Our Halloween

My characters - before heading out.

Kelton the Clown and Dakota the Knight

My Favorite Funny Face

Kaylen the Care Bear

Family Photo

The kids and me

The kids and me

Kaylen enjoying a treat.

It's all MINE!!!

We hope you all had a great night as well. :)

As Kelton Said.....

....even the weather knows it is Halloween!!

Look at the "creepy" fog that rolled in this morning. :)





I actually love, love, love mornings like this. When I got up at 7, it was 34 degrees. Brrrrrr......and oh so perfect for Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Party

Today was my MOMS Club annual Halloween party. My little Care Bear decided to ditch the Care Bear in favor of Kelton's old puppy costume and I have to say, it was nice to have a little puppy for the third time (Kelton was a puppy when he was 18 months and again at 2.5. His choice - we had a different costume for him though I can't recall what it was. Oh wait! Pooh Bear? I don't know...something cute. I know he was Pooh and Kaylen was Piglet on Kaylen's first Halloween but I think the Pooh costume was big enough to cover two years. So yeah - I'm going with Pooh.) Anyway - she was darling and she really got into character by barking at people when they talked with her. After the party we went to pick up Kelton and she was the hit of kindergarten pick up! :)

Halloween Popcorn Balls

I made Halloween popcorn balls this weekend. And yes, *I* made. I know this may come as a shock to those who know of my incredible dislike for all things kitchen/food related but really, these suckers are so easy and sooooooooo good that I just had to have them. The rest of the family was busy with carious things so that left me. So I went in there and just whipped 'em up. Sadly, a mere 36 hours later, I've eaten most of them but YUMMY!!!!!!!

If you are looking for a quick and oh-so-delicious Halloween treat, make these!!!

Best Ever Popcorn Balls

PS..I added the candy corn - it's not in the recipe. Just add a good size amount and roll with it. :)

Everything is OK

Wow - I'm touched by the emails asking if everything is ok since I haven't posted since ummm...Thursday. Thank you. Yes, everything is fine. Great, actually. It's been a really good few days with tons of fun but along with tons of fun and great times comes a lack of time available for posting. Monday morning keeps me busy in Kelton's classroom and afternoons are packed with all the stuff I didn't get done in the morning, plus the afternoon stuff and of course my daily phone chat with a friend. Time just slips away.

But yes, everything is ok and I promise to get an update posted soon. Kaylen is giving me a run for my money today and actually ended up taking a virtually unheard of hour long nap this afternoon. Might have something to do with the fact that she has recently taken to waking up way too early in order to see Dakota in the mornings *yawn!*. I know she misses Dakota and all but darnit - 5:50AM was just too early this morning. Of course now that she has a nap under her belt, bedtime is anyone's guess. She's been so clingy and needy this afternoon. Hopefully she isn't getting sick and this is just a lack of sleep issue.

But even so - life is good (minus the car seat struggles for Little Miss Kaylen - more on that another time. Maybe someone has a good suggestion for me.). Here are a few pictures to share with you:

Two Days in a Row and Another Lost Tooth

Two days in a row. Count 'em with me; One. Two. TWO!

I've had two amazingly fun days in a row with my munchkins. I kid you not. Kelton had the day off from school today (and tomorrow and Friday) because of parent/teacher conferences so last night we talked about how we wanted the day to look. We decided that we would have a kicked back morning where we could stay in our jammies all day if we wanted (he made it until about 11 when they decided to dress up in costumes. After they were done, he opted for sweats and a t-shirt. Kaylen got herself dressed after I did around 10). We had nowhere to go and nothing that was pressing to get done and it's nice to have a morning like "the old days" of years gone by.

Later int he morning, at Kelton's request, I hauled out the costume boxes from the garage and, paired with the regular dress up clothes and the adventure kit they had some serious fun in the dressing up arena. Kaylen was a giraffe, a pirate, a bee, a princess and a dog all within about 15 minutes. Kelton opted for a vampire (complete with the freaky fangs), an inmate and a police office in about the same time frame. The living room was strewn with articles of clothing but wow did they have fun!

