Thanksgiving

We've all been asked the question, "What is your favorite holiday?" It is a tough question. There are so many elements of each holiday that might make it your favorite. Maybe it is not the whole holiday that you love but instead- a particular piece of it that makes you wait the long 365 days just to see your kids see that Santa came, or to smell the turkey baking in the oven while you eat satsuma oranges and sip sparkling cider. Because of these little 'pieces' I always have a hard time saying, 'Hands down- (blank) is my favorite holiday'. However this year as we prepped for the big Thanksgiving dinner, I was able to say that I think my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving . . . when it is at my Mom's house.

In my Mom's family- one person generally hosts the same holiday every year. That being said, my Mom always hosts Thanksgiving. Since I was a small child, I can recall the buzz in our home the day of Thanksgiving. I can recall that for about 6 consecutive years my Dad either got a ticket or in a car accident on Thanksgiving. I can also recall the handful of Thanksgivings where the wind whipped so hard that we lost power, which is not good when you have a 24 pound turkey cooking in the oven. I remember my Mom filling the house with satsuma oranges (my all-time favorite fruit), nuts, and yummy snacks. I can recall just as vividly the smell not only of the turkey cooking but of fresh garlic as we pretty much used garlic in every recipe. There is nothing like this holiday, especially when I am with my family.

I was excited to be able to spend Thanksgiving with my family this year as I had missed the last two of them. The first one I missed because I was pregnant with Matthew and couldn't fly and the second I missed because we spent Christmas there instead (part of the way we flip flop holidays with our big families). So it was such a thrill to be able to be at my Mom and Dad's and to experience for my first time Thanksgiving in their newly remodeled house. I was so used to the flow and memory of Thanksgiving in the old house that it was fun to see how they do it now that they have a completely different floor plan.


We were able to hang out for a few days before Thanksgiving and Matthew and I did the BIG shop with my Mom. We had a great time spending time together and Matthew was happy to be out of the house with us. Michael and Claire on the other hand were absolutely content to stay back at my parents house and play video games and just relax. I can't blame them but it sure felt great to get out!


My Mom is so great at preparing this meal with very little hassle. It looks effortless but I know how much work she puts into it. I love watching her cook. I have a minor addiction with wanting to know how she does everything! I watched her intently this year as she made the gravy because it is so delicious! Turkey, stuffing (both Italian and American), sweet potatoes, garlic bread (an Italian must), green beans, mashed potatoes (courtesy of Ron 'The Potato Boy' Sacco) and the menu didn't stop there! Damien carved the turkey this year and the whole evening was just awesome. We capped off the night with my Aunt Carol's famous pumpkin pie, Stefanie's butter pecan cheesecake, and some Turkey-oke. Yes, this year for the entertainment- my parents got a karaoke machine and it was a huge hit! Everyone sang songs on Thanksgiving night and my sisters and I crooned some tunes both in the days preceding and following Thanksgiving. I think it was safe to say we were addicted!


Oh, I am thankful for so much. Sometimes life can overwhelm me. I have so much to do- not enough time. You can get stressed by schedules, finances, sleep deprivation, and so much more. But my Dad always says, You Have To Have Faith (and not in a George Michael sort of way). His philosophy is that things will just work out. Sometimes times are tough, sometimes life gets away from you. But when you have faith in God and you know that life means the most within the four walls of your home- life is oh so good. I am blessed for having all of you in my life. Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

Momma's Little Helper

Matthew continues to amaze us with his awareness of what is going on around him. Maybe he was born with personality traits which led to him being a good listener and a want to be involved. Perhaps he is the way he is because he is the third child and watches Michael and Claire do everything and wants to be just like them. Whatever the reason- Matthew wants to be involved and there is no stopping him when he decides he is going to do something. For instance, the other week I was talking to Damien and mentioned that I was going to get out the Dust Buster to clean up a mess. No sooner did I finish my sentence did I hear Matthew's footsteps toward the closet and eventual re-entry into the kitchen holding the Dust Buster. And no- he didn't hand it to me, he turned it on and vacuumed up the mess and put the Dust Buster back where it goes. It is crazy! He doesn't even need praise for helping me out- he just heard I was going to do something and did it for me! Wow!

