Corbin at his first house trick-or-treating!!!!

Forgive the poor quality of this pic.
Trick or Treat!
Corbin learned the phrase and shouted it to me from the wagon as I was pulling him from house to house, but he would only whisper it at each door. He was brave in most cases- ringing the door bell and standing next to me. At the houses with scary skeletons or big spiders, however, he would cling to me and say, "pick me up, mama!"
It made me feel good to know that he really is still a little boy. I called him "baby" tonight and he corrected me with: "I'm Buzz!"
Lately he has been pretending all sorts of things. It's really a fun stage for us. He will carry on conversations with his stuffed animals and wants to be referred to as either Buzz Lightyear, Lightning McQueen or Plex (the robot). All I can say is that it's better than my childhood imagination name-Nora. I had a great time pulling Corbin through the neighborhood in a radio flyer while he munched on candy. I wore a head lamp because the neighborhood has no street lights. We received about as many comments regarding the novelty of my headlamp as we did Corbin's Buzz outfit. So odd. I guess our neighbors just prefer to walk around in the dark?? I saw one other family with a flash light. Anyway, it was a fun night to be Corbin's mommy. He did a great job on his first trick-or-treating outing, and he told me that he wants to go again tomorrow. Oh boy....

Fall? Is that you?

Today it was not quite as stifling to be outside. What is up with us turning on our AC in October?!
Anyway, Corbin and I went to the downtown Southern Pines park ,and he actually asked to swing. He normally wants to play chase and hang from the monkey bar. For my close friends who know my fretting ways, this is a relief. I was starting to think Corbin didn't like ANY traditional playground pastimes. For your viewing pleasure, I've uploaded the video.
Oh, and a cute picture of Corbin wearing a Washington Redskins helmet that uncle Kevin gave him.

CLICK HERE for video. Hopefully it works. QuickTime player required (and patience)

"I'm not a penis," and other fun things

This weekend was a whirlwind wedding extravaganza. Corbin's debut as a ring bearer went as good as can be expected of a 2 year old boy. He protested the tuxedo vest until we caved and he just wore his white shirt, clip on tie, and jacket (no biggie); he left the ring pillow in the preparation room stating that he wanted mommy to carry it (which I refused as I was already carrying flowers); he walked down the aisle with his right arm bent and covering his mouth/nose when he realized close to 2oo people were looking at him; he sat quietly (like the proverbial calm before the storm) with Mema and Gradaddy on the front pew until the organ stopped and he conjured up bravery to explore....that's when it got interesting. Corbin casually pushed through the bride and groom and past pastor Claire and Father Don. He continued to do circles behind the pulpit with a wedding program in hand. When that didn't tickle his fancy any more, he came back down the steps, tugged on my dress, and handed me his empty fruit snacks wrapper. Then he asked if he could hold my bouquet to which I replied, "shhhh." He then sparred with me-"No, mama. I no shush right now. I don't wanna shush. You no say that to me."
Ah ,lovely. He was quiet for the remainder of the ceremony and then very cooly walked behind me and Matt in the procession. Everybody swore he was "just the cutest, most entertaining thing." I probably had a mortified facial expression throughout the ceremony. It was BEAUTIFUL though and Kelly Weeks was an amazingly, astoundingly gorgeous bride. Her ivory dress contrasted perfectly with our black bridesmaids dresses. The reception was fantastic. The food was savory, the cake was tasty, the photo booth was FUN, and the dancing was just downright needed! Overall, we are completely wiped out. Finally, I'd like to say that Corbin announced to me in the truck on the way home: "Mama, I'm not a penis. I'm a human (pronounced hoooman)." Wow.

The sunflower we bought today at the Farmers Market was almost as tall as Corbin!
We visited the Farmers Market today for the last time this season. Corbin picked out two items- a cute pumpkin with a long stem (handle) and this very tall sunflower which he kept referring to as his "flower friend." He is just the sweetest thing. Most of the time. There was one significantly bad meltdown today that occurred as we were cleaning up our toys before nap time. He was yelling at me that he wanted to clean up all by himself (GREAT!), but his idea of cleaning up was throwing all the toys into one bin thus creating a massive mix up. Train parts with cars and blocks mixed with crayons. I started to undo the mess, and he fell apart. That's just life with a preschooler. Other than that, we had a fantastic Saturday! Corbin now is a little more interested in throwing and kicking balls. We played ball for a while a the park this afternoon. I am totally smitten with fall. I could do fall temperatures year round. Really, all I need of summer heat is about two weeks, and I'm good to go. Fall, you're the best!

Ladies and Gentlemen,
We have found a candidate for this year's Halloween costume! Buzz Lightyear is Corbin's newest obsession. We have started a serious collection- there's the big, obnoxiously loud Buzz action figure; the small Buzz digital camera from Aunt Jo Jo which Corbin has dubbed "Camewa Buzz"; the medium-sized Buzz who says "I have a laser and I will use it"; the small, unmovable Buzz who is his waiting room and restaurant companion; and now the costume. I made the mistake of telling him he was invited to Natalie's birthday party on October 30, and as we approached the front entrance of Wal-Mart, he said, "oh, a Buzz outfit I can wear if I want." That was definitely a statement and not a question. So, we bought one. I chose the 2T because he's still wearing 2T clothing, but this Buzz suit is actually quite tight, and may be too small when the party rolls around. Enjoy the cute pictures! If Buzz doesn't work out, we have a plan B: Plex, the robot.

Do you even recognize this big boy?! I mean, seriously, he has turned into a little boy overnight!
This shot was last Tuesday after Corbin's very first haircut. I didn't get to take any picture during the actual visit to the barber because Corbin was sitting on my lap and Daddy is gone at the moment. The barber was really sweet and gave Corbin a lollipop. He also rubbed Corbin's little ear and said, "boy, that sure is a good looking ear. Wish I had a small one!" It was very sweet. Corbin acted so proud after hearing that! His sweet curly little locks are in a plastic bag at home for Daddy to see. No more rock star hair for Corbo. Secretly, I really love long hair on little boys. This cut is for Kelly's wedding and then we just might let him grow shaggy again.