During lunch time, Kelton lost his second tooth. He called me into the room and said "I just lost my tooth! I thought I had a hard thing in my sandwich but then I thought to myself 'No! It's my tooth!'" He was quite proud of himself and tonight the tooth is safely tucked beneath his pillow awaiting the visit from the Tooth Fairy. He looks so funny without his lower front teeth though his adult teeth are already coming through. It's just so odd how quickly he is growing and changing all of a sudden.

After lunch came a knock on the door for our neighbor boy (also in kindergarten, also out for the day) so we invited him in for a play date. About two hours in Kelton came up to me and said "I think it's time for him to go home now. I'm tired of playing." He was so cute and sincere. So we ended the play date and I walked him across the street.

The rest of the day/evening was uneventful. The kids wanted to skip bath time which is a rarity around here but I figured what the heck. It's not like they were out playing in the dirt today. So after getting in a bit more playing, I snuggled them into the beds and read their stories. Kelton didn't want to sleep right away so I propped him up in his bed and he "read" to himself for about 20 minutes. It's becoming his new routine and he is really enjoying it. I remember well all the nights I would read in bed and I think it's so cool that he wants to do the same thing.

So - another big day at our house. Another really great day and trust me, I am thanking my lucky stars for two in a row. I'm loving it!

Amazing Day

Today was just one of those perfect days from beginning to end. The kids were happy all day long and they were so much fun to be with! We went on another bike ride around the neighborhood but added a special twist; a scavenger hunt. Before we left the house we drew pictures of all the things we had to find on our way (a leaf, a mailbox, a pine cone, a flower, a "wish" (a dandelion that has gone to seed), a tree and a rock) and then we checked them off the list as we found them. It was fun and the kids really had a great time searching for things.

The day was stunningly beautiful again. 73 at the warmest, though in the afternoon a gusty wind started to blow. Kelton and I sat out on the patio and watched the wind whip through the trees blowing leaves here and there. The sound was great and the sun sparkled off the high branches and, against the blue sky, made it appear that the tree had glitter all over it. Kelton said "This is so cool, Mom!" and it really, really was.

Even dinner time went well.

After diner the kids wanted to go play in the yard, At first I said no but then quickly changed my mind - why the heck not? So out they tumbled to climb and swing on the play structure and dig in the sand box. I even gave them a wagon ride around the yard. Kelton said "Mom - I almost forgot it wasn't summer time." We stayed until the light started to fade and then it in was for a quick snack and bath. Even bath time was unusually peaceful and fun. Normally that is prime time for spinning out of control but instead we had a great time laughing and just being together.

Bedtime went without a hitch too. After stories and hugs and kisses they both just snuggled down and passed out (of course, it probably helped that it was about 40 minutes past their bedtime due to extended backyard time and an exceptionally long chapter in the book we read). It was just one of those perfect days.

Zooooooooooooooooom!

That's how fast I feel like today has gone. It's just been a whirlwind and I'm not even sure what was done. This morning I volunteered in Kelton's room and since Grandma was out of town, I took Kaylen with me. It wasn't as bad as I feared but it wasn't as great as I hoped. Somewhere in between. Well, to be fair, she did really, really well. She was just a distraction for Kelton and at the end of the hour (I cut back from two hours to only one today because I know my daughter and what time limit she needs in order to succeed) she was ready to stop being so quiet and self-contained.

The really great thing about today was that the sun was shining - it even got near 70 degrees today which was unreal after the temps in the 40's and the downpours we've been having. But hey - who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? I loved every second of it. Kaylen and I played in the yard for a bit this afternoon and then the kids wanted to take a bike ride around the neighborhood. We had a really great time out and about - it felt so summer-y and yet the colors of autumn were so vibrant. Amazing.

Once we got back home we decided to hang out in the front yard and play in the leaves. I grabbed my camera and took photos. Not ideal outfits for photos (notice Kelton is wearing a Christmas shirt. He found it in his closet today. *sigh*) but fun just the same.

After that we spent some time helping the neighbor rake his yard and then it was time for dinner and all the chaos that goes with the evening routine (which also included a 40 minute call to Dish Network to help sort out a problem that my button pushing 2 year old created with the TV. *sigh* It wouldn't have taken so long but after waiting on hold for a long, long time the phone system dumped the call and I had to start all over. In the end though, the issue was solved and my kids happily watched Dora before bathtime. Yay!!)

