Halloween Roundup

::A pair of foxes, who, as you can tell, are quite taken with one another's tails.

::We convinced Hugo to change his costume from a frog fish (which is a real animal, by the way, which most of us have not heard of, except for Hugo, who wanted to be one for Halloween) to an Osprey, because at least a bird would be identifiable by most people, right?

::Lily the raccoon (thankfully, we had a mask on hand, because we learned the day of the school parade that Lily is severely allergic to even hypoallergenic face paint!  For better or worse, this girl has inherited my sensitivity!).

::Zosia the deer.  You may notice that she has both the speckles of a fawn and the horns of a buck, which, if you actually live in the country around deer, you will probably realize is not the way God created it.  But it's cute anyway, right?!

::Ben the park ranger

::And the mama bear!

Oh, you guys.  I love this time of year.  I take everything back I said about California being too warm and too sunny all the time, because it turns out that when, paired with a slight cooling of the temperatures, daylights savings time, and a fun holiday like Halloween, fall is glorious even in sunny California.  

There were times "back East" (as everyone around here seems to refer to it) that, I will admit, daylights savings time felt kind of cruel.  It was getting cold and rainy, the foliage was all dying, and as if you aren't already adjusting to your inability to be outside, just like that it started getting dark early.  Last year was probably the first year that I met all these changes with downright dread, an experience so common that those of us from back East have given it a clinical name.

But on the West Coast, fall is gentle and mild.  There is no sudden temperature snap, no weekend when all the beautiful leaves fall to the ground, no drama.  I will admit, I do miss the drama.  But if you tune in closely, you do feel a shift, and the mornings are cooler, the sky is especially clear, and at night it feels cosy to be tucked under an extra blanket.  I make applesauce at least once a week, and Clara has decided that the only way she will nap is once she has fallen very soundly asleep on the shoulder of someone she loves, which has resulted in some wonderful afternoon snuggles.  And truth be told, when the time changed, it suddenly felt just right: dinners with a candle, slightly earlier bedtimes, and we even turned the heating on for the first time this week.

I think what I love about Halloween is the creativity: the excitement and imagination involved in dressing up in a costume and taking on another identity.  Over the years we've often developed a tradition of making costumes, which, despite the *ahem* lackluster craftsmanship involved, is something the kids love and look forward to, and I think there's nothing that pairs better with more time indoors than unlocking some creative energy.  I think this year might be my favorite year yet, and I do believe that there is nothing that makes it feel like fall more than Halloween.

Masks, Meatballs, and Rum

We just spent the morning making masks and bead necklaces for Mardi Gras.  I can't say we've ever celebrated Mardi Gras before, but then again, I don't know that I can say we've been snowed in in March before, either.  So Mardi Gras it is!  We have a panda, a lion, and a cat in the household, and big plans for a parade this afternoon.  It's not quite 32 degrees out, which is usually my cutoff for going out for a big long walk with all the kids, but this winter has toughened us up, so we'll take 29 degrees outside.  I'll double wrap the babies in bunting, and they should be good to go!  Good, strong European babies, those two.

And while I'm posting pictures of parties, feasting and debauchery, I've been making huge batches of meatballs with a blend of pork and beef and they've been a hit around here (which has not always been the case).  Both Ben and I have noticed that we've shifted from the mentality of feeding a small family (where you can make very special allocations for each member of the family) to the mentality of feeding a big family (where there's a single item for dinner, which hopefully everyone can enjoy).  The amazing thing is that the kids have more or less gone with the flow, and have become increasingly experimental in their eating, even if it means leaving behind a little of this or that.  Of course we still sometimes find ourselves making a peanut butter sandwich for someone for "dessert", but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule.  There's something so satisfying about making a huge pot of something that feeds many hungry mouths.

And in the debauchery department, I've been enjoying a hot buttered rum just about every evening.  Think of it as a sweet, warming, spiked tea.  I make the batter from the recipe I've linked, and then put about a tablespoon in a mug, along with two tablespoons of rum, and fill with hot water (and this ends up lasting for much more than the four drinks approximated by the recipe).  The result is so tasty and soothing!  You should give it a try.

And now that we're getting all of this excitement out of our systems, it's time for Lent!  With any luck, I might be back here sharing a little bit about our hopes and plans for this penitential season.  I'm especially excited to be involving the big kids this year.

Happy Valentine's Day

Our Valentine's party got called off due to the snow, but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate, right?  We made valentines, hung our obligatory pink pom poms (which will stay up at least until Lily's birthday in April, but have occasionally stayed up until the following year's Christmas season!  Yikes!), and made some strawberry heart thumb print cookies, as requested by Ben.

And, after unsuccessfully starting two books, I finally settled on one of Zosia's books.   Have you guys read the Penderwick books?  They are so sweet, and just about right for my current attention span.

