Happy Halloween From a Galaxy Far, Far Away

9:39 a.m.
Boys wake up and find candy bucket within minutes.




9:42 a.m.
Costumes are on and the wait begins.



10:14 a.m.
Can't wait anymore, must duel.



10:28 a.m.
Friends show up for the inaugural trick-or-treat.



10:46 a.m.
Face stuffing begins.


11:11 a.m.
We're so bored! Please give us something to do.



1:50 p.m.
Can we play with the headlamps you bought us for tonight?



6 p.m.
Mason falls asleep just as we prepare to go trick-or-treating.


6:05 p.m.
Mason starts to realize something is going on and he should probably wake up.


6:26 p.m.
Around the block are Mason is generally terrified the entire time. Cooper is racing ahead and finding neighbor kids to troll with.



6:30 p.m.
Decide it's easier to fill your bucket from mom's stash.


7:44 p.m.
Decline another bit of candy for avocado slices and taco soup.

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Who's Got the Eggplant?

I tend to believe people when they choose to tell me things about themselves. Like, "I'm going crazy!" or "I gained so much weight over the holiday." In my opinion, it's just silly not to. So pay attention. I like to procrastinate. I try not to. But I do. I really do. Often and for lengthy -- almost dangerously so -- periods of time.


That, my friends, is how I found myself in a mad dash to find a pumpkin on Oct. 30th at 5 p.m. Oh and let me throw this juicy bit in, I was ON MY WAY to a pumpkin carving party. So, two kids in tow, I'm surfing all the local grocers for three pumpkins. Not an orange spherical squash or gourd to be found. Lots of empty corrals constructed from hay bales, lonely dried corn stalks, but no pumpkins.


Here's another truth about me. Sometimes in an effort to play off my procrastination as "really cool mom that let's you pick anything you want" I opened up the creative decision to Coop. I waved my arm enticingly in the general direction of all the produce and said, "You can pick anything you want. You'll have the most unique Jack-O-Lantern at the party."


Coop's wise (a well known fact about him) and he took about 4.3 seconds to mull over his decision. Then pointed directly at the eggplants and screamed, "I want the purple one!"

Fishy

Coop has started lessons at a new swim school. We are thrilled and he is improving with every session. Let's just say he's taking to water in ways he never took to the field (soccer).

(If you can't see him in this photo... I am really sorry.) Coop's all by himself -- that's right no one else in his class -- with the teacher on the far side of the pool.

PS -- Something was wrong with blogger last night and it dumped the entire contents of this post and then I was locked out -- for lack of a better description -- and was unable to update or edit.

Grass Ain't Always Greener

On the recent trip we took to our favorite park, Mason found himself in grass that was as tall -- if not taller -- than he. He hated it. And when Mason hates something it's high time to take a picture.

Where Did Summer Go?

I expect that some will read this and think, "It's nearly Halloween, get over it." But it was so warm this week that it was hard to remember which season we are in. A trip to one of our favorite parks reminded us of the good times we had in 100-degree heat just a few months ago. Now the fountains are turned off, the crowds have waned, and the leaves are falling off all the trees. Harumph! It's gone.



Which means... Autumn is here. No need to despair. But seriously, where did Summer go?

I'll Have Fries With That

Hot fries with a sprinkle of salt taste the best when dipped in... a Wendy's frosty. All 850 calories of that treat is SO worth it (combined total of fries and frosty). And that is why I threw caution to the wind and painted my master bedroom the same color as a Wendy's frosty.

I'm thinking that my state of exhaustion had something to do with it. Most people would take a day to rest, but OH NO I had to forge ahead and paint something. MMMMMmmmmmm, just hungry thinking about it.

A Little Help
After
Before (Yes, it was that bad.)

Follow Me

Boys have an uncanny ability to find mud, secret forests, and paths to freedom. It's a personal delight to clandestinely follow my own boys as they discover these things. Never mind the playground equipment on the other side of the retaining wall, the dried up (well, almost dried up) irrigation ditch is much more fun.

I especially enjoy eavesdropping on their conversations.

Cooper: Look Mas, that's a secret forest.
Mas: Eewwww, Toop!
Cooper: We need to go this way, to get away from the bad guys.
Mas: *heavy breathing*
Cooper: Oh Awesome! Mud.
Mas: Whoa! Sssshhhh!