Monster Mouths and Witch's Hats & Brooms

Taco salad made into a graveyard by cutting tomstones and fence out of a tortilla then baking the pieces for 5 minutes

Rice Crispy Treat Frankenstein (his hair was a fruit roll-up)

Patrick with his friend Ben



Hurricane Sandy

6:05 pm
The storm is heading our way with gusty winds already increasing.  It has been raining since we woke up this morning.  Tom is leaving work as I write this, and we'll buckle down for the night. We have flashlights, batteries, wood for the fireplace, and disguises (because having fun during a hurricane is a must) ready to go.  We aren't concerned about water since our neighborhood sits up so high, but we are surrounded by lots and lots of trees, so just hoping the storm doesn't bring any down on our house.  If you are in the storm's path, we pray it passes swiftly...

Tuesday 10:42am:  We woke up to a steady drizzle outside, but no damage.  I didn't even hear any wind last night, and a bucket I had left on the deck was still sitting in its same place this morning.  We did lose part of a tree, but it fell in the woods, so no harm done.  The weather is cooperative enough that we should be able to make the boys' 2:00 haircut appointments.

At the End of the Rainbow

Guess what Patrick found hiding in our bathroom the other day? 

Autumn 2012

We've welcomed fall wholeheartedly, made easier by the 80 degree day that initiated our raking.  Tommy wasn't so interested in the leaves, but Patrick would have raked the entire yard if I didn't call it a day.

I took this photo about 10 seconds before Tommy turned and whacked Patrick upside the head with his rake. 



The boys at their perch watching the garbage truck haul off approximately 8 tons of poop/diapers, 60 lbs of used papertowels, and 40 lbs of tissues. Truly sorry for our contribution to global warming.