October 2024

This month, I returned to work and Daddy Daycare began. The kids love being home with Bud, and he loves being home with them.

One highlight of this month includes my walks with the kids. I push River and Eleanor in the double stroller and carry Jack in a front carrier. Whenever we walk, we receive several comments, the most common being “Well, you’ve got your hands full!” Nothing makes me happier about living in Mattapoisett than being so close to the beautiful rail trail. During October, the leaves were changing and the air was cooler. I could settle a blanket on River and Eleanor, and we would listen to the birds or chipmunk calls while we walked down Mattapoisett Neck Road to the trail, or past golfers on Reservation Road to where we can look out over the boats in the harbor. River will usually ask for a leaf to hold. Sometimes we bring snacks, and River will be in charge of the snacks, taking a bite for himself, and then feeding one to Eleanor. Sometimes we listen to the nature sounds, and sometimes River will talk the entire walk, usually about Star Wars.

In our former life, BK (before kids), Bud and I had flown all the way to Iceland during a February school break with the intent of seeing the Aurora Borealis. We used an app to track the Northern Lights and drove out to the perfect spots late into the night. Despite our greatest efforts, we went the entire trip without once seeing the elusive lights. Then one day this month, we were knee deep in the older kids’ bedtime routine when my mother called. She said we should look outside and see if we could see the Aurora Borealis. Despite my doubts, I stepped out on our back deck and was amazed by what I saw. We gathered the kiddos up in their jammies and met our neighbors out front to take in the brilliant anomaly.

The last highlight of this month was Halloween. We were not very prepared, waiting until last minute to throw together costumes. Thankfully, Bud was able to put something cute together- River was Yoda, Eleanor was Mini Mouse, and Jack was Baby Yoda, aka Grogu. We drove down the street to downtown Fairhaven, which is always very festive on Halloween. The streets are filled with costumed kids and their parents, and the residents sit out on their stoops, many in costume themselves. We reviewed with River and Eleanor the necessary phrases, “Trick-or-Treat” and “Thank you.” Along the way, they learned “Happy Halloween.” But we did not teach the order of use. So, River would approach a house and say, “Hi!” and hold out his bag. He would receive his treat and say, “Thank you! Happy Halloween! Trick-or-Treat!” I tried to amend his use the of the terminology, but in the excitement, he wasn’t grasping it. We will work on it next year.

Eleanor was mostly quiet. And although she had a bag to receive candy, she always held out her hand to take the treats, responding with her version of “thank you” which sounds like “doo doo” in her unexpectedly deep voice. More exciting to the kids than receiving treats was seeing others in their costumes. We saw a kid dressed as a creepy looking Santa, whom River greeted cheerfully, “Hi, Scary Santa!” But the best was someone dressed as Darth Vader, who River is convinced is the real Darth Vader. I am writing this blog two weeks later, and River is still talking about the “Real Darth Vader” we saw on Halloween.

Jack was cozy in a carrier with Bud. He was fussy in the beginning of the night, but soon succumbed to the warmth of Bud’s chest and fell asleep. Although the night ended with River accidentally stepping in doggy doo and spreading it throughout our car, which needed to be cleaned and sanitized after all three kids were finally asleep, it was definitely the best Halloween any of us have ever enjoyed, dog poo and all.