Clever title!

Halloween happened last weekend. For the most part, it really just passed Tyler by. We could have gone out and used him to get some candy for me and Jess to eat, but the same could be said for our credit cards, and MasterCard doesn't get fussy when it stays up past it's bedtime.

Most of Halloween takes place after Tyler went to sleep. We stayed up with him for a little while, saw some neighbors and some kids in costume, then Tyler got sleepy and we brought him in, changed him out of his adorable T-Rex costume, put him in Pjs, and then stayed up for a while longer until enough kids had come by to drain our candy stockpile down to a manageable level, then turned out the lights and went to sleep.

I've been wanting to put on another 'invite the neighbors over to meet each other' party for a while now, and Jess and I traditionally kick the event off by printing out fliers at the beginning of the week announcing the get-together, which then forces us to make sure the event actually happens. We just put out some chips and grilled up some hot dogs and sausages, which are great, because when you buy too many of them you can just throw them in the freezer and use them yourself over the next several months. Clever and convenient. Anyway, we met a few more neighbors, introduced ourselves, and shared some food and some neighborhood news. Nothing too dramatic.

Tyler has started to hit the age where he doesn't like strangers. We heard about it from the day care which let us know that at one point, when both of his regular teachers were out for a break, Tyler got kinda fussy and worried. He was okay when a familiar face came back. I did an experiment with him this weekend, letting a neighbor hold him for a while to see what he would do. He lasted about 15 seconds before he got an adorably cute frowny-face and lurched back to daddy. And even that wasn't quite enough. He needed some mommy cuddles before he really calmed down. But it was really cute, I assure you. So be warned, people who have taken care of Tyler before, he may not be as excited to see you next time. It's not personal, it's just childhood development.

Xmas is coming! Jess and I have made our plans and purchased our tickets, burning all my frequent flier miles in the process (and saving lots of $$$). It will be our first time Traveling, or flying, with Tyler. Best of luck to us! Hopefully he behaves himself on the plane, and hopefully we don't get sexually assaulted by airport security. I wish that was a joke.

This is the 700th post on this blog. Woohoo!

-N

Going to england!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that next week I'll be going to England for work! It's mostly just hanging out in someone else's building and working on software, but the travel is nice, and we usually hang out in pubs afterwards and drink really good british beer.

I may be incommunicado for the most part, but I'll try to post something from a foreign country. With the power of the internet! I've been over there for work before, but this time we'll be staying in a different place, closer to the main city, so we can walk around and see more stuff besides cute little lambs, who had just been born and were wandering around the green fields when we were there last time.

Jess has Ratchet and Clank to keep her company while I am away, which is her favorite game series in the world. I've been watching her play some, and not only does it look like a lot of fun, the graphics are *gorgeous*, both technically and from an art direction perspective.

Also, as first-time homeowners in a neighborhood with kids, we get to officially hand out Halloween candy for the first time ever this weekend. We plan to hang out in the front and hand out candy and maybe meet some neighbors. I'll let you know how it goes, but I'm traveling on Sunday morning and I don't land until Monday, so it may be a bit before I'm fit to communicate with other humans.

Loves!

-N