Here are some photos from today. Enjoy!

PS....be sure to look for the post about the pumpkin patch below. :)

The Pumpkin Patch

The rain had stopped falling finally so we decided that time was now to head to the pumpkin patch for our annual family trip. I love our pumpkin patch - it has so much to do. A hay pyramid to climb, a hay maze to run through, animals to pet and feed, free hot beverages, rope making, face painting, hay rides and, of course, pumpkins.

Since it had been raining for days on end the place was a muddy, muddy, slippery mess and yet we still had a great time! With our three trips to pumpkin patches this year we are well stocked for pumpkins and the really funny thing is, we only carve one. The rest I think I will let the kids paint. Kelton has a pumpkin contest at school that he would like to enter so maybe one will be used for that, too. Still....we have six pumpkins. I think that's more than we've ever had before (and that isn't counting the one that already had to be tossed because we carved it at my brother's last weekend of the one that we left at my brothers. No siree - my kids are not hurting for pumpkins! LOL!)

Take a few minutes and enjoy the day with us. :)

Pitter Patter - or is that Drip Drip Drench?

A little bit of Pacific Northwest Autumn to share with you. Enjoy! :)

There's Nothing Like Digital

What in the world did I ever do before digital cameras?? Oh right - I bought a ton of rolls of film and I shot a ton of rolls of film and then I had to pay to have them developed and pray to the powers that be that out of three rolls of film I captures half a dozen good shots. I used to think it was no big deal to wait to see my photos (though I did rush right out to have it developed the day I finished shooting a roll) and besides, I loved having hard copies in my hands to place into photo albums.

Now though, with my digital camera(s), I can see the shot immediately to know if I need to try to capture it again or if I got the exact moment caught perfectly. I can make movies with the flip of a switch and I can download them, email them to people, post them online and order hard copy prints in seconds. And hey - I can rush right out to pick up the hard copies, if I want.

I confess to be horrible about getting hard copies which I'm sure will bite me hard one of these days. I do miss having photo albums to flip through but you know, I don't even know where I'd store *more* photo albums in this house. I already have them in closets and drawers all over the place. But I have them all on my computer (and backed up) in date order which makes finding photos really easy.

But you know, mostly I just love the instant gratification of digital. See the shot, click the button and presto! It's mine forever! :)

Now if it will just stop raining so I can get some more great pumpkin patch photos this weekend I'd be a happy mommy! :)

And speaking of furniture....

...which I was a few posts back, have you ever checked out Bush furniture? I found this really funny desk that I know my guy would have liked a few years back (I'm sure he would like it now but he's too much of a "big boy" to admit it!). Seriously how much more perfect could a yellow bulldozer desk be? Although my guy always called bulldozers "scoops" which I thought was absolutely precious.

This place has a ton of unique things - check them out if you are in the market for buying furniture.

Pens

My kid has a pen fetish. Seriously. He does. It's actually quite humorous because our house has begun to fill to all sorts of pens; some we buy and some we "acquire" from places like hotels and restaurants. I'm willing to bet that the ratio of store bought to promotional pens is skewed in favor of the promotional pens. Sometimes I feel guilty for having so many pens from places but then, that *is* why they put all their contact information on them, right? So the next time you see the pen you can remember all the fun you had while you were there which encourages you to make a return visit to have more fun.

Yeah well - that's how I'm easy my guilt over my son's need to acquire every pen (and business card, for that matter) the he can get his hands on. :)

Raining - Still.

Normally, I love the rain. I mean, I'm still loving it and all but holy smokes - we've had a week straight of nothing but rain falling from the sky. Well, that's not totally true. It's stopped every now and again and for about 15 minutes yesterday morning the sun popped out which was really just a tease. It made me realize how much I would like to see the sun for a few hours and how very much Kaylen would like to get outside to swing and slide down the slide. I'm actually missing all the "play with me - swing me higher!" commands from the summer days.

