Trick-Or-Treat!

Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat!

Baby F fell asleep before all the fun began!

Max, king of the wild things!

Final Group Shot!

First group shot attempt - minus two kids!

Can you find my three munchkins?

Baby K - in Sassy's flower costume from last year!

Snacking on the haul!

Check out the loot!

I'll post more of the weekend tomorrow!

We had two birthday parties and trick-or-treating...and I am done in!

Good-night, Halloween!

And Then the Sun Came Out!

Well, the dumpster and sun arrived all at once! We blocked off the street, let the kids run wild, and emptied the contents of our water-soaked basements into our neighborhood dumpster. By the end of the evening, the kids joined the basements in the status of water-soaked!

Love Tater's outfit!

Bruiser loved his stick...and the water!

And there is the dumpster with the men checking it out!

Our house with the hoses flowing out...

When we took off Bruiser's boots, he dumped a bucket-full on our floor!

Love this shot!

Weekend Randomness

This has not been our typical weekend...although with our usual level of drama and stress, maybe it's not too far off!

Friday, Miss Wiggles and I headed to do our weekly shopping at Trader Joe's and to have lunch with our fabulous neighbors...a bit of a luxury before the weekend began! Then, since we were early to pick up Tater from preschool and I didn't want to go home and take the Wiggler out of her car seat for a mere ten minutes, we sat in the parking lot at preschool and finally figured out how to use my new camera. It only took me two months to find the time! Now let's see how long it takes me to figure out my newest investment...mt teeny, tiny iPod Shuffle...maybe by the time Miss Wiggles starts preschool!

Saturday dawned bright and early with Daddy heading off to work and Mommy getting three children ready for Tumble Tots. We made it there on time, Tater had a good time, Bruiser participated a bit, and Miss Wiggles had fun playing with me on the bleachers. It was a long 90 minutes, but it did burn a good part of the morning minus Daddy!

Daddy was home by 2:00 and Tater and I headed to her little friend's birthday party. She had fun playing and I had a nice time chatting with Mommy friends! They planted seeds and painted pots at the party...and how cute are the aprons!

Tater next to her friend, L, and the birthday girl, T.

Our smiley friend, M!

Posing for the camera!

Painting with pretty colors...but by the time she was done, the pot was completely pink!

What a creative mind!

After the party, we headed home to pick up Daddy and the other two so we could make our first trip to Secret Beach. The weather was amazing and we needed to run off some energy (and sugar!). Miss Wiggles was beyond excited because this was the first time we let her walk on the beach...and only because we forgot the backpack!

Too cute!

Look how tiny!

Tater's searching for shells...just like her great-grandmother.

And a family shot...so rare!

So, today I'm on my own again. Daddy headed out to work before 8:00 (and that's am!) and the kids were up REALLY early...like 7:00! We've had breakfast, watch some Disney shows, played a bit of doll house, and said a little prayer that I don't lose my voice before the day is over. Oh, yes, because we don't just have a weekend that Daddy is working, but we have a weekend that Daddy is working AND all of us have a nasty cold with stuffy noses, goop-y eyes, bad coughs, and sore throats. Lovely!

But the weather is supposed to be nice and I plan to spend sometime outside...maybe enjoying my new iPod...if I can get some music on it!

Last night I pulled out the bin of my Barbie dolls, so later I'm going to share them with Tater. She's going to love the handmade furniture and clothes (by my grandfather and Nana). Maybe she'll play while I relax with my Redbox movie, the re-make of Ice Castles - pure girl-y!

But first, there is laundry to do, kids to dress, clothing to swap out for a certain little girl who just can't fit in 6-12 month clothing anymore (and for no other reason than her legs are too long - she's such a peanut!), a shower for Mommy, beds to make and few sheets to be changed. And, of course, there is always food to be made, diapers to be changed, and things to be cleaned!

And, shame on me, but we decided to skip church because I'm not the crazy woman who tried to take her three children to church by herself...when no one feels good! Note to self - make time for a Bible story today!

On that final random note, I'm going to go clean up the kitchen island where my children were using medicine dropper to squirt milk into the empty wine bottle I left there last night instead of opening the door and tossing it into the recycling. Oh, and I'm going to take a look at that iPod...maybe!

Happy Sunday!

Weekend Recap (Warning! Lots of Pictures!)

We had two (yes, two!) birthday parties on Saturday and lots of things going on at church on Sunday, as well as that random holiday...you know, Valentine's Day! It was a crazy-busy weekend!

We started off Saturday with a party at the local Audubon Society...and it was awesome! They did a great job and the educational center is amazing and age appropriate for my children. Here is a bit of the party:

They started out talking about tide pools.

And they made their own tide pool.

Tater decided to listen to the story from the cubbies at one end of the room.

Then they moved like the animals in the tide pool. Tater was a sea star...

Then we went into the exhibits to do a scavenger hunt.

This is the actual tide pool in the exhibit room.

Don't you love the clipboards?

This little cave has domes that allow the children to look outside.

The inside of a large whale sculpture.

And there is the whale!

Then they got to touch and hold some of the critters.

Tater was a bit hesitant!

A sea star.

Holding a snail.

Then, after a quick stop at home, we headed out to party #2 at the bowling alley. A different location but still a great party. Tater loves to bowl and had a blast!

Love the action shot!

Could care less where the ball ends up!

Then today we had a later church service and a congregational meeting. Since the time went so late into the afternoon, we headed out for lunch and to get Daddy's hair cut. When we got home the neighborhood kids were playing outside and Tater and Bruiser couldn't wait to join in! Bruiser especially liked running with the "big boys" and being included in their games!

He was out for as little as five minutes before his knees were muddy!

I can't wait for the spring thaw and the mess that will bring with my boy!

He tried to push the sled through the bit of snow we had!

After he gave up on the sled, he found a boogie board and ran after the "big boys"!

Resourceful...even if it was the wrong season!

I'm sure we will have more to share tomorrow! It's winter vacation week for me and the kids and Daddy has tomorrow off for Presidents' Day. Tater and I can't wait to take the others to the Audubon Society tomorrow! It's always exciting to find hidden treasures so close to home!