100% surprised

SURPRISE!!!

All the kids (and adults) came up our basement stairs yelling Surprise! as Dennis came in from the garage door/hallway! He was surprised alright!

Happy Birthday and making his wish to be forever 39!

snow day

Today was a snow day... no school for either kid which was very disappointing because Alyssa's class was supposed to have their Halloween party.... and just how was I supposed to fill a whole day with interesting things? Needless to say, the day was packed (as usual).

This collage summarizes our early pre-breakfast pumpkin craft, an outing to Granny Suze where we ate jack'o lantern pizza, played in "centers" and heard spooky stories of Lamont the Lonely Monster, followed up with another craft and Alyssa exhausted at 5 pm!

Then for parent fun... I made 30 pumpkin cupcakes this morning and Dennis helped decorate (and of course, eat one... although it could have been 2) the spider webs. These are for Jaiden's class party tomorrow where he will go as Harry Potter and me... the Tooth Fairy! But if you saw my lip (from yesterday's sledding accident) I should probably do a quick change to Frankenstein or something scary with my natural bloody, swollen and scarred lips! Happy Halloween!

mommy's hybrid

Picking Jaiden up from school today! Can you hear him telling his kids how he used to have walk 10 miles in freezing temperatures and blowing snow to school uphill both ways?

magpie club

Not your typical post from me but I am trying new things... and lots of them lately. This is my first time submitting a layout for a contest with this really cool kit club that I discovered called Magpie Club (you can find the website by clicking here). So yes, this is my first time submitting a layout, my first time using ribbon on a layout, my first time scrapbooking only 1 photo and my first time ever buying a kit online and then using it right away!

The contest was to use this sketch (check out the link connected to contest above) as inspiration to create a layout. The papers and embellisments I ordered from Magpie's September Credit Crunch kit (which was very cool - don't you love the owl tag?). The only exception is the blue, green and red file tab which are Creative Memories and Bazzill paper. This layout is actually Jaiden's first day of school for preschool but it is also the very first page of his school album which I am just starting (or trying to start!).

Wish me luck!

spider hands, candied apples... it's Halloween!

Alyssa was so excited to show me her art today when I picked her up. I couldn't believe how adorable those little hand prints are... a keeper for sure!

Off to Costco this afternoon and look what we found?! A chocolate caramel covered apple... yes, there is an apple in there and just like everything from Costco, this was enormous! I couldn't resist treating the kids to an old fashion delightful Halloween tradition of candied apples. Since this was their first time trying such a crazy concoction, I had to take a couple of drooly, wide mouthed photos!

Yum, yum Mommy!

I need a bigger mouth!

The kids loved the apples. Surprisingly with their love for anything sugar, they were not able to eat their entire quarter so they will get to enjoy them again tomorrow afternoon. I wish I could say I did the same with my quarter of apple...

jaiden's wish list

Jaiden wrote his own Christmas list this evening... a quite impressive list:

Translated to Daddy the list includes 2 Bakugan and a ball of string! Daddy didn't ask why he wanted a ball of string but probably should have...

4 goals!

There are many, many shots of Jaiden cutting loose down the field with the ball ahead of him so I only chose a couple. It is really incredible how he is improving his soccer skills. Today's game, he made 4 goals ... he was so proud of himself.

Go Jaiden, GO!

And another break free moment...

Yes, I got it in! And the little boy crying? He fell down on his own trying to catch up. Poor little guy.

But Jaiden's favorite part is still at the end with the parent tunnel that both teams run through!

my house, your playhouse

I don't remember ever saying "Mi casa es su casa" to the kids but somehow, intuitively they are able to dramatically change it into their official playground. I moved the dining room chairs out of the dining room to clean the floor today and I came out to find Alyssa had not only rearranged them but loaded her dolls and stuffed animals on her "train".

Choo choo!

And then I discovered Jaiden...

... and the dining room became a Matchbox demolition derby arena...

... and my kitchen had farm animals marching through it!

The good news is that I managed to clean the floors except where the choo choo was set up!

new name please

A funny little conversation we had while I prepared lunch this afternoon.

Jaiden: Mommy, can I please have a new name?
Mommy: Sure, how about Tyler?
J: No, I'd like to choose it myself.
M: Okay, what would you choose?
J: Alien. (pause) Alien Tyler Nicks.
M: Alright, Alien, do you think Alyssa will want to change her name too?
J: Alyssa, do you want to change your name?
Alyssa: Yes.
M: What would you like to change it to?
A: Alyssa.

off with their heads

... and scoop out their innards... time to carve those beautiful orange gourds!

Yes, Alyssa is wearing her new hand me down Santa Claus pajamas.
scooping and sorting the goo from the seeds.

He wants me to carve this?
And so I tried...

Hmmm, I think I need a tripod.
Sorry for the blurrrrrry photo but the effect is so much better in the dark.

And yes, this is a very late post because I got carried away on a project I am working on - this is a photo of it... yes, Mom and Cyndi - I used my sewing machine on paper, you will not believe how cool the effect is and it made really neat sturdy pockets... I may become addicted to this .

mighty orange gourds

A visit to our local pumpkin patch...

Mommy, I found the perfect one and I can barely lift it!

Looking adorable holding her "baby" pumpkin.

Taking a rest from that exhaustive search (plus it was REALLY hot too!)

Doesn't the sky look strange in this photo? Jaiden was quite pleased that he could pull the wagon by himself through the patch.