I still am loving my beloved autumn but I think I might be loving it more if the days weren't so wet so I could go outside and kick around in the leaves with the kids. All those leaves are just going to waste out there. So not fair!

I'm pretty sure by this point in the game Dakota is wishing for a piece of Arizona luxury real estate. She is completely not a fan of the cooler, wet days. I'm sure she wouldn't mind the cool, clear days but the rain is just relentless. It's been raining so much that we had to put off our trip to the pumpkin patch today in favor of waiting to see what tomorrow looks like. I bet they don't have that problem in Arizona.

Fabric vs Leather

Sometimes I think we were not the brightest crayons in the box when we selected fabric couches. I guess I didn't really think of *not* going with fabric because the thought of hot sticky leather didn't really do much for me. But with kids I'm thinking leather might have been a good thing. I can not tell you how many times drinks and food have been spilled on the couch cushions and how I struggle each time to clean it up well enough that it won't ruin the fabric before we are ready to buy another couch set (which won't be until the messy munchkins are *much* older!). Luckily we have brown couches so you can't really see the stains that surely must be there.

Yes, it would been easy to have implemented a "no food" policy in the living room from the get go and it might be easy enough (HA!) to do it now but that isn't likely to happen.

Maybe someday when I have that dream house I'll have a formal living room with nice, fabric couches. A room that the kids don't frequent unless they want to sit quietly and read (ahhhhhh! I can just visualize the peacefulness of a kid free, to free room). A room set up for my complete enjoyment. Then I can have a family room where I can place leather home theater seating which will be able to take all the punishment that a gaggle of teenagers can dish out.

Oh My

It's gotten to the point where I dread seeing an envelope from the loan servicing group for Dakota's school loans sitting in the mailbox. I see that red lettering and my heart sinks to my feet. I hold my breath as I open it and then oh so very carefully I turn it over to reveal the loan amounts to date. I know there are three more semesters for these totals to increase.

Ugh.

Reassure me it will all be worth it in the end because frankly, whenever I see these envelopes I can't help but think I would rather be having a colon cleanse as opposed to opening them....to say nothing of figuring out have to get them paid off.

I'm just saying.

Puddle Stomping

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time then you know my kids LOVE to stomp in puddles. You also probably remember that it is known to rain like crazy where we live. I confess that we have always encouraged puddle stomping, and rain walks and standing under gutters....anything that sounds like fun and is safe is fair game when the rain starts falling. Only......there is a downside to the rain games we have always played.

And that downside would be school.

It's been raining for days here. Days. So just imagine if you will the size of the puddles all over the school grounds. Kelton came home from school yesterday soaking wet and not that it would matter if he wore tennis shoes but he wears Crocs and well - they have holes by design. Imagine how incredible wet his feet had been for half the morning? I'm tempted to throw in extra shoes and socks so that he has the option to change after recess but I know him - he won't do it. Not that the teacher would probably allow time for that anyway. Sure, boots would be an option but again, I know my kid.

While Kaylen and I were waiting for him to get out of school yesterday she spied a gigantic puddle and headed straight for it. The shocked gasps of the other parents made my laugh out loud. One mom said "You are a better mom then me. That would NOT be happening with my child." I laughed, shrugged and said "We let them do that all the time." Of course I was thinking "Not now Kaylen! Now I have to strip you down before I can put you in your seat so you don't fuss all the way home." But really - she was only doing what she knows and what she loves.

This morning I stuck rain boots on her feet so she could puddle jump while we waited for the school doors to open. She had a great time and Kelton understood that he had to wait until at least recess to jump.

Sure, most of the parents and teachers would probably rather have
Celine Dion tickets than have kids jump in puddles but you know, childhood is so fleeting and I think they should grab their fun and happiness where they can. And I know that as a child there wasn't much that was better or more satisfying than jumping in a huge puddle and getting soaked to the bone.

