Trick or Treat!

My little lion went trick-or-treating! He wasn't too sure about some of the decorations, but he really liked the whole thing one he saw other kids doing the same thing. We stopped by most of our friends' homes and a few other neighbors that we see sometimes - so 6 or 7 houses. But that was definitely enough for those little legs of his. We brought the stroller for him but, he said no way to that idea once he got going. Max even enjoyed being out in the neighborhood. :) Good times!!

Ms. Rachel was our first stop! :) We just missed Luigi and Ariel!

One of our neighbor's very cool decorations!

Mommy's turn to trick or treat with Andrew.

All tired out - well, maybe not Andrew just yet...

But he did want to get outta that costume and into his M&Ms and a cold cup of milk :)

We hoep everyone had a wonderul Halloween!!

An Apple A Day...

...let's Mommy have 15 minutes to play clean :)

Except I just ended up taking too many pictures! I did clean a little bit though, so I get a few points.

Why must you take pictures, mama?

Mmm...good apple :)

Yummy, yummy! I need another bite!

Taking a biting break to see what Moose and Z are talking about :)

Isn't this the cutest little hand ever?!

Boo at the Zoo!

Last Friday, Jason, Andrew, and I all headed out to meet up with a bunch of friends at the Boo at the Zoo. It was so much fun! Even better was having the Dads with us Mommies to help with the strollers and kids and whatever else. :) It was super fun!!!!

See? He DID have his costume on! He wore it all the way to the Zoo. But, when we got there, he pitched a fit until I took it off. Boo...

Isn't he the cutest? And isn't that the cutest shirt? It says, "Wanted: Dead or Dead - The Bonehead Buccaneer. Reward - Paid in Candy" Hehe!!

The Buddies: Andrew and Jasper :) Neither one wanted to have their picture taken here. But we did manage to get some cute shots anyway.  

Riding on the Spooky Carousel. It went backwards!! I was NOT expecting that! It was fun, but I think even Andrew was confused. He knows that he was supposed to be going the other way, I'm sure.

Miss Grace, we found you just a few spots ahead of us!

We found Brinley, too, but those pics would not lighten up for anything. 

Costume summary :) Brinley was a pretty princess. Grace was a fairy. Zach was the original Batman (awesome!!!). Jasper was a pirate. Andrew was a lion (I will get him in that costume again!). We had so much fun and can't wait to go trick-or-treating this weekend YAY!!

Holiday Cooking Challege Week #1

Ok, I have been bad about not posting any of my recipes on the "Recipe Page" but, more are coming soon. Things have been crazy around here. In the meantime, checkout this fun challenge hosted by Hip2Save and I am in! Whoo hoo! I love baking and these recipes look fun - especially the pumpkin zucchini bread one. YUM! Plus, this is also a contest - sweet! I love contests! You just make 3 breakfast recipes, take some pics of the goods, and enjoy them throughout the holiday season. Well, gotta get to some recipes and see what I can make.

Disney Movie Club

We are now members of the Disney Movie Club and I could not be more excited about this. Look what came in the mail today! And, I got it all for just $22. Seriously. Sweet!!!

Joining is super easy and they have some great deals. If you want to check it out and get some great movies for your kids (or yourself!) go here. I only have to buy 2 movies within the next 2 years to keep my membership. I don't think that will be a problem at all!

Just bragging :)

A Giant Bowl and a Straw

I think that is an intriguing title, don't you? So what is this all about? Well, guess where we went today! THE RAILROAD PARK! Ha, big surprise I know. :) But this time Andrew played in the big bowls. At least that is what we are calling them. My friend Caroline took some pics for me. Jasper was fast asleep after our walk so hopefully he will get to try this out next time we go. Andrew loved it! And, hey! You can see my baby bump!! (click on the pics to make them larger) I will have a better pic of that sometime this week - promise!

And, now for the straw - Andrew decided that he wanted the juice box. Andrew decided he was going to drink what was in the juice box. Andrew is DRINKING OUT OF THE JUICE BOX VIA A STRAW! This was the first time EVER! It was so exciting!!! He was so excited about it. He laughed when it first happened. I was so proud that I almost forgot to take this pic. Seriously. That would have been bad! He is such a big kid in this picture. He's got his lunchable and his juice box. Slow down, buddy!

Andrew and Jasper - such cuties!! 



My Little Pumpkin's Pumpkin

We went to Publix a few weeks ago for our monthly grocery run (I know...2 weeks later and NOW I post the pics...) and Andrew was all excited about something that he saw and wanted. He found a cute little pumpkin and he was so not leaving Publix without it. So, for $1 - why not? It is cute and it had a face that I didn't even know about until I handed it to him. Oh, he was sooooo happy to have that pumpkin!

New Obsession

Other than House Hunters on HGTV...

The Railroad Park!!!! Today We met up with Caroline and her little boy Jasper (he just turned 1, too!) to walk (whew 2 miles and we didn't even know it ;) ) and play. It was a fantastic day! The sun was hiding due to the rain that is supposed to be here at some point and the weather was nice with a cool breeze. Perfect!

Getting a little tired at the end as you can see :) NAP TIME!!

Railroad Park

Ok, I think this may be my new favorite place! The Railroad Park!! How cool is this?! There are paths everywhere, trees, grass, birds, streams, ponds, a playground, a cafe, TRAINS - and it is all in one place in our city. And it is GORGEOUS! Andrew loved it! He likes being outside anyway, but the fact that there were trains all over pulling cars and tanks and whatnot was a huge plus for him. He pointed to them and "jumped" when he saw them. He was super excited! We walked for quite a while before heading to the playground. Once he was done playing, he walked over to the stroller and tried to climb inside. Cutiepants! Obviously, it was time for lunch. So, we head down a few more paths and sat with some trees by a little stream (it actually holds storm water and recycles it within the park). It was a fantastic day at a fantastic park. I'm thinking this may become our new place during the week :)

 

 

Holy Half Hour!

Yes, that is what some call it. Others call it the Children's Liturgy of the Word. Some say Children's Adoration. But, no matter what you call it, Andy attended his first Children's Mass today. It was nice. Simple. Interactive. Perfect for little ears. But some little ears did not like that they couldn't be loud. However, Andy thought that random high-pitched shrieks would be a perfect addition to the serenity of Children's Mass.

Honestly, he was good for the most part - what you would expect from a 1 year old really. But, OMG! The shrieks have got to stop! It is not an upset, mad, unhappy, negative sound. It is a very happy sound. It is just really, really loud...especially in a church that has very high cathedral ceilings!! Maybe he can be in the choir one day...he has the pipes for it.

It was a good first try. Next month, maybe he won't be as loud. I should pray for that... Though we did have a prayer at the beginning for listening:

"Prayer for Listening"
I am so happy to be with you, Jesus!
You are happy to welcome me here.
You have words of everlasting life for me, and I want to listen.
I give you all my worries and needs, so they do not stop me from hearing you.
Please open my mind and my heart to everything you want to tell me today.

Nice little prayer, huh? Fr. Adams is so great with the children, too. He asked questions during his explanation of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary and almost every child gave an answer. I have never seen so many little hands raised and ready with answers! It was a wonderful thing to see. I can't wait to take Andy back next month. Let's just all pray that the happy loud shrieks are staying outside...

When did you start teaching your children about their faith? Any tips/suggestions?

Picnics & Playgrounds

It was such a gorgeous day today!! Andy and I got together with our friends, Rachel and her kids, Zach and Grace. We had lunch at the playground and played for quite a bit! Zach and Grace are so sweet with Andy - they are almost 5 and he just turned 1...so bit of a age difference, but they are such great friends! Andy even thought that he was a big kid towards the end of our time at the park. He saw Zach swing from the bar and then slide. Andy thought he could, too. So did I for a second, until he let go too late. Understanding the timing of things comes a bit later in life, huh? So he cried for a bit but he is ok :) He is off in Nap Land now. I get to play in Laundry World... Can we go back to the park???