We Voted!!

I am so relieved to have this out of the way. This was the sticker Damian wore out. Now we can prepare for a fun night of trick or treating with friends.

Pumpkin Carving

Clara drew her own image and did some of the carving.

Damian roasted the seeds again and they were delicious!

He gave a few to some neighbor girls and

later they knocked on the door asking for more.

Here is what he puts on the seeds:

For approx. 4 cups seeds:

3T oil

2 t. salt

1 T cumin

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. nutmeg

1 t. coriander

1/4 t. cinnamon

Pour oil over seeds and toss. Blend seasonings and toss over seeds. Toast seeds in a single layer on pan in preheated 300F oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Stir every 10 minutes for best results.

Big Score at Goodwill

We found a lot of great stuff at the Goodwill today!

Won't Ollie look adorably preppy in this cotton sweater?!

I found this Gymboree dress for Clara. Great for school.

Here is my Goodwill promo.

One of my best finds was this skirt. It is from Eden's Bouquet. Check out their website at http://www.edensbouquet.com/catalog/index.php. It's brand new and I only paid $2.99!!

It is a 3T so I will have to save it for Isabel, but I couldn't pass it up.

Even the tag is fancy!

Also, these picture frames were a steal at $2.99 each.

This one will go in Ollie's room with a photo.

I bought 2 pink ones for the girls. Check out the original price tags.

These were from a place called Alamo Trading Company. Check out their Texas website at http://www.alamo-trading.com/site/page/pg429-pn_Home.html.

We also came away with some great books that will probably end up in birthday and Christmas presents. You just can't argue with shopping second hand when you can find such great stuff for a small price, while benefiting a nonprofit organization and keeping a minimal impact on the environment.

Park Fun

They didn't seem to care that is was only 70F. They had a great time at the water park and playground. Thanks Nisha for the great idea!

A Fun Weekend

It's always great to have Grandma and Grandpa come to visit. The kids were all so excited and couldn't stop telling us how glad they were to see Grandma and Grandpa. Ollie fell asleep on Grandpa. Isabel fell asleep on Grandma. They read lots of books and wathced Ollie's favorite "commercials." Clara saved her reading homework for them so she could show what she'd learned in school. We visited Marco and Sandra and Ollie was disappointed that Catia wouldn't be there to play. Isabel loved Catia's little chair, even though she didn't feel well that day due to teeth issues. We were having such a good time just being together that I failed to take many pictures. I guess there will always be next time.

Halloween is Coming

Clara has been wanting face paints for some time. She bought some recently and has been having a great time with them.

Grandma Verna, these are for you. Scary Cute!!!

Play Date

We had a fun play date with Nisha, Levi and Annika Springer at their house. It was nice to play in a backyard. Isabel had a great time with the ball and bat.

Isabel at 13 Months

"locks" the door with our keys...unrolls the TP...tries to put TP in the toilet while someone is sitting on it...says "bye-bye" every time we drive through the apartment gates...gets upset if Clara or Oliver is sitting on mom's lap...enjoys playing with the Little People toys...tries to put on her own and others' shoes...loves to eat crayons...bats her eyelashes and puckers her lips at the same time...RUNS toward the balcony when the door opens...gives mom toys when mom is taking a shower...pushes buttons of all kinds...combs her hair

It Only Takes a Minute

Here's what #2 and #3 did while I took a shower this morning.

There was little TP left on that roll when I found it.

Strawberry Bread

Again from Simply in Season(page 34)

1 cup flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cup strawberries (mashed)

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Mix together in a large bowl, stirring until just combined. Pour into greased 8-inch loaf pan and bake in preheated oven at 350F until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour.

Summer variation: Replace strawberries with peeled, finely chopped peaches, blueberries, or a combination

Marla's variation: I have found that I can use just about any combination of fruit I like as long as it is mashed. This is a good breakfast food at our house.

Once Upon a Time

A Quote From The Day

After supper: Marla: Are your hands dirty? How about washing your hands? Oliver: How about NO.

Pumpkins

Awe, the greatest time of the year...pumpkin time.

Calloways Nursery down the street had a harvest celebration on Saturday

with a pumpkin patch atmosphere and activities for the kids.

Isabel is sitting on a giant $60 pumpkin.

Clara and Oliver decorated pie pumpkins.

See the resemblance?

There was a bounce house, they made colored goo, and watched a science experiment.

I got this idea at the nursery to use the pumpkin as the flower. I had to try one.

When we were all done making a mess with potting soil and water, Clara and Ollie helped to sweep up. Isabel was covered in dirt and pumpkin slime. "Isabel gets into stuff that is very messy," said Clara.

Oliver and Isabel Playing

This is a good example of Isabel saying "bye".

The Pictures Speak for Themselves

Dino Drawings

T-Rex

Long neck and pterodactyl

exploding volcano and pterodactyl with babies

Clara's drawings are great. We are back into dinosaurs (we were never really not into dinosaurs, just resting a bit.) We checked out a really cool kid's book at the library about a woman paleontologist, how she fell in love with dinosaurs and what kind of work she does today.

Clara is hooked!

Going Bonkers

This is a much better example of Isabel walking.

Just down the street is a big indoor play place called "Going Bonkers". It is similar to McDonald's play place and also has an arcade(which my kids know nothing about.) We were treated by Quavon's mom, Kay, because the kids have done so well on their spelling tests. There was another girl from Clara's class playing, so that made the experience even more fun. Isabel and Oliver had fun too. Isabel mostly wanted to climb up the stairway.

Flash forward 15 years to Oliver and Isabel drivng their car together.

Clara's School Work

Clara, although starting out a bit behind in reading because of state differences, has been doing very well on her spelling and math tests. Her behavior chart, however, has been a bit more up and down. She has "excessive talking marks" probably once a week on average. She will receive something special from us at the end of the month if her behavior is good or above average everyday. Unfortunately, September ended without such a prize. All in all, I think she is doing well in school.