mostly halloween

wow, i've been really terrible about updating the blog. must be because i spend all my computer time looking for a bigger place to live that doesn't cost so much we'd have to sell off our children to afford the rent. but then we wouldn't need a bigger place and also there would be no reason for this blog. anyhoo, i thought i'd post a few pictures from halloween.
first we had to go to the pumpkin patch:

it was hot. also, they hadn't opened up the "good" patches yet, so it was slim, often rotten pickins. feeling a little gypped, my friend and i managed to justify to ourselves a mad dash into a "good" patch on our way out of the farm. in a rush of adrenaline, we ripped off a pair of nice, big, fat healthy pumpkins, dove back into the car and sped away, feeling delightfully naughty.

ivy was way into the pumpkin carving.


bwaaahahaaahaaa!

aidan was fascinated and a little spooked by the pumpkins in the dark.

i think maybe there is nothing more wonderful than jack o' lanterns.


this was the pirate and the pumpkin right before we went trick-or-treating


what in god's name are these things on our heads?

this is how ivy looked most of the night. we had lots of fun because we actually found a neighborhood that "does" halloween. most kids go to the mall and stand in a long, snaking line to obtain a piece of candy from each store. woo hoo. we saw scary decorations, haunted houses, fun costumes and most importantly tons of kids all juiced up on sugar.

this was grandma's last visit. she was just here again for a few days, and had to leave today. boohoo. i'm pretty sure she was totally burned out on baby watching and repeatedly cleaning my kitchen. thanks, mom.

here is aidan in puppy heaven at grandpa's (scott sr's) house. i watched him frolic in there (it's like a big puppy mansion that gramma arlene built) with a wooden smile, trying not to think of all the poop and pee residue he was rolling in. actually i think he peed in the puppy house too.

okay, that's all for now folks.

hello again

so it's been a gazillion years since my last post, so i'll just put up a bunch of pictures rather than feel overwhelmed about having to write a long update about our family and this is already taking forever because aidan keeps trying to bite me and thinks it's a really fun game. now he's hungry. now he's trying to climb on me. sigh. now he's placing his fingers over the keyboard threateningly. so anyway, we went on a trip to california, got married, came home, kids got sick a couple of times, both cars broke down at the same time (scott fixed both of them-- it's nice to have such a handy guy around), and the kids and i were stranded at home for a week or so. it wasn't bad though-- ivy was sick with roseola most of the time anyway. so here are some pictures from the last couple of months:

scott and a friend paddling out.

aidan going surfing

ivy, about to indulge in a sand snack

ivy, indulging

fun with paint

the artiste

summer splashing fun with a friend, colin

a bonnet i made for ivy during our home quarantine

the bonnet again-- i'm kind of obsessed with bonnets at the moment, probably due to angry chicken's really cute one. this is my own pattern though and i guess i'm pretty happy with it. i've already made a second one with the brim more rounded at the bottoms and i like that one even more.

and a silly little flowerpot pincushion i made while stuck at home. i guess i've been feeling crafty. i also made a GINORMOUS bag to put all my crap in when i go on outings with both the kids. i love how it came out but it's a little overkill-- i could probably fit both the kids in it. hmm...

that's a doll i recently made, sans her dress. i love stumbling upon sights like this

and this

this was a glorious santa cruz evening on west cliff, where our "honeymoon" b&b was. that's all for now folks.

i made bread. and a doll.

have you heard of the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day? apparently it's all the rage in baking circles. i've never made bread before because of all the kneading, rising for hours on end, do i add flour? do i add water? etc. but NOW-- it really is the easiest thing ever. you mix the yeast, salt, flour and water in very large container, let it rise for a couple hours or so, stick in it the fridge with an airtight lid and chill for at least three hours. then cut of a piece, shape into a loaf, let it sit for 40 minutes, stick in in the oven and bake. voila. looks like bread, tastes like bread, NO KNEADING. you can get the master recipe here, and the book has all sorts of variations on that recipe.

mmm, fresh from the oven.

and here's raggedy medusa:

she's a birthday present for one of aidan's playmates.
i know she's all wonky and her arms are too long, but i think she turned out okay.
she was somewhat inspired by this doll. at least the hair.
she was fun to make and a bit more difficult than i thought she'd be...

