Happy Halloween

Reese decided to be Spiderman quite some time ago. I was afraid he'd change his mind before Halloween arrived. But everyday he looked at it hanging on the hanger and excitedly told me Spiderman would be his Halloween suit! He was very happy to finally get to wear it!

Showing off his muscles

We went trick or treating door to door for the first time this year. Last year we went to the mall. I didn't realize there was a designated time so we went early and only about 4 stores has their candy ready. He was 2 1/2 and didn't really know the difference. We liked it since it was inside with lights and no rain. Everyone could easily see how cute he was!

Gus can't say Trick or Treat, but he sure could swing that pumpkin in anticipation of candy being dropped in

The year Reese wore this blue monster suit we just put it on and did all of errands for the day. He wore his suit for about 10 hours and saw all sorts of people, but we didn't actually trick or treat. We weren't sure how Gus would do. He loved wearing his costume though and was very excited to be handed candy from everyone he saw!

We started out at Gigi and Grandad's house. We trick or treated then we just hung out for a bit before heading over to my friend Shannon's parents' house.

Arriving at Shannon's parents' house to trick or treat

We had pizza and salad at their house before heading out. Once the trick or treaters started at their door we hustled to get our costumes back off and head out the door. We got this group shot below first. You can see Gus is already trying to get candy out of his collection pumpkin.

Gus, Shannon's son the fireman, Reese, Shannon's son the astronaut

Gus had a great time. He loved grabbing candy from everyone. He ate quite a few pieces right through the wrapper.

The boys all wanted to ring the doorbell so a number of houses got 3 rings while we were waiting on the porch. Luckily they were so cute no one seemed to mind.

Then they they literally raced to the next house! They had a blast! I was really surprised how much fun Reese had. I suspect he'll be very disappointed when he figures out this only happens once a year.

This was one hosue with particularly cute decoration.

Once we got home we were tuckered out. It was pretty exhausting walking up and down all the hilly driveways!! Gus decided to try out the brand new Halloween quilt I finished earlier today in the nick of time!

The back is haunted houses and the front is a variety of pieced squares with strips of a purple Halloween scene alternated.

This is our merely 12th percentile chubby wubby.

Add to the Thanksgiving Menu

I tried a new recipe tonight that Kyle requested be added to the Thanksgiving line up. We'll definitely be putting it in the normal dinner rotation. I wish I had taken a photo in the serving dish because it is quite attractive. It's a good side dish when you have company. The photo above is our dinner from tonight: Stubb's marinade chicken breast, baked butternut squash, and the star of the meal: Brussels Sprouts Gratin. YUM!

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

1 pound Brussels Sprouts

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 sharp white cheddar grated

1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs

salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Boil pot of water with salt. Add brussels sprouts, boil 8-10 minutes. Drain. grease a baking dish with butter. Toss Brussels sprouts with salt, pepper to taste and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Pour cream over brussels sprouts, sprinkle with cheese, sprinkle with bread crumbs, dot with butter. Bake 15 minutes.

Reese said "mmmm, mmm deeee-lisus, thank you mama two times."

Game Day

The boys in their hawks shirts being bribed with candy canes to pose for the picture. These candy canes are leftover from last year...are they still good? The boys seem to like them.

Futbol

 We went to see Uncle Travis play soccer in the Whitworth University vs. University of Puget Sound game.

Reese really liked climbing the fence.

 The previous day after they played Pacific Lutheran University the teams (guys and gals) went to my mom's for dinner. So we went over to eat with them.

 Reese especially liked meeting the girl's team...since they all thought he was a cutie.

Pumpkin Pickin'

Is it really bad that we went pumpkin picking at Safeway? I pick up Reese from school no later than 3:45pm and Kyle gets done work at 4pm. It takes approximately 4 minutes to get to our house from school, so when Kyle was recovering from surgery I felt like we may as well swing by the gate and pick him up so he doesn't have to walk the whole way home. Now Reese feels it should be the everyday habit. I figured we'd swing by the Safeway to pick pumpkins instead of killing time in the car.

Reese as Hulk vs. Pumpkins

The boys had just as much fun and there was no mud! We'll still go to a pumpkin farm but for now this worked for us.

