A Couple of Things...

Originally, Parker was going to be a gum ball machine for Halloween 2011. I thought it would be the cutest thing ever and he loves balloons (which would have been the gum balls). I had decided to make Graham a baby version of Albert Einstein. Well, that all got thrown out the window while Parker was watching a Cat in the Hat episode one morning. He suggested that he should be Thing 1. I thought it sounded like a perfect idea since Graham could be Thing 2. Though I was sad I couldn't make Graham's long hair wild and white, I imagined wild blue wigs blowing in the wind to cheer me up ;)

Their outfits were made with red flannel pj's, black puff paint on white felt, and a blue feather boa hot glued onto a hat I found at Jo-Ann's. Don't their characters totally fit their true personalities?

Some people ask how I get my kids to sit still for pictures. Well, I took a million for starters, and candy corn for bribes works like a charm. When you don't feed your kids candy on a daily basis, they are helpless to overcome its power. They'll do anything for it ;)

Even hug their brother.

'

Their reaction to being told they were getting candy corn for sitting still enough for pictures.

And of course, Thing Two has to do everything Thing One does.

Thing Two's hair was never on his head straight.

 

Do I always look this tired from my Things?

Um, does anyone else thing Graham looks just like David in this picture?

I said, "Say Woo!" Mom obliged, Graham stared, and Parker looks like he's praising the Lord.

Hittin' the streets.

This hair blowing in the wind is exactly what I imagined. It made me laugh all night.

Thing Two had a hard time keeping up with Thing One.

Feeling intimidated.

I can't believe how into it he was this year. He ran as fast as he could door to door collecting as much loot as possible. That's my boy! I trained him to look for good candy.

Thing Two kept messing with his hair and ended up looking a little like Daniel Boone. Should have used a little more hot glue.

Sharing his sucker with Mommy ;) She did not mind at all if they do.

The sucker really slowed him down. This picture is a great example of why everyone should learn to use their camera on manual. I handed the camera to David and set it on auto. The auto slowed down the shutter speed to allow in more light, but auto didn't know that we were trying to capture life in motion. Blurry feet.

Halloween sugar coma.

Jumping with excitement!

He really doesn't know how to walk.

Graham got tired so he sat down and decided to survey his inventory.

Daddy is a great option when little legs get tired.

Notice the chocolate running down his face.

Three generations of Things.

Aunt Jenny stayed at our house to hand out the candy. Parker finished the night by helping her.

I love the sweet Things of life.

 

I hope everyone had a safe, fun Halloween night and ended up with as much sugar as we did!

Pumpkin Paint

Last week, the boys and I enjoyed some pumpkin art. They were all about it.

What I learned this week...

1. Four-year-olds, no matter how well-behaved you think they are, can make painful mistakes of disobedience. Just ask the little green-eyed boy in my house about his burnt finger and the lawn mower.

2. It's really hard to only eat 1200 calories a day.

3. Lolly pops and TV make it much easier to cut a two-year-old's hair.

4. I can pull-off real bangs. Who knew? 

5. A clean house on Monday morning makes Monday not so much a Monday.

 6. Leaving a sippy cup full of skim milk in your car for over 12 hours will make your vehicle smell like death for 2 days. Nasty beyond all reason.

 7. Surgical tape will not stop a determined two-year-old from picking his face. 

8. Pandora toddler radio is as obnoxious as it sounds, but has incredible results when used on two bickering siblings. Fighting instantly turns to singing if you crank it so loud they can't hear each other. It works. You should try.

9. I have the right to have my own opinion according to my eldest. Isn't that nice of him?

10. I need to work on my baby's alphabet. Badly. Right now it sounds like this: A B C D E F Bee H I Shay K nuh nuh nuh nuh P Cuu R X why N Zee.   Not kidding.

I haven't learned my lesson about this yet. Parker told me he's wearing his snake-belt (seat belt) so he won't fall out. That makes it a totally safe activity.

 It's okay he's missing half of the alphabet in the song, he loves to "read" and I know the other half will soon appear at the end of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star sooner or later. It really messes him up that they have the same tune. Oh, and don't mind he doesn't have on pants. Pants are for when you leave the house in our family ;)

Have you learned any valuable lessons this week? Do share. It's quite cathartic.

Autumn Love

I adore this time of year. I'm trying to ignore the post-fall season that will soon follow so that I can completely enjoy the fab temperatures and beautiful colors right now. I don't usually gussy up the house for fall because I like to decorate early for Christmas. However, this year I did a few things to add some festiveness. It's working! I'm craving all things cinnamon and can't wait for our first bonfire. Maybe this weekend?

  I made these from fabric scraps and a straw wreath. A little wild. Kind of like my family.

 These wild yellow flowers are everywhere along the side of the road right now. I took advantage and grabbed a few :)

 My friend, Jenn, gave me this little dessert stand. Before painting it some fun color, I decided to use its natural warm wood color to add to the fall feeling in the dining room. Thanks Jenn! I love it.

 

 

 

 I promise I will stop the bunting madness soon...maybe. I can't help it. They are just so cute. I couldn't decide which scrap fabric to use so I just used all of them. Every "flag" is a different print.

 Pinterest and root beer bottles made this decor possible.

Happy Fall! I'm off to go buy some mums.