Trick or Treat '08

Ariel. Ariel. Ariel.  Over here Ariel.  Ariel come this way.  Ariel where are you? ARIEELLLL!!!!!!!
Ms. Ariel (ana) was the hit of all hits this year with the boys.  I don't know what it is about flaming reds, but if you're single and ready to mingle go red!
No, seriously.  The boys flocked her, stalked her, and couldn't keep away.  We even had parents apologizing for  their sons obsession with her.  And Ana ATE IT UP.  Normally, passive and a little shy in a group of kids, Ana shined all night stepping up to the leadership role that Ariel placed upon her.  It was great fun for Justin and I to sit back and watch her negotiate the swarming attention beutifully, pleasing all..... a future politician perhaps?

Tay was a little slower to start on all Hallow's Eve, but once she warmed up and realized the spooking was just good 'ol fashion (with the help of old faithful- the lollipop) fun she had a ball and kept up with the big kids.

Can I just say our little Westchase is Halloween on CRACK!  Have you seen ET?  Picture the trick or treating scene tripled.  It was perfect madness, complete with a spider man zooming around on his sportster.  WHAT A NIGHT!

What is Pumpkin Carving less the seeds?

We got the full effect this year.  Ana was a great help, digging her hands around to get "all the guck" off the seeds, washing them, drying them and placing them oh so carefully on the baking sheet

Then came the taste test- yet another example of our 2 polar opposite sisters:

Ana: almost threw up- literally. gagged, salivated and teared up

Taylor: inhaled the whole bowl and asked for seconds proclaiming "I love pumpkin seeds"

Pumpkin Carving

You, my dear faithful blog readers, may remember last Halloween where we opted out of the carving for painting.  Well, this year we decided to jump into the timeless tradition of pumpkin Carving, and thanks to the Pettits example, we had the girls draw a face (check out Tay's- not bad for a 2 year old if you ask me) and I did my best to carve on their lines.  The whole event took 20 mintues and it was utter success.  So much that Taylor was scared of the final product, 3 lit up Jack-O-Lanterns!

Where to begin?

While it really hasn't been that long since our last post I feel overwhelmed with all their is to share (and maybe a little with my sassy 2 year old that is refusing to nap, but that's a whole nother story in and of itself so we'll leave that one behind for now).

We've been to Busch Gardens, not once in a week, but twice.  Hosted Nani/Gagi and Nina/Papa.  Ana's sang in her first production at school, rode ponies, carved pumpkins, trick or treated many times and even re-landscaped our backyard BY OURSELVES (not the norm for JT and I).  Each event has been so memorable they deserve a shout out all their own, but I just don't know which to begin with.  Therefore the following posts may seem a bit out of order and all over the place.  I just want to make sure you get it all.

Amazing 24 hours: Part II- Nina & Papa

Here's the gang walking out the big sand bar where dozens of sand dollars, a bunch of hermit crabs and even a STONE CRAB were spotted.  Ana was the only brave one who touched it all, us adults became more and more squirmish as the exploration continued.

Daddy and Nina on the way to the private beach- we get to take a boat there :)

Mastering the noodle!

Tay and Maia en route to the beach.

It's been A LOOOONG 24 hours!

Amazing 24 hours: Part I- The Hentges

Here is Ana and big "2nd cousin" Maia dressed alike in the Dora towels.  Ana was bound and determined to figure out just how her, Jake, Maia, Christie and Tim were related today!

Ana hanging with big kid Jake.  So grown up- the both of them.

Jake and Maia snorkeled around the pool a lot, and Taylor tried oh so hard to join in.

Christie catching some rays poolside.

The LOOOONNNNNG awaited 2 weeks has hit and the cousins have arrived. Sunday was a day of fun in the sun as the kids swam away with Jake and Maia, in from WI.  Ana hung with the big kids in the water and I'm pretty sure passed 10 swim levels in one day- it's amazing the effect older role models have on little ones.  Taylor hung in there too, mostly with her floaty, but she was never too far behind!

This was just the beginning of AN AMAZING 24 hours in our world.  Stay tuned for Part II- Nina and Papa!

My Apologies

It seems I may have offended some of my blog readers with my SNL skit post.  I do greatly apologize I was just sharing a piece of laughter from my house to yours.  I was not in anyway trying to throw political jabs- to each is own.  That's what makes America, America- the land of the free........  just get out and vote :)

So here, please take my sincerest apologies if you were in fact offended.  But really, it's funny.

Pumpkin Time

That's right, it's that time of year again- pumpkin time. 

 To be honest, we had a good time hunting down pumpkins, but for the 1st time since getting here to FL I have to say, "it was nothing like home".  

To me, it's not just the pumpkin itself, but all that encompasses you this time of year: the crisp air, acre after acre of rolling hills polka dotta orange and red, and of course the aroma of hot apple cider tainted a wee bit by hay and horse......

.....Not quite the same total body experience when the pumpkins are stacked neatly on crates with a  palm tree back drop, hunting for that perfect pumpkin in shorts, but we'll take it.  AND..... the girls didn't mind one bit!

Moner - Hall Reunion

Their is nothing like a college friend reunion at the beach.  This week my dear friend Katy, from Madtown (UW-Madison that is for all you non northerner friends I now have),  came on their annual Clearwater Beach family trip.  Yet another great reason to call Tampa home.

Katy has three little ones under 6, so with my two and her three the beach fun was brought to new levels.  Look at the fun these 5 had!  After all this fun with kids, us parents got sitters and enjoyed a tiki hut night out on the sands of Clearwater too.

I can't WAIT for them to come back.

The Real Beach

Yesterday we spent the morning (and evening for that matter) at the beach and the tide was in.   While we splashed about the high tide, the girls and their friends found the following real deal sea creatures: 2 hermit crabs and a sea urchine, all alive and well.  We observed them all morning, made a habitat for them in the bright orange bucket (I sure hope these guys are color blind) and at the end of it all released them back "home" per Ana's request.  

Ana really wants to know which animal group a sea urchin is in and truthfully I have no idea, so I told her we'd look it up..... anyone want to save me the time??????????

Here's the conversation with our THREE YEAR OLD

Ana: Mom is the sea urchin a crustacean, fish, mammal or anenome?

Mom: You know Ana, actually, it's none of those.

Ana: Well then what family is it with?

Mom: Ana, I have no idea- Katie, Mama do you know

Katie/Mama: No we really don't know and we're even teaching it now? (my friends in town from MN who happen to BOTH BE TEACHERS)

Ana: hmmmm I wonder what it could be?

Mom: You know Ana we can look it up later.

Ana: OK mom. Hey, look at this!

It sure is a good thing that, while longer than many 3 year olds, her attention span is fleeting- PHEW saved by the waves.

OUR COUSINS ARE COMING

We got a VERY exciting call from Aunt Christie yesterday, it seems the Hentges will be in Florida and we get them ALL TO OURSELVES in 2 weeks!  I have NEVER EVER seen the girls this excited- here is what we have been and will continue to listen to for the next 2 weeks-

Ana: "My cousins are coming" "Are they here yet" "I'm not sleeping until they come" "I'm waiting up for them"  "is it 2 weeks now"  "but now it's been 2 weeks" "are they here now"  "are they on their way"............. infinite 2 week loop!

AND OF COURSE-   "will they bring their suits?"

SO... Jake and Maia, WATCH OUT these 2 girls are gearing up for the time of their life, and DO NOT forget your suits!

BIG SAM

The girls got a great "surprise" last week- Big Sam, our next door neighbor in Nashville, came to play in between meetings.  The girls were SOOOOOOO excited and showed Sam all their new toys, asked him to spend the night and if he brought his swim suit.  Maybe next time girls.

A Little Entertainment for your day

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/couric-palin-open/704042/

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This is SOOOO funny!

Amy will be HERE tomorrow night

www.countingcrows.com

It's great to have friends... especially ones that have ticket connections to the Counting Crows.  They're in town at the Ford and I'M GOING!!!!!!!!  It's been ages since I've seen a band I love live at a huge venue... so long I don't even know what to wear!

And, yes honey, I'll toast to you when Augustana is on while you're at home loosing the bed time battle with our beautiful princesses!

Pizza Night

A last minute "I really don't feel like cooking tonight" idea goes down as one of mommy's best yet!

Last night I was in no mood to cook so when 6 hungry little arms came flailing in the kitchen (that would be 4 child sized arms and 2 daddy arms) paired with the famous, "I'm HUNGRY" cries, I dug out the bagels, pasta sauce, cheese and ground chuck for a little home made 'za.  

WHAT A HIT!  The girls had a blast, I didn't have to cook and it actually tasted yummy!

There is Fall in Florida after all

and we have these beautiful sculptures to prove it to all you northerners!

The weather here is chilling so our in house naturalists hit the pavement in search of artworthy "nature".  They found a nice mixture of leaves, acorns and twigs.  After the nice stroll around the block our budding artists got straight to work. 

Ana is really into surfing lately so she came up with this idea- a mixed media surfer.... and of course Taylor followed suit.

Here you see 2 hang tens riding the waves and a beach bum chillin' in his "seaside cave".  Ana's are the front and back with Tay Tay's in the middle!

I have to say, I'm quite impressed with the creations- something about imaginations materializing into concrete objects excite me, especially when the imaginations are housed in our little girls brains!  A little window into the unseen and unheard world of our children.......

We've been Spooked

says Ana as she stumbles outside after nap eyeing up the GIANT ghost and scary graveyard (thank you Grandma Mary).

We are now that house I swore to never be and eating it up.....  the yard is too cute and we fit right into our neighborhood now.  The big girls from across the street (who BTW are taking their babysitting class this weekend, I've got them booked for 7 straight years) even gave their pre-teen approval, that's got to count for something!

Tell me this isn't FUN!?!?!?!?!?

Ana enjoys the slow economy

With frozen credit markets not seeing a relief in sight, daddy is able to come home on time some days now, and Ana is taking full advantage of her extra daddy time!

FYI- daddy is a finance geek!