Pumpkin Patch 2013

Once again we headed down to Carpinitos pumpkin patch in Kent to get our carving materials.

 We met up with the Monahans and although the weather was less than stellar, spirits were high.

 Trudging through the muck.

 The yearly faces in the pumpkin truck ritual.

 Alex's first year of being aware of what's happening but he still had to stay in the wheel barrow.

It was a quick trip this year because of the weather and the early Seahawks game.  

We all went back to the Monahan's for an afternoon of yummy food, football and good friends.

Carving Pumpkins 2013

This post is very self explanatory.

Bubbles in the Tub

Woodland Park Zoo

On September 8th Auntie Kathy and I took the boys to the zoo on a lovely sunny Sunday morning (even though it meant missing the Seahawks game).

Alex making friends with one of the Monkeys.

An owl.  I can't remember what it is called but we hung out here for a bit because it was one of the animals Matthew remembered from looking at the website the night before.The best part of this was that as this guy was telling us all about this owl, a wasp crawled up in his glove and he was totally freaked out but trying to hold his Sh*t together.

Matthew on the Komodo dragon statue just outside their exhibit.

Making friends with a penguin.

Petting the goats in the petting Zoo.  They were named Storm and Lightening.

Alex got to touch them too.

Matthew and I outside the giraffe pen/barn.  We were watching the 3 month old baby run around.

Canadian Thanksgiving

This year I decided to Celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving for a couple of reasons.  If I celebrate in October like my brain has been trained to do and get Halloween over with, I can focus on Christmas much earlier and diminish the stress.  Also this year Aaron will have the boys for American Thanksgiving so now I won't miss the holiday. So we invited several people over and in the end had: Auntie Kathy, Johnnie, Erica, Dexter and Nayimah.

Dexter and Erica found my Canadian calendar.

 I had a craft planned for the kids to get things started.

 Matthew trying with all his might to get the icing out of the tube.  After telling him several times to try harder, I discovered that the tube had not been but open, oops.

While we made Pilgrim Hat cookies, Dexter got to watch the remainder of the Cowboys game.

 Erica's cookies turned out the best.

 Final product.

 Erica and Nayimah.

 Shots of single malt to keep the evening moving along.

 The oven baked chickens (because before the middle of October youcan't find a frozen turkey to save your life). 

Carved by Dexter.

Our Chef Du Jour.  If it wasn't for him the chickens would never have cooked properly.  But as a bonus to the day, I got a free lesson in how to cook a chicken!

 Alex was the first one to the table.

 The spread.

 Lovely Ny.

 Although exhausted by this point, Alex really enjoyed dinner.

He spread it all over his face and

into his hair.

  Thank you Auntie Kathy for him getting all cleaned up in the tub and ready for bed before you left!

 My sweet Matthew. 

 He looks enthused but was really only trying the food because I told him he could have more cookies if he did.