Happy Halloween!

In reverse order this was our night. Last minute photos with the friends before heading inside for baths and bed. From the left: Clay, London, Brooke (a pink witch) and Luke

You can look at this picture two ways. Either our neighbor, Ben, "won" because he got to sit by himself in the driveway and hand out candy or he "lost' because he had to sit by himself in the drive way and hand out candy. I think the victory is clear. I want that job next year.

Luke posing on some random neighbor's porch. I could have eaten him up tonight wearing his Bengal tiger costume. I want him to wear it every year. Although at 12 it might be a little awkward.

My parent's take one for the team and hold down the fort at our house while we do the cul-de-sac tour for candy.

Seriously, Luke wins the MKC contest. The Most Kissable Costume contest. That's not official, it's just my opinion. Which in my book is worth it's weight in gold. Again that's only my opinion. :)

My dad and that pumpkin hat go way back. Embarrassingly enough I've worn it once. I wasn't as cute as Stella in hers obviously. FYI: Stella did not have a costume because her mother is too cheap. That's not my opinion, it's a fact.

Our Halloweening crew... minus myself and "the winner" aka my neighbor Ben.

Mark's pumpkin skills are top notch. And when you buy a kit complete with stencils for ages 6 and up, you can't go wrong.

Hello Love! Wanna come home with me you cute little thing? Maybe if Luke wore that costume more often it would be easier to tolerate 2 year old behavior! Would you be mad at a snuggly little tiger that dumped glitter all over the couch in the basement (on Thursday!)?

Our friends again with baby Asher sporting a bat costume (and no socks! His mother should be fired.) Poor Stella she can't have any fun! If only her mother weren't so cheap...



How many of you will consume more candy than your kids will tonight? Or throw half away while they are sleeping? It's the upside of being in charge on a night like tonight. Happy Halloween everyone!

More Their Speed

This is the fun we had today after lunch. Pumpkin Painting. It's a hoot and a holler let me tell you.

It's actually pretty painless and surprisingly not that messy.

And when it's all said and done, only the masterpieces remain. Or not.

A little less water next time buddy.

A rough start and a smooth finish

This is how my day started with Stella on my hip. Usually she is too busy getting into everything to care much about being held. However, for the last two days her gums have been driving her crazy. She's had a mild fever and been gnawing on her fingers. She won't nurse either because her gums are swollen and sore. So this morning Mark wouldn't do because she was all about the mama. That's how I ended up making pancakes with Stella in the Sleepy Wrap. It worked in a pinch. She stopped crying and everyone else got to eat breakfast. A win-win situation.

I feel that I must interrupt this post to apologize for my lack of blogging. I've been reading, not scrapbooking or blogging. I can only do one "extracurricular" activity at a time. Having three kids is a full time job and there is little time for anything else especially when I spend the one hour of "rest time" napping. I'm a nap kind of gal.

In fact, one of my greatest desires right now is to sleep. Stella is finally after ONE year sleeping through the night until somewhere between 6:30 and 7:30 AM. I finally (FINALLY!!) stopped going in around the 4 o' clock hour and feeding her when she cried. I know this was LONG overdue but I can't stand to hear kids crying in the middle of the night. I want to do the thing that will get me back to sleep the fastest and that was feeding her. Stick a fork in me because I am D-O-N-E, done.

But what I will get out of bed for is breakfast. Especially on a day like today when we had these delicious pancakes from Trader Joe's. If you like pancakes with a hint of pumpkin pie you should run, not walk to your nearest Trader Joe's. But you better pace yourself if yours is as far away as ours. Still it's worth the 40ish minute drive for these little treats.

See even Brooke agrees with me for once in her life. She's licking her lips at the deliciousness of the pumpkin pancakes. Run, I tell you!

And even though Stella is not feeling herself and Mark is sick with whatever Swine Flu is circulating, our day ended happily because our friends came over for dinner. The kids played, the moms talked, Mark hid :) ...and everyone was happy. Above is Stella and her boyfriend, Asher. The two baldies are 10 days apart and cute as ever together. They could almost be twins...Stephanie's twins that is. I only do one baby at a time, thank you very much.

Bengal Sunday

Brooke, Luke, and cousins Dan and Joe.

I see Corn Hole champs in their future!

The man with the plan and the host with the most...my brother-in-law and organizer of the tailgate party, Kevin. Last week he had tacos from Don Pablo's and this week it was the most delicious hot dogs I've had in a long time. Maybe that's because I haven't had one in a long time. Tailgating is all about the food right?

Brooke and Luke had their monthly quota of junk food. They each hand at least 4 cookies, handfuls of M & M's, and chips galore. Here I am resting up to walk the 16 blocks (plus a little more) back to the car. You end up paying for the "free" parking one way or another.

The ladybugs were out of control. It must not just be at our house after all.

And this baby is sleeping because she refused her morning nap before we left the house and fell asleep in the car minutes from parking. We plan, God laughs. :)

I've been told that I'm not allowed to attend the game anymore because the Bengals lose when I go. I think it's not so much my attendance as the fact that on any given Sunday either the offense or the defense doesn't show up to play. So I heard that all players were present today and Carson Palmer played like he used to. The Bengals stomped the Bears 45 to 10. It's nice to have a win that actually feels like a win. If you're a fan of the Bengals, you know what I mean. :) On a sad note, Mark's mom busted up her knee on the way to the tailgate today and had to go to the ER. She might have to have surgery. My father-in-law pulled a few strings in the ER, but none-the-less he missed a winning game. What a bummer of a day!

It's the most wonderful time of the year

The sunset tonight out Stella's bedroom window. Love the crescent moon!

