Halloween

Oh Halloween is fun with kids. We've had Halloween events since the 12th of October, so we've really milked the costumes and the fun! On Friday night we went to Pete's work for a Halloween party. Then yesterday Parker had a little party at school. After school, I took the boys to Papa's work where they were all carving pumpkins. We hadn't done a pumpkin yet so this was a great way to get in the experience, without doing it on my carpet:) The boys were really into it and while Parker was scooping the seeds out, Austin was dumping them back in. Hilarious.

 After naptime, we went over to a shopping center that was handing out candy. Big mistake. Super crowded and most of the stores had already run out of goodies. It was fun to see the costumes, but that's about it. Won't do that again. Nothing like Ann Arbor downtown trick or treating!

Then we went to my folks for dinner and trick or treating around their neighborhood. We are trying to clean up our diets around here (I know... perfect time at the holidays), but we want to see how diet impacts Parker's behavior. That's for another post, but he's been especially challenging lately. Anyway, my parent's neighborhood is low key enough where we aren't competing with herds of people and we only did about 10 houses. Perfect.

Parker loved dressing up as a knight. He told one lady, "I'm a knight in shining armor."

 And Mickey Mouse. He loved this costume... and so did we. He got really into saying "Candeeeeeeee" and "Tank you!" Very cute.

 Ryan and Chloe went around with us.

 Chloe is really amazing with Parker and let him help her make a chocolate cake. Very fancy!

Happy Halloween. Saw some other pics of darling kiddos in costume. So much fun!

Daddy!

Whenever we pull up at our apartment, Austin begins shouting, "Daddy! Daddy!" He is so hopeful that Pete will be home. Unfortunately, this isn't usually the case, but without fail, when Pete does make his entrance at night, there are two very happy boys there to greet him. 

Crafts with Parker. 

 We went to Pete's work Halloween party on Friday night. It was fun... food, treats, dry ice, and cute kids in costumes. The boys always love going to his office.

Jeff and Marina's visit

Jeff and Marina were in town for the weekend. It was fun hanging out with them. The boys and I tried taking Marina to the zoo on Saturday afternoon, but the parking situation was so terrible that we opted to head back home and get a burrito:) The boys are very comfortable with them, so it was fun for them to have extra playmates. 

Wish we got to see them more, but it's so fun when we get to be together.

Pumpkin patch field trip

We went to the Pumpkin Patch with Parker's preschool class. There was a great turnout and fun to get to know some of the kids and moms better. First there was a pumpkin presentation, by a very old lady who seemed very irritated by the children in the audience. The eye rolling when she heard chatting in the crowd was a giveaway. 

Then we went on a hay ride. Bumpy and fun. Then through the corn maze... bad idea with a bunch of three year olds. Those kids are fast and the maze is not easy. We all made it out eventually, but wouldn't do it again with my bolter. Then they got to pick a pumpkin. Parker preferred sprinting through the fields, but I chose a nice round pumpkin for him:)

Oh yeah, and Austin was there too. I have pics of Parker at an Ann Arbor pumpkin patch in this sweater. Awe... memories. 

 Park and Sadie... never far form each other.

 And Jakey is a new addition to their duo. Breaking it down on top of the hay!

Wee Sing performance

One of my favorite childhood memories was going to sing at nursing homes. I would go and perform solos with my voice teacher, and also perform shows with the children's chorus I was in. It was so much fun to perform for the grandmas and grandpas who didn't care what we sounded like, they were just glad to see cute kids! Since starting Kids Sing, I have felt so blessed to be able to extend that same opportunity to these kids. The older kids just perform in December and May, but the Wee Sing preschoolers perform mid-way through our session as well. So last week Parker had his first "performance." It was Halloween themed music, so the kids wore their costumes. While you can't hear them very well, the people there LOVE to see these little ones in costume. After the performance, they walked around waving, high fiving, and hugging the residents. This was so good for Parker. He's quite the performer... I wonder where he gets that from?

Recent recipes...

So here are a few of the recipes that I had catalogued on Pinterest and actually tried:

Zucchini Crisps: These were good, but not obsessed with them. Wish they were crispier... wish they were fried... but not bad for a baked version.

Pork Burritos: Totally loved this recipe. Not a Cafe Rio copycat, but the flavor was great and definitely can be used in pork salad or burritos. I found this way easier than other Cafe Rio pork recipes I've done. Way less steps with the pork. I don't have a green enchilada sauce I LOVE so I'll be on the lookout for a recipe to make my own or try other brands.

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta: You can't go wrong with Pioneer Woman recipes, though they can be labor intensive or call for ingredients I don't keep on hand. But I must say this was somewhat easy, especially using jarred roasted red peppers. I doubled this since I was dirtying my blender anyway, and froze three bags of it. I really liked it, but preferred it as a side pasta with some breaded chicken, instead of doing it as a main dish. The sauce was very flavorful, but could be too much in a large bowl.

Chicken cordon bleu casserole: Could have posted this before, but oh well... it's good, it's easy, and it tastes the same as the real version that is so much more time intensive. I have used a rotisserie chicken from the store and I have also baked my own breasts in the oven. Both are great.

Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta: I liked it, Pete didn't love it so much. It was a good try for a meatless dinner but don't think I will make it again, since I'm the only one who was a fan.

Halloween at Sea World

I love decorations at Sea World for the various holidays. Christmas is my favorite, but Halloween is also very festive. The fishy-pumpkins... so cute!

 The boys actually approached the characters today. Progress! No hugs though, just high fives!

I love dressing the boys alike. They especially enjoyed "looking like daddy" that day.