Matisse

Little P is quite the artist. She comes at night and heads straight for her art table. We were working in the basement one weekend and she came down to show us she'd painted her nose red. We made the mistake of laughing. We later came up to find she'd painted herself. She was so proud.

(I will stop long enough one of these days to figure out my picture positioning issue...)

Rise of the Guardians

So you know we'll go see any kid movie that comes out. No matter how lame (Wreck It Ralph). The kids and I hit "Rise of the Guardians" last week and LOVED it. We're at the age where some kids are starting to question Santa. Nick came out of the movie amazed. "Wow, I knew Santa, Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy were real. But I didn't know about Sandman and Jack Frost!" It's cool to be a kid.

Anyone else think Nick looks a little like Jack Frost?

Hot Chicken

We keep some of our old costumes in our bin of Halloween decorations. Others stay out and are used throughout the year (every time a gaggle of boys gets together at our house, at some point they appear in various ninja/batman costumes). Peri found the old chicken costume that she and Nick both wore for their first Halloween (see Peri below from two years ago) and proceeded to wear it each week leading up to Halloween. Never mind that the crotch of the thing was riding higher than should be comfortable. She was happy in it. And would even give little chicken squawks if you said “hi” to her.

We were having some work done on our sewer and had a stinky smell in the house one day, so we lit candles all around. The kids are really good about not playing with fire, but we reminded them anyway. Guess we forgot to say – "don’t reach over the candle with a chicken outfit on". You know how costumes and PJs come with huge warnings about “DON’T GET NEAR FLAME!!!” Well, Chris and Peri were home watching TV one Sunday afternoon (that’s right, not on my watch) and Chris looked up to see our chicken reaching over the candle and “sizzling” a little. Everyone is fine (Chris, Peri and the chicken costume). We can laugh because no one got hurt. 

Parent of the year.

Halloween 2012

This Halloween restored my faith in mankind. No one smashed pumpkins on our block. The kids were all polite and not demanding. The parents all waved. One little girl even gave Chris two pieces of her candy when she found out he was giving out of Peri's bag because we'd run out of candy!

Our little monkey appears to be afraid of the big spiders...















But not to fear - Master Sensei Wu will save her!

Too early for me, but I'll figure out why these photos are fine until I post and they turn sideways...grrrrr.

No peeing in the water

Conversation from this summer (I have it on authority from most other moms that I'm not the only one who tells their kids this):

Peri: I have to pee
Heather: (whisper) Just pee in the ocean
Peri: WHAT?
Heather: (whisper) Just pee in the ocean
Peri: I DON'T WANT TO PEE IN THE OCEAN
Lifeguard and everyone around us staring at us.

Several minutes later:
Nick: I have to pee
Heather: (whisper) Just pee in the ocean
Nick: Really?
several minutes
Nick: MOM, I'M DOING IT!!!
More stares from lifeguards and people

Headless Dora

Peri had a lifesize Dora balloon for her birthday party this past July. It had weights on the feet to keep it grounded. That sucker stayed inflated for weeks! Until one morning Peri got downstairs before everyone else and let out a bloodcurdling yell. I rushed down to find her pointing at a headless Dora balloon standing four feet high. Seems the head came unattached during the night and had floated to the ceiling. A few lame tries by be on the ottoman were scratched. I finally had the bright idea to use Nick's "grabber" - those things that you pull a lever and it pinches the hands together to pick up stuff/pinch your sister - and was able to get it.

Phew - glad it was just Dora!

Dia de los muertos

Day of the dead party and the kids decorated sugar skulls.