Halloween Part 2

I'm glad it's finally over! I love Halloween, but it's been going on for over a week now. This year was actually the first year I've gone trick-or-treating with the kids. Julio has taken them in the past. It was so fun! We first went to Gina and Josh's house next door and then tried the court around the corner-no luck. So, we went further down the street and found some great houses! Some were decorated really spooky and the kids thought they were cool. Marco was terrified of two people dressed in what looked like a horse and a bull mascot costumes and freaked out every time he saw them. Never the less, when we went into a "haunted house" where a grumpy old troll opened the door-he wasn't quite as scared. We went to quite a few houses until Lucia started complaining that her feet hurt.


Oops posted these backwards! Here the kids are checking out their stash!

One of the not-so-spooky, but spirited houses.

Another cool looking house.

The black lit, haunted porch with the grumpy old troll. The house was pitch dark and he opened the door very slowly and crept out. It scared me! Marco started to cry, so he took off his mask-he looked like Colonel Sanders! It was pretty funny.

The happy children pre-trick-or-treating.

So nice

Julio started his new job today. He decided to switch firms and it was a great move! He no longer has to be at work at 7:30 am and stay until 7:30 pm. He doesn't have to wing it anymore. He gets to learn from a 30 year experienced bankruptcy expert. He's in a low stress environment. He doesn't have to push sales. He gets to do quality vs. quantity. He has a 10 min. commute instead of a 30 min. commute. He doesn't have to bring files home to work on. And the best part is... he was home for dinner tonight! I think I'm gonna like this.

Halloween Part 1

Aargh, don't touch me loot!

Lucia and her best friend-two pretty princesses.

Hello fellow fairy!

Trunk-or-Treat

Let the Spooky Season begin! Last night was the Ward (our church) Halloween Party complete with a chili dogs and nachos, cupcake walk, carnival games and lots of cool costumes (including a Mormon Che Guevara!) Marco was scared to death of the clowns and the Easter Bunny. Lucia was one of a million princesses, and Sylvie was running around in her ballerina/fairy costume like a wild child. I also got into the Halloween spirit in my witch costume. To end the night, we did "Trunk-or-Treat" in the parking lot. Now we are overflowing with sugar in our house, and this is only the beginning! We have numerous Halloween activities next week....

This week: dinner, doctor's appts, house update

This week: (sorry I don't take pictures of food!)
Mon: Spaghetti with pancetta, escarole and garlic chips-cucumber salad
Tues: Chicken quesadillas, spanish rice, carrotts sticks
Wed: Tuscan Potato Soup, cheesy garlic biscuits, broccolli
Thurs: Crab cakes, rice, green beans
Fri: Homemade pizza and some veggie

Doctor's appts this week: Sylvie had her 12 month check-up (even though she's almost 14 months) and she is healthy but tiny. The doctor recommended I up her calorie and fat intake and she been seen again in 2 months. Marco has had hearing tests which were normal and a speech evaluation. He has been recommended for speech therapy. Another thing on my list of things to do!

House update: Our closing date is Nov. 20th. We met with one contractor this week, but there are certain repairs he's not licensed to do, so will have to meet with another one. We were scolded by our realtor saying we are not allowed in the house unless with the contractor and we notify the bank ahead of time! So why did they give us the access code??!! So we will probably move in Dec. We are super anxious and ready for more space and something to call our OWN.

I guess that is all for now. Wow! So much blogging this week! Gotta go make dinner.

A Must-Do Fall Activity

So there are many reasons we love going up to Apple Hill. The beautiful scenery and fall colors. The delicious food-The Forester Pub and Grill, the Fudge Factory, the homemade apple pie, fresh apples. The hay maze, the farm animals, the pumpkin patches. There is one reason we don't like Apple Hill: the crowds and traffic! But, it's something you've just got to do in the fall-it's such a festive place. That's why everyone in the Sacramento region goes there, including us!


Waiting for food at the Forester Pub and Grill.

One of many pumpkin patches on Apple Hill.

Look! It's a goat!

Fun running into the Finks!

The crowd!

Please excuse the mess!

Cute Sylvie-I can actually put her wild hair in a little piggy tail now!

Marco looking at books.

Marco playing with trains.

Lucia and Sylvie drawing.

The kids putting on a play.