here's her back

and here's another little doll

and aidan the conquerer

shortly before she peed on the blanket

let me just see that camera for a minute...

kiddeos videos

home video time! probably very boring to most people, but they keep aidan and i entertained. i suppose the grandparents will adore them. and maybe auntie bella.

happy late fathers' day

i do have the best dads in the world. they have both done so much for me, and are both a great inspiration. thank you papa and brian for being the best dads ever! but i can't forget scott. he is the best dad ever too. we didn't really do anything on fathers day because aidan was sick... he was exposed unknowingly to hand, mouth and foot disease (sounds great, doesn't it? very common and not harmful) the other day, so he was feeling really crappy yesterday. much more himself today.
this is a recent trip to the waikiki aquarium:

He's saying, "Nemo! Nemo" (meno, meno)

see? Nemo.

Scott's sister April was here with her four kids for a while. It was so nice to meet them and have some more family and kids around.

Boys will be boys. This is Andres and Aidan. Andres is a couple months younger than Aidan.


Isabel (8) and Ivy


all the cousins-- sean (11) with ivy, andres, antonio (4) isabel, and aidan.

I like napping pictures. Aidan is always so well behaved when he is napping.

They often end up in the same position, somehow.

Cute, quiet and cuddly

happy mothers' day

to all the mothers i know, but most especially to my mom, who is one of the most selfless, giving people i know. thanks for everything mom. and a big shout out to nana and grandma, who i consider to be the glue in the family. or the pillars, or lattice, or sun in the solar system. something like that. adhesive and supportive, basically. you are all amazing women and i love you.

so we had a fabulous trip to california. the airplane travel wasn't as painful as i expected, but it had its moments. i got to see a couple old friends, who are so important to me but who i hardly ever get to see. and it was great to see all my wonderful family, family friends, and neighbors. aidan had a blast and ivy was all smiles. being around good people always makes you smile.

here are some pictures from the trip.

in great grandma's garden

another pretty flower

a destroyer of flowers

artist's apprentice--my dad, that is

this is how it's done.

riding horsies with grandma

that's an adult helmet.

the dog could hardly resist a bubble bath

evening cat nap in the sun

baa baa black sheep... is he giving the musician a tip?

comments

okay, i guess before it was set so that only people with a google account could leave a comment. now anyone should be able to.

and here's some story time with ivy.

randomness

it is a rainy day today. ivy and i played dress up. she is wearing a family hand-me-down-- i think it belonged to my dad or one of his sisters. anyway, my grandma gave it to my mom, and my mom gave it to me, and it is so stinkin' cute. the embroidery and the delicate lace trim are to die for, and it is so finely made. you just don't see stuff like this anymore. and when did bonnets go out of fashion? who said that was a good idea? 'cause once you get it on, it's like the most adorable thing in the world. here's ivy, looking very amish:

i took about a gazillion photos of her in this two-piece outfit, and half of them are blurry because i was trying to use natural light.

but the flash is so absurdly bright...


see? yech!
why is that? anyway, here's me wearing the same outfit, about 27 years ago...

in other randomness, farmer scott has been very busy lately.

he likes to plant seeds, even though there's nowhere to replant them. our lanai is going to be completely covered in pots soon. above are beet sprouts.

this is a miniature papaya forest, free to good home.

reach for the sky, cucumber. there's nowhere else to go.

mmm, lettuce.

squash blossoms

the siblings on a blanket scott's mom made.

is it just me, or is aidan's head five times too big in this picture?

even more random, does anyone out there have the same pet peeve as me? the misplaced, misused apostrophe pet peeve? as in: "the dog is chasing it's tail!" or "made with fresh tomatoe's!"
apostrophe abuse is a blog dedicated entirely to this type of atrocity. it's good for a chuckle. and here's this cartoon that explains the correct use of apostrophes:


and i love this ecards site. they are free and actually funny. go carefully, though, as some of them are quite crude. hmmmm... i think that's about all. did you notice i added a links collumn? and if you've been here, fam & friends (or strangers) PLEASE add a comment! it's so nice to hear people's responses. at the end of each post you can see the "0 comments" link. click on that and it should open up a window that you can type a comment in. just say "hi," or "your blog sucks" or whatever. thanks!