Matthew also loves to be involved in whatever is going on around the house. If he hears me say that I am going to go shopping, you will most certainly hear him say, 'Nay nay' which is Matthewese for 'I want to'. He is everywhere. He hears everything. Nothing gets past this guy! When my parents were down here for my birthday- my Mom and I were going to go bargain shopping at Walmart. We had this conversation in the morning when we were talking about our plans for the day. Well, a few minutes went by and I realized that Matthew was not around. I called for him. Then called some more and I must admit- a little panic set in. Then my Mom thought she heard someone crying and we knew it was Matthew. Well sure enough- when Matthew had heard us talking about going to Walmart, he got his bottle, his shoes, and a Pez dispenser and was waiting for us in the garage by the car. He is nuts! It will be fun to see how Matthew grows and changes but I won't complain if he wants to still help me out!

Classic

Sometimes you have to share pictures. . .







That make you smile . . .


Because life is just that good . . .

And memories are what keep our history alive.

Tres Tres

What a birthday! It was a good one. Can I just say that I love my family? I love my family. It is the most important thing to me. My children, my husband, my parents, MY SISTERS, Damien's family. Family sustains me and I am so thankful to be surrounded by such incredible people. As a giant surprise to me- Damien flew down two of the most important people in my life- my parents. Is that the best birthday present or what? It was funny. We were in the car and I was really distracted and talking to my friend Karen on the phone. After being lost in conversation for a while- I realized we were taking the freeway exit for the airport and I had to hang up the phone and figure out what was going on! I was so incredibly happy and so were my kids! Nonna and Grandpa were here for the weekend!!!!

We came back to the house and relaxed for a while and just enjoyed one another. That night, Damien made reservations for our family, my parents, and most of Damien's family for dinner at Buca di Beppos. It is a great place for a big group of people to have fun without worrying if the kids are going to be too loud or messy. The food was really really good and it was nice for my parents to be able to get together with Damien's family as that does not happen very often. My kids had an absolute ball looking at all of the fun decorations and being spoiled by their aunties and uncles. We didn't have dessert there- but Matthew was beyond thrilled that he got to help Mommy blow out the candles on the candelabra. Michael and Claire helped too but they were preoccupied with their fourth refill on their Shirley Temples. Sugar high anyone?

When I think about it- Damien has surprised me and flown down someone from my family for the past several years. Being the pretty perceptive person that I am- I can't believe that I didn't even think about the fact that he might do it again this year! I love when I get to see my family. It really is the greatest gift of all for me. I turned a year older but I also grew even more thankful this year because of my loving husband who always knows what I need. After dinner, we all went back to my house for presents and my favorite cake (my Nana's famous yellow cake with whipped chocolate frosting). It was an amazing day and I am thankful for everyone who made me feel extra special and loved.

Auntie Hot Dog

What a great week I just had! My middle sister, Gina came down for a long visit and it was awesome! There was no real agenda- just a lot of hanging out, shopping, and keeping up with the kid's schedules. In the past, Gina has tried to make it down to San Jose around my birthday. While my birthday isn't until the 14th- everyone that knows me knows that I don't mind having a 'birthday week'. So with Gina here and my birthday within range- let the party begin!

One of the things that Gina really wanted to do was to have a night where she could watch a movie with my kids. When we visit up there, she has them over to their apartment for what she calls, 'Hot Dog Theatre'. Okay- some background is necessary here. Sometimes we call Gina, Geen. That sickly morphed into Ween. Then we called her Weener. Then we called her Ween Dog. (Bear with me). When Michael was little, he thought we were calling her Hot Dog and since then- the name has stuck. Auntie Hot Dog, Hot Dog Theatre . . . you now get the gist! So in Washington, it is 'Hot Dog Theatre'. We were trying to come up with a name for our theatre in California and Michael suggested 'Corn Dog Theatre' which we thought rocked! Gina and the kids watched Pee Wee's Big Adventure and had a blast!

