Trick or treat

Halloween finally culminated tonight with trick-or-treating and a sugar-fueled viewing of Cinderella. The movie pick was Lucy's.

Daddy: That's not really a Halloween show.

Lucy: But it has a pumpkin in it!

I say culminated because it seems like it's been going on all month with parties and pumpkin decorating and spooky crafts wandering in from school. And since one of you wears a costume almost daily, it kind of feels like we've had a whole summer and fall of Halloween.

Sorry, we didn't get better photos. The charger for the camera is missing. You two wouldn't know anything about that would you?

The language of Henry

Oh Henry,

You're personality is shining through in your words. I love it so much I have to "schiss" and hug you every chance I get. Here is a peak of the treasures coming out of your mouth:

Hug = a favorite Henry activity and common request; good for people, animals, cars, branches, crackers, etc.

Schiss = kiss, see "hug"

Dansh = gotta shout this and wiggle anytime you hear music - yes!

Woohoo = mission accomplished, also "all right!"

Skelketon = skeleton, usually followed by open-mouth staring; I think you are impressed

Punkin patch = currently your favorite place in the world; see also, "Idaho"

Idaho? = anything resembling a farm; said as a question, as if, can we go there?

Gushting = disgusting, used in reference to pumpkin guts

Two = any letters or numbers spotted in writing

Un, two, eaven, eight = counting

Pink = used in reference to any color, see "prinshess"

Prinshess = you know exactly who they are, someone has had an influence on you

Uppa = star, just like Lucy *melt*

Yesh = agreement, see also "super nod"

Super nod = like a regular nod only WAY cuter and more definitive *love*

Meatballs = grab the ketchup and shout this until mom gives you some

Watchashow? = one word request for TV, sometimes more specific as in "Whatchashow Thomas?"

Monshter truck = possibly the coolest thing on the planet, always on the lookout for these

Boo boo bee boo = robot sighting alert; shouted every time we go into the Belmont Library because it has a robot poster

Fire truck = preferred spoon sounds during food delivery; also tractor, helicopter, race car, and rocket

Appy = happy; what you are most of the time

Ungry = hungry; what you are most of the time (seriously, you can eat kid!)

Mommy, wan hug? = Mama's favorite sentence in the whole world

"Appy" Henry at the "punkin patch"

Kinda missing the point here

Cracked and broken, but still dearly loved

Your precious binkies were missing last night at bedtime. When I finally found them (in the basement, in the fort, under a blanket, mixed in with a pile of 3-inch princesses) I delivered them to your room where you were howling into the crack under your door.

Mama: "Lucy, I'm not going on any more binky hunts. You are old enough to sleep without them. If you want to keep them, you need to take care of them and keep them safe. Do you understand?"

Lucy: "Ok mama, I promise. I won't let any coyotes get them."

Hm.

Dinner in a pumpkin

Jack-o-lanterns are lighting up the street. "Skelketons," goblins, and witches are out and about. It's just about time to make our annual Dinner in a Pumpkin. Boo!

Dinner in a Pumpkin Recipe

1 small to med pumpkin
2 T oil
2 T soy sauce
1 4 oz can mushrooms (or some fresh cooked)
1 can sliced water chestnuts (drained)
1 onion chopped
1.5 - 2 lbs ground beef
1 T brown sugar
1 can cream-of-chicken soup
1.5 C cooked rice

Cut off pumpkin top and thoroughly clean out seeds and pulp. Paint an appropriate face on the front with a permanent marking pen or acrylic paint. Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet, sauté onions in oil until tender. Add meat and brown. Drain drippings from skillet. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms and soup. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cooked rice and water chestnuts. Spoon mixture into the pumpkin. Replace pumpkin top and place entire pumpkin with filling on a baking sheet. Bake 1 hour or until filling is hot and pumpkin meat is tender. Put pumpkin on a plate. Remove pumpkin lid and serve filling. For your vegetable, scoop out cooked pumpkin and serve. Serves 6.

Note: we usually precook the pumpkin in the oven for 30-60 minutes depending on size. I also like to add extra cooked veggies like peas, or green beans before baking.

Intervention!

Uh oh. My office has gotten totally out of control. Totally. Out of control. My inner hoarder has been amassing "stuff" and it is getting away of work and life.

I'm staging my own intervention. I'm posting here so I will feel the need to follow up. If you never hear about this again, you'll know I failed miserably and decided to keep everything in the scramble that it is, or simply start a fire and run away.

Both of those options are seriously tempting. We're fighting genetics here and the pull is more intense than I want to admit.

But the stakes are high. My dad has "lived" in a house with pathways to and from the kitchen and bathroom for decades. His addiction to stuff has cost him several marriages and most other relationships as well. For example, he has spent thousands of hours in the DI and maybe 5 hours with the two of you.

So... here is the sign I'm putting on the wall today

The "Before"

And some inspiration

Wish me some serious luck.

Only have eyeballs for you

We got a great invitation in the mail for Will and Deb's halloween party. It's been the talk of the kitchen.

Lucy is on the verbose end with endless questions - all beginning with but: "But where are the people who had those eyeballs?" "But how did they get in there?" "But why is it a joke?""But do they smell?"

Henry's conversations are much simpler and he seems to get the joke. "Eyeballs! Ha ha ha!" "Woohoo! Eyeballs!"

One thing that you see eye to eye on (ha!): Halloween and Aunt Deb are the best!

Homesick, right on schedule

Every fall, I get crazy homesick - longing for my mountains and my family.

Today, my heart is here:

And more specifically here:

This is after living in Oregon for 13 years!

Will you feel this way about Portland someday? I find that so strange.

Grandma just moved to Heber and we have not seen her new place. I can't picture the view out her windows. I don't know where she keeps her cups or the giant bag of sugar free chocolate. I don't how her furniture is situated or where to find "Fred" the blanket. I feel out of touch and sad.

Time to go go hunt up some plane tickets...

Mama gets a night out!

My stress therapy? Interpretive dance and karaoke. 


Amazing friends required.

Wig optional.

Daily Inspiration: Integrity

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

~ Steve Jobs
1955 - 2011

Wipeable surfaces only, please

I love you baby. But please don't throw up in the car. It's just too darn gross for both of us.

Becoming yourself while dressing up like everybody else

Age: 40 months

Current obsessions: dress-ups, independence, candy!

Afraid of: coyotes (why?), seemingly nothing else

Said recently: "Mama, I don't need you anymore. I only need myself."

Might be seen wearing: Mary Poppins Hat, Thomas the Train boots, just about any costume on the body parts in between with lots AND lots of accessories

Wants to be when she grows up: A mama with a baby in her tummy, a princess

Will do almost anything for: candy, to watch a show

Especially likes: playing at the park with friends, Greek myths, beading, cousins and grandparents