Happy Halloween

What a busy, fun day! My aunt came up again am for a visit and we walked downtown to window shop and get out and about. We left before the downtown merchants put on their Halloween celebration so we missed about 1,000 kids waiting in really long lines for candy. Whew! My little Tigger was so cute! He also knew he was cute. I am not even kidding. First of all he let me hold his hand for about two blocks (small miracle) then he would catch his eye in a window, run towards it and growl. It was so stinking cute! We were totally cracking up. Of course everyone who did see him in costume let him know he was adorable, cute and so sweet. I am sure he understood every word too! CJ was Anikan Skywalker (aka Darth Vader before he turned to the dark side) which is pretty sweet since last year he went as Obi-Wan. (used the same costume two years in a row...sweet!) My mom stopped by on her way to a Halloween party...go figure, the 60+ year old has plans on a Saturday night! She went as a cowgirl, Lynda as a witch and Ross as Neo. They were so cool! So, all in all Halloween was fun and exhausting. All had a great time and all my little monsters are home relaxing or snoozing.

Out for a walk

I went for a walk. Just Zac and I in the stroller. I thought he would take a nap. He had only slept for 30 minutes earlier that morning and with a nice walk...I thought he would snooze for a few hours. It did not work at all! In fact he was wide-awake, laughing, smiling and talking the whole time. The only thing I can think of is that he too thought it was too beautiful to sleep and waste the day away. I thought the last bright sunny days were over but then...OR weather makes a turn for the better (again). I can't remember the last time I took pictures of nature, but it was such a gorgeous day I felt the need to stop, look up and snap a few of the colorful leaves against this blue sky. I do love trees! My camera and lack of photography skills do not do justice to the spectacular, vibrant colors, but you can get the idea. There was not a cloud in the sky! Gorgeous.

Park (cont)

Here is the rest of the gang...The kids are in the play boat, all pretending to go for a ride, the swings were a favorite and Maddy (now 5 years old) wanting to sit in the baby swing, which lasted about 3 seconds cracked me up...she was soooo not comfortable! Carlos ended up showing up for about 5 minutes (enough for me to get a picture of my boys!) and my mom stopped by for a bit too. Again, we had a real nice day. Back at the house Brian and I were on the front porch while the kids took naps and played on the wii and this is the conversation that has a still laughing almost 2 weeks later!

Me: (looking down the street at a girl walking her dog and watching her dog leave poop on the sidewalk...not picking it up!) Geez, she is not going to pick up her dog's poop.
Brian: I hate that.
Me: Yeah. Gross.
Brian: (yelling) PICK IT UP!
Me: Shhhh...geez. (laughing)
(Enter lone walker. Male. Directly in front of my house. Hears Brian yell, PICK IT UP!)
Lone walker: This is all I've got in me.
Me and Brian: (3 second delay) Roars and roars of laughter...
(2 weeks later...still laughing)

(the last) Sunny Fall Day

After a stormy, windy, rainy, thunder-storm and lightening weekend...I thought I would finally post some pictures of (maybe it was the last sunny day of fall) us at the park with our friends: Brian, Miles and Maddy (Beth was at home). It was a great day of just hanging out, laughs, pizza (and beer), ice cream and a really long walk. The kids did a great job. We even made it to the best toy store ever, Hopscotch. I did go overboard a bit on this first collage with only pictures of Zac...but I seriously could not resist all those pictures. I guess it is just a natural consequence of taking so many pictures.

Auntie Anna is 30!

My seeeeeeeeeeeeestor, the best auntie to my kids, a great sister-in-law to my hubby and a wonderful human being to boot! She is so much the ying to my yang and the tall to my short. She makes me laugh, lets me vent (at any hour...day or night), always returns my calls and loves me unconditionally. She is clever and witty. We have our own secret language filled with private jokes and "remember whens". She loves board games, cards and games. She is competitive on and off the many courts she plays and coaches on (tennis and VB). She is smart and understands the educational field. I love that she lives near me so I can smother her with love, laughs, my kids, my life and my questions. HA! She is 30 years old! I can't believe it. There is nothing like a sister. We get each other. We get each other through the thick and thin. I love how our sister roles have changed and evolved over the years...it is nice and comforting. Warm and fuzzy. Sweet. Happy Birthday Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeestor! I love ya!

Zac the Swimmer

That slide is super-slippery! He just shot right out of there. Good catch Carlos.

This one cracks me up. He is just playing with his feet and laughing.

Zac has crossed his legs for as long as I have known him...saw it for the first time in the ultrasound picture. Too cute!

Going under...and loving it!

Hi Mom and Brother! He gave us the huge-est wave when he saw us. He was totally showing off his swim stuff.

I took Zac to the first three swim classes and then Carlos has been doing a great Daddy job at taking on the last four sessions. They both love it. It is fun to see Zac interact with his Dad in a new location. They were both laughing, swimming and having a blast.

Confessions of a Soccer Mom

Aunti Vicki, Zac and the soccer player

Zac...looking too cute in his hat! Check out last year (right corner, Zac on Carlos' shoulder)

I little late on the "hey, soccer is here", "check out the rain..must be soccer season" and "soccer mom-isms", but here some pictures. If you are wondering why I have not been blogging about soccer practice and games it is well...because I try really hard to stay away from soccer. (just kidding...a little bit) Soccer is not my favorite. I like it. It is OK. But I prefer baseball and basketball. CJ has been playing soccer for five years, I am still not sure about all the positions on the field or who can or can't be off-sides. I can tell you I love watching CJ play soccer. Run up and down the field and listen to him talk soccer with his Dad. I do get excited for him when he does well and I can do all the necessary talks when it was a not-so-great game, but I just don't enjoy the game itself. Sidenote: I am in for many more years of soccer because baby Zac (not sure how much longer I can call him baby...sorry, small birdwalk) was trying to put on CJ's shinguard. So, so, so cute. Anyway, soccer is going well this season. Good team, great coach and the first year of the big field.

My aunt came to visit this weekend and as we were driving down into Joe Dancer Park this is what she said to CJ, "There are your foes. There is the team you are going to beat. Be aggressive. Win. Play hard. Don't let them intimidate you." I am sure the competitive side is alive in well on my side of the family! HA!