Happy New Year!

We already had our New Year's Eve party at a friend's house, and it was a fun hair-raising adventure. Light saber fights, sparklers, and some tasty BBQ ribs rounded the evening out. Now we're going to pop in Roman Holiday, have some sparkling cider, and try to get to bed before midnight. Getting out of bed and staying out is going to be hard on Tuesday when school starts again.

A happy and prosperous New Year wish to you all!

Random Dinner Conversation

This was dinner a few Sundays ago.

Here are quotes from tonight's dinner conversation. We had homemade Macaroni and Cheese, chicken nuggets, and steamed broccoli. Or in Gordon's language, noo-noos, co-kies, and bok-ee.

Evelyn: When are you going to be a real mom?
Me: What do you mean? I thought a was real mom. (I'm expecting a response about when we'll have another baby) What's going to make me a real mom?
Evelyn: When you eat all different sorts of things, like cottage cheese and tapioca pudding. Like Daddy. He's the eater-dad.

Gordon had just dumped the last of his dinner on the floor.
Me: Gordon!
Jill: Mom, don't get so mad. Gordon doesn't know anything.
This was funny because I say nearly the exact same thing to her at least once a day.

Evelyn: What comes at the end of your thought? A polka-dot! Hahahaha!

Jill: Mom, I like mushrooms, sooo much. I will eat the whole mushroom store!
Evelyn: I will eat aaalll the junk food!
Jill: I don't think that's a good idea!

Our friends Cody and Karina had a baby today.
Evelyn: Why did Cody and Karina want to have kids?
Me: Why do you think Mommy and Daddy had you guys?
Evelyn: Umm, because kids are cute...so Moms and Dads don't have to be by themselves...so the parents can stay in their house forever... so the kids can learn ...so the kids can help decorating ...so the parents don't have to do it by themselves ...so they can have a big family together forever.

Jill: Why do you have a ghost sigaling(?) through the house?
Me: What?

The Nativity

 The girls, especially Jilly, have been making Nativity scenes during play time since we started the Christmas season. They will shut themselves in their bedroom, pull out the dress-up stuff and other needed props, and start acting. Evelyn is usually boss and tried to get Gordon to be baby Jesus, but that obviously didn't work.

Evelyn, as Mary, looks just like her Halloween counterpart, the Very Scary Sugar Plum Fairy Dracula Princess Witch.

 Gordon and Jilly don't differ much in weight these days, and Gordon is finding more opportunities to clobber her. He loves her tons.

 One of the stakes in Rancho Santa Margarita does Living Nativity shows along with a Creche exhibit each December for 3 nights. Being the genius that I am, decided this would be a great FHE activity. So we pack up the van for a 40 minute drive Monday night, enduring, "Are we there yet?"  "This is making my arms tired mom!" "Why is it so far away?", and endless squawks and yelling from Gordon. We finally see the stake center in sight. 

There is nothing but a stake center there. 

I know I got the directions right. 

Then, an epiphany: the shows were from the 3rd through the 5th. Friday through Sunday. Not Saturday through Monday. 

Duh. 

Much disappointment and fidgeting because the kids realized they would not be freed from their car seats. 

We drive home a different way, avoiding the freeway.

Stop at Wal-Mart to buy and eat an entire bag of mini-Twix bars. The children are pacified. 

We still fulfilled the goal of FHE, to spend time together. We just spent it in an unexpected way. 

Grandma Chickens gave the Nativity a needed boost today by telling the kids she would ship her kid-size Nativity costumes to us. Much rejoicing, especially from Jilly.

Now all I need to figure out is how to read my calendar correctly and how to avoid the girl's impending shouting match over who will play Mary. 

Thanksgiving

 We did Thanksgiving at our house this year, and I cooked everything except the pumpkin pie and the stuffing, which Uncle Dan took care of. It really wasn't super stressful, but then again, I was just cooking for my family plus one. It's more work when you're cooking for a small army I'm sure.

