Come One, Come All!

I've noticed that there is an element of love/hate associated with Halloween. There is the camp that lives for the chance to dress up and decks out their house in lights and spider webs. Their costumes tend to have family themes and were hand sewn and are planned months in advance. And then there is me who looks forward to Halloween so that we can get to November already. I've tried to be excited for the kids, but I discovered that they may have either sensed or inherited my disinterest in the holiday. We dutifully attended the ward chili party and trunk or treat. (Costumes were picked out ten minutes before the party started.) Jake and DB ran around so hard with their friends that they came to me half way through the party, red-faced drenched in sweat and begging to take their football pads (duct taped beach towels) off. I told them they couldn't trick or treat without a costume, knowing full well no one would actually turn them away. They shrugged their shoulders and I heard something about..we don't care about trick or treating as they were in a full sprint back to the football game.

Sophie on the other hand still seems to be in Camp 1. In fact everyday of the year is a good one for Sophie to be in full princess attire. That's how she rolls. She excitedly made her way around the trunks to get her treat and made chocolate her meal for breakfast and lunch the next day.

We are still  a day away from actual Halloween. It is still hot and we still have at least a couple parties to go, but I'm done and on to the next mentally. But that's not to say we won't be fully participating, Sunday or not. Halloween is the absolute best night to have an excuse to knock your neighbor's door and figure out who these mystery people are that coexist with you on this corner of the planet. I tease Wes for his excessive neighborliness, but truth be told that's a big reason why I married him- to compensate for all those things that I'm just not. I like having rapport with people on your street, I'm just not very skilled at creating it. It's what I miss most from my old neighborhood. So come one, come all if you dare. The candy bowl is full and the lights are on! (Just make sure your gas tank is full.)

Rain, Rain, Stay Awhile

I don't know what meteorologists make here in Phoenix, but I have to believe that it should be less than say Louisiana or Florida. They pretty much just do one of two things, apologize for heat - like they caused it or something, or gloat over the gorgeous winter days- again like they had anything to do with it. Then once in a blue moon you'll get a random weather event and it is complete pandemonium. No one knows how to drive , everyone including me has to comment on it on Facebook, and prime time television is interrupted by weather warnings. BEEEP BEEEP BEEEP "Caution, Maricopa County may get some sprinkles tonight. Do not leave the house unless you are in labor or are a first responder."

Sophie is four and was introduced to how an umbrella unfolds for the first time the other day. (On a side note, I love what humidity does to her hair.)

The boys disappeared when the rain started. I finally found their bikes. Thankfully they were not over taken by this pooling of rain water or struck by lightening. Their friend told them with absolute certainty that lightening had NEVER hit the ground before so they didn't need to worry about that.. so they didn't.

DB was drawn in by the tunnel. In this day of text messages and email, it was fun to see some good old tunnel communication. Jake was on the other end.

The boys perfected their rock skipping techniques. These guys never miss a chance to compete with each other and rock skipping quickly turn to who could throw the farthest. Let me tell you, Jake may dominate on the football field, but DB has a cannon for an arm when he wants to. I can't wait to watch him in baseball this year.

As it turns out this was the calm before the big storm that we found ourselves driving in later that evening. We were fortunate that the hail did not damage our car. And it gave us something to talk about.

Fake Babies, Real Babies and A Field Trip to Fry's

Sophie has carved out quite the exciting life for herself lately. She is a very astute and creative little person. Grandma Ruth gave her a doll that drinks a bottle, falls asleep, laughs, cries and opens and closes it's eyes in such a realistic way that it is a little creepy. I find that I need to keep reminding myself that "Sassy", as Sophie calls her, is not real. In Sophie's mind she is real and it is very upsetting if someone dares to challenge that notion. So to keep the peace, I am having to tend to Sassy's every need. In the middle of making dinner the other night, Sophie insisted that Sassy was crying and I need to go up stairs and get her. That was the exact moment it went from adorable to annoying. But I have to give her credit for addressing the issue that I won't - her intense desire for a baby around here.

My friend Amanda paid a visit this week with her cute baby girl and apparently provided the first opportunity for Sophie to observe a baby nursing. She was plenty discreet about it, but these things don't tend to get past Sophie's keen sense of observation. I didn't think anything of it until yesterday when Sophie told me that there are two ways for a baby to eat. From a bottle and another way that "I don't want to talk about".  It's funny to me that she didn't want to talk about it..with me anyway. The other day I was in Cheryl's car with Sophie and Lani. Completely out of the blue, Sophie asked Cheryl how babies got out of their mommy's belly. I was seated right next to her, but was more than wiling to let Cheryl field the question. Then according to Amanda, Sophie point blank asked her what that baby was doing under that blanket. At this rate, I may have to have the "the talk" with Sophie long before it even is on my boys' radar. Or Cheryl will anyway.

Sophie and Lani's preschool had their first field trip of the school year. I've got to be honest. When I heard they were going to Fry's, my first reaction was "lame".  But let me tell you, those folks at Fry's pull out all the stops for these kids. Considering the amount of time a preschooler spends with mom at the grocery store, it was pretty cool for them so see how the whole operation works.

 The inseparable pair anxiously waiting for the field trip to begin.

 The whole preschool gang. Sophie is almost always the tallest in a group of her peers. Her brothers would love to have that problem. Lani has two boyfriends in the class, Noah, the one in blue on the far left that is gazing her direction, and Mr. Sean, the preschool teacher's husband. Sophie has no boyfriends, just a baby. Go figure.

 The kids watching the sushi chef work his magic. Don't ever say Queen Creekers aren't sophisticated..we have a sushi chef in town after all.

 The highlight of the visit was getting to pet the lobster. Sophie took a few giant steps back. She wasn't going to have anything to do with those claws. They stopped short at mentioning that this little guy was going to get boiled to death soon.

 The giant freezer was refreshing in a summer that just doesn't seem to want to end.

 And the box crusher. It seems a little dangerous and loud, but this was an all access tour.

The back of the refrigerated truck where all the milk gets unloaded.

Finally, the after party, complete with hot dogs and decorated sprinkle cookies. Thanks, Fry's! Now I don't feel so bad about spending half our income at your store every month.