Halloween 2013

Earlier this week, after I explained the concept of trick-or-treating to Silas and he shouted that's a GREAT idea!!! It really didn't take much explanation, come to think of it. Put on your costume, walk around, get candy. Got it.

We've never done trick or treating with the kids before, because our church always did a big, fun Harvest Party. That was fun, and I did miss it. But this was fun too, and simple. Simple can be really nice. What's more, we met some neighbors. Halloween is the perfect holiday for neighborhood newcomers.

My favorite stop was a house that boasted a carved watermelon and spaghetti squash, as well as a tray of grown up candy. Truffles for the win.

We carved pumpkins the night before. Aimee didn't participate because it was just too late for her. Sister was done.

Ricky cleaned and roasted the seeds. Yum.

The kids all went as ninjas.(Is the plural ninja? ninjas? I don't know.) Sometimes, when you're a ninja, you wear a sparkly tutu.  

Aimee discovered candy. The crinkly wrappers! The sugar! She was so happy and chocolate-y. Well, they all were.

I'm letting them enjoy their candy today, and tomorrow it will mysteriously disappear. That's the plan.

Happy Halloween!

flying

“You seemed so far away," Miss Honey whispered, awestruck.

"Oh, I was. I was flying past the stars on silver wings," Matilda said. "It was wonderful.” 

-Roald Dahl, Matilda.

a June getaway

We drove all the way across Texas to get to Galveston, and the beach. Sure, it's the Gulf of Mexico; the water is brown and the seaweed is abundant, but our little buddies didn't care one bit. Take kids to the beach and they know what to do.

We had reserved a charming-looking place on the beach and it turned out to be charming in real life too. 

Little Miss (her real name is coming soon, and we have an adoption finalization date...you may notice I'm feeling far less cautious about showing her precious face on here) practiced her new crawling moves. She just popped up on her hands and knees a few weeks ago and now, suddenly, we once again have a baby who's into everything. I couldn't be happier about it. Open those drawers, pull those bags down. We've been waiting for it.

The water was warm and the air was thick. I love humidity (well, below a certain temperature.)

After our last vacation with these three, we thought it would be best to keep things very low-key. Beach, naps, down-time, pool, meals, more beach. None of this running around amusement parks or touristy sights business. I'm usually the one who feels like we need to see the Sights and do the Things, but it's just not enjoyable with whiny kids and grumpy parents. It will keep until they're older. We were able to cook and do laundry in our place, too, and that made things even more simple. I think we're on to something.

Little Miss surprised us by napping on the beach. She's usually so particular about where she sleeps. I think the water was incredibly therapeutic (and therefore incredibly exhausting) for her little self. It was lovely to have so much time to just play with her. She has this whole curious side that's emerging. Parenting her is peeling off layers, Ricky says.

The boys loved attacking the waves and digging big holes. Silas is made up of rawr and sugar. Nicky has plans and ideas and dance/ninja moves. They're pretty fun right now.

We did venture out one night for dinner, an exploratory drive around the island, and frozen yogurt. We ate it on some wooden swings by the ocean, in the night air. That's my new favorite way to eat frozen yogurt.

Nicky was pretty fearless out in the bigger waves, and worked on body surfing.

And of course we "big people" had to be vigilant but we both enjoyed watching them take it all in. There's nothing much better than experiencing things all over again with your babies.

"Here, let me fix your hair. I know about this stuff."

After one final morning swim, we got cleaned up (and Nicky discovered the magic of soap in a jacuzzi tub) and packed, and headed to Austin for our niece's first birthday party.

We took a slight detour to pass through Lockhart, Texas, home of Black's Barbecue. It's soooooo good. Growing up, we visited our Opa and Oma outside of San Antonio every summer and they would make us food just like this: sliced brisket, homemade sausage, and of course all the sides. Yum. Silas pointed to the deer and said, "Hi, camels."

We had some seat belt disagreements, and some crocodile tears, along the way. Soon we rolled into Austin and helped Ricky's sister get ready for a very cute farm-themed party.

Tio Mark busted out the bubble machine. I decided we need one. I also decided I like birthday parties that involve mimosas and mini-quiche (aka tractor wheels.)

Emma and Little Miss only are six weeks apart. How cool is that? She's in the "hold my hands and take me walking everywhere, please" stage and has the creamiest baby skin I've ever seen, and we noticed that she and Silas make some very similar facial expressions. It was fun to see them all again, and I selfishly love that they live in the area of Texas they do because it's one of my favorite places.

Tia Lizette took Ricky, me and the boys to this very fun splashpad next to Town Lake. The boys were both timid at first but pretty much had to be dragged away by the time the water went off.

Then, time to pack up and go once again. Silas drove, while Ricky and I sat in the backseat and watched movies, took naps, and ate the snacks that were handed to us. It was awesome. Okay, so he had to be convinced to get into his own seat, a lot. 

Several park stops, ice cream, Curious George, the Karate Kid, the Lumineers, This American Life, silly singing, and big beautiful clouds helped us home.

My summer cup runneth over.