Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

Nothing is better than Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's house with the big traditional Thanksgiving meal. Mom's menu: turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, asparagus, beans, cranberry sauce, rolls, cornbread stuffing, traditional stuffing, pumpkin pie and apple pie. And, we love that there are plenty of left-overs! We even brought home a loaf of banana bread and bag full of fudge for Ethan. The potato salad from the previous day didn't end up in my left-over bag so I'll have to go sneak some later this weekend while Jason and Mai are in town. I don't know when we are eating left-overs though with a busy weekend ahead... shopping, eating out and a hike planned on Saturday. Ethan is loving his time with Uncle Jason and Mai. Ah, good family times!

Horsin' Around in California

We just spent a few days in California visiting GG, Lenny, Aunt Margaret and Barry. Aunt Margaret became Miss Margaret this trip. Ethan is always making up something cute! Ethan got to spend some quality time with cousin Barry around the ranch. They cut up carrots and went to the stables to feed the horses one morning. We rode our bikes under the most amazing rainbow and spent a lot of time visiting Lenny in the hospital for his broken hip. A short weekend trip before the holidays and John's upcoming knee surgery.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

   

Ethan gifted Grammie and Grandpa tickets to go

see the PHX Theatre Company's performance of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie for Grandparent's Day back in September. It's one of our favorite books by Laura Numeroff, next to If You Give a Pig a Pancake. Grammie, Grandpa and Ethan made mouse masks, decorated cookies, played mouse games and enjoyed the performance. We love the theatre! Next up... not a play, but the Yo Gabba Gabba concert with backstage passes! Ethan can't wait to shake his booty with DJ Lance and the gang.

Happy Halloween

Halloween was CRAZY busy! We started at 5 pm with a few houses on our street, did another couple of blocks near friend Bonnie's house and then proceeded to do a whole neighborhood at Auntie Carlee's house. Ethan ran like the wind all night. There was no stopping IRON MAN! Thanks to Grammie for adding the special light effect and hemming the legs. Ethan tripped a couple of times, not from the costume, but from running so fast with a 10 pound bag of candy. We actually dumped out the bag twice because it was getting so heavy for him to carry. He eventually gave up and had me carry it while he brought back handfuls of candy. He'd knock on doors and everyone would ask, "Where's your bag?" One of the boys trick-or-treating with us would tell them, "He just eats it on the run!" Perhaps the funniest moment of the night was the rocker neighbor with long hair who answered the door with a veggie platter (yes, the ones you buy ready to go with dip). He asked the kids if they wanted carrots, broccoli or tomatoes. One of the kids just said, "Well, I'll just take the carrots!" It was HILARIOUS! Then, the guy brought out the real bowl of candy. I forgot to run through the rules with Ethan on the way so had to make up for it on the run.

1. Go to every house with a light on so you end up with a big bag of loot.
2. Watch for cars.
3. No running across lawns (they've just been over seeded).
4. Always say "Trick or Treat, thank you and Happy Halloween!"
5. Only take one candy if someone leaves out a bowl (even though we took it all as kids).
6. Stay in small groups. You'll get more candy.
7. If you're fast, you'll get to the doorbell first.

8. If someone is sitting out front and you don't get to ring the doorbell, don't say, "What is this ass business?"

9. Whatever you do, don't pee your costume. Ask another boy where a good pee spot is along the way.

10. When you get home, yes you can sort your candy, but you can only eat one before bedtime.

11. All the "choker" candy goes in the trash and anything else nasty. We only keep the good stuff! :)

Happy Halloween!