Halloween 2016

Nevermind the fact that Halloween was 18 days ago. I am acutely aware that my current ability to track my kids most beautiful memories has been...bad. But whatever, such is life. I was feeling very Halloween scroogey this year and had no desire to put up decorations, probably because we had just moved, I'm working close to full time from home and you know, I have an infant. But I decided that I would host a Halloween playdate and what's a Halloween playdate with decorations?!

This was the first year that at least one of our children was able to carve their own pumpkins and it. was. amazing. Gabriel was so proud, too!

The Halloween playdate was fun too. We painted wood pumpkins and ate scary rice crispies, mummified strawberries and frankenstein bananas. Anyway, did I mention how much I love the neighborhood we live in? To say we were lucky is an incredible understatement. They are so tightknit, celebrating together, throwing parties and doing cute little neighbor-y things. We woke up on Halloween morning having been "Boo'd."

They left little treats and glow sticks in the bucket for the kids to use on Halloween. It was adorable. The kids got ready in their costumes before school, excited for the festivities...until we realized that they weren't allowed to wear costumes.

We frantically changed into uniforms and off they went with their cupcakes and apples with caramel. When they got home that day, we got ready for the party at the pool.

There were games, food, a pumpkin carving contest...so many fun things!

And obviously the boys looked adorable. We ate chocolate covered marshmellows and pizza.

The force was wide awake and ready for trick-or-treating afterwards.

But per the usual, my kids did 10 houses and then were done. They claimed that they wouldn't be able to keep it anyway because I'm crazy about the candy. Cannot have it in the house. Or I will eat it, obviously.

Gabriel super proud of his cute pumpkin.

So we ended our night passing out candy. Some friends stopped by. It was perfect and amazing.

Partin Ranch Corn Maze in Saint Cloud, FL

We really haven't had the chance to do much exploring outside of food (shocker, right?) since Adrian has been working so much, but it was fun to get out and head to the local corn maze.

Before we arrived, we stopped at our favorite burger joint, Mutt's on 13th, which was a BIG mistake! We had no idea that there would be so many vendors at the corn maze -- BBQ, hot dogs, corn dogs, sweet tea, sweet corn...you name it, they had it. They even had the fair vendor with the deep-friend oreos. We ended up only opting for some sweet tea and cotton candy for the boys. I mean, they needed energy to get through the maze...

They even had a zipline! I only got a video of it, didn't have a chance to get some pictures because it was so quick. It was huge, though and the kids loved it.

They had duck races, which the boys spent much time playing with. And corn kernels were a big hit and have since invaded all of the nooks and cranies in my car...

The more I photograph Gabriel at this age, the sadder I get. I keeping getting glimpses of what he will be like in just a few short years as a sullen teenage boy. He paves his own way, that one, with his long hair and camo shorts. He has aged out of "baby crafts" and instead opts for swinging or "cruising the playground" while his brother plays.

Silas did great, but I think he was actually suffering from some allergies. In some of the photos, you can see his swollen eye, which has been gooping up, and he's been sneezing quite a bit. Adrian and I were pretty sneezy by the end of the day too, so I think there's just junk in the air. I hear Florida isn't exactly allergy-friendly.

The corn maze was an actual, legit corn maze shaped like a cowboy riding a horse. After about 15 minutes of wandering around, we just started following the masses who had paved their own way and made a second "exit" out. We were really pumped thinking we had solved the maze and then...nope. We cheated.

These freaking adorable little booties that my mom bought Silas. I mean seriously. I can't even.

I don't know why, but I'm obsessed with this photo. I love how serious they all are.

I can't wait to watch these kids grow up together. I love how much they love each other. Silas just looks at the older two and laughs and smiles.

We ended the day with steaks and asparagus on the patio while being eaten up by mosquitoes. It's a glamorous life we live. I can't wait for Halloween tomorrow!

17 reasons why I'm wound so tightly by the end of the day

Here is an in-depth explanation of why I am as prickly as a cactus by the time my sweet husband gets home. I don't think he gets it, so here it is...

