Halloween

My sister hosted an awesome Halloween party and we couldn't resist driving down to Houston to participate. I can't believe I don't have pictures of it to prove how awesome she is. The invitation was a work of art...seriously...I kept it out to show friends for weeks. She had the whole place decked out from the entry to the bathroom. There were devilishly delectable things to eat (and eat and eat) and fun games too. Plus, my sister dresses up as the most amazing witch ever...green face and all(hopefully I can get her to send a pic so i can show you).
So, we had tons of fun and witnessed a miracle...my dad dressed up for the first time ever! I am not sure if it is the grand kids...but he is getting "soft" in his old age I guess. It was great. He even won the costume contest by a landslide. (As an aside...face paint as part of a costume for kids...not so much a big hit in my house as you might be able to see.)
On Halloween night we went out to a party at my parent's house. It was fun and entertaining for the kiddos. But possibly its most redeeming quality as a party was that when the kids were "done" and started asking for sleep...we just had to walk in the house and put them in bed. Ahhh....good times.

Friendships that last

Some things never go away...a good friendship is one of those things. A true friend can still be your friend even when you haven't talked for months...or even years. You can pick up the relationship where it was "left" without any weirdness.
The first week of OctoberI experienced this firsthand. I spent a weekend in California to attend the wedding of my dear friend, Amy. Amy and I met in 7th grade and became best friends. We were thick as thieves throughout middle school and high school and remain close as adults. Amy was always kind and sensitive as a friend and always sacrificed to be part of my life. She even came all the way to Utah to visit me in college and then to LA for my wedding. Her family is wonderful and her house was like a second home for me growing up. I will always love her and am soooo happy she found Spencer. From our brief meeting I saw that he is handsome, generous and kind and that, most importantly, he loves Amy. Their wedding was very nice and Amy was one of the most beautiful brides ever. I am so glad that I was able to participate. (I couldn't find my camera on the day of the wedding...big bummer...so here are pics from the rehearsal).

AND...as if that was not wonderful enough...I got to stay with one of my most wonderful friends, Lizzie. Lizzie was one of my first "married friends" (we were even married days apart). Her husband and mine got their first jobs out of college at Merrill Lynch (back in its hay day). Lizzie is one of those friends that I feel was my other half...irreplaceable. We lived a few doors down from each other and did almost everything together. We cooked together, sewed together, grocery shopped together, ate together, worked out together...you name it. She was there when times were tough and I will never forget her even when we are states apart....
Anyway, it was amazing to be able to see her after more than 5 years. I got to meet her children whom I had never seen in person and reconnect with her and Shad. I tried my first fish tacos with her this trip and am in love (I can't believe I have never had them...yum!). Thanks for your generosity and for letting me spend a few days with you Liz! (We didn't really take pictures together...big bummer...and the one that I DO have is pretty awful...so I will just let the good times live on in my mind).

E's Blessing

This weekend has been wonderful. Not only did we have both sets of parents here, but we also had some of our siblings to share in the experience of E's blessing at church. I made E's little dress...so of course, it was even more fun to show her off...but we just think she is a doll (dress or no dress). She is such a pleasant and happy baby. She is a joy to have in our home.

M Starts Kindergarten!!!

I cannot believe that M is old enough to start kindergarten. He has been ready for it for a year or two but maybe I am not ready for it. This is actually the first time I think I have felt like an adult, EVER. I mean, anyone can manage to be married, have a job...even have a few kids...but adults have children in school. Adults get up early every morning and drag sleeping children from their beds (at 6:40 am) and dress them while still sleeping. Adults urge each and every bite into that same sleeping child's mouth and "encourage" them to brush faster and get into the car. Only adults pretend to be awake and happy to take their child to school at such an early hour so that their child will know they too are pumped for a day of fun and learning...
I digress...
M loves school as we hoped he would. On the first day, he didn't even look back. No, no, he was not one of the crying children clinging to his parent's leg or sitting on his teacher's lap for comfort. He just gave a big smile, found his spot on the carpet and turned his beautiful blue eyes to the front of the room, with sponge-like enthusiasm, ready to learn all that his teacher could throw at him.
He is so smart and capable and pure. I think that has been our biggest concern about this school year. We knew that starting school meant letting go and relinquishing the control of the "bubble" we have created for the past 5 years. He is such a good boy...just a genuinely good boy. He does not think about breaking the rules, he doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, he wants to please others and be helpful. So, all we can do now is keep our fingers crossed and be there to hear all of his excitement and know that he knows what's right and he will continue to be the boy we know he is.

Birthdays for the B-Man

So, B turned 3...I can't believe it. He requested a bug party. It was lots of fun. We played all kinds of bug games like cocoon (where you form teams and see who can wrap their caterpillar in a cocoon/aka toilet paper, the fastest), exterminator (like freeze tag but the it person sprays kids with a spray bottle of water), bug memory, hot spider (ok, so basically hot potato), beat the bug (pinata), blah blah blah. It was lots of fun and ended with yummy spider cupcakes (as a friendly aside - NO ONE likes black licorice...so don't bother going to multiple stores to locate black licorice laces just to give your spider black legs...just make them red).

Also, (this is only for my memory) B has a thing for older women. When we talked about his birthday party...beginning in May when we were planing M's party...he wanted to make his guest list. The only problem was that all of the invitees were girls ages 5-10. I had to strongly encourage him to invite boys his own age and he eventually agreed that it might be fun to have them along with the girls.

As most 3 year olds, he was most happy about the presents. I am working on this with him, but let's be honest...everyone loves the presents...we just learn not to say it out loud at some point.

B is a wonderful little boy. He is as charismatic as anyone I know already and can work a crowd if he feels like it. He rivals me in ability to eat unusually large quantities of food and requests food in a semi-conscious state around 7 am EVERY morning of the week. He is my little cuddle bug and almost always agrees to snuggle with me on the couch or give me a big squeeze when I need one. He is a great brother and playmate for M and E. He is surprisingly gentle and attentive with E and has really won her over quickly. He is the biggest toughie in the room until any kind of dog or cat arrives on the scene and then he claws his way up the nearest adult. He can be the sweetest thing around and the biggest stinker all in one day. We love him so much and are happy to have him in our family.

Genetically Blessed

So normally I focus on my own family and how wonderful, handsome/beautiful and talented they are. In this case...I just wanted to share a pic of my friend's daughter (disregard the slight boogie-nose...cold season, ya know). Can you even believe how adorable she is? Ok, that's all...just wanted to post her cuteness (and don't worry, I asked her mom already).

Mediocre is better than what I've got going on here

SO, I started blogging thinking that I would be mediocre at best at doing it but better than I am at journaling. I guess I was being optimistic. SO, I going to try to get current in the near future starting today...I mean, starting from the beach post you have been looking at for the past 6 months (not that anyone is even bothering to check the blog anymore because it is never updated).