Super Duper Halloween Post

Before I show the pictures from tonight's grand finale (trick-or-treating), I need to take a moment to show of Ava's mad crafting skills leading up to Halloween. Is there any better holiday for crafts? Actually, is there any better holiday at all? I don't think so. It's the first of the holiday season, generally low pressure and oh so much fun. But I digress. Back to the crafts.

#1 Haunted House

I picked up this kit at Michael's, and Ava was able to construct the whole thing pretty much by herself. She patiently glued and placed the pieces for 2 days to create her first Halloween masterpiece.

#2 Spooky Ghosts

We made these last year, and they were so easy and fun to make I decided to throw them out instead of store them. We made new ghosts this year. I basically cut squares out of garbage bags and wrapped them around other garbage bags. We tied them up with string and Ava drew the faces. Voila!

#3 Ghost Pumpkins

I got this from Family Fun magazine. We painted pumpkins black and stuck on foam wings, ears and eyes attached to skewers. If we had more time I would have carved the pumpkins with eyes and fangs before painting and attaching wings and ears. Maybe next year.

#4 Jack-O-Lanterns

We didn't get around to carving pumpkins until last night, because we've been having 80 degree weather and I figured the pumpkins would rot if we carved them any earlier. The weather changed yesterday and we finally got some nice fall weather, rain-storm included. Ava drew the faces on Tyler's (right) and her own pumpkin (center). She also enjoyed pulling the seeds out. Lilly thought the seeds were gross, and insisted on using a spoon to scoop the innards out.





The girls got the cutest costumes from their Grammy. Ava was a butterfly and Lilly a flower princess. They trick-or-treated our street, then went to my sister's house to trick-or-treat with their cousins. Lilly had a hard time keeping up with the older kids, especially as her bag got heavier with her spoils. We finished just in time to go through a spooky haunted house someone built in their front yard. It was scary enough that the girls shook and whimpered, but not so scary that they were happy to leave without going through a second time.





Overall, they came home exhausted and with enough candy to put themselves into a diabetic coma. After they had their fill, we sent them to bed so I could edit the candy situation. Basically, I dumped everything out into a big pile. I put all the toys back in their bags, along with one or two pieces of everything that isn't especially horrible for their teeth. Hopefully I put enough back in that they don't freak out tomorrow morning. The rest filled a gallon-sized baggie which is hiding in the back of the highest cabinet in the kitchen. The stash should last until next Halloween.

Inspecting the Spoils

My Girls

Today I took some great pictures of my 3 girls. They have got to be the 3 most beautiful girls in the world. Each of them have their own personalities, which I think I captured here in these pictures. Ava is a sweet girl who loves all things beautiful, Lilly loves to get excited about everything and dance, and Mindy is my beautiful girl who keeps our family happy and excited about life. I'm a lucky dude.

Pumpkin Hunt

Think Easter egg hunting in October. That's what the kids and their cousins did today with the pumpkins they grew with Grandma.

Clean House

Well, the outside at least. Mindy and I power washed the outside of the the house and cleaned the windows inside and out. I must admit, Mindy did most of the work. She cleaned all of the window screens, and the insides of all the windows. I just climbed on a ladder, constantly yelling at her to "hold the ladder." She is wonderful.

Come over and take a look.

Murder - 80's Style

We went to a murder mystery party this weekend where we got our 80's on. Guess who was the murderer?

Our Hero

After almost a week of countless tears, sleepless nights, and purchasing Target knock-offs, Tyler found the silkas! Hip-hip -HOORAY!


Lilly will be ecstatic when she wakes up in the morning to see the gift her daddy left for her.

New Lens

My friend Jane got me completely fixated on this new lens for my camera. Every time I took a picture, I wished I had the lens. Somehow, I got it in my mind that I would become a master photographer if only I had that lens. Well, it turns out it's pretty cheap, so I ordered it and waited impatiently for the lens to arrive on my doorstep. I was like Ralphie checking the mail each day for his secret decoder ring from Little Orphan Annie.

And...it came today! Here is the very first picture taken on the lens. I've got some practicing to do, but so far I'm in heaven.


We took this picture on our Canon 20D. The lens is the f/1.8 from Canon. This lens should work on all DSLR's from Canon.

Pumpkin Harvest

We spent a beautiful day at the pumpkin patches in Half Moon Bay last weekend. I say patches because we hopped between three different locations, feeding goats, jumping and sliding, and finding the perfect pumpkins to take home.

How do you spell disaster?

Not being able to find a two-year old's silkas (most treasured blankets) by bedtime despite hours of tearing the house apart.

Sweeping Booty

How cute is she???

Lilly has a pink flower princess costume for Halloween. When asked what she is going to be, she gets a big smile on her face and says "sweeping booty," which is Lilly for Sleeping Beauty. In her mind, pink princess = sleeping beauty.

By the way, this little angel was causing me so much grief this evening as I was trying to put dinner together. Suddenly I noticed that I was flipping can-cakes (pancakes) in peace, and the above picture explains why. How can something so sweet be so much trouble? I guess that's the price you pay for cuteness.

Old Lady League

For the last year, I've been playing indoor soccer in a 30+ women's league. We started out being slaughtered week after week, but we're starting to pull it together. I look forward to the games all week. It's great exercise, fun girl time, and just makes me happy in a way I can't explain. Maybe it's because being a mom has transformed my identity so much I hardly recognize myself sometimes, and playing soccer again links me to my younger, freer self. Maybe that's reaching too far and it's just something I like to do. In any case, I had a bad attitude all day and the game turned my frown upside down.

Help me out here folks...

I have this little problem. Actually, it's a big problem. I crave Indian food all the time, but I never get to eat it because my girls won't touch anything with the least bit of spice in it. At two Ava used to down Dutch Goose deviled eggs, which are a little too spicy for me. Somewhere along the way she lost her love for spice, and Lilly never liked it.

So for those of you who eat lots of Indian, what do you recommend for little ones? If you ask the guy behind the counter, he insists that their whatever is not spicy at all. Not true. I'm starting to wonder if I'll just have to be satisfied giving them a rice and naan dinner every now and then so I can eat what I really want.

Highlights from Italy

We've been home for a week and I'm finally emerging from the haze of jet lag. The trip couldn't have come at a better time, and it was great to get away to such a beautiful place. The highlights of the trip included:

Eating gelato

while walking past the Trevi fountain

and the Pantheon.

Eating breakfast across from the Coliseum.

Eating Pizza on the Spanish steps.

Biking along the Adriatic in Monopoli.

Cruising the local market.

Watching mozzarella being made, and eating it.

Taking pizza making lessons from a chef that only speaks Italian.

Biking past trulli

and 2,000 year old olive orchards.And, of course, flying home to our precious girls who had a great time at Grammy and Paga's.