We're Outta Here

We are off to Disneyland and my Aunt Rosie is getting married! Not at Disneyland silly, at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Totally separate event, but we are combining it into one fun filled week. I don't think I'll have access to a computer nor do I really want access to a computer. So, I'll check back in next Sunday the 19th. Check back then to see way too many pictures of my kids.

Up To No Good

They look sweet and innocent, don't they?. They were outside playing. I noticed they had turned on the hose, so I turned it off as I went out to check on them. Too late.

When Forest was here, he dug a hole behind their climbing wall. He was probably scared from a storm or something. The kids filled the hole with water and were playing in the mud. I always know when it's quiet that they are up to no good.

The Pumpkin Fairy

Some of you readers from back east have made comments on our pumpkin patch. We do things differently out here in the desert. As you can see from the picture, we have our pumpkins delivered beautifully by the Pumpkin Fairy. She sprinkles hay across a field and places the pumpkins perfectly with a 2 foot radius around each one. We don't have to go stomping through fields to find the perfect pumpkin. They are all laid out before us awaiting inspection until the perfect pumpkin with the perfect stem is chosen.

The crazy thing is that pumpkins grow amazingly well in Arizona. Case in point, the pumpkins that I didn't even plant. Our compost pile didn't break down thoroughly before we started our garden. We have 3 pumpkins that are decorating the inside of the house right now and several more still growing on the vine.


I put some plastic under this pumpkin because the rocks blemish the skin. We weren't anticipating sprawling pumpkin vines or we would have raked the rocks away.


When we were at the pumpkin patch, I asked if they grew the pumpkins there. It is an operating plant nursery during the rest of the year. They said they had them shipped in, probably from back East. Why? I don't know. I guess if we want a pumpkin off the vine, we will have to go in our own backyard.

I cut this guy off and realized he wasn't as cooked on his belly. So, I laid him out in the sun for a few days to get a little color. It was that or self tanner lotion. He came out perfectly.

Does anybody know how to get the stickers off the stem? The Pumpkin Fairy smooths out the stems for us. The ones off the vine will prick ya! I've had one inside for a month and it still has stickers. I'm thinking a little sandpaper? Somebody has to know what to do. This city slicker needs help!

The Pumpkin Patch

We went to a local pumpkin patch with Emily's preschool last week. My Mom came too. We all had a great time. Well, all of us except Ben. He was in one of the foulest moods ever. I don't know what got into him, but he was actually growling at other kids. I was so embarrassed. This is one of my favorite photos of my girl. She was so sweet and cooperative with all of my picture requests. Why is it when one kid is great, the other acts rotten?

Here is Ben growling at me. We'd been there 5 whole minutes. I knew it was going to be one of those days for him. I know...it looks like he pooped a pumpkin.




The pumpkins didn't mind his lousy attitude.




Bye pumpkins...until next year.

Dress Rehearsal #17

We got the kids their Halloween costumes early. We are going on vacation in less than a week and I didn't want to come back the latter part of October to find picked through costumes left at the stores. Plus, lets face it, I'm efficient. I would never be caught the night before Halloween running around town looking for a Dorothy costume. We saw the costumes and we bought them. And it was a month early.

The only problem is now the kids want to wear the costumes every time they watch Wizard of Oz or when somebody new comes to visit. I don't really mind, but I also don't want them to rip or get stained or anything else before the big day. After the big day, go for it. Spill Kool Aid on Dorothy's blue gingham and see if I care. Well, that might be pushing it.

My Mom came up to visit for a few days. David had a conference in Phoenix and I did not want to be alone with no help for 2 nights. Mom to the rescue. Last night, the kids put on their costumes for my Mom and watched Wizard of Oz. Ben is getting his cackle down perfectly. He's the witch. We have the green face paint too, but we are saving that for Halloween. We're trying to convince Emily to sing, but she acts shy. Where did that come from?

Here are some photos of last nights dress rehearsal. Notice it was after bath time and they already had their PJ's on. I think they should have everything perfected come Halloween.






Here's some Trivia for you....we got used to watching movies with the subtitles on. Some of these action flicks get so loud and then so quiet that we'd miss parts of the dialogue. We love the subtitles. We watched Wizard of Oz and did you know that the munchkins sing, "We represent the lollipop guild" not the lollipop kids? I knew that (thanks Pam), but David and my Mom were surprised.

Just The Balls

So, I bought some Captain Crunch Berries for the kids. I don't normally buy sugary cereal, but it was on sale. Like $1 on sale. For $1, I'll buy just about anything. But, the kids will only eat the balls. What's up with that?

30 Minute Dash

It happens everyday without fail. I know it's going to happen yet I'm always taken by surprise. I look up at the clock and it's 4:30. David is going to be home within the hour. The house is a disaster. The morning dishes are still in the sink. The dishwasher is yet to be unloaded. I run around for 30 minutes doing all the things that I should have been doing all day. I call it the 30 minute dash. I do it so that David doesn't come home to popcorn broken into a million pieces on the carpet and an overflowing sink of dirty dishes. Would he truly care? I doubt it, but I do. I want to give him the perception that I have everything under control and that I can run this ship with my eyes closed.

I've been caught. Once or twice, David has come home unexpectedly early. He worked through his lunch, so he thought he'd surprise us. Oh, he surprised me alright. I got caught red handed loading his oatmeal bowl from breakfast into the dishwasher at 4:45.

I decided to start delegating some of this responsibility on my innocent children, mainly Emily as Ben is not quite helpful yet. After all, they are the ones who make the mess. I finally decided to see if Emily could hold the vacuum. She's 40 pounds. It's only 20. She's got to be able to control it. She was brilliant and managed to suck up all the popcorn while I picked up the tornado of toys throughout the house. Heck, she even thought it was fun.


Now, we are on to dishes. Emily loves to help. I let her unload the dishwasher. Well, in the time it takes her to do the silverware, I have everything else done. Yes, she mixes up the big and little spoons. Yes she stopped to hang spoons from her nose. But, it was one less thing that I had to do. I must admit, she was pretty good at the spoon thing. I have no idea who taught that to her. If it was you, please fess up. I'm not mad, just curious. It also made for a good 5 spoons that went right back into the dishwasher.




With all this help. I may have to rename it the 20 minute dash!

This is what Ben did while we cleaned up. Ah, to be two!