Spontaneous Ninjafest and a lil bit of Erkel

You never know what will happen post-bath time.  Tonight it was ninjafest.

After adjusting his trousers, the ninja also busted Greg for his lame lounge wear.  #ubergroovy/notinacoolway

Scenes from Halloween

A nourishing meal to fuel us . . .

Costumes on . . .

 

Tricks and Treats for all . . .

 

Halloween Carnival

We love the annual Brentwood Halloween Carnival.  Please note the deliberate use of the word "Halloween" -- not Fall Festival, not Harvest Party, etc.

Reason #472 why I love our school.  There's nothing evil, scary, offensive, or satanic about bounce houses, face painting, stuffed animal walks, and cotton candy. I could go on, but I'll step off the soap box and get back on point.

Last year, we wore shorts to the Carnival and pondered if we wanted to risk dehydration by jumping in the bounce house.  This year, the weather was perfect and the mood was festive.

Camden had a blast.  See below.

You may wonder what happened to Connor. . . . he was too busy pouting the strange disappearance of his Halloween costume, so I sent him off to brood and fend for himself.  When we returned from the Carnival, the costume was found HANGING IN HIS CLOSET.

Kellye's Ordination

We went to a beautiful ordination ceremony for my cousin yesterday.  The boys even got to participate!

Weekday home improvement

Not sure why I waited so long to paint the shutters!  What a difference a coat of paint makes.  Now onto the red front door!

Wit for the Weekend

"I'm not the kind of kid you have to push in a swing."

Who said it?

X

Keepin it real for an entire decade!!

Then:

And now:

Just because it's fun and fabulous!

A trip down memory lane . . . .

Boas rule, esp when they are pink and black

We have big mouths in our family!

"Fierce" describes it best

Waiting to ambush the Birthday Princess

Only a Farmer could turn a party hat into a weapon.

A Proud Report

The first week of school was a huge success.  Both boys are happy with their teachers and new classmates.

Some of Camden's favorite things are:  centers, the art teacher, the music teacher, and recess. 

Camden's favorite new friends:  a tall boy named Jonah and a cute girl whose name starts with "A"

Connor's favorite things:  everything!

Friday was "compliment" day in Ms. Gray's class.  Connor received more compliments than anyone else in the class.  But instead of feeling proud, he was really concerned that Bruce and the new student, Oswaldo, hadn't received any.

He quickly wrote out 2 compliments for each of them.  He recognized bravery in Oswaldo for starting a new school and making new friends.  He complimented Bruce for demonstrating loyalty and friendship to him everyday.

I am one proud mama!

First Day of School 2012

Because we did not do a run through and tomorrow morning may be hairy, we went ahead and took our First Day of School picture.  The boys are wearing their first day outfits, so everything looks legit!

Go Brentwood Bulldogs!

i just gotta pinch myself!

I love cooking, but I love eating even more!  We try to eat well around here -- even with our leftovers. 

Here's what I did with about a week's worth of odds and ends:  kalamata olives, some baby bellas, rose-infused salami, fresh figs, smoked pork tenderloin remnants, and almost-past-its-prime spinach/arugula mix.

TWAS DELICIOUS!

Just sayin' . . .

Our gene pool

Not too shabby!

Summer Escape

We had a great time on our trip to the Wild West.  We learned about constellations, planets, frontier life, buffalo soldiers, rocks, minerals, Marfa lights, billiards, and animal habitats.

Balmorhea State Park is an enchanting place -- an oasis in the middle of the desert.  Thanks to Pop for reminding us to pack masks and snorkels.

The summit at Fort Davis provided a great view of this long-gone outpost. Both boys earned their "Junior Park Ranger" badges. 

Never too early to start playing pool.  Why not learn in Marfa?!?  Also a great spot to escape the blistering sun.

        Sea World is still awesome!

Then to Now

Happy Birthday, Lil C!!

Love, art, and turning older

Ever-thoughtful Greg commissioned a birthday painting for me from Holly J. Sharp, an artist friend in Portland.  It finally arrived yesterday -- felt like my birthday all over again.

 

More -- just because

We've got ourselves another bike rider!  (Football gloves were an awesome addition to the training.)

Magnum PI's long lost love child

"Fierce" describes it best

Third grade school picture

First dance party -- picked out his own clothes and cologne

May the Fourth be with you

School of Rock

We love our little school.  It's not perfect -- it IS a public school, after all -- but somehow it's a great learning community that fosters creativity, academic excellence, and FUN!

Take the annual PTA spring fundraiser, aptly titled, "Brentwood Rocks."  Think of it as a child-appropriate, small scale Coachella or ACL or Bonnaroo.  This year we had an awesome local ska/reggae band, some wannabe kids from The School of Rock, and some real live rock stars == The Gourds.  I've even heard them on satellite radio.  (The drummer is a kinder parent, so they were willing to play FOR FREE!  Evidently they had 3 shows to play on Saturday all over the city.)

The boys enjoyed the free hairspray paint, tattoos, and the snow cones.  I liked the music and the photo booth!

Fun scenes . . .