Nelson photopalooza

So you ask, where have you been the last week and a half? Oh, my loyal followers, I have much to fill you in on. I will use photos to illustrate the high points for the kiddie-os. Jeff and I have basically been working our tushies off. Jeff: the usual GM sob story --is it going to exist tomorrow--and for him it does. I almost wish they'd severance him out so the poor man could move on already. He's been studyin' up a storm. Me: they have me helping menopausal women who can't match colors and don't know how to glue paper to paper without guidance over twenty hours a week and Tiger got sick--which means neither of us sleeps. And just trying to keep up with the other two.
We ordered a pantry cabinet for the kitchen. Tiger is now CRAWLING and has figured out how to empty the makeshift table I have. He really likes to empty the macaroni box. No pics of him, because he just sits back when I try to take his photo. Soon I will be successful. He can pull himself up now also and loves to stand.
Thought the cabinet would take a while, but will be here possibly next week, so had to paint the kitchen today. And have been planning Peanut's 4th birthday party next week. Oowhee.


Sooo, here was Halloween. Sparkle Princess broke tradition and was a fancy witch. yes those are birds on her hat. Peanut was Elmo. This is not just a costume to her, it is now pajamas, and everyday wear if allowed. It is, "Toasty wawm in hewe" according to her.
This is them waiting for trick or treaters. They were out yelling for people to come and get our candy an hour before it started. Tiger was supposed to be a farmer, but the hat didn't fit. It was gorgeous (70's) and the kids loved it all as usual.
Except Tiger was slightly bored by the process and annoyed by the attention he got.

We enjoyed our first Build a Bear excursion. Princess chose a pink and white bear named Twinkle with a pink and white leopard print shirt. Peanut wanted a dog (named Supah Dawg) and a Harley Davidson tshirt (it was orange, c'mon). Definitely no pink chromosome in her. That place stressed me out, but the girls can't wait to go back.

The colors last week were fabulous. We have this gumball tree in our front yard and it was 20-69 different colors. Sadly most of them have blown away now. But I laid under it and gazed into its beauty and felt peaceful.

Peanut made a painting of it and her raking --that is the rake at the bottom with her pile of leaves.

Here they are in action making the biggest pile of leaves we could to jump in. I think I raked (while prego) this pile last fall in Ohio about 100 times. And we didn't own a tree. LP has this big vacuum truck, like most cities, that the girls think is absolutely horrible.

This is Princess Sparkles version of the tree in our backyard and the wind blowing.

We have discovered that Tiger's favorite food is potatoes. Any preparation is acceptable. But he really likes when Jeff makes homemade fries. He will yell and scream for them. and then hums with the delight the entire time he is eating. MMMMM MMMMMm MMMMMM

Chili cheese fries and a good beer. YUM. Jeