Green Halloween

We got together one night this week to have a green Halloween party. There were crafts, games, plenty of baked goods to share and you cant have a Halloween party without apple cider. The little man was very excited to dress up in his cowboy costume (but he would not put on his hat).

This is an improvement over last year when he would not even wear his costume.
The little man came up with is costume idea all on his own. It all started with the brown cowboy boots my mom bought him a year or so ago. The yellow shirt he had hanging in his closet and the pants were borrowed from his friend 'Row'. 'Row' also let us borrow his belt and buckle but it was just a little to big so we had to make do with a cheap fake leather one.
I made him the cow print vest to look like 'Woodys'. It is lined with brown fleece and even added a sheriff badge to it.

I think that he really like his costume.

I tried to get a picture of both kids sitting on the hay but the little man wanted nothing to do with it until the little lady was already out of her costume and all most asleep in the Ergo, so I had to settle for one of the cowboy with out his horse.

Thats right the little lady is a horse this year for Halloween.

Her costume is made up of a tan shirt, brown shoes, tan corduroy pants complete with braided brown tail and a mama knitted tan hat with ears, a brown mane and  braided ties were added to help keep it on

I did not have a pattern for the hat so I just kind of made it up as I knitted. It did not really turn out the exact way that I wanted but I looks very cute on her (when she leaves it on).
Our pumpkins this year even decided to join in on the green festivities by staying green. We moved them into the house earlier this week and it has seemed to bring out there orange side. Maybe in the next week or two we will paint/ carve them.

Have a great Halloween

This moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo  TWO PHOTOS- no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember -Amanda Soule

The Children's Museum

We took a little trip down town to the Children's Museum.
We have been here many times before but this was the first time that we rode the light rail there.

I was expecting the rain (we do live in Washington) but I was not expecting it to be that cold. We did not have to wait very long before the light rail showed up and than we were nice and warm inside.

We rode all the way to the end of the track and then it was time to go inside and start playing.

The littles had a great time playing together but once the little mans friend 'Row' got there the boys went off to explore leaving the little lady by herself but she did not seem to mind.

The boys always enjoy playing with each other. This time they fixed the roof on the house, explored with balls and pipes and they even built a large fort out of over sized blocks.
The little lady did lots of exploring also. She even found some one just her size to play with.

The little man was very sad to leave his friend and all the fun that he was having but I could only find three hour parking. He was excited to be able to ride the light rail again.

Now that I know how easy it is to get down town using the light rail I see us doing this more and hopefully the little mans friend can meet us there again soon.

Being a good parent

*Post was written yesterday (Sunday October 24th) but it was not posted until this morning because my camera was MIA and pictures are aways fun.

I read this post last night and this morning. It really got me thinking.
I have always thought of myself as a good parent but I have never really thought about what it means.
It is so much more than what your kid(s) can and can not ___________ (insert any of these words and more do, eat, say, watch, act or play with).
Being a good parent has nothing (or little) to do with what type of house you live in, car you drive, how much money you make, what type of schooling you have or expect your child(ren) to have.

I believe my role as a parent is to raise my children in a happy and loving environment and teach them to be functional members of this world (no mater how messed up it may become). I want to raise them with Godly values and standards. I want to let the own creativity and personalities to shine and develop.

Or something along those lines.
Ten or twenty years from now what will my kids remember?
Will my kids remember that the house always looked 'lived in' or will they remember that mama got down on the floor and played with them?
Will my kids remember that the sink had a pile of dirty dishes in it or will they remember that we baked together?
Will my kids remember that their Halloween costumes were homemade and imperfect or will they remember working on them together and making them just the way they wanted?
Hopefully the later half of all of the above statements.
Will it really matter if my kid eats cereal and milk as one meal sometimes two daily?
Will it really matter that we watch Mythbusters as a family and my kid counts down the days until it is on?
Will it really matter that my son wears his 'Greg coat' everyday?
NO! Ten or twenty years from now he may not like cereal or Mythbusters and his 'Greg coat' will be much too small by then.
Here are some real pictures from this afternoon. Unedited and not watermarked just raw pictures.

