I Am Full.

Literally.

We have had a very busy month. Busy with the normal things going on with 2 young boys. School, homework, meal battles, bedtime battles, toy battles, park outings (no battles there!), my volunteering at the boys school, running.... but the big events this month was Michael's 5th birthday and of course, Thanksgiving.

Alot of planning went into Michael's birthday. We had a party for him this year, which he was very excited about. And we had alot of family here for the celebrations. My in-laws flew in from NYC, and my mom came in from Texas. The morning of Michael birthday, my mom and I went to Michael's class for his Earth and Sun Ceremony. It was really fun to see this, and we got a few okay pictures. It was hard to really capture, so you will just have to believe me. Here are a few pictures of Michael orbiting the sun, which he does 5 times this year.



Michael requested dinner out that night. We went to one of our favorite family pasta places in Hermosa called Fritto Misto. Everyone ate and had a good time. The real fun came after dinner for cake and presents. I have no pictures of present opening, because it got a bit out of control. Like wild dogs attacking.. I will stop, but you get the point. Michael got ALOT of gifts. And he was very excited. Henry was also excited. Everyone was very generous.

The cake was really yummy and totally cute. Here is a picture.



The party was Saturday at My Gym. It was really fun. We had a great turn out, and it was money well spent. Michael was exhausted by mid party, due to soccer that morning, and a few late nights. But he managed to keep it together. Here are a few pictures of the party. The ball picture shows a very tired Michael.








A very fun weekend full of good food, good company and just a few gifts.... on to Thanksgiving!

It was just the 4 of us for T Day. But we cooked! We cooked alot. We cooked all day! And am happy to report that my boys ate turkey. I took a few pictures I have yet to download, so stay tuned. We had leftovers for dinner tonight, and they ate alot more! The were not too keen on our stuffing, mashed potatoes or beans, but I think that was do to the seasoning on those items. Because it was all really, really good.

We started Michael in a soccer camp, so he could learn the sport, verses just sticking him a club. He has really done well and seems to enjoy it. Henry is begging to play, so we will look into that the next session. He has had 3 classes so far. Here are a few pictures from the past 3 weeks.





Henry news. He is 100% potty trained. He will still have the random accident, but he has done really well. And quickly! I am amazed and counting my blessings!

Me. I am still running and almost running 3 miles. It has gone really well. I feel really good after the run, and can not say I really enjoy myself during the run.

That's it from this end of the world. Hope everyone that comes across this blog and actually reads had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Last Week in October

Clever title, huh!

We had a really nice October, with the boys being very excited about all things Halloween. Between all the art projects, cooking projects, spooky songs, costumes, and of course the carving of the pumpkin, I feel like I have lived Halloween.

Our Halloween really started the weekend before Halloween.

We went to brunch at one of our favorite brunch places, called Truxton's. We can have an adult meal, but they do a great job with the kids. Everyone is happy. This was the case again for us. We walked into the door, and they hand the boys tiny pumpkins and markers to decorate, and seat us right away. They also provide paper to color on. The boys did not really want to decorate the pumpkins, but did color very well. What was really fun about this trip to Truxton's was Henry's scary eyes. Here are a few pictures from that brunch.






The image of the drawings are Michael's. He drew WALL-E and EVE. John drew teh middle picture, but the others are Michael's. Pretty good, huh!

So Truxton's was Saturday. Sunday we went to the Pumpkin Patch. Again, this was something the boys were very excited about. We had wanted to go to a bigger, prettier patch, but given the time it would have taken, we opted for something closer, and it was fine. The boys selected their won pumpkins. Michael was picky, looked at all of them, not sure what color he wanted or what size. Henry went straight for the green ones, picked one out and was done. John also selected a big orange pumpkin. Michael did pick one.... a nice white pumpkin. Here are a few pumpkin patch pictures.







So we came home and got to carving. Sadly, we lost all our pictures except for these 4 pictures. The carving was messy, but fun. It also took alot longer than we thought. But we had a good time, and the pumpkins looked great! They did not last long.... on Halloween, we noticed they odd an odd coloring in the holes, and they looked alot flatter... it was mold. Yuck. They were tossed when we returned home Halloween night. Here are 4 carving pictures.






Halloween day was fun, and started early. The boys wore their costumes to school for the Harvest Festival. I worked the festival, we all had to be dressed and out of the house by 8 am. It rained that day, which never happens here in SoCal. But it looked more like Halloween, which I found nice. The boys had a GREAT time. It is just a fun day for them, and lots of parents around. Here are a few pictures from that morning.





Halloween night, we went over to friends. It was really nice to be in a neighborhood, verse what we had done the past 3 years. Our host was gracious, the food and company pleasant. The kids all had a great time, and so did we. Here is one pick from that night.



The boys got alot of candy, that I bagged and hid. They will get some here and there. But they got more then any one child needs. Can't wait until next year!