Other than that- we just hung out and enjoyed each other's company. We went to some of our favorite restaurants, went on daily walks, and she accompanied me on my carpool route and ran errands with me. Fun stuff! One day we had a pretty random but hilarious experience. See- we went to Target one morning to shop and ran into these pants. I mean, how couldn't you run into them? Gina immediately looked at me and said, 'We have to try these on and take a picture!' I told her no way- but obviously she found a way to get me in there! Okay, I ended up thinking it would be funny, too. Matthew was quite confused by what his mommy and auntie were doing. Gina wore a paint splattered Batman tshirt (can you believe that tshirt retails for $30?) and I wore a bejeweled Wonder Woman tshirt with mine. We had many laughs in there! It was a funny funny experience. She made me promise that I would post this picture on the blog so here you go! Don't be jealous of how good we look!

I had a great time with Ween, as usual. Can't wait until she comes to visit again!

What Quill He Say Next?

We had Michael's parent teacher conference and it was great! So much progress, he is happy, thriving, and enjoying first grade! Damien and I really couldn't be happier. We sat with Michael's teacher for about fifteen minutes and it was really interesting to see what Michael is like in the classroom. At home, Michael is colorful, happy, competitive, dynamic and at times crazy! But what does Michael present at school? If you asked me- I would think that Michael is respectful, obedient, a good listener and well behaved. His teacher alluded to a lot of these traits (which I was pleased with). The conference was over and we were heading out the door when I motioned to Damien to look at a picture on the wall that Michael drew during his first week of school. It was pretty cute. It reads, I like to go to my school. I like to play with my cat. I like to play with Claire. Damien read it and then laughed. His teacher then said, "Isn't that funny?" Damien replied, "What is even funnier is that we don't have a cat!"

Michael's teacher laughed at Michael's vivid imagination and then realized that she forgot to tell us a funny story about Michael. About a month ago, the school music teacher was in their classroom preparing the class for the school mass for St. Francis of Assisi. At this mass kids can bring in their pets to be blessed. Well, she asked the class if anyone in the class had an exotic animal. Not a cat or a dog- but something unique. Apparently, Michael raised his hand and said he had a pet porcupine at home. His teacher asked him if she could call me and see if I would be willing to bring our porcupine in for the mass. He said she could call me. From what teacher told us- about three minutes went by when Michael raised his hand again. When called upon, he said, "Um, I think our porcupine died." His teacher said that both she and the music teacher laughed once the class was done.

Being the pretty 'by the books' kind of kid that Michael is- I was so surprised to hear that he was able to find it in himself to say he had a porcupine. He must have been dying for the three minutes between saying he had one and then deciding to tell the teacher that it had died! I can only imagine how he squirmed red faced in his chair and tried to figure out how he was going to get out of the lie he had told. Poor guy. We all got such a kick out of this story and it shed a little light on the daring little Michael at school!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween started at our house at 6:30 a.m. We were up and getting the kids in their costumes, tying up any loose ends that had to do with their costumes, going to their school, watching the parades, and the day went on and on and on from there. To top off the marathon Halloween season- we had a bunch of people over Halloween night for some spooky fun!

Last year on Halloween we went over to Michael's friends' house for Halloween. This year we returned the favor and had his friend Jack and his family over. Auntie Heather, Auntie Ali, Uncle Haripal, E and Papa also joined in on the fun! We had a delicious dinner together and then prepped to go out and enjoy trick-or-treating in the crisp, dark night. There was a lot of talk around these parts about the weather forecast. See, the weather forecast stated that there was a chance of rain for Friday (which was Halloween). Everyone here freaked out! I rarely include my comments here about Seattleites vs. Californians. But seriously people! A little rain won't kill anyone! In fact, most of my Halloweens as a child were spent either partially frozen or damp. And we had a blast- not to mention rwe still raked in the candy! I just had to laugh at the buzz the forecast created here! Moving on . . .