Gus was really so excited to play amongst the pumpkins. He seemed amazed to be in a sea of pumpkins.

Reese had a hard time choosing. He liked this one for a moment, but decided against it. Gus really studied how Reese tried to lift the pumpkin.

trying to hoist

Gus squatted right down and really strained to hoist his pumpkin. I could not get him to keep at it long enough in a row to get a photo. He'd let go right as I was taking the photo and then try to hoist again while my camera wasn't ready yet. But trust me it was hilarious!

Gus is Really a Big Boy Now

I have been struggling all week to get a video loaded. It just won't go....grrr....but I'll keep trying. In the meantime:

Gus officially walks more than he crawls now. He still does his fast as a bullet crawl when he needs to go somewhere with purpose. If he has the time, though, he will take a leisurely stroll everywhere. Today at Reese's speech therapy he walked back and forth across the room a zillion times putting toys one at a time into the game cupboard. Once he turned his back I'd slip the toy out of the cupboard and put it back on the table so he could repeat. Then he'd bend his head back and forth looking in the cupboard trying to figure out where it went. It was quite amusing and kept him from interrupting Reese for a solid 10 minutes (that's a record for him).

My Baby Became a Big Boy...sniff

Daddy wanted to cut Gus' hair ages ago and I finally gave in. He had his first haircut October 18, 8 days before his 16 month birthday.
Here is Gus before the haircut began. You can clearly see the stringy straight over the ear pieces. (But the very back is cute curls right after his bath!!!)He sat pretty well on Daddy's lap and watched what she was doing.

Sometimes he wasn't too sure if he liked what was happening, but mostly he seemed perfectly at ease. In this picture you can really see all the new growth coming in under his current bangs. I sure hope he doesn't get stuck with my super fine hair.

His hair was longer than we realized. It seemed like she actually cut quite a bit....we have an envelope of hair for his book.

Reese got his haircut too. he uses the plastic face shield to protect his eyes from falling hairs. he has quite a fit if any hair pieces gets on his skin. Finally it seems like his hair is getting to a point where the cowlicks are weighed down a bit. Poor guy has 2 biggies right in front.

I guess I need a better shot of the finished hairdo. This one makes it hard to see the transformation from sweet chubby cheeked baby into a big boy. I hate how a haircut just makes them seem like they've grown up so much!

Even if he is an awfully cute big boy.

Menu Plan Monday

So last week veered dramatically from the plan. One night we went to the Er, one night we ate dinner with brother's soccer team, one night...we got McDonald's just because. So...this week we will hopefully get back on track. Sunday we ended up having a beef roast in the crock pot.

Monday: left over roast turned into pulled beef bbq sandwiches
Tuesday: chicken and pork risotto, broccoli
Wednesday: stirfry veggies with brown rice
Thursday: baked Tilapia, baked potatoes, brussels sprouts
Friday: chicken enchiladas (Old El Paso green Enchilada Sauce recipe), spanish rice
Saturday: BBQ Ribs, peas, mashed potatoes

Looking for some dinner ideas? Check out Organizing Junkie.

Emergency!

We had our first trip to the ER and I didn't have my camera!! When I picked Reese up at school today they told me he fell and got a little cut on his chin. I looked at it and wasn't sure what I thought except it was more than I'd describe as a "little cut." However it was no longer gushing blood and it wasn't gaping open, so what to do. Kyle gets off work 15 minutes after school ends so I let him look and he hemmed and hawed as well. So...we figured we better go to the ER and let them tell us we're freaks and send us home. When the nurse pulled out the 1 -10 hurt chart with the frowny faces he chose level 8 for his pain. I think that maybe he didn't quite understand the number system but he felt sad about it, so chose the frown. They checked it out and assured me we were not freaks. They decided to disinfect it and glue it together. The doctor said this will give it a much thinner scar that a year from now will be unnoticeable. She said it would likely have healed fine without treatment, but it would definitely have been a much bigger scar.

I couldn't seem to get a good photo of it now that we're home, but it is nicely sealed.

Yummy Dessert

On our way home from our Oregon vacation we stopped to have lunch at Olive Garden with Kyle's grandparents. We ordered the Zippoli for dessert. That's the little rectangle shaped donuts wit chocolate sauce. Gus really liked the dessert.

