Is it over yet?

Seriously, is it just me or has Halloween lasted for several weeks? I'm really ready for it to be over. Anyway, we went trick or treating in the village this afternoon and I sweet talked Bella into wearing her wig. Matea picked up on the whole concept of trick or treating rather quickly and if she could talk, I guarantee she would have been saying, "I'll be damned if Bella's gonna get candy from that stranger and I don't!". She actually threw herself down in the middle of the sidewalk screaming at one point because I had the nerve to carry her past one of the businesses Bella trick or treated at. And is it not obvious that she's a gold fish? We heard duck, chick, and rooster. She was also very offended when people said to Bella, "Here's a little treat for your brother's bag." Come on people. The goldfish costume is way too sissy for a boy.

Another day, another costume

Bella's mermaid costume isn't wearing very well (don't get me started, just boycott Lillian Vernon!) so she decided to mix things up today with this Snow White costume our neighbors got for her at a yard sale for $1. Why in the hell did I buy her the expensive mermaid costume when she looks so damn cute in this one?
Anyway, they had a little parade at school today. And, I mean little. There are only 6 kids in her class so Tater and I dressed up to make it a little more fun and exciting. Papa and Auntie Devin also came to see the parade.

Pumpkin Carving

We carved pumpkins last night for the first time. I don't know how it's happened, but every other year we've had something come up right before Halloween or just forgotten about it. Anyway, Bella was super excited about the whole thing and overcame her issues with getting dirty and dove right in her pumpkin. Matea, not so much. I cut the top off of hers, reached in and showed her how to scoop the seeds out and she just looked at me and cried. Later, she decided to take everything I had scooped out and put it back in her pumpkin.
Oh, and they both got free pumpkins again this year from Gordy, the owner of JJ's Market up by our house. Bella's always had a really sweet friendship with him and I think he enjoys having fun with the girls since his grandkids live out of state.

A mermaid and a goldfish

Don't the girlies look cute in their costumes? Bella has a bright red wig that goes with hers but she refused to wear it. Which caused me to launch in to the traditional, "Money Doesn't Grow on Trees" lecture and tell her that if she doesn't wear the wig to school with her costume, she needs to get $10 out of her piggy bank to pay us because she insisted on getting the wig with her costume.

We were supposed to go to a little carnival in the village last night but it started raining so our friends, The Rushings, threw together a little party instead. The girls got the wear their costumes, Steve got to have a few drinks, and I had one of those cheap cupcakes from the grocery store with 3 inches of frosting on the top. All were happy.

Ahhhh, this is the life.

Up until the last year or so, I really didn't appreciate living here. Yeah, the low crime, good schools, awesome weather have always been on my mind, but since I'm not really a beach person, I never really appreciated living by the ocean. But after a night like last night, and seeing how much fun the kids have out there, it's hard not to feel incredibly lucky. I mean, how many people can see the ocean from their house and have their feet in the sand five minutes after leaving home? We picked up dinner on the way there, ate in the back of the Explorer, and then spent hours playing in the sand, chasing birds, sitting by the fire and roasting marshmallows. As some German (or were they European?...that's a joke for Lena) tourists nearby shouted "Marshmallows!" in their super thick accents, it finally hit me that we're amazingly lucky to live in a place where people from all over the world come to visit. I'm not positive, but I may have officially given up my dream of moving to North Carolina and having a bunch of land, not really working but just leading a really simple life where we exist through bartering with neighbors for services.

Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere!

We went to Avila Barn last weekend with my mom, grandma, sister and the five million other families that were there. Seriously, between the pumpkins and people, it was insane. Matea was in complete awe and spent a lot of time trying to pick up really big pumpkins. I was finally able to get some cute pics of Bella and I don't even care that she's not looking at the camera. Check out her huge dimple in the first pic. So cute.

A public service announcement....

I realize that not everyone considers couponing and bargain hunting a hobby like I do so I'm making it easy for you by sharing some of my vast knowledge of deals. Did you know that Walmart Optical will match competitor's coupons? JCPenney's currently has a coupon out for a complete pair of glasses for $99 (any frame up to $130, includes scratch resistant lenses and bifocals). I just got new glasses using a 50% off coupon that has since expired and went back in last night and got a second pair for $99. You can print the coupon here or watch your Sunday paper.

Even faux dogs need a bath

Back in July, for Steve's 30th birthday, I took the girls shopping at Dollar Tree (my favorite place after Kohl's). Bella picked out this little black dog for him and Matea fell in love with it too. I have no idea where she came up with it, but Bella decided to name the dog Little Addie. So, for my birthday last week, Bella insisted that Little Addie get a brother/sister. Now we own two of these wonderful dollar dogs, Little Addie and New Little Addie The girls play with them all the time and have spent the last half hour bathing them. Of course, Papa didn't think to get me the exact same dog we got him and now half our day is spent fighting over who gets to play with New Little Addie who has a lovely soft texture that regular Little Addie doesn't have and apparently the softer texture makes her more popular. This is what my life has been reduced to.

Anyone seeing a pattern here?

Whenever I get the camera out, Matea starts screaming, "Chee, chee!" and making this terrible version of her smiling face. It doesn't even matter if I'm in a different room, she hears the sound of the lens zooming and goes into posing mode. It's kind of painful to look at.

