September/October

I'm still catching up on some overdue posts, so here are a few snapshots of our lives in September and October. Me and Brooklyn take a few minutes to document our coordinating colors in these church outfits. I love breaking out clothes that are those odd in-between sizes and wearing them on the day when they fit just right. I haven't worn this dress for maybe 2 1/2 years and won't be wearing it again for who-knows how long. This picture was taken on September 11th, so yes, my belly is 2 months of pregnancy bigger than that now.
Sigh....Can I just say that this guy is my LIFESAVER? Without a doubt, the highlight of my day is the moment he returns home from work. I love that he usually whisks the kids away for some outdoor activity while I finish dinner. He even, at a huge sacrifice to him, has been known to watch animated movies with them and read superhero stories too.
This is what we did the day Brooklyn stayed home from school due to illness. We finally painted that tea set that she got from Aunt Helen for her 5th b-day which was only six month ago.

Our little table hasn't forgotten this painting experience despite my best efforts to rid it of all the residual paint that didn't get immediately scrubbed.
Here's a Halloween craft we did on a night when Stephen had a boys' outing. Its supposed to be a skeleton crown.
I just had to laugh when I found these little imprints on our plush new rug. It reminds me of that saying or poem about little hand prints everywhere that young mothers always clean off, then miss when they vanish years later.
Though the photography doesn't win any presentation points, this was a super-yummy side dish that I was proud to bring to the table to complement our dinner of left-over split-pea soup. The dish pictured is a new recipe I tried called "Gratin of Cauliflower with Gruyere." Even the name sounds fancy, no? So the key ingredients here are cauliflower, panko (Japanese bread crumbs), a little salt, pepper butter, parsley, flour, milk, onion (regular and green), and Gruyere cheese.
The next picture is of the roux that was the base of some gumbo that was made later that same night at a cooking demonstration I attended here at our complex. One of the fun benefits of living here these cooking demonstrations that are held twice a month. I HAD to go to this one because it was Cajun/Creole cooking night. We watched Chef Jeff or Mike or whatever make dirty rice, gumbo, and, as Brooklyn a la Princess Tiana might say, "Man-catchin' BEIGNETS!" YUM!
Here's a picture of my kids during about the first 20 minutes of the first session of General Conference this October. Of course, these first few moments they were still on their best behavior. At least we are glad that they are getting into the habit of tuning into conference every 6 months.


Between sessions of conference on Saturday, we went to a street fair in Pacific Beach. On our walk back to the car, I saw this sign at a church and had to laugh/take a picture of it. "Welcome Saints, Sinners, Surfers." Can you tell we were only a couple blocks away from the beach?
Here are my handsome boys before they got some much-needed haircuts a la Desi's salon. Funny thing, there are no official "after" shots, but I guess what ever pictures come next can testify of the trims that took place.

I was thrilled that Stephen was so into his book that he couldn't keep his eyes off of it even for the usual few minutes of bonding-time or just regular ol' conversation that I look forward to during our routine hair-cutting sessions.
I am just shocked at how grown-up Ian looks in these pictures by the library. It must be the baseball hat and overall big-boy sporty outfit. I love hangin' out with this kid during the day while Brooklyn's gone at school. It's great to have more one-on-one time with him than I ever have before now.
I had to snap a photo of the cover of this book which was a huge hit with our family. I loved it from about the second page into it and highly recommend it. It's about a mom and dad who go out of town for a few days, but each parent calls his/her own mother to babysit their one child, Pip. (Yes, another HUGE reason I checked it out was for the name Pip in case you wondered.) Anyway, both grandmas show up and both decide to stay and watch the child together. These two grandmas couldn't be more opposite in their approaches to life and child-rearing. I cracked up as I noticed the similarities here between mine and Stephen's different approaches. One granny was way more regimented with scheduled nap and bed times, and she tries to eat super healthy while the other one is super relaxed, wants to have fun, indulges the child with treats, and enjoys plopping down on the couch to watch some good ol' t.v. I was cracking up. Love love love it!
In the end, the grandmas agree to let Pip lay down the rules, which happen to be a nice compromise. ;)