He loved every last lick!!

Meet Captain America

Reese has been asking for a Captain America shield. He usually uses sofa pillows and hangers as his substitute shield when he pretends to be Captain America. So we decided to make an official shield. What you need:
Cardboard circle
red, white and blue paint
paint brushes
clear contact paper
velcro strip

We went to costco and asked for a box with a solid bottom. Kyle cut it into a circle. I sketched out the lines of the shield decoration. Everyone participated in the painting process.

Reese is getting really excited with the progress.

I gave everything a second coat. Then we let it dry. We used crayola kids paint which dries very fast. Then we covered it with clear contact paper.

As you can see the back is not particularly smooth, but the front looks good. Kyle had some velcro strips that are about 2 inches wide. He put the rough part flat onto the back of the shield. He curled the softer side into a "C" shape that fit Reese's forearm well and stuck it on.

Reese LOVES it!

He spent a long time racing around the house making sound effects deflecting pretend attackers.

Reese is very happy with his Captain America shield. Now he wants a whole suit!

Menu Plan Monday

So our new financial goals are going to require that we really buckle down on our budget. In the spring of 2009 we got a new heat pump, furnace and tankless water heater. The financing is for 8 years, but we've decided to get that paid off as soon as possible. I have decided to get serious about my menu plan and really stick to it, no more eating out and wasting leftovers. Reading other people's blogs has made it apparent that we really overspend on our food budget. Now there is no way we're ever going to eat on $50 a week like some bloggers, but I'm sure we can rein it in a bit.

Monday: Ham and Asparagus Lasagna
Tuesday: pork chops in stubbs marinade, baked potato, curried cauliflower
Wednesday: carne asada fajitas (I buy pre-seasoned meat from costco), mexican rice
Thursday: Jambalaya with turkey keilbasa and shrimp
Friday: Papa John's Pizza for our 9/11 Memorial
Saturday: baked tilapia, twice baked potatoes, Brussels sprouts
Sunday: stir fry with brown jasmine rice

Get some more dinner ideas at Organizing Junkie.

15 Month Well Baby Check Up

Gus had his 15 month old well baby appointment last week. He weighed 21 pounds 10 ounces. He soared from 2nd% to 12th% for weight. He is now 31 inches tall which is 44th% for height. Our pediatrician recently switched to electronic records which produces exact numbers for the percentiles. Pretty cool.
Technically Gus is not saying enough words or walking, etc. etc. He officially qualifies for a referral to Holly Ridge for services, but the pediatrician said she thinks the requirements are a little too hard. She thinks he's fine and we do too. She's confident that he'll score where he should on the 18 month questionnaire.
Gus is healthy and happy. He says "hi" and "dada." Kyle says when I leave the room he says "mama," but I haven't heard it. He walks about 10 steps max. He prefers to crawl when he's in a hurry. He loves to eat--everything, not picky at all. On 10/10/10 he had his first M&Ms and I must say they may be his new favorite food.
Gus absolutely loves to do whatever Reese is doing. He wants to play with Reese's toys all the time. When Reese takes one of his toys away Gus shrieks an ear bleeding shriek. It is funny the first time or two, then it makes my ears bleed. Reese is getting a little better about sharing his superhero toys. Gus loves whipping up everyone's shirts to find their belly buttons which he thinks is hysterical. he also finds the cat endlessly amusing.
He is such a sweet, cute butterball! We can not believe our baby is not really a baby anymore. It feels like the past 15 months have gone by in about 6 months. I could just kiss he chubby cheeks all day long!

What Else Did we do on Vacation?

We did do a few other things besides our bike ride. The boys really enjoyed playing in our super deep indoor "kiddie pool" aka jacuzzi tub!

We played at the park.

We did lots of karaoke. Reese sang along with the duet mike. He repeated a lot of the lines for Glory Days and If I Could Turn Back Time. It was hilarious!

We went over to Sisters, OR for a day. We had to check out the quilt store and coffee house. We ate lunch at a barbecue place where the boys tried out the horse saddle.

Gus really got rocking trying to make his horse giddy up.

Sisters is a cute little town with lots of shops. The boys checked out the jail too.