halloweenies 2010

it seemed this year, that the girls had candy for weeks before 

Halloween actually began!

We went to the Dinosaur Park trick or treat, 

then church party

then school

til finally...

HALLOWEEN!

and not even the "real" one, 

cuz we celebrated on Saturday.

BUT

despite being hopped up on sugar for 2 weeks prior

we managed to make this a fun holiday afterall. ;p

We usually paint our pumpkins every year, but this year the girls wanted to 

carve.

which means...

yep we had to scoop guts

and instead of boo-hooing over the mess

i showed those seeds who was boss and killed them with salt and burned their souls...

ok, i just baked them, but they were sooo good and i ate way too many

aaand their could possibly be a pumpkin growing in my belly now

or i'm just chubby

no matter, they turned out alright. for not having any carving tools

or stencils

or real ideas.

i think we'll be going back to painting next year, ahem.

so this year, they all ended up being princesses.

oh except for that one time, when Lily went to a friend's halloween party

as a geisha

i know, i'm scared too.

anywho, they all were princesses this year.

Lily and Belle were Sleeping Beauty

Piper was TinkerBell

*don't judge her...sigh, poor Tink has been hopped up on Pixie Dust for years now...

we're staging an intervention soon

I hope she takes the chance to get her life under control*

and then there was Cinderella

that's RIGHT! get in there and do your chores before you par-tay, 

pssh, it BETTER be CLEAN this time. like DEEP CLEAN!!

but these princesses had fun

they twirled and curtsied and giggled...

and stomped and had tights wardrobe malfunction, and cried and kicked their shoes off

just like princesses do...

Hope your Halloween was a blast!!

Oh, ya

did ya want a Sunday Treat?

Well, with all the sugar inundating this household,

here's a treat for ya

you're welcome.

oh and next year

i'm doing BOY costumes

just to change it up a bit

for realz.

embrace the camera: cemetery?

soooooooo

the 3rd grade class today went on a field trip

to the cemetery

yep.

the cemetery

so we tried to make the most out of 

seeing dead people's graves

"Oh, that one's pretty

it has a rainbow on it"

too bad most of the graves were children in this cemetery

morbid school leaders, sheesh!

aaaand i am looking way old and tired

i need to go to the plastic surgeon, boo.

Happy Halloween!!

go embrace your camera today!

sunday treat: FAIL

don't these look divine?

chocolate cupcakes w/ cream cheese frosting

and one special ingredient

 ...mint...

the perfect compliment to chocolate, right?

WRONG.

the kids ate them up

but what do they know, their teeth probably needed that minty flavor

to feel healthy again.

the hubby ate one

and realized they tasted like toothpaste...

awesome.

No, i didn't try them

i started a diet today

with halloween candy running rampant

and making sweet treats
um

i like torture.

BUT

i thought these would be a HIT!!

more like a miss

so go ahead and add a drop or 2 of pure mint flavoring

to your fave chocolate cupcake and frosting recipe!

that is, 

if you want to get cavities AND brush your teeth simultaneously...

pass out

there are times when i run around

from one thing to the next and all i want to do is sleep...

you can't stop because you're needed here

or there

and somehow you just keep going

but honestly

there are days when even in the midst of chaos

and activities

and everyday goings on, 

that i could literally 

pass out on the floor and sleep like a baby...

kinda like this one...

she put up a good fight

but ultimately

sleep won.

bloated

you know these bagels?

the "everything" bagel?

the one with tons of yumminess on the top?

ya well, if you're ever in a Wal-Mart bakery section

they make an 

"Everything" Italian Loaf

o' bread.

So, as I sat by myself on the couch last night, 

I downed HALF of that loaf.

um...

by myself.

me, myself and i

which is funny cuz i ate enough for 3 people.

Dumb hubby is gone for 24 hours and i had no one to tell me to 

knock it off.

So today I feel a lot like this

not to say i don't feel like that everyday, 

but especially today.

so 

i'm going to cleanse this weekend.

lots of water, 

lots of fruit

and lots of NOT eating.

i'm trying to go through baby junk which seems to be 

consuming my household

so that should keep me QUITE busy!

but if you happen to see me floating over your city

you'll know I ate the other half.

oopsie...

Have a great weekend!

belle-tastic

We have a 2 and 1/2 yr old

her name is Belle

Scarlett Belle, actually...

but she goes by Belle

or Bitty

or Belley Chelley

she is the sweetest.

it could be that 2-3yr age

where everything they do is just preciously adorable

now sing with me, 

"when the moon hits ur eye, like a big pizza pie.."

she is never without this kitty

"meemoo"

as she likes to call it

we lost it in the Carl's Jr in Newport for awhile, 

when I called to see if they had it,

they had almost thrown it away

cuz it was dir-tay

little did they know it's just 'well-loved'

she has tiny voice

she plays quietly with her imagination

she says stuff like "u hold me"

or "u fweep(sleep) wif me"?

or does a whole puzzle by herself and says, 

'look what i made!"

or cuz her Dad does the insanely annoying joke, "guess what, chicken butt"

she says, 

"guess what Daddy?"..."buttocks"

close enough. ;)

truly though, she is the epitome of a little girl

sweet, caring, funny, agreeable, precious, pretty

and always walks on these

if you don't have a Belle, 

I'd recommend getting one.

did i mention my brother is working on a little 

something for my very first giveaway?

and he's a thinker and a musician and an artist and a silly goose

and he has his own blog now?

and he's a Cullen???

        ok, no...but he indulges me, he has no choice. ;p

But ya, giveaway soon! Be on the lookout...