We had our typical haunts this Halloween night! We HAD to have our dry ice which the kids go crazy over. This year was really fun because it was a real first for Matthew. He couldn't believe how the 'smoke' was all over the floor. Back and forth he ran through it and it was really funny. When we left to go trick-or-treating, we left our cauldron on the front porch with a huge piece of dry ice in there and it looked so cool! The other Halloween specialty was Damien's famous caramel apples! They are so good!

We headed out soon after dinner to do some trick-or-treating because we also wanted to be at our house when the trick-or-treaters knocked on our door. This was our first Halloween in the new house and we weren't sure how many people we would get so we wanted to be there! We started trick-or-treating pretty close to the house and were amazed at how much candy the kids gathered after hitting one cul-de-sac! Matthew loved the thrill of ringing the doorbell and then getting candy. But for a kid that loves to eat- this is understandable! We trick-or-treated a while longer and then called it quits when it got late.

We all dressed up for Halloween this year. I donned the pirate outfit I wore a few years ago and Damien put on a 50's Man costume that he wore for Claire's second birthday party (it was a themed poodle party and you had to dress the part). He was killing me. Those pants are to die for, especially when combined with his Mr. Rogers cardigan and pipe. I thought he looked pretty cute myself! We had a great Halloween. When we got the kids down, I passed out myself. It was a long Halloween season no doubt. But there is no denying that it was also spooktacular and a whole lot of ghoolish fun.

Monkeys and Dragons!

Halloween sure was a busy day. After Damien and I did the whole Halloween Parade madness at the kid's school, my great friend Karen and her son Luke came over for some fun! We had great plans to walk into Willow Glen and do some tick-or-treating but after considering all of our options- we decided that it might be best to just put the boys in their costumes and enjoy the comforts of home. Like a lot of Matthew's friends, the older they get- the more they notice each other and play. Luke and Matthew are finally getting to enjoy each other's company! They are about five months apart and are slowly but surely catching up to one another. They were a little taken a back when they saw the other dressed in their costume but Karen and I thought it was adorable. When we were taking pictures of them, I told Matthew to give Lukey a hug and he did. Then for some reason, Matthew started growling and hugged Luke so hard that he knocked him back a few steps and then landed on him. So much for the sweet moment. But as you know- boys will be boys.

Halloween Morning!

Halloween morning was full of excitement! I had to get up extra early to make sure that I could get myself ready and then devote the rest of the time to getting the kids in their costumes, getting them breakfast, and making sure we didn't forget anything as we headed out the door for school! It was pretty chaotic here- but was also a lot of fun!

This year, Michael decided to be an Army Guy. I loved it! For the past few years he has gone with a Star Wars costume so I was thrilled to try something new! Better than that- I was happy that he chose this costume all on his own! The costume a bit too big so I hemmed the pants and Michael was ready to go. We had a little debate with Michael about face paint vs. no face paint. Michael really doesn't like to get dirty or have stuff on his face. We didn't force him but in the end, we were happy that he didn't mind putting on the face paint. In fact- he looked really cool with it on!

At first, Claire wanted to be Tinkerbell this Halloween. In fact- she was dead set on it. When I had taken the kids to the costume store to get Michael's costume- she saw this Dorothy costume and changed her mind completely! For the last three years, Claire has been a Disney Princess. I was preparing to head down that same road again but Claire really surprised me! She had never seen The Wizard of Oz when she had chosen her costume but we made sure she saw the movie before Halloween. Claire looked adorable! She had her little basket with Toto in it and of course had the ruby slippers! She felt great and in the end, that is all that matters!

Matthew didn't have a say in his costume but he sure looked cute in it! I took him shopping for costumes and he was able to let me know what he liked and didn't like. When I tried the Monkey on him, I took a picture of him so that he could see what he looked like. He thought it was hilarious. I especially loved that there was a banana attached to the sleeve! And the chubby tummy? To die for! Matthew liked wearing the Monkey and would say, Oooo Oooo Oooo if he wanted to put it on. Before we left for the kids school, I painted his nose brown. However- by the time we got to school, he had rubbed it off!