I promised Ben I would be his valentine, but I must admit, there are five very adorable family members who are vying for my love!  Well, even with two new twinsies, I think Ben is the winner.  And we're actually going out on a date this weekend.  Eee!

The Costumes

Presenting our 2013 Halloween costumes (eek!  I originally wrote that as 2012!  I need to get in the right year before it changes again)!  The girls and I have been reading the Pippi Longstocking books, which they adore (and which make me laugh really hard and also cringe a little bit, because that Pippi is a naughty little thing!).  When we were deciding about Halloween costumes, Zosia and Lily agreed that they both wanted to be Pippi Longstocking-- definitively and absolutely.  One trip to the thriftstore for a blue tablecloth later, I was sitting at the sewing machine with an old smock pattern, trying to come up with something sufficiently Pippi-ish.  I dressed up as Pippi Longstocking when I was a girl, and remembered the old pipe cleaner in the braids trick, and just like that we were in business!  The girls have had such fun running around in their costumes, and I have a feeling they will be in them just about all week.

Hugo, on the other hand, wanted to be a firefighter, which he more or less dresses as every day.  For the sake of variety, we convinced him to put on one of our dino costumes from a few years back, which we wore very well for all of 15 minutes, before he decided he would rather play in a big pile of leaves with all the other two year old boys.  Maybe we'll have more luck on Halloween night.

This Saturday was our big neighborhood Halloween party, and the official kickoff of Halloween week. There is a "Let's Pretend Parade," a Halloween party, and of course Halloween night!  Zosia, Lily and I have been trying to explain to Hugo what trick or treating is all about.  I really think he's going to love it this year, but it's sort of a funny thing to explain.  Knocking on neighbors' doors to receive candy?  It is too good to be true!

Me: Hugo, on Halloween, we will be wearing our costumes, and we will go next door and knock on the door.  What will you say when Mr. Brown opens his door?

Hugo:  Hi?

Hm... we're going to have to work on this.  I have a feeling that he's going to catch onto it pretty quickly.

Being Too-ah

(dirt cakes with worms and trucks seemed the natural choice for this little dirt enthusiast's birthday)

Hugo, you are two today.  Wow, two.  Or, as you would say, "too-ah!" as you hold up your two index fingers.  And you make too-ah look really very good.

You love animals and trucks, digging in the dirt, and your family.  You adore your sisters' attention, and always always make sure that every member of the family has a fair share of any special treat.  When asked if you are a big boy you pat your chest and declare "Bee bee!" and you are indeed our baby, even as you have grown into a big boy in so many ways.  

Every morning you stand up in your crib and call out "Mama!" and will patiently decline any other family member's assistance until I appear to pick you up and give you a morning snuggle.  You have seriously waited while I took a full shower for this little morning ritual, and for that undying love and attachment I am so deeply grateful. 

Objects are more easily identifiable to you by the sounds they make than by the names we have given them.  You stand at the window and yell "wee-ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh!" as a firetruck goes by, or yell "Moo!" at any cow in sight.

You are deeply compassionate and relational.  You hand out a lot of hugs and kisses (strange, wet, open mouthed little face plants, occasionally interwoven with nibbles), and make us laugh so much all of the time.  You adore your family, especially your siblings and grandparents, and they adore you too because you fill such a special place in this family of ours.

You are the littlest one in the family, but quite strong, and you surprise both us and yourself with this sometimes.  You clearly have the upper hand when it comes to wrestling your five year old sister.  How did that happen, you little thing?

As you've developed a vocabulary, you have started to share with us the things you like (naming all of your trucks "Hugo," for example), and the things that you don't like (big groups of people, having your hair combed, or robots, as we learned this morning).  And it is thrilling to think that while we know you so intimately, we are only coming to know you more with each day, as you grow into your own independent person.

Happy Birthday, my beebee.  I know these days are numbered but they are so perfectly sweet.

The Family at Christmas

Two pairs of cute feet in cute shoes.

Santa brings us pajamas on Christmas Eve, which is when we have our big family celebrations.

Which means that when we wake up on Christmas morning, we have a pretty laid back morning followed by 11:00 mass.

Flowers from the table on Christmas Eve.

Hugo received a fire truck for Christmas, and I think none of us have ever seen a human being that was so completely happy.  He ran around screaming for about 10 minutes.

A little Christmas morning bed head.

Ben received a T-shirt, and we both sort of loved the label,  (It reads "Size "M" for manly, just like you hope to be some day.  stay rad.")

and a remote controlled helicopter.  He was quite happy to receive an actual toy on Christmas, this man child of mine.

Our three stairstep children, lined up for the mandatory Christmas shot.

Merry Christmas, friends!