Yippee!

sunday treat: SPOOKY

i made some spooky, spectacular treats

for family Halloween party today.

it couldn't be easier

or harder to make.

It's basic:

oreos-double stuff

60%dark choc chips (u can use whatever u like)

cookie sticks

halloween sprinkles

You melt the choc chips

(about 1 min, then 30 sec increments til fully melted)

*you stick the stick in the oreo

*you dip the oreo

*let it cool for a couple minutes

*then sprinkle some spookiness

*then let it cool completely

I know, simple right?

WRONG!

the sticks would break the oreos

or i would put the oreos in the chocolate 

and they would pull apart

now, the end result is fun

and delish

BUT

i may reconsider using something different in the future

or dipping them FIRST, then sticking the stick in

SOMETHING

so that i don't cuss

or turn into a ghoulish monster, stomping my ogre foot around.

sadly, there were many oreos that didn't make it...

it was prolly some kind of 

All Hallows Eve curse

almost sure of it.

try it though

get spooky with your ghostly self!

intrude this...

there are some days when you just need a good watchdog

or alarm system

or a hardcore toddler...

she's smart to be in her birthday suit.

less wind resistant

more aerodynamic

makes one more swift, i presume

I know I'LL sleep well tonight

*shrug*

ch ch changes...

yes

i have made a few changes.

AND

if you look over to the right, 

I now have my own piece of flair!

Grab my button

and put it on your suspenders

cuz we encourage that, mkay?

trippity trip trip

Yo! We's back...

and it was faaaaast, but it was GREAT! 

We drive to Vegas, and then head to SoCal

it breaks up the looooong drive.

which helps.

 So we started our trip, 

hey look at us! we're super HOT

and we love taking road trips...

 then, a couple hours later, the kids are zombies watching a movie, and 

your hubby has his headphones in

so silly self-portrait taking ensues

but THEN

shenanigans start...dumb hand

then this guy appears. 

my thigh was being pinched to death but i managed to 

click this for evidence...

*he remained for the rest of the trip.*

after some peach schnaaps and nyquil

she had pretty much had it

and lucky her, we arrived in Vegas. 

you need to remember whilst in Vegas

you need to do the legendary Elvis snarl

and wear appropriate attire.

pssh no, Elvis is NOT fading

he's just well-loved over the years

the kids lived in all the various pools

day in and day out 

we couldn't have picked a more perfect week

the weather was GORGEOUS 

 we had picnics by our villa overlooking the ocean

and the girls acclimated to their warm environment

we left them there for 5 hours and they didn't even move...

they love Cali.

 Hellooooooo beach

 Daddy and his big girls

 I was so excited to be at the beach my chin

sprouted a blonde beard

so amazing...

 our poor blind,vampire baby

I wish she could've seen the beach

it was incredible.

She ate sand though, to remember her experience

solely by using her other senses...

walking on the sand is tough

but flying on the sand is even tougher-er...

 hey everybody, look who had the meltdown of the vacation?

yep, big 8 yr old.

priceless

 it's alright though, 

frozen yogurt and a new fountain

tends to change one's attitude...

such a cute Cali couple, no?

we like to pretend...

 who braved the swarms of people and stares on the Vegas Strip?

we did..holla!!

oh and i'm sure if Teddy hears, "WOW, 4 GIRLS...you're gonna have a rough time when they're older"

or "good luck with 4 girls"

or "oh my gosh, 4 girls, better get your gun ready"

he may just punch someone in the neck...

his hands are registered weapons ya know, just fyi.

 it was so nice to meet up with long-lost family.

meet my twin.

 i really wish i could've been doing THIS, 

but that didn't happen.

ah well, you can sleep when you're dead.

and if you're ever in Newport Beach, be sure to check out the hedges

shaped into Dolphins.

Someone didn't think it was worth stopping for, 

BUT someone else is real quick-like with her camera.

you're welcome.

all in all we had a fantabulous trip. great to spend time together

and in all honesty our girls were really good with all the traveling.

we can't complain, because they were awesome in the car

and by awesome I mean they knawed off their own appendages, 

but hey at least it kept them quiet. 

Life can be such a Beach...;)

We're headed to Newport Beach, ya'all!

Excited for some sun, sand, and relaxation

I heart the Newport Coast Villas

they are the BOMB diggity....

*special thank you in advance to Nintendo DS's and Car DVD players

to keep my children from killing each other

and to keep us parents from killing our children...*

Have a great week/weekend!!

Catch ya on the flip side!

the much tanner, flip side...;)

Peace Out!

enjoyment

We're so happy this guy came home!!!

and hopefully will be around til the Spring...

cross your legs!..i mean fingers, ...fingers.

so for now we're just enjoying him to the fullest

and we're ALL getting lots of love...and lovin' ahem. ;)

and gearing up to head to Newport Beach this coming week

for a much deserved family vacay!!

Woohoo!