Halloween 2013

This year we had a minion theme from Despicable Me. Caleb was a yellow minion while Lucas (appropriately) was a purple evil minion. I originally was going to be Lucy Wilde but instead borrowed my sister's minion costume from a couple of years ago. Jamie was going to be Gru but he ended up going out of town for Halloween. I pieced the costume by getting overalls, long sleeved colored shirts, and knit beanies from etsy. I also made the minion logo/patch out of felt and sewed it on the overalls. I think the boys looked super cute.

It was a super busy day. Lucas' preschool sets up an Enchanted House for Halloween. There's a bunch of vignettes of children's books. They receive little toys at each one. It's super cute. After the Enchanted House we headed to downtown Los Altos for a little lunch and went trick or treating at the stores. I felt a little guilty that I didn't wait until Caleb got out of school to go to the trick or treating event in downtown Los Altos but I wanted to avoid massive amounts of school age kids. After tricking or treating downtown we went home for a quick pit stop and then went to Caleb's Halloween parade. We had to park pretty far and made it just in time. It was a really fast parade and even at the end the principal invited the dressed up parents to take a stroll in the center. There were lots of minions, princesses, and superheros.

Since we live in the hills, trick or treating really isn't an option so we always head elsewhere to trick or treat. I feel a little guilty but I don't want to deprive my kids of the experience. This year we met at my friend's house and went around her neighborhood in Palo Alto. It was a lot of fun trick or treating and they came back with full bags of candy. They were definitely tired by the end of the night. It was a fun day.

Halloween parade

About to trick or treat

This is 40

I had a great birthday. I slept in, got a massage, received numerous birthday wishes, did some retail therapy, and had a yummy dinner in the city with my three favorite boys. I was feeling very blessed and loved throughout the day. Looking forward to my fabulous forties!

Lucas at 3.5

My little guy has quite the personality. Here's a few funny Lucas stories:

I've caught him cleaning the floor with a wet wipe and when I ask "What are you doing?" He responds with "Go back to your office" hhmmmm suspicious behavior for sure!

Now I hate to admit this but on occasion I've been known to slam a door in anger. I'm not proud of it but hey it happens. Lucas was throwing a tantrum and kicking his bedroom door. I was trying to wait out the tantrum by sitting at the end of the hallway. At one point he opened it, saw me and slammed the door. Later (much much later) when he was calm, I said something like "you don't have to slam the door" to which he responded, "Sometimes you slam the door, Mommy" You can imagine the stunned, put in my place face I had.

He definitely has a sweet side. Lucas and I were at one of our regular lunch places and Lucas grabbed two chocolate milks out of the refrigerator saying one of them was for Caleb. I had to put it back since Caleb wasn't with us. So sweet of him to think of his brother.

He still loves to answer "When I'm 4" to questions like "When will I get to stop carrying you"

This is what happens when he's quiet and I'm cleaning the kitchen

Making a silly face

Asked him what he was drawing and he said "My name" I think he tries to make a lowercase 'a' but the line gets written anywhere else but on the side of the circle. It's a start!

I told him yesterday that he was officially 3.5 years old. Today when my mom asked him how old he was he proudly said "3.5!" I can't believe he's that old. He is full of spunk and energy. I feel like once a day I am shaking my head at the things that he does whether it's something funny he says, a smart response or his daredevil behavior. What else can I say about my 3.5 year old except I love him!

Walk-a-Thon

Caleb had his first Walk-A-Thon. The theme this year was "These Boots are Made for Walkin". I was really impressed by the event. For the first lap I walked with Caleb and Lucas but then after that Caleb saw kids running and he soon start running laps to get his card punched. I also saw him walking/running with some buddies while also comparing how many punches they each had. At about every 5 laps they got to stop at the prize table. On the pledge form it was suggested that kindergarteners walk 15 laps. At about the 20th lap he was getting tired and asked me to walk with him. He really wanted to get to 22 so he can get a ring pop. He was happy and really tired by that 22nd lap. Thankfully it's a fun event... I have 8 more of these to attend! Next year I'll be sure to wear running shoes instead of flip flops.

Getting his card punched after his first lap

Ring Pop!

Toronto

We made a trip to Toronto for my cousin's wedding. It was a relatively short trip but we tried to make the most out of it. Caleb was excited to get another stamp in his passport. The very nice immigration officer let him stamp his passport himself. Aside from the wedding, we were able to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame and CN Tower. We also happened to be in town for a really cool outdoor all night art exhibit that took place all over downtown Toronto. Jamie and I also had a date night at Canoe Restaurant and Les Miserable performance. Both were excellent. The boys had a babysitter that took them to a train museum and The Old Spaghetti Factory. We had a fun time and it went by really fast.

Caleb at the Hockey Hall of Fame playing interactive hockey

Lucas had a turn at it.

I had a turn at the goalie game. Goalies must be a little cuckoo to want that job.

The real Stanley Cup

Possible holiday card picture

My cousins and me

The boys with their cousin bonding over the iPad.

View from the glass floor at the CN Tower. It was FREAKY being that high

With my Tita Lou and cousins at my cousin's new house

Two bikes welded together. It's a game of communication and coordination to get the bike to go in one direction

Al Weiwei's Forever Bicycles. A HUGE art display of thousands of bikes. It was pretty cool.