The spread. My goal was to not make too much food. I failed miserably. Just yesterday I was cleaning out the fridge and found the forgotten leftover turkey, which had started to mold. Dang. I have to add that I am not a fan of candied yams, so I found a recipe for a sweet potato dessert with a streusel topping.  Divine. At least as good as the pumpkin pie.

The girls got their own table. Gordon was sleeping when this affair went down so all diners could eat in peace.  I love that boy, but making soup with his water cup and splattering it all over anyone or anything within 3 feet of him is not what I would call a satisfying dining experience.

Later in the evening we made an "I am thankful for..." paper chain with Christmas themed scrapbook paper to kick off our Christmas season. It was a great way to end Thanksgiving day and start decorating for Christmas. I definitely want to do it again next year.

Fall Highlight

Aunt Lyndsey came from Washington to visit for Jilly's birthday, and the kids were excited to have her here. Evelyn asked her a few times when the rest of the family was going to show up. Sadly, they couldn't. :)

The weather warmed up just in time for her visit, we spent the first afternoon she was here at the beach and it was GORGEOUS. Probably the best beach day out of the year for us. Few flies, the tide was out, little smog, there wasn't a lot of seaweed on the beach, and it was warm. Just fabulous.

Nice 5 o'clock shadow there, boy. Eating and sand, I just don't get it. 

They spent most of the time, as usual, digging in the sand. I was excited we got to see the tide pools this time around, the tide was so low. We saw a few of those large, red pacific starfish, which we have never been able to see other times we've checked out the tide pools at our favorite beach.

We visited the Great Park the next day, trying to get a ride on the hot air balloon, but they'd already reached their quota for the day, so we couldn't go. Lame.

We played at the playground there, which is supposed to be an educational experience about the native animals of Orange County. Hence, the bats in this cave. 

These last two caught my interest because Lyndsey caught all three kids in the same stance, quite by accident I think.

Lyndsey, in her graciousness, watched the kids Friday night, and Ben and I got a 15 hour date. Here's the morning ritual of PBS Kids, chocolate milk, and dry cereal.

We went to Balboa Pier to eat chile cheese fries at Ruby's, on a much cooler and windier beach day. Jilly didn't come with us on this trip, she's super scared of the size of the waves at Balboa.

Dinner entertainment provided by Gordon. Black beans and rice rubbed all over his head, showering the dining room carpet. Hate that carpet. He was trying to laugh and smile, but had to keep rubbing the beans out of his eyes.

We visited Cenntennial Farms in Costa Mesa, it's like an old-time farm, lots of different animals, and large gardens where you would have grown all your own food. It was fun, except for Evelyn's repeats of, "Mom, this place smells!" That's what the above facial expression is for.

Piglets, about 6 weeks old. There's supposed to be a brand-new batch of piglets when my parents come to visit, so we'll have to come back to see them.

I thought the coolest part of the Farm were the large vegetable gardens. We just acquired a community garden plot, so this little trip gave me a good gauge for what I can put in our garden for the "winter" here.

Thanks for visiting Lyndsey, we loved it!

More Halloween

Ben and I have never carved a pumpkin in our entire time together. Crime? Maybe. Less messy? Definitely.

 I've never been a fan of the slimy entrails of a pumpkin. The girls were NOT interested in sticking their hands in. Ben was operating the camera, so of course he wouldn't do it.

Yep, Gordon. "EWWWW!" is right.

Here was our trunk for the tri-ward trunk or treat. The kids made out like bandits. I'm still sick of sugar and it's almost Thanksgiving. I'm thinking beef jerky and fruit for stocking stuffers instead of candy this year.

Evelyn was having a Halloween identity crisis and couldn't decide if she was a fairy, princess, witch, Dracula, or the Sugar Plum Fairy. Jilly kept it simple and went as Cinderella. Gordon was the monkey. So appropriate for him. 

The Great Park Pumpkin Harvest

 This was the best event we've been to at the Great Park yet. Love this place!

Straw maze, great for the little kids. 

This is all Jilly wanted to do, ride the carousel. 

The new playground about the water cycle. 

Happy Halloween on November 1st!