All in all, it was a successful Halloween morning! In this picture, I was trying to get a cute picture of Michael and Claire in their costumes before we left for school. But instead Dorothy and the Army Guy started arguing which makes for a better picture than any posed one! Both the kids loved seeing their friends dressed in costume. Damien came to school with me to watch the kids in their costume parades. It was really cute and I was happy we were able to get them the costumes they wanted so that they could have a great Halloween morning!

Hangman

We had our wonderful friends, the Brinkers, over for dinner earlier this week. We had the best time (like we always do) and had fun catching up as adults but also loved watching the kids run around and play. At some point during the evening, Michael decided that he would play Hangman with Aaron. Being the patient guy that he is- he sat there with Michael for quite a while. After about twenty minutes or so- I decided to check in on the two of them. I looked at what Michael was having Aaron guess and started laughing! I didn't let Michael see me laughing but the answers he was giving Aaron were unbelievable! For instance, the answer to the hangman pictured here was All, your, mom, is. So random. The next puzzle I saw Michael give to Aaron was only correctly answered if Aaron could come up with the ever so common phrase www a pig. The answers to his puzzles went on like this and gave us all a good laugh!

Calm Before the Storm

I have mentioned before that this Halloween season seems to be dragging on and on. Well, in preparation for the big day, I got down our giant box of costumes to see if I could find something in there to wear. While in the process, I found this Buzz Lightyear costume that Michael wore for fun when he was two. Well, Matthew went nuts and wanted me to put it on him. I obliged and he had a ball running all over the place and then rushing to the mirror to see if he was still wearing the costume. That evening, Claire had soccer practice and I tried to take the now filthy costume off of him and he wasn't having it. So what the heck- he wore it there and was a huge hit!

Michael had soccer that same night and it was a themed practice. The kids could wear their costumes if they wanted but because Michael's army fatigues are not breathable and fairly heavy- he decided to just put on his pirate t-shirt and add the hat and sword. Fine by me! He looked cute and had a great practice. I guess that it was just a warm up for the big day which comes in just a few short days!

In My Shoes

We are having the BEST time with Matthew these days. His personality is coming out at a furious pace and we are quickly learning that he is not only a sensitive, loving boy but also hysterically funny. This kid has the greatest sense of humor and gets most everything that is going on around him. Perhaps all of the observing he does is doing him well! My sister Gina is the middle child and my Mom tells stories about how Gina understood adult humor (no, not the dirty kind- but the elevated kind) at an early age. She often sat around as adults had conversations and before anyone knew it- she really could understand everything. I think Matthew is headed down this same path!

The other night before my basketball game, Matthew came in the room wearing my basketball shoes. It was so adorable. He did a few dances and knew how to get us all to laugh. I just love this kid! It was cute because if he does put on our shoes, they are usually Damien's or if he wears mine- he will wear my high heels. So to see him come through the door sloshing around in my big sneakers was a welcome surprise. Funny, funny, Matthew.

Our Jack-O-Lanterns

After spending a small fortune at the pumpkin patch and then again at Safeway to buy some more pumpkins- we were ready to carve some scary/funny/silly faces into our big squashes! Of course we tried to cram a million things into one day so it was pretty interesting when we carved pumpkins outside in the dark! We did have one outside light illuminating us but I was worried that one of us might lose a finger or something! Especially since Claire insisted on carving hers herself!


Damien had a basketball game that night (hence his jersey) but literally the minute he got home we started carving. The kids had their own idea of how they wanted their jack-o-lanterns to look. Claire went for the classic triangle eyes and nose and zig-zag mouth, while Michael went for something really creative. His did have triangle eyes, but then the mouth had fangs and he insisted on his pumpkin having eyebrows. Claire caught wind of the eyebrow idea and had to have them too.


