Chef Maya-Popaya

Maya, Maya, Maya. This girl cracks me up.
She is totally into "cooking" right now.

Here latest "creation" was breakfast this morning. Chopped up bananas, chopped almonds, string cheese and red peppers with a mustard/garlic salt sauce.

What do you do?!!! She totally slaved in the kitchen all morning, chopping each little item and placing it in the bowl and then whisking in the homemade sauce
AND THEN she brought it up to me in my bed at 6:30a.m.
SO PROUD of her new recipe.

so, what do you do?...

I ate every last bite!

My only advice was maybe not so much garlic salt next time.

La La La La, La La La La...

Elmo's World.
Neither Kai or Maya were ever "into" any one character.
Not Dora,
not Thomas,
not Handy Many.
Nothing.

Addison, on the other hand, melts for Elmo.
HE is her prince. (for now)

Thankful Tree

Every night this month our family has been adding to our thankful tree. This is a tradition I am planning on doing every year. We have had so much fun with it.
I printed out little activities to do every day and then there are blank leaves that each of us writes (or draws, or scribbles Ü) something that we are thankful for that day.
By Thanksgiving it should be overflowing with thankfulness.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Tophy

To say that my kids love their Uncle "Tophy" would be a huge understatement.

My kids kiss the ground he walks on.
They just eat him up!!!
Any time we pull up to Nana & Papa's house and they see his car, they all burst out into cheers, yelling "Yaaaaa, Uncle Tophy is here!!"
Understandably so.
He is amazing with his nieces and nephews.
Any time he is with them they all just light up.

He wrestles, chases, tickles, tackles and tells funny knock-knock jokes.
Thank you Chris for being such and amazing brother to me and an even more amazing Uncle to my children.
We are so lucky to have you.
We love you so much!!!

I guess the cupcakes were a bit messy...

a new favorite pass-time with Tophy is playing games on his iphone...

Anything is funner with Toph around....

Poster Child

Addison Adele Pabst IS the Poster Child for the Terrible Two's

...did I mention that she is only 21 months old?

and,

I think I found my first grey hair last week?

and,

I love this girl like mad.

some Tricks & Treats...

I love Halloween.
I love every thing about it.
The cooler weather,
the candy,
the whimzy,
the childlike excitment,

the pumpkin seeds...

digging out the ewey, gooey, pumpkin guts...

{especially when I get to watch my baby experience it for the first time}...

the pumpkin carving...

the doorbell ditching...

the yummy treat making...

....making fun treats for school lunches and parties

scary ghost craft projects...

and, of course.....

TRICK or TREATING....



Hope you all had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

{we sure did!!!!}

Just Juicy....

Maya 1st grade...
Kai Preschool...



AND...

just so Addison wouldn't feel left out, here is her most recent HomeSchool portrait....

like I said,

JUST JUICY!!!

Halloween means lots and lots of PARTIES!!!!

It is a good thing that I have three children....otherwise, I doubt I would get invited to so many Halloween Parties...
and that would be a shame.

The first party of "season" was at Kai's preschool which is also a Lutheran church and so our family was invited to their Living Savior Harvest Festival....


Maya was a fairy princess...

Kai was SUPERMAN!!!....



making their treat bags...

Then we went to the Harvest Party of a family that is in Maya's first grade class. The Walker family has a couple of acres with some horses, a pony, a trampoline and a huge playhouse...

oh yeah,

and LOTS of food.

Need I say, the kids had a blast...

Addie was a Witchy-poo...

And then there were the class parties.

Maya's first grade Halloween Party...

and Kai's Preschool party...

and then, of course, the Ward PARTY!!!....

I was flying solo (in the parent department) and so I didn't get as many pictures as I hoped.

whew!!

and this was all before Halloween.

BFF's

Every year around this time I get a special visit from my best friends from college Tamara and Amy. We spend about two days reminiscing, eating, laughing, eating and laughing and then laughing some more. Seriously, these girls get me laughing like no one else can. It is as if I am immediately transported back 10(ish) years ago. We don't miss a beat. Our friendship is amazing and I am so lucky to have friends like them.

{Thank you honey for watching all the kiddios so we could hang out and play for two days. You are an amazing husband.}

Last year....

13 years ago... I can not believe it has been that long. p.s. we missed you again this year Wendi...maybe next year :)

All of mine and Tamara's kids and one of Amy's 3 kids...

Amy and her baby Cameron....

Tamara and her sweet baby, Marissa...

Marissa LOVED Anthony....