Busy Weekend

We just had a very busy weekend. It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately I didn't get a ton of great pictures, but I will share what I have.

Saturday was the Dorsey's Halloween party. As one might expect, it was full of interesting characters. The runway model:

Diego was there in his rescue Jeep

With baby jaguar by his side (of course).

And perhaps the most frightening of all - 2 Jons!

Oh, and Dagny...how did you do this???

Since that wasn't enough excitement for one day, we had Bobby and Charlotte's wedding Saturday night. The cocktail hour went on just a little too long, and the boys wanted to get out of the cramped room, so we went outside for a little while. Darius saw a big pot of flowers and picked one for Nana. He walked all the way back in saying, "nanana Nana!" over and over. He went and gave her the flower, then turned around and went back outside still saying, "Nana!" He went back and forth, picking one flower at a time, until he had given her 5 or 6. It was very cute.

The rest of the wedding was pretty normal. There was a bride and groom:

Lots of drinking:

Camera-shy Bartons:

And, of course, dancing:

Oh, and science experiments, you know, all the normal stuff:

Plus they did have a TV with the Red Sox game on in the foyer. I managed to sneak a peek once or twice. :o)

Saturday night we slept at the Kreams so we could be there for pumpkin day on Sunday. The Dorseys came, pumpkins were carved, it was fun.

Champions!!!!!!!!

The Red Sox won the World Series!!! More to follow, its late now...

Pretty Kitty

Even if you don't like kittens, you have to admit Grover is pretty cute.

Cause and Effect

Just a word to the wise. When your toddler takes a late nap on Daddy...

He will not fall asleep at his normal bedtime. And since bedtime is also known as game time these days, you will have to bring him into the livingroom so you don't miss the first 3+ innings.

You may be pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable this time will be. Like when you 'read' a story with him, and ask where the turtle is, just to hear the sound of your own voice. And then he actually points out the turtle, and says "turtle" for the first time.

Or just getting to watch him snuggle his Dada...

and the pillow you put out in hopes he would fall asleep on it like his big brother once did...

(no such luck!)

and the bath towel that was left lying around...

Of course, in the end, you will have to stand and rock him to sleep for what feels like an hour, resulting in a backache that will carry over into the next day. But it will all be worth it. :o)

Just call me Martha

I don't really know what came over me today, but I felt the urge to cook. I saw a recipe online for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and I couldn't decide if I thought they would be good or not, but I was just curious enough to find out. We didn't have any pumpkin or chocolate chips in the house, so we decided to walk to the grocery store in town, since Luis is still using my car. We got everything we needed and went home for lunch. While the boys ate, I made chili for dinner, and left it cooking in the crockpot. Then I got started on the fun stuff.

The recipe said to use one can of pumpkin, but when I got to the store I saw that there are two sizes. I got the bigger one, since I figured it would be better to have more than I needed and not less. Of course, in reading the comments people made about the recipe, I saw that I only needed the smaller can. Oh well, I found a recipe for lowfat pumpkin muffins and decided to make them too. The boys aren't really into helping with cooking yet, they'll crack an egg here and there, but thats about it. So I was pretty much on my own, that is of course until I opened the bag of chocolate chips. Suddenly they were very interested in taste-testing. :o) I made a floury mess all over the kitchen (we really need a bigger mixing bowl). The muffins were nasty, but the cookies were delicious! I have eaten way more today than I am willing to admit. I only made 1/3 of the dough, I froze the rest. Maybe I will bring them to a certain Halloween party we are attending, to which we have been asked to bring cookies. :o) Or maybe I won't...

Just in case, here is the recipe.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
1 c. Crisco
2 c. Sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk
1 can pumpkin (15 oz.)
4 c. flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 bag chocolate chips

Directions
1.)Mix sugar and crisco together.
2.)Add in the rest of the wet ingredients: eggs, vanilla, milk, and pumpkin.
3.) Then add the the dry ingredients (flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda) slowly until well mixed.
4.) Mix in chocolate chips.
5.) Drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
6.) Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

The chili was yummy (and since dinner was already done I got to sneak off to the gym while they ate!) Best of all, my house was all clean by the time I went to bed - really clean! Like I said, I don't know what came over me.

QTnD

The other day as we were leaving a store Taye told me, "I'm hungry for toys." Nice try. :o)

Just now, Darius was squatting on the porch pooping in his diaper. When he was done, he put his hand on his bum, looked at me, and said, "Bubbles!"

The Red Sox

defeated the Indians 11-2 tonight in Game 7. They are on their way to the World Series!! Woo -Hoo!!!!! :o)

Makes Sense

I found this on a messageboard today:

"When a child hits a child, we call it aggression.
When a child hits an adult, we call it hostility.
When an adult hits an adult, we call it assault.
When an adult hits a child, we call it discipline."
- Haim Ginott

I thought we at least had a few more years...

before we had to worry about the boys making out at the mall. Well, apparently I was wrong. When I got back to the mall playground after my haircut, Luis pointed out a little girl. She was maybe a couple of months older than Darius, with blonde curls and big blue eyes. She was very cute. While Luis was with the boys he found Darius and the little girl under the slide, kissing! He said Darius kissed her first, and then she kissed him back. I think we are in trouble. :o)

Best.Birthday.EVER!

Today was truly one of my favorite birthdays (really one of my favorite days period). I couldn't stop smiling all day long. Luis surprised me and took the day off. He even walked Kevin and Rebecca to the bus so that I could sleep in. We all lazed around in bed for a while after waking up. Darius played peek-a-boo with me. I love the way he says 'boo' - almost like he is spitting the word out. And seeing him with his little chubby hands over his eyes is just yummy. We all got up together, I helped Luis dress the boys and made them a snack tray for breakfast, so they would be all ready to go when it was time. Then I went back to bed! I cannot describe how much I needed that sleep, I have been so exhausted lately - it was delicious.

After I got up and showered, we decided on our plan for the day. First we went to Leominster, and I dropped them at the mall to play in the playground. I went to SuperCuts and got a haircut. And unlike the one I got a couple of months ago (and have been covering with a bandana every day since) I actually really like this one. It doesn't look a whole lot different, she just layered it for me, so it doesn't poof out like it used to. I am so happy with it. I keep checking it in the mirror, expecting it to look bad again, but it doesn't! Not bad for $15, I think I have found my new hairdresser. :o)

After the mall we went to the Discovery Museum in Acton. It seemed like the perfect activity for the day. The boys have so much fun there, and Luis had never been. We had such a nice time together.

BUNNY!!!

So pretty (and proud of it!)

This is so cool...if you look really close, you can see Luis' reflection in the bubble.

My 3 babies, having fun:

We came home and ate dinner, then Luis returned my cell phone to me. :o) I cannot thank you all enough for your messages - 18 of them!! I have never felt so loved, I saved every one and will always. I love you all too! Thank you, thank you!

After the messages it was time for cake. Taye picked it out himself - chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. Does that boy know his Mama or what? Taye picked the peanut butter chips off the top of the cake, and proved that you can eat ice cream with your hands (he even announced, "I'm eating with my hands!") He also somehow managed to avoid an ice cream headache, I have no idea how.

Darius was much more civilized :o) We all know from his birthday that he doesn't like to make a cake mess.

As for Luis, I think I will keep him. I am very lucky. :o) Now I just have to figure out what to do for his birthday - any ideas??