I'm just a little bit anal when it comes to my house being tidy and clean. I'm really working on that-letting my kids just play and if it involves a mess, so be it. I've unconsciously not turned the tv on lately. It seems a lot quieter, less tense, and a lot messier in our house! I used to think that if the tv were on, the kids wouldn't whine or fight as much, would let me get stuff done and be entertained. Well, I've found that even without the tv, they don't really fight, whine and they are thoroughly entertained on their own. I can get stuff done while they are busy playing. I find them using their imagination a lot more and being a lot more stimulated through books, toys and art! WOW! Imagine that! What an epiphony! I know, it's taken me a while to learn, but I've finally figured it out....turn off the tv!!!

So this is where my camera was while MIA!

Sylvie with a balloon stuck to her head

What the? (Lucia's new favorite phrase-oh no!)

Marco-who tore a page out of a book!

Lucia's self portrait

HaPpY BiRtHdAy JuLiO!!!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband! We love him so much! He's feeling old now that he's way closer to 40! Here are 38 things we love about our daddy/hubby-

1) He works so hard to support our family

2) He wants the best for us

3) He is a lawyer!

4) He's lost weight this year from all the stress

5) His dream vacation is to go to Japan and eat all the sushi he wants and see all the Miyazaki stuff

6) All he wants for his birthday is sleep

7) He needs new shoes

8) He hates buying new clothes for himself

9) His car is dying and all he wants is an old Honda that runs

10) He will soon be a homeowner!

11) He hates doing yardwork or any manual labor

12) He loves to over-analyze

13) He watches The Daily Show with Jon Stewart every night and laughs out loud

14) He's bad with names

15) He's been an Elders' Quorum instructor for 4 years

16) He used to play basketball every week but hasn't had time lately

17) He has his very own "mini-me" (his son Marco)

18) He's a softy for his girls

19) He's a technological genius

20) He won't fix the knobs on Lucia's dresser

21) He won't throw stuff away

22) He throws his shirt in the dryer every morning to "iron" it

23) He never eats breakfast

24) I have to force him to eat fruit and vegetables

25) He doesn't really like sweets

26) He's low maintenance when it comes to food, but he is a self-proclaimed food snob

27) He's an Angelino through and through

28) He need a haircut every 4 weeks

29) He doesn't have to shave every day (maybe every three days)

30) He doesn't get BO

31) All of his socks have holes in them (I can't figure this out)

32) He loves sitting in our recliner and reading political commentary on the internet

33) He told his boss he refused to go to the office on the weekends because he wants to spend time with his family

34) He never had a bike growing up

35) He doesn't get real excited about birthdays

36) His children made him birthday cards this year

37) He got his new shoes and ties for his birthday

38) He got a new a house (we go into escrow today) for his birthday!

We love him so much!

Today

So, my camera is lost, so I can't post pictures!!! But today I was at Big Lots and this lady behind us in line said about Sylvie, "Somebody should make a doll that looks just like her. She's so cute! She looks like a little pixie." Ahhh, I love getting compliments about my baby!
I got a letter from Lucia's school saying her teacher has gone on medical leave. They didn't even tell the kids she was leaving and that they would have a long-term sub. Well, at least she'll be switching schools soon.
I've been trying to find a Halloween costume for Lucia for a couple of weeks now. I can't seem to fine one I like! She wants to be a fairy-but not just any fairy-Rosetta from the Tinker Bell movie. Those costumes are expensive, or bad quality. It's getting frustratin. We already got Marco a pirate costume that he plays in every day. Sylvie is going to be a fairy princess-a girl in the ward is making her a tutu. So, hopefully we'll find something for Lucia soon! Too bad I'm not crafty!

The kiddos

Sylvie is now 13 months and is getting to be more fun and challenging every day! Her new tricks-she points at what she wants and does the sign for please, says hi, climbs up onto the toilet seat to look in the mirror, brings books and sits on your lap to be read to, eats more than her siblings combined, disappears when you turn away for a second (she runs away every chance she gets), she dances to the beat of music, folds her arms when we pray, does the sign for "again".
Lucia got 4 "wilcat paws" (see previous post) this week and is much happier at school (as am I-the angst is gone when I pick her up). She was putting on a play for us tonight about fairies. She was doing a lot of dancing and hopping and said, "Oh, I keep tooting during my play!"
Marco had his 3 year-old check-up with the doctor this week. He is 31 pounds and in the 50th percentile for weight and height. He is completely healthy. I did discuss with the doctor my concern about his speech and his hearing. She referred him to specialists to be tested. From there, if he needs speech therapy, I'll go to the school district. and request services.
(Sorry no pics at the moment)