Our treasures

(minus Jaiden's tiny pumpkin - I couldn't find it so it must be hiding in his room where I will find it in about 3 weeks when I can't figure out where that strange smell is coming from!)

pink kitty

Remember that pile of projects I shared several posts ago? What about the one showing the pumpkin and dalmatian costume... remember, how I asked what you thought Alyssa might be for Halloween? Something pink that says meow?

Well, here I am completing the finishing touches! I can't believe I was able to convince Dennis to take a photo (or possibly several, hee hee) from a specific angle. I really wanted it from how I was working on the project. I had to hand sew the black marabou feathers (which I also can't believe I did) but boy, the effect is sensational.

Won't Alyssa be simply adorable in this?

bat crazed

One of my favorite things to do is to spontaneously break out into a craft with these two creative kids. Last year we painted paper bag pumpkins for decorating around the house. Today was all about bats... but first I want to show off Jaiden's bat from his "crafternoon" at school the other day. I nearly died when I saw it ... globs of glue, crazy string mouth, white fangs... oh so adorable and he was so proud of his creation. He decided to hang in the corner of his room above his bed.

The bats we made today were from a craft he did last year at preschool (look for the one with the crooked googly eyes and that's the one he did last year at 4, quite the improvement at 5!). He wanted to make more because you know mommy's Halloween decorations just aren't scary enough...

I had to make a collage because I just had so much fun taking photos. Alyssa was really into the painting portion but when we moved to the detail work, she disappeared. I found her curled up on the couch asleep with her knees tucked under and butt in the air... so sweet but sadly, she's been very sick for the past 3 days so the painting must have worn her out! Jaiden, on the other hand, did all the detail work and even posed like a bat with his bat family!

What became of all those bats? They are now all hanging upside down in his bedroom. A true bat cave... silly, silly boy!

monsters

Cute little monsters that invaded my house this afternoon!

Help, a bigger monster has me by the leg! (Yes, Jaiden is only wearing underwear and a red cape - he's Captain Underpants!)

This monster is shoving me into a castle on a hard plastic bed and telling me "night night!"

The story behind the monsters? We went to Discovery Days this afternoon - the theme, "monsters". We made several monster like craft things but I loved these two monsters that Jaiden and Alyssa made. I did have to cut out the feet and arms for Jaiden's but then he liked the scraps so much he turned them into the mouth and hair... the ears were done all by himself. Alyssa's monster was also done all on her own with the exception of any hot glue... I am not ready for her to try that even if she thinks she is big enough.

chicken soup with rice

In September for a while

I will ride a crocodile

down the chicken soupy Nile.

Paddle once, paddle twice,

paddle chicken soup with rice.

PS. I got a sneak peek at one of Jaiden's on-going assignments. This one is their calendar work, practicing writing sentences and drawing to create a story. If you look closely you will see initials next to the people's heads... and yes, Papi the one with the little head has a backwards P for Papi! And yes, the one with the big head has a D for Daddy.

happy birthday papi-o!

Happy birthday Papi!
If they could, Jaiden and Alyssa would smother you again with hugs and kisses.

Jaiden's birthday wishes to you is "I hope Papi gets to go to the toy store and pick out something big for his birthday.

Alyssa's birthday wish is "chocolate cake!"

Lots of love from all of us

a cold, snowy day...

It was a cold, very cold and snowy day today. Jaiden's soccer games were canceled so we went out for breakfast, had a flu shot clinic at 10:15 am and I was thinking what fun could we possibly do inside? Tutu had the best idea... let's go paint pottery. The kids LOVE this place and we spent a couple of hours working on our pieces.

Tutu and Alyssa working on a (you guessed it!) pink cupcake trinket box!

Close-up of Alyssa and the beginnings of her pink cupcake.

Jaiden and me working on his sleeping dragon. I could not believe he didn't choose the skull box, or the monsters or the treasure chest box... or worse another bank!

Cool shot of him painting his sleeping dragon. He chose lots of cool colors... it should look really cool. I will have to remember to post the finished pieces.

Tutu helping Alyssa while she hams up to the camera!

The last two pieces were pumpkin plates for Jaiden and Alyssa. Daddy, Tutu and Jaiden were quite absorbed in painting them orange... it was really cute.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's snowy, cold activity...

breakfast stories

What do you get when you have two kids and frog coloring pages at the breakfast table? Two silly stories....

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful frog that lived in a pretty pond. She lived in Australia (are you kidding me?) and then she picked a flower. The next day she hopped on a lily pad, she did and she went to see a ladybug on a leaf and floated far away where she ate lots of cake and then she went to sleep. The End.

Once upon a time, there was a poisonous dart frog and they lived in New Mexico (where do these kids come up with this?), he met tons more poisonous dart frogs and loved to play tag but one dark scary night they saw a red-eyed tree frog that wasn't a poisonous dart frog. They said Hello. They were having so much fun they forgot it was time to sleep and played lots of games like pull the tail off the lily pad, put darts on the leaves and break leaves to eat. And then a poisonous dart frog snuck behind a tree and said "BOOOO!" They were so scared, they all ran away and another one said "BOOOO!" so they ran to the lily pads, the next one said "BOOOO!" and they all fell in the pond and were soaking wet. The End.

happy birthday lil' sis

Happy Birthday Cyndi-lou-lou!

I saw this really dorky frame but with a very fitting quote but now I can't find the paper I wrote it down on so from memory, it went something like this...

A sister is a special reminder of all your childhood memories.

One of my favorite photos and fitting for today since it's been snowing on and off all day here, and my kids keep asking to build a snowman even though there has been no accumulation! So here is to sibling memories ... even if some I'd like to forget!

PS. Now we are the same age and I look younger!!