In Character

We were surrounded by plenty of little characters this Halloween who were grinning from ear to ear once the concept caught on. It didn't take long. We took our little tiger over to give a roar to grandma while little Charlie Chaplin spread his charm then headed out to a parent and toddler trick-or-treat shindig. The loot will be quickly forgotten, then POOF will never be seen again. Magic...I know.

Our eldest has decided she'll never be too old to go door to door, hence the borrowed '20s gettup she sported for the evening. The kid loves dressing up no matter what the day, but to bring home all those finger licking gooey treats~it's her icing on the cake.

Three days of goodness

We got home safe and sound from our journey up in Northern Cali to visit my mum (and a short visit with dad, too). It was just the little getaway that I needed...a break from the everyday routine which gave me a new energy and perspective. We crammed a lot into our little visit with plenty on the list to do next visit. We managed a drive to tahoe to see me dad and mama rhonda, a full day at Apple Hill indulging on all things apple~yum, tractor rides, horse-lovin, a rinse in the river and shopping to boot. Three days just doesn't cut it up in the mountains, but does leave me eager for our next trip up hopefully with my man as captain of the ship....I missed him so, plus that drive is a bear! Thanks mum for all of your love, support and oh-so-wonderful hospitality. I am better for having spent some time with you and your zoo.

xoxo

Girls gone north

A couple of photos from yesterday's hike before

we head off for a girls trip to Nana's house to seek

some laughter and adventure.

Happy Trails

xoxo

Harbor cruisin

When we mentioned to Maya last weekend that we were going out on Ed & Andi's boat her response consisted of a squeal of excitement followed by a matter-of-fact announcement that she would be throwing up while on our excursion. I can understand how she would be expecting a rerun of the last boat trip but luckily there was no vomit to be had so our day ended with smooth sailing and good company. Thanks for fun outing guys!

Maya's first thank you card ever to her sweet little friend. Did I mention she's only 3 & 1/2?

The verdict is in

Best birthday gift....ever

Matt loves his new roadster due to it's hauling capacity. He can load anything from surfboards to groceries plus his favorite girls.

Sweet treats

Maya turns out to be a girl after my own heart and takes ownership over the air hockey table at a new indoor playground we visit today. She spends about 80% of her time in this very spot, rarely tempted by the many bouncy-bright toygems all around her.

A nice close up of this beautiful visitor as I was watering today.

Miss M gets to stop and chat with her favorite neighborhood purrrball...Patches

Then off to fly (more like pull) the butterfly kite at the park

The view from the baseball diamond. One I hadn't noticed before.

Watching the full moon rise on our way home.

Getting a slight glimpse of my studyholic daughter

Talking to my Mr before the night is done

Fam-day

This last sunday evening our house was filled with family and great food once again! This weekend we dined on my homemade tortilla soup, cornbread (TJ's has the best), salad from my mum-in-law and her first ever homemade lemon cake (amazing). The evening was a sweet start to a full week.

I really love sundays!

early christmas or late birthday?

Matt got a visit from the UPS truck last week bringing him his new favorite toy... an xtracycle, which he's been drooling over for years. This was supposed to be his birthday gift (in June) but I think the wait made it that much more exciting. At least that's what I'll tell myself. He hasn't finished putting it together yet, but I'll try to post a photo once it's picture worthy. As much as he'd like it, the commute won't let this new baby replace his car, but it's just one more step to using the gas guzzler less.

happy unbirthday honey!

Escargot...come and get it

Out in the backyard yesterday I noticed that once again my poor bougainvillea is being shredded. With more careful observation I found not one or two snails feasting on my beautiful bush, but dozens of the little buggers had hatched and they were everywhere. Since I prefer not to spray whenever possible, I stood out there hand picking while Maya pleaded and begged to hold them. Not sure if I even made a dent in their population so I'm assuming this will be a daily routine for a while. Oh well, Maya will enjoy the snail round-up while it lasts and I'll have mini hours devours for anyone willing. I hear the young ones are quite tender:)

xoxo

Monday morning blue

Maya, Kuma and I went for a walk on monday with some friends and were greeted by this beautiful morning sky. What a great way to start our week! Have I mentioned how blessed we are?

Giving tradition a try

A little daddy-daughter time

As anyone who knows me is aware...I'm not one for routine. My days flow as they go and I'm not one to sign up for too many scheduled commitments at once. I can go as far as preschool twice a week and swim lessons on fridays, but committing to hosting dinner every Sunday is a huge leap for me because I know people (my grandmother in particular) will be depending on me to follow through. Nevertheless, I did it and am pretty excited about it too.

Last Sunday was our second go at it, and I think it was a success. Although we ate at 8 o'clock (not ideal timing) our meal was so delicious and I loved having everyone together. Our table was set for seven and my in-laws accompanied us along with my grandma. The menu included whole organic roasted chickens stuffed with lemon and rosemary with a lemon sauce, mashed butternut squash and an organic salad with radishes, yellow bell pepper and goat cheese. It was the perfect first fall meal to start the season. The dessert was most certainly my fave though. My dad-in-law created the best apple pie I've ever tasted. He is an amazing cook who also makes tasty pies for the holidays and special occasions. Thanks so much for joining us and for leaving that pie, too. We finished every last crumb.

xoxo