The view from my computer as I am typing this post.

The view from where we sit.

To myself, and every other parent out there who worries if they are good enough:

You are.  Don't be afraid of imperfection.  Go out and enjoy each moment for what it is, and know that when you're busy squeezing every last drop of happiness out of each day that is way more than good enough. 

Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make you a far happier and more productive person.

-David M. Burns

One bright fall morning...

the littles and I took a trip to a park.
Not just any park but one that I remember going to as a child. I only went there a handfull of times but I remember it being magical.
And it still is,

It has a large huge wooden play structure with so many places to explore and get lost in.
At first the little man was a little intimidated by the playgrounds large size. He wanted me to follow him around while he investigated. So the little lady, the camera and I followed him around until the little lady could not take it anymore and she wanted to get down and play too.

I just love the way his horizontal striped shirt looks with all the vertical stripes.

Notice the little ladys top tooth in this picture?
The park is also set on a small lake that the little man and his friend had fun exploring after lunch.

The water was cold but neither on of the kids seemed to care and both took of there shirts and insisted that they were hot. Oh... to be three again.
Empty Tupperware from lunch worked as great buckets and a spoon as the shovel.
After much play, it was time to head home.
You know that you had a great day at the park when it ends like this...

Amazing fall day

Today was an amazing fall day here in Washington.



The little lady got her fourth tooth yesterday. Hopefully now there will be a little break in her teething and we can all get a little sleep around here.

We got out and enjoyed the day because I dont know haw many more days we will have like this before the rain starts to come. We all know here in Washington that when it rains it pours.

Not much could of made it better... except a three year olds birthday.

...And of course a little cake.

Enjoy your weekend. We are.

Dinner time

Since the hubby is back to work and a routine is starting in our lives again, dinner time is making a come back. It never really stopped around here but now it has really become a great time for us to all get together and talk about our days.
I tried out a new recipe. It was a flop.
The hubby was not a fan of the minestrone soup that I cooked half the day in the crock pot.

I have really been thinking lately that we need to eat a few meatless meals but I just knew that the hubby would not like that idea. So I kept pushing it away but it just kept popping back into my little mind. So I finally gave in.
The first thing out of the hubby's mouth as we sat down and he looked into his bowl was 'Where is the meat?'
The meat! Who needs meat when there is oodles of noodles, fresh picked zucchini, and a bounty of beans swimming all together in the same pot?
Well... we do.
It was a little blah. Maybe some meat would of added some more flavor to the dish.
I really should of done a little more recipe research. Using the first recipe that I saw that I got from a free bean book was not the best idea.

At least the bread was a hit. I have made the Betty Crocker county bread a few times now and I really like the way that it turns out. It takes a little more time than the no kneed bread that was my staple but it is worth it. I have a new favorite.
If you know of any great meatless meals send them my way and maybe, just maybe, I will get brave enough to try one out again. Until then you will find meat on our table and two cute kids ready to dig in.

I tried to be a little creative with this one. Do you see the little lady in the spoon?

Feeling under the weather

I have not been feeling so hot lately so blogging has been put on the back burner along with house work, dishes, and laundry. These activities have been replaced with sweat pants, naps and many cups of tea.
I will be back when I start feeling better.

Seven Months of Babywearing

This week is International Babywearing week. So to celebrate I put together a few of babywearing photo that I have from the seven months that the little lady has been here with us (there is a few of the little man too, can you find him?). Enjoy and happy safe babywearing.

One week

One week

Three weeks

Three weeks

Four weeks

Five weeks

Six weeks

Seven weeks

Seven weeks

Nine weeks

Three months

Three Months

Four months

Four months

Five months

Five months

Six months and three years

Six months and three years

Seven months

Head on over to Adventures in babywearing to read her article and all the other great babywearing post.