Matthew kind of enjoyed the experience. He liked to watch everyone else carve but he DID NOT like the feeling of scooping out the seeds. In fact, he cried after he touched them and wanted me to wash it off! I can't blame him. I does feel pretty nasty! After we were all done carving, we headed to the front of the house and brought our pumpkins to life! The kids thought it was awesome. Too bad that in the California climate the pumpkins rotted after only five days! Oh, well. Good thing we took some pictures early!

Great Pumpkin Night!

I love tradition. For me- it is about the little things. The tiniest of pieces that make a single experience whole. I know that the kids love trick-or-treating, but I also know that they can't wait to have our annual halloween movie night and gather together as a family.

They knew that the night was on its way- but they really didn't know when we would have our yearly showing of, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. Damien and I wanted to keep it a surprise and so nonchalantly- we corralled the kids into our bedroom. He kept them occupied while I took all the blankets and pillows off of all the beds and laid them out in the family room. I turned off all of the lights in the house except for the illuminated pumpkins in the family room, preheated the oven to bake our Halloween cookies, and warmed up milk on the stove to make our hot chocolate. When everything was ready- I knocked on our bedroom door and then lead them by flashlight to the family room as they screamed with excitement. They knew it was the big night!! I swear, their favorite part of the night isn't the movie or the treats- but that all of our blankets and pillows are strewn about in one big cozy mess!

We had a great night! Matthew especially loved it because last year, he wasn't old enough to know how cool it was! This year he got to eat the cookies and drink the hot chocolate like a big kid. Toward the end of the movie- Damien and I shared a glance in which we both recognized our blessings and good fortune. We are so lucky to have these three beautiful children and to be able to get together and share in these traditions that bind us all.

Michael's Mighty Celtics

Michael is having a great soccer season! He is on a team called the Mighty Celtics (I know- sounds more like a basketball team than a soccer team). He is on the team with a lot of his school friends and has the best time at both the practices and the games. It has been fun to watch him this season as he has really gotten to know the flow of the game, how to attack the ball and break things up.

This season, Damien has been assistant coaching and has enjoyed watching these boys improve on their game and also have a lot of fun!! Michael loves that his Daddy is there and it is a really nice bonding experience for both of them. Despite being really competitive, Michael seems to be really happy out on the field when he is playing soccer. He hustles a lot and really loves the game- which is all that is important to me!

I mentioned this in my soccer post about Claire, but because Michael and Claire's games aren't usually aren't around the same time, we spend most of our Saturday taking the kids to soccer. Because Damien is the coach and has to be there and if Matthew is napping, I have to stay home. I know there will come a time when I won't have a sleeping baby and will be able to make it to most of the kid's games but until then, I think that if we are able to get one parent to the game- we are succeeding!

I love watching Michael play. I love his passion, his intensity, his hustle, his grit, but most importantly his smile which peaks out every now and again after he knows he made a good play. Keep up the good work, buddy!

Sweetest Picture

I LOVE this picture. My boys. Never grew up with a brother- but so happy Michael and Matthew have each other. They are lucky to have such an amazing Daddy, too.

Flu Shots

Before you think I am a cruel Mom to take pictures of my kids while they are miserable, please note that this post I wrote last year was meant to help the kids out this year! Last year, I had this idea to take before and after pictures of the kids so that I could show them to them this year and prove that the flu shot was not a big deal. I imagined that this year they would look back and see, via the pictures, that they had cried for no reason and that this year, they would be brave and just get it done! Um, yeah. Plan backfired.

I vowed to my kids two years ago that I wouldn't put them through a kamikaze shot experience. Instead, I would give them a days notice to deal with their anxiety and then gather their strength to brave through yet another flu shot. I preemptively bribed them with a congratulatory frosty from Wendy's and everything! But apparently- this frosty was not going to be the magic liquid courage I intended it to be. Both older kids immediately cried when they happen to glance at my calendar and saw the flu shot appointment. Claire got over it, but Michael was ruined. He cried- I comforted him and he would get over it. At bedtime, he was crying again and when I woke him up in the morning- he said he didn't sleep because he was so scared. When I picked Michael up at school, he worried so much all day that his fingernails were blue. He was a mess. He ran into my arms at pick-up and started crying over his anxiety. My poor guy. Claire was pretty calm and collected and seemed unfazed but Michael was completely undone.