1. My coffee pot wasn't working and caused 35% reduction in the amount of coffee. Yes, 35%, this is serious, people.
2. In an effort to get "me-time," I stayed up to do a fantasy draft with my girlfriends but I realized that I actually don't function when I stay up past 10:30.
3. The baby had a blow-out of epic proportions this morning in Target, so epic that it exploded all over his car seat and I can't figure out how to get the cover off to wash it and everything is covered in mustard poop. 
4. In an effort to help the 4-year old get more watermelon, I knocked over a 2 pound box of blueberries all over the floor and then stepped in them. 
5. The 7-year old has taken up baby talk to be funny and screeches like an unearthed mandrake for God knows what reason and I swear I have developed misophonia since having kids.
6. I ate lunch at 2 pm. Scratch that, 2:30 pm.
7. I'm trying to figure out how to manage working, actually folding laundry instead of tossing it on a chair/in a laundry basket/on a bed, and unpacking an entire house.
8. The day to try on pre-pregnancy jeans was not today. In fact, I'm thinking it might be sometime in the year 2018.
9. I have played referee all day to 2 lovely, sweet children who turn into crazed pscyhopaths when there's an iPad involved and they haven't gotten their turn yet.
10. "Can I spin the Pokestop?" Every. Single. Time. we leave our community. Whoever made the neighborhood fountain a pokestop deserves a cozy spot in hell.
11. I was on the receiving end of an angry bug who left a bite the size of a baseball on my butt cheek.
12. One of the baby's favorite times to scream at the top of his lungs is every single school pick-up and drop-off.
13. The 4-year old decided to scream at the most opportune time (3 minutes after we were supposed to leave to pick up brother) that he is too tired and cannot get up off the floor without my hand which is currently full of a baby car seat, diaper bag, purse, keys and a bottle of water. 
14. I heard "mom" 27 times on the 6 minute ride home from school this afternoon. I counted. 
15. There was a baby alligator in the community pool today and I don't even have to see it in person to decide that I'm good, no need to swim literally ever again.
16. I thought it would be "fun" to take 3 kids to dinner by myself.
17. Speaking of dinner, the 4-year old has decided that he wants a burger, but really he wants a bite of burger, 4 fries and then 18 cookies.

So honey, when I am pouring wine at 3:30 pm and practically throwing the baby at you when you walk in the door 30 minutes late, now you know.

I only post when I move

It appears that I only start blogging again when I move. I'm guessing it has something to do with fresh starts and whatever; this blog has seen me through Santee, (he)El Centro, Imperial, Mira Mesa, Washington...it's like an old, holey glove that I keep digging out of the bottom of my drawer.

Alas, here I am, yet again. This time it's Florida.

We spent a huge, lovely, jam-packed year in Washington. Added a kid to the mix and some grays to my head, went to Disneyland, Big Bear, Hawaii, San Diego several times, finished 1st grade and another year of preschool, added a bunch of friends to our lives and hearts. Good times.

And then, Adrian's company dropped the A-bomb.

I'm not sure how I feel yet about Florida. I wouldn't say we started off on the right foot, what with the two weeks' notice and you know, the newborn I had just birthed 5 weeks prior. The older boys who were plucked out of their summer 3 weeks early in order to start a new life across the country. Again, good times...

But we are making the best of it. We are filling shelves. We are making beds. We are flattening boxes and unpacking emotionally to settle into a life in this weird, strange little world. We are reaching out, saying hi and inviting ourselves to moms groups and playgroups and whatever groups will have us because that's how a house becomes a home and a neighborhood becomes a community.

As much as I am clinging to my life in Washington, I'm trying to remind myself that we have been here before. We know how to do this and we will make it happen again, just like last time. And the time before that. Except every time we build our resilience, stretch our bravery beyond what we though we could. We got this.

Our First Mariners Game

On Friday, Adrian called me around noon and surprised us with Mariner's tickets! A subcontractor had given his department 4 tickets and luckily, he was able to snatch them up. Since we had no Mariners gear, I put them in all the Seattle apparel we had and we hit the road to pick Adrian up. As you can see, our seats were AMAZING, right on the third base line. We explained to the boys that they were incredibly lucky to get seats like this; I'm pretty sure my first game was up in the nosebleeds!