Treats & Sweets

Our first Halloween, beg-a-block experience was quite educational. No, Alexander couldn't muster the courage to say "thank you" to strangers, but he quickly mastered the "Gimme some hand."


Our little froggy jumped from Goodneighbor to Goodneighbor to show off his costume; he was having so much fun collecting candy from our friends, he would lean out of his wagon with his hand extended to every house we didn't stop at. It was kinda cute.


Maia learned a little something last night too...

Trick or Treat

Smell my Feet

Give me Something Good to Eat

If you don't, I don't Care

I'll Pull Down Your Underwear

Luckily, Julie decided to just give her some candy!


After Alexander filled his bag with goodies (and demanded, "open," with each new treat), we headed home to warm up next to Papa's front yard fire.


Trick-or-treating started while the sun was still shining, so Mama never thought to turn on the front porch light... needless to say, Alexander has a lot of apples to eat this week...


When we finally made it back inside, Papa was waiting to rob the baby of all his candy. "Stick-em-up!"


Now, for your post-Halloween amusement... Mama & Papa in costume...

The neighbor's invited us to our very first West Virginian Steak Fry; but told us we could only come along if we were in drag, I mean, dressed up.

Aunt Jenn hooked us up with a bag of her best homemade costumes last weekend, so we decided to go... Mama got all dressed up like Maleficent. Thought I looked pretty good. Then, I came downstairs. Maia laughed so hard, she almost fell over. And when she finally pulled it together, she looked at me & started cracking up again. I changed.

And Papa put the costume on. Maia didn't laugh, so I guess he looked better in it than I did.

The neighbors looked great all dressed up like the ghosts of Marie Antoinette & Louie the 13th. They looked so good, they won the costume contest!

They also won the dance contest...

Love Hurts

Free hugs! Ok, they cost. But not much, just a potential head/neck injury. But it's worth it. Just look at that cuteness!

And before our little guy won his first awkward Ella hug, he had to chase her in a slow turtle-like race down the hallway. Notice how he almost followed my instruction & kissed those cute little toes.

And how, you might ask, did the evening end? With a fever, of course. How else would the kid choose to end a fabulous dinner date?

Fevered Fun

Our kiddo has a yellow, tube-slide-kinda runny nose. Probably just a cold, but still, not-so-much fun. Maybe a little better than the three shots the kid got yesterday. But nothing like a piece of Babushka cutletta. Yum.

So we went to the park. Alexander's little friends said they could handle the little snot-nose, and Mama could handle a little inteligent adult conversation.

A few months ago, Z would climb to the top of the jungle gym, sit on the slide, then turn around & climb back down the stairs. Today, today was the day. Alexander fell in love with sliding down the slide. Yeah, good snotty times.

And then, we headed home. To a fever. Ugh. At least the kid had a little fun before the sickness...

Alexander really, really likes to help. I mean, like really. When Papa's cousin was in town, the 36 inch kid "helped" carry Alessia's 35 inch suitcase up the stairs.

Every afternoon when Maia beebops in the back door, the kiddo is right there grabbing at her backpack, so he doesn't miss his opportunity to help her carry it to her bedroom.

"Mama help. Mama help." Oh, it is so cute when out handsome little guy begs to help. It may not be helpful, but it sure is nice to have the little guy's help!


Tonight Papa got home a wee bit early to beat the storm, and immediately started cooking. And you guessed it, he had a helper!


Unless someone else (who is pre-approved by the boy) is present, most tasks in the kitchen include the kiddo sitting on the counter assisting. He fell off, but just once. He L.O.V.E.S to "help," scream & point out the tasks that he deems most important. He's also pretty fond of taste testing our culinary creations. (Of course, he will refuse the same treats when served at the table...)

And sometimes, he even drums up a little dinnertime music...

So, if you need any help, you know who to call...

Home again, home again

The past couple of weeks, well, actually since we came home from car show on October 3, Alexander has been asking, "Nowah?," "Sawah?," and getting excited every time he sees a baby & declares, "Chawlette!"


So what better surprise than a sunrise road trip to grandma's house to see some of the kid's favorite girls Saturday!


The boy's latest animal trick? He now slaps his thigh/knee/ankle & yells "Guiiss!" Mama had a very brief brain fart, thinking how nice it would be for Alexander to have his own dog... then I remembered that there is enough "cat poop" to clean up.


And speaking of "cat poop," on the very long four-hour car ride to grandma's house, Alexander entertained himself by identifying the roadside farm animals and their poop. Yep, "horse poop," "cow poop," "sheep poop," and of course the random "dog poop." I'm not sure if all the pooh talk is linked to watching Charlie (neighbor dog) take his morning constitutional, or if it is Mama's constant, "Do you want to go poopy on the potty? Poopy on the potty?" I'm gonna have to stop feeding that kid cheese if I want to continue with potty training...anyway, back to dog poop.

It seems like just last month that I was complaining about my shy guy. But oh, how quickly things change with a toddler. Alexander now prefers just about everyone to his own mother (except in the middle of the night or at dance class). The kid had so, so much fun playing with grandma in the backyard; he wanted her to chase him, hold him, swing with him. He loved it!

You'd think that since i make the little super hero such awesome shirts, he might like to have me around a bit more... but I guess super heroes like Captain Alexander don't really need their Mama's hanging around...

While Aunt Jenn's girls napped, we headed to the river for a little hike. Shortly after Maia arrived in the US, i gave her my favorite copy of Tom Wolfe's Electric Koolaid Acid Test. She wasn't initially too interested in the Merrypranksters, but I anticipate that after falling in love with this super-cool, old, burned-out school bus on the way to the river, Maia will crack the cover.

And after our walk, the girls were up & ready for some hugs! "Nowah!"

The Blue Period

Apparently, our little Picasso inherited his Mama's craftiness. And, this morning, he began his first Blue Period. OK, it was more like large blue swirlies, but he's still new to the medium.

Not that I want to stifle the kiddo's creativity, but... I don't think Papa's quite ready for any more blue in the living room... Especially no extra on the tan window sill, white windows or tan couch, there's already just enough there...

After a little cleanup, we redirected Z's art to a little t-shirt making. Oh, yeah.

Mama might be crafty, but Alexander is calculated! Do you love his new shirt? We stenciled the calculator in Z's pocket, so that he can look just like his Papa!

And then... Captain Alexander! But we'll show you that most-awesomest shirt next time!