Damn, she's cute

Grandma was here this weekend and bought Bella a new fall wardrobe. She's gone through a bit of a growth spurt and all of her pants are too short now so she was in need of some new fall clothes. The temperature drops a serious 5-10 degrees here in fall/winter, so we need to make sure we have plenty of warm stuff to bundle up in:) Thanks grandma!
She wore her first new outfit to school today and I wanted to take a picture of her since it's the beginning of a new school year, she's in a new class, and we've been at Tiny Tots for a year now. Here's how it went down....
"Bella, lets sneak outside and take some pictures of you while Matea's playing."
We go outside.
"I can't stand there! There might be bugs! I think I see a spider web."
Lots of pulling and dragging to the position I want her in. Her scooting the other way.
"Fine, forget it. I wanted to take a picture of you to show Grandma how cute you look in your new clothes and do a scrapbook a page about your new preschool class but whatever!"
"Mommy, come back. Look, I'm standing by the tree where you wanted me."

After all the fighting, she totally posed for me and took some really cute pictures. A rare occurrence for Bella since she always wants to call the shots (a trait she must have inherited from Steve).

Um, what's going on here?

I woke up this morning, stumbled into the living room and this is what I found. Matea all dressed up and Steve kneeling down in front of her with the camera shouting, "Matea! Matea! Cheese! Cheese! Smile Baby!". I suspect he's secretly turning her into a child model. Oooooo, that reminds me, did you know that at least once a month a stranger stops me to tell me Matea looks like Suri Cruise (Tom Cruise and Katie Holme's baby for the celebrity-challenged readers). For some reason, Steve is really bothered by this but I think it's an opportunity. So, I'm going to take some scandalous photos of Matea, aka Suri Cruise, and then sell them to People magazine. Steve won't be bothered anymore when he can quit his job and live off of all the money I'm making marketing Matea as Suri.

Matea's One Year Pics

I know it's not socially acceptable to say this about your own child, but aren't these pictures gorgeous?! I took them at home and then sent them to a friend in Canada to work her photo editing magic. I couldn't be happier with the results. I think they really capture Matea's personality and disposition and the editing makes them look really professional. Grandparents who are reading this, email me if there's a specific one you want as an 8x10.

Santa Barbara Zoo

In a very rare moment of spontaneity, I took the girls to the SB Zoo on Monday. This was the furthest/biggest outing I've taken them on by myself. Yes, I realize it's not that "far" or "big". Anyway, we had a lot of fun. Bella asked lots of questions about the animals and Matea did lots of pointing and shouting, "Dat!". We stopped in the grassy area for a snack and Bella was in a posing mood so I got some really cute pics of her. And I know the one of the three of us is really bad, but I took it myself while wrangling two small children and we all made it in the frame so in my book, it's a success.

One Year Check Up

Steve has started calling Matea, "Little PITA" (pain in the ass). It's just normal baby/toddler stuff, but it seems like she's constantly into something or whining. She's suddenly addicted to climbing on things. In under ten seconds, she figured out how to climb up on the chair and onto their little table in the play area. I got tired of trying to keep her off of the chairs so I hid them in the laundry room. I made a quick trip to the bathroom the other day and in about 30 seconds, she opened the door to the laundry room, found the chairs, and immediately climbed up. The picture shows how remorseful she was when I caught her.


























She got the stamp of approval at her one year check up yesterday. Anemia is gone and she's right on track with milestones. She's still on the petite side, just under the 50th percentile on weight. Since I didn't have any concerns and neither did the doctor, we spent most of the visit talking about Dr. Teaford's personal life (she's now Dr. Hoffman). We're lucky to have a really great pediatrician who I get along really well with so I'm comfortable talking to her about anything and everything concerning the girls. Bella was at the appointment with us and anytime Dr. Teaford asked her a question about Matea, Bella changed the discussion topic to herself. "Did your sister have a party for her birthday?". "Yes. Oh, I had a party a long, long time ago. Actually, I've had three parties and a cupcake with a flower on it."

On a side note, Matea nursed for the last time about a week ago. I know a lot of people reading this will think I'm relieved and happy to move on after nursing for a year, but really the whole thing is very emotional for me. She pretty much weaned herself, so I think she was ready to move on but I'll really miss it. I really enjoyed the bonding that came with breastfeeding both of the girls for a year and it's hard knowing that I won't get to experience that with another baby. On the up side though, I can wear a regular bra (and hike the girls back up above belly button level) and take good prescription medicines (I didn't waste any time getting into my doctor to discuss my allergies and get a daily acid blocker). And, Matea's decided to be picky. Milk must be in a bottle, not a cup, and must be heated to a warm temperature. Damn PITA.

Party Girl

Pics from Matea's first birthday party...

Camping with a Crawler

Consider this a public service announcement. "Do not attempt to camp with a crawler." We met the Olson's in San Simeon for two nights of camping and it's safe to say, Matea kept us on our toes. She wants to keep up with the big girls and explore everything but still needs a lot of help from Mommy and Papa so there was definitely no relaxing on our part. And of course, there was very little napping so she was fairly whiney, not the happy, playful baby she is at home.
Bella and Avery had lots of fun and since we were on neutral territory, there were far less meltdowns this visit. They spent a lot of time "losting", hunting squirrels, and feeding dirt to birds.