When we got to the doctor's office I reminded them of last years flu shot. How they laughed once it was done and how happy they were to get frosties. They were kind of cool until the nurse called our names and we were back to square one. Michael went first, Claire second, and Matthew third. Done, done, and done. So much fuss but I don't blame them. Who likes to get shots anyway? I did tell Michael later that evening that next year I probably wouldn't give him such notice before his flu shot. He agreed and said that said that he was just 'too anxious'. He said, 'I panicked too much'.

We went to Wendy's and I followed through with my promise. They all enjoyed their frosties and once we got home and were headed into the house, Matthew threw up all over the carpet. The madness never ends. Let's just hope they don't get the flu this winter! Then all of this might have been worth it!

Bagel Buddies

Matthew and Megan have finally taken an interest in each other. Usually, Megan is preoccupied because she thinks Claire is so cool but now that Matthew is a bit older, they tend to play together a little bit. After the pumpkin patch, we went back to E and Papa's house and they two of them sat outside and ate bagels together.

They just sat around, giggled a little, and put on a show for us which was seriously to die for. They knew if they hugged or kissed we would oooooh and aaaah at them. It was adorable. I can't wait to see the relationship they have in the future. Such sweet cousins enjoying a lazy afternoon snack together. It's what life is all about!

Pumpkin Patching

Everywhere I turn, someone has either told me or I have read that they went to the pumpkin patch. Obviously it is that time of year now where everyone takes their kids for the pumpkin patch experience. However, this year it seems to be a little out of control! People are going to the patch more than one time and by the time Halloween arrives- they will have about fifteen pumpkins on their front porch! Pumpkin patch should now be changed to pumpkin patching because it goes on and on and on and has become its own season!

Our version of pumpkin patching happened just after Caitlin's baptism. After the brunch, we all changed into our more casual clothes and headed to a new pumpkin patch which promised to have all the bells and whistles without all of the crowding and chaos! I have to give Lani credit here as she searched and searched to find a patch that would be great for the big kids and the little kids!

The day was absolutely gorgeous as we headed toward all of the excitement. Almost immediately- Claire, Michael, and Seamus headed over to the rock climbing wall while, Matthew, Megan, and Andonis went on the bouncy house. They all had such a great time!! It was fun to watch Michael and Claire on the climbing wall. The whole notion that your muscles get tired the more you climb was lost on them. They couldn't figure out why they couldn't climb as high as they did five climbs earlier. Once Michael was totally exhausted and Claire was in tears with defeat- we decided it might be time to move to another section of the pumpkin patch!


We walked over to an area where there were some farm animals. Having never really experienced this before- Matthew went completely nuts! There was a farmer there who was cutting chunks of pumpkin to give to the small children to feed the goats, sheep, and cows. How cool is that??? Over and over, Matthew fed this little lamb until I am sure it was ready to throw up! My older kids really enjoyed feeding the animals and I was so grateful in this moment that we weren't fighting through crowds of people to get a chance to feed the animals. All the kids in our group plus a hand full of some other children had these twenty or so animals to themselves. It was really a neat experience for my kids.


After feeding the animals and going through a hay maze, it was time to pick out some pumpkins! Claire of course went for the biggest and most expensive pumpkin, while Michael searched and searched for a pumpkin that was unique and had cool lines on it. He ended up getting a white pumpkin which was pretty different if I may say so myself. We did switch out Claire's pumpkin for a smaller one (shhhh), and Matthew was happy with a lopsided orange one that had a curly stem. The whole pumpkin patching experience was next to perfect and hopefully we can go there again next year if everyone doesn't get word that it is the best pumpkin patch in town!