Happy Halloween!

I adore holidays - that should come as no surprise. I love the decorating, the celebrating, the whole thing. I won't go so far as to say that Halloween is my favorite holiday, but I still enjoy it quite a bit.

And so I offer you a montage of Halloween - mostly from long ago. Although I do not have access to pictures from every year (because most are at my parents house several hours away), I did manage to find a few gems...

Like my very first Halloween - I was an angel. Obviously my true nature was clear, even from a young age.

You might think that I was crying because I wasn't excited about the holiday. You would be wrong - I was really crying because I was coming to the realization that my parents were incredibly dorky.

If you realized that you came from that, you would probably be crying too.

And while I am obviously always an angel, I don't always dress as one.

Sometimes I'm an artist.

Or Snow White.

Yes, I realize that I was the ugliest child ever. Don't remind me.

Apparently being the ugliest child ever didn't scar me too terribly, as I have been known to dress as a Disney Princess on more recent occasions.

And although I am sure that you are quite distressed that you have missed my full Halloween history, perhaps it will be something to look forward to next year. And I will also leave you with a shining example of why I am forced to spoil my pets the majority of the year. Because on certain occasions I can be totally cruel to them.

Can you tell how excited he is to be dressed as a pumpkin?

And my personal favorite - the Halloweenies!

Happy Halloween!

Best Shot Monday

It's Best Shot Monday time again!

And once again, I have two. Because although I think the first one is better, far be it from me to show pictures of one boy and not the other. They enjoy looking at themselves, so missing from the page would surely be a terrible tragedy.

Please ignore the drill...when you are a three year old boy it is apparently very important not to go ANYWHERE without a 'gun'. In case you need to get some bad guys for the police. I guess you never can be too careful...

The weather has turned much more fall like in the last week or so, but it's still (at least for the most part) nice enough to get out and enjoy the sunshine. This was actually a cloudy day, but if we didn't get the dog out of the house to run around, she was going to make us all nuts. So we headed to the dog park...

Don't forget to see everyone else's best shots here!

Singing To A Different Tune

We were driving along, singing to the "Toddler Favorites" CD.



Garrett: Stop singing.



Me: Why? I like singing.



Garrett: I think that you should stop singing and just work on driving right now.



And what can you really say to that? I couldn't say anything - I was laughing WAY too hard to talk...

Thursday's Theme - Glow

It has been birthday central here, and Garrett is three! This is the first birthday that he has really been old enough to 'get it' and be excited about being 'the birthday boy'. And who wouldn't be with all this?!

There were hats!

There were blowers! (That didn't even make noise!)

There were games! (What's a party without pin the tail on the donkey?!)

There were presents!

But most of all...there was a gorgeous glow...

And I don't know which I love more...the glow from the candles or the glow from him!

Happy 3rd Birthday Garrett...we might make each other crazy sometimes, but I'm still crazy about you!

For more glowing shots, head here!

Knighted

There are some days that seem to go on forever when at home with toddlers. Not that I'm complaining, I'm just pointing out the obvious. Because things that aren't obvious often go right over my head.

One of the things that tends to fill our day is the boys playing pretend. There are few things that Garrett gets more enjoyment out of than dressing up as one thing or another. He is also obsessed with swords, making a knight the perfect costume. And until recently, not a possibility, as we were lacking a knight outfit. But no more!



There is also armor and a shield, but if that were incorporated, then the pirate hook would look out of place. Didn't you know that when they weren't slaying dragons that most knights moonlighted as pirates?





Bennett, however, is a slightly more traditional knight. He doesn't have a hook. Probably because the puppy stole it from him and was tearing around the room with it, but whatever.

On occassion, even I am included in the pretend fun. Before Garrett took this picture (and while I was having a heart attack that a toddler was holding my camera and attempting to use it over a hard surface on which it could break if dropped), he very carefully arranged not only the hat and how I was holding the sword (and the hook, although you can't see it), he also moved my hair around. Because apparently, in addition to moonlighting as pirates, knights are supposed to be fashionable.



This is included partially because yesterday niobe was asking people if they ever posted pictures of themselves, and I thought that the responses were interesting. And I also realized that there are very few pictures of me.

Best Shot Monday

I didn't take many pictures this last week, so my best shot for this week is actually from last year (but the same week, so that counts...right?!)



This is a shot from McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, TX. It was gorgeous!

As always, check out more best shots at Tracey's!

I Have The Power...

Last night I was wandering around Best Buy, and was completely amazed at the number of TV shows on DVD they had. It was seriously 4 rows - and even in alphabetical order, which made it much easier to see everything. That and I am a total nerd and very much appreciate things in alphabetical order. So I was browsing and then I came around to this....

The complete He-Man AND She-Ra series. I couldn't have been more excited!

This was, without a doubt, my favorite childhood cartoon. I was even She-Ra for Halloween...complete with plastic mask. I'm sure you're all bummed that I don't have any pictures of THAT at my disposal to share with you!

If you do not have a clear recollection of the wonderment that was He-Man and She-Ra, I shall refresh your memory. Because I'm nice like that.

I did manage to resist buying the entire collections. But barely. I figured I had to have something to put on my Christmas List...

Thursday's Theme - Star

This Thursday's theme is STAR....and I couldn't quite figure out what I could do for that. Then I remembered this shot:



So it's technically not a star, but the moon. But it's close enough...right?!

As always, check out more of Theme Thursday here!

To Each Their Own

Hey, you have your methods and I have mine...








*Just for the record, they climbed in all on their own. And I didn't leave them in there. Not for long anyway...

Best Shot Monday

It was a very rainy Saturday around here. Surprisingly enough, the two that normally run around like crazy people were very content to sit and look out the window at the rain. Which is were I got my best shot for this week:



Check out more Best Shot Monday here!

Sunday List #29

It's that time again...another Sunday List!

1. Knocked Up is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. Seriously, it is - if you haven't seen it, you should - right now!

2. The weather has finally started to get cooler -- thank goodness! I like warm weather, but it's a little unnerving to be wearing shorts at a pumpkin patch! AND...it's finally soup weather! I LOVE soup!

3. I got a stove-top popcorn popper...and I think it's awesome! I am not a big fan of microwave popcorn, but I ADORE fresh popcorn. If you don't have one, you should - it's delicious!

4. Garrett is feeling very 'three'. He turns 3 on the 23rd...and I have a feeling that it's going to be a VERY long year for all of us.

5. Umm...yeah...I don't have anything else. So how about this - making cookies!

Thursday's Theme - Walk

By the skin of my teeth I am getting my theme Thursday post up...but better late than never, right?!



Check out more walks here!

Confessions...

I have a confession to make. I am totally in love with the bachelor. Ok, so perhaps totally infatuated with is a better term. But can you really deny that he is beautiful? I think not!

In addition to being totally infatuated with The Bachelor - and he is not alone, I think that I have said the same thing about nearly every bachelor they have had on the show. Except this one - I thought he was a little too goofy.

But because of my intense infatuation, I faithfully have The Bachelor on in the background every Monday night. Which does succeed in providing me with more than an hour of gazing at my current lust object. However it also has the unfortunate side effect of making me want to beat my head in. Because the girls on this show drive me NUTS. They are always plotting and planning...and CRYING! Someone is always in tears over something. Usually because they are jealous or because they got their feelings hurt. Which is very boo hoo and all, but HELLO - you are living with the ten other girls who are dating the SAME person as you. Ummm...perhaps that is something that should be considered a BAD choice. You know...just a thought...

Although without all the crying and silliness, there wouldn't be the opportunity to get a chuckle out of just how strange some people can be. I remind you of the bachelorette who completely went off the deep end when she got ousted after the first night...after she talked about how great she was AND how she was ready to get started having his babies. Really, I can't believe you didn't get to stay - because none of that made you look scary at ALL!

Best Shot Monday - Fall Edition

Last weekend we went to the Ciderfest with Grandma and Grandpa. Needless to say, a good time was had by all!



And so here's my best shot for this week...







For more of Best Shot Monday, head over here!

Sunday List #28 - Secrets

One of my very favorite websites is Postsecret. If you've never checked it out, you should - go ahead, I'll wait!



Postsecret was started as a type of art project - people send in their anonymous secrets on a postcard, and every Sunday a new batch of secrets is published on the website. Well the idea took off, and has spawned several books as well as a traveling exhibit.



Some of the secrets are no big deal...and some are pretty major. Lots of secrets are sent in with the hopes that the 'one' person they are meant for will see them and respond. And I have to wonder how many people think (or want to believe) that the secret is meant for them...even if it might not be.



And so, for this Sunday's list, five secrets:



1. I have an overwhelming fear of failure. When I decided to go back to school it took me nearly 6 months to tell people - because I didn't want anyone to know in case it didn't work out.



2. I have dreams that are earily accurate. In the last six months I have dreamed about fires, deaths, pregnancies, jobs, and diagnoses - which have all come to pass exactly as I dreamed.



3. I can remember the strangest things in the most unbelievable detail. But remembering what I need to pick up at the store? Sometimes that is a major challenge.



4. I can be talked into doing almost anything.



5. I hate surprises.

Thursdays Theme - Wide

Thursday's Theme is WIDE...and the Grand Canyon is by far the WIDEST thing I've ever seen!



What about you? Check out more WIDE shots over here!

Brains

If we all only end up using a small portion of our brains over the course of a lifetime, then why does mine feel so full? I swear, there isn't any room for new information to be found. Believe me, I've been trying!

I thought that maybe it would work to drink some wine and then the alcohol would kill off some of the old brain cells, thus leaving more room inside my brain for new information. So far it doesn't seem to be working.

But I'm open to suggestions...