The sun setting out our back window.

My most photographic and willing subject of late.

I could eat her up with those cute teeth!

My goofy son wearing his "I am speed" pj's in the yard. Where is his mother? I want to speak to her.

The ladybugs are everywhere this time of year! In the yard, around the doors and windows, and in the house too. At least at our house.

Check out Brooke's face. Now look at Luke's. He's going to torture her before long and it's not just going to be with petty leaves. Victory will be his and I think it will be fun to watch it all unfold. I'm not mean, just cheering for the underdog.

Hello love!

This was a good, fun day. These are the days... Natalie Merchant thank you for putting this day to music. :) Look at all the fun they're having. It's almost like I wasn't out numbered and tortured at dinner time like always.

I LOVE fall. Especially fall days like today, warm and breezy. We played outside for almost 3 hours today. Being outside (and not sweating or freezing) lifts my spirits and calms my nerves. The kids seem to get along better outside and the day goes by so much faster when we're not cooped up inside. We got dirty and loved every minute of it.

My friend, Stephanie, once said that when she's not taking pictures, she doesn't feel like blogging. It is so true. If I didn't take my camera outside then what would I have blogged about? Luke dropping his school bus in the toilet bowl (with poop I might add) this morning? Stella climbing up the stairs yesterday and getting 4 from the top before I discovered her? That would be a post either labeled "Third Child" or "Bad Mother". It's a toss up. So even when you don't have much to say, there's at least pictures to look at. Isn't that what this blog is really for? If it were my witty sense of humor, you'd have checked out a long time ago. :)

I hope you enjoyed the weather today in your neck of the woods... wherever that may be.

If We End Up With Swine Flu... We'll Know Why

Posing in front of the fountain.

Brooke at Claires choosing out her new earrings.

Stella blissfully unaware that she is contracting the deadly flu in the play area.

And surprisingly enough the real highlight of the mall is the family restrooms with the little toilets and sinks. I'm not exaggerating either. Brooke even insisted on flushing the toilet with her foot like she watched me do. I think that could be a problem for the less coordinated. I don't know why, but I'm seeing wet shoes in the future. That would be a hoot!


Today we went to the mall to get Brooke and Stella's picture taken. With Brooke we got her picture taken ever few months and even with Luke we were pretty good too. Stella, not so much. I take so many pictures that I'm surprised our hard drive doesn't beg me to stop. Still I feel compelled to take the kids for a professional photo. It's the guilt. Things went well and we got one good picture of each which is all I ask. I can say that after today's experience, pretty or not, Brooke will NEVER be a model. That girl can not smile on command without looking totally ridiculous. She tried hard and I appreciated it very much since I find professional pictures stressful.

After the picture ordeal, we ate lunch at the mall, let Brooke pick out some earrings as her last reward for her reading lessons we started ages ago, and played in the little kids play area which no doubt is swarming with germs (enter possible Swine Flu). Mark and I tried to make them choose between the merry-go-round or the play area (we are mean like that) all the while secretly hoping they'd be lured away from the play area. Didn't work, but we did save a bundle of money since the Swine Flu is free. :)

6 Pumpkins and $50 Dollars Later...

Brooke couldn't go to a farm without wearing her cowgirl accessories. She's a trip. Janice, I'm sure you never could have predicted how popular that pink cowboy hat would be!

You can't see the prices on the yellow tags so you'll have to take my word that they say a million dollars a piece...or so it seems.

After 2 hours Stella was DONE. She wouldn't even sit on my lap on the return leg off the hayride. I said "leg". I must be married to a pilot or something. Christa, does this jacket look familiar? I was so excited to find this treasure in Brooke's old clothes. Thanks a million for the best jacket ever!

This picture will be Mark's new Facebook profile picture tonight- thanks to me. I almost broke my arm patting myself on the back. :)

Stella loves the backpack carrier. The trick is finding one that doesn't pinch your shoulders like this old school Jerry carrier I bought off Craigslist for $15.

He won't eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich unless it is "open faced" but he didn't hesitate a second before shoving this smore in his mouth.

You probably didn't notice, but Mark is expertly melting the chocolate for our smores...a little trick he learned in Boy Scouts. Nerd alert!

It may look like they are "picking" the pumpkins, but I think the people that own the farm pick them and then strategically drop them in a more convient place. Whatever, it works.

Out of 150 pictures taken today (Yeah, I have a problem) I'm actually in more than 2 which is well over the average. And when there are only 2 pictures taken of you, the odds are stacked against you for looking normal...whatever that may be. :) The dads have it made.

I love the sunlight in this one. Couldn't replicate it if I tried.

What a b-e-a-utiful day.

Oh, the chubby cheeks are delicious! Stephanie H. doesn't your hat look so cute? I also found this in Brooke's old stuff. We got so many admiring looks thanks to your pumpkin hat. You've got skills girl!

It is all but impossible to get everyone looking at the camera at the same time.

Which ass is cuter? Stella, you stay out of this. Babies aren't allowed in this competition. It's only for boys. Stupid, silly boys.

This was our 5th annual trip to Kinman Farm to buy the most expensive pumpkins I've ever known. We had to refinance our house, but we picked the best two $10 pumpkins we could find. For the first time ever we weren't too cheap to take the $7 hayride. I must admit for all the grumbling we did at the cost, it really was a good time. In addition to the hay ride, we walked though a corn maze, roasted smores, and took our Christmas card photo (which will not be featured here...duh, it's a surprise). After 2 hours outside, I think we'll all sleep well tonight... which is just the way I like it. Happy Fall!