So jump away kids....you have mommy's blessing and complete permission. :)

Rosie's Book: Celebrity Detox

Has anyone else read this book yet? I confess, I enjoyed it a lot and I could relate to it. There was one part when I read it I said "That is SO me!" and I wanted to share it here. I didn't know if that would be copyright infringement or not (I don't think so but what do I know? I'm not the law student. *grin*) so I took a chance and wrote to Rosie in the Ask Ro section of her blog. I wasn't really expecting an answer considering she gets thousands of questions a day (and yes, I go daily and read her answers). Imagine my surprise and shock when I was reading the answers last night and happened upon MINE! I think I almost fell off my chair.

It said:
************************
Casey writes:

May I quote a small piece of your book on my blog? I loved what you wrote and identify well with it.

yup
***********************

So here goes:

The last time we went to Mexico. I was trying to finish a book when one of the staff members approached us on the beach. "Phone," he said. I looked over at Kel. It had happened, no doubt. A crisis of epic proportion. My children. A child. What?

Kel got up and walked into the hotel lobby, avoiding my eyes. I interpreted this to mean she had to look away from me, because she was scared too. I absolutely knew it. Our life as we have lived it was ending.

It took her about eleven minutes to come back to the reading spot. I knew this because I did Mississippi to sixty eleven times. I do not wear a watch.

Now Kel was walking towards me very slowly She didn't want to alarm me; it was obvious. She was trying to put the sentences together in a way I would be able to hear. I would scream, pound my chest, and try to drown myself in the sea as soon as she gave me the news. No eye contact yet, this was worst than I expected. She stared at the ground and came around to her chair, wiping the sand off with a towel. "Stalling," I thought. "She must be stalling." She wouldn't even look at me!

Now my heart was about to explode. I deserved this, whatever it was. The moment stretched to an eternity. Kel sat down, closed her eyes.

"What?" I screamed at her.

"What what?" she said calmly.

"The phone," I grunted through gritted teeth.

"The plane is at ten," she said, "instead of nine."

Then she picked up her Oprah Book Club novel and resumed reading.

I watched her. She sat totally unaware of all I had just been through. She read, my Kelli, my happy, non-neurotic partner. Thank God for her. She does not think that by some miracle of fate we were once again spared, but only for a moment. She thinks we are basically safe. I think so long as we have children we will always be living on the edge.

-Rosie O'Donnell, Celebrity Detox page 191-192



I can so relate to this. I always, always expect the news to be bad especially when it comes to the safety of my children. Dakota, on the other hand, is blissfully unaware of the turmoil life causes me because she believes you just move ahead believing it will all be ok. I, on the other hand, feel like if I prepare for the worst it either won't happen or I will be braced (HA!) for when it does happen. Maybe I think fretting and worrying and doing all I can to ensure their safety will keep them safe. I think Rosie's line of "I think as long as we have children we will always be living on the edge." is profound and dead on for me.

I loved this book but then, I really enjoy Rosie. Say what you will but I think she rocks and I love knowing that she is as neurotic as I am. :)

The Darn TV

Wouldn't you know it - even our TV has had enough of Barney. Tonight the darn thing went to a black screen with no sound right in the middle of Barney Goes to the Zoo. Frankly, I can't blame the thing - it numbs my mind as well but the kids had a fit. The power light was still on so clearly it is something amiss with the TV itself. I turned it off and on and it jumped back to life. This isn't the first time it has happened but I'm noticing that it seems to be happening a bit more often. Dakota and I bought that TV (a 19 inch, thank you very much which was a HUGE step up from our 13 inch that we replaced with it) in 1996 so I could watch the summer Olympics. The gymnastics competition needed a bigger screen, you know. :)

So now here we are, eleven years later and it just might be time to think about a new TV. Another piece of equipment that we can bore into a coma with Barney, Dora and Sesame Street. A plasma TV would be nice but then we'd need to get some sort of plasma mount for it since it wouldn't really work in our "old fashioned" TV hutch. I have to say though, I am kind of partial to the hutch (even though frankly, it should be replaced one of these days too)because I love being able to close the doors and hide the TV away. I'm not a fan of the TV being the focal point in the room (that is reserved for the mountain of toys stacked in baskets and bins *next* to the cabinet, she says sarcastically).

For now though we will limp along until the TV starts acting up daily. After that, we're going to have to do something about finding a new TV. A regular, basic TV because well, that is definitely more in line with a budget for a family of four with one income. :)