Happy Halloween! I hope nobody gets "tricked" tonight! :)

Happy Halloween everybody! 

Milestones

Lisa, I'm sorry for not publicly recognizing your Birthday. =(

+0!

I am really horrible about that, and I feel horrible every time it happens, but here's what it is 99% of the time:

1. Oh, [insert name]'s Birthday is coming up! I have to remember to send off an email or a card. [He or She] will be so pleasantly surprised to hear from me!
2. I don't spend enough time with [insert name]. I really miss [him or her].
3. Ooh, look, a butterfly!*
4. Shit. [Insert name]'s Birthday was today, but it's 11pm. If I write [him or her] now, it'll look like I forgot... which I did.
5. Double shit. Lisa actually called me out on forgetting her Birthday. Now I have guilt, resentment, and self-loathing.
   

I don't want to fling any excuses around, but I will just share one word that has been the bane of my existence over the past month: Mold.

But on to happier things. I did not miss my kids' birthdays over this past week. Lexie turned one one Thursday and Brett turned four today. I had to share some pictures.

We had a party on Saturday and they had a great time. Brett has now had cake on his sister's birthday, at the party on Saturday, tonight for his special day, and will again tomorrow when they celebrate at preschool. Perplexingly, he still has managed to lose weight. Alexa, on the other hand, weighs two stone and seems to add a pebble or two daily!

I hope you'll all forgive me for any special days I've missed. Happy belated Sweetest Day, for example. I really don't mean to be a jerk, and I really do think about you.

---

*Incidentally, a "butterfly" may take any number of forms, including -- but not limited to -- a case of the hiccups; a tear in one's favorite jeans; a case of the measles/mumps/cryptosporidium; air raid; milky discharge; an organism growing and festering on the lumber behind the drywall in one's basement lavatory and causing one's spouse an allergic reaction just short of anaphylactic shock and doing lord-knows-what to one's children, one of whom was premature and is therefore potentially predisposed to lung-related illnesses; yawn; tremor; indecsiveness; decisiveness; and/or sheer stupidity. Talk to your doctor to see if Lunesta is right for you.

Happy Anniversary Lisa & Nate!

2 years ago today on a beautiful fall dayI had the honor of standing up in the wedding of Lisa Stran White and Nate White! When we first met in the Kumquat cabin at SW 17 (!!) years ago, who knew that our friendship would turn into this! I love you, Lisa!

OK - I can't resist when someone asks to see pictures of my kids! These are from last year. The big one is a Halloween party that my friend threw for all of the kids. She served punch and had 3 year old running around her house with it! Insane?! The picture with all the kids actually sitting is nothing short of a miracle. Now, the big question is CAN YOU PICK OUT EM & TY?

Gull POWAH!

Halloween is my favorite holiday. Right now I am not sure what I am going to be but here's a picture from last year: I was Ginger Spice and Nate was "Rocky XVIII"... old and gray with a big stogie habit. I would love to hear/see pictures of what all the kiddies are going to be this year-- I really look forward to the day when I get to experience Halloween from a kid's perspective again and help make costumes (I'll never forget the year my mom helped me with my Pink Panther costume. My mom could make anything out of a blanket sleeper!)...

I found this awesome website, X-Entertainment, which sounds more shady than it actually is. It is actually an amazing source of '80s pop culture nostalgia, including an incredibly detailed frame-by-frame recap of the 1984 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. But something I discovered quite recently is its Halloween Countdown, which features new and exciting (or old and exciting) items or commercials, etc., which are unmistakably Halloween-centric. For someone who loves Halloween as much as I do, it's a guilty pleasure...

http://www.x-entertainment.com/halloween/2005/

You know what might be fun? I just thought of a picture I have of Laura and me from the year I was the Pink Panther and she was Strawberry Shortcake. If any of you can dig up some past Halloween photos from your childhood, please post them!!!

Stages

So, my little Emma has hit the WHY stage. Andy, did Brett indulge you with that always amusing stage?? Our latest WHY just cracked both Kevin & me up:

"What happens to the fart smell after it goes away?"

Tyler's latest stages: turning on/off lights (when you buy a new house, check the height of the lightswitches - our are so low that a short 18-month old can reach them!) and opening/closing doors. Keeps life interesting when Emma insists on something being on/off/open/closed!

31 and Fondue Fun

For my birthday we went to The Melting Pot for fondue... this is me after we ate. Ooof. It was soooo good!

Aimee, thank you so much for the shout-out on the blog, the voicemail message, the incredibly sweet birthday card, and the AWESOME spa basket! I was so excited-- I have sent Wine Country Gift Baskets to just about everyone I know but never actually got one myself-- what a wonderful surprise! I miss you and am so touched you remembered my birthday in so many ways. You're the bestestestestEST!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Lisa!!

Happy Birthday to Lisa!! I hope you & Nate have a rockin' night planned to celebrate - you both deserve it. Now if only you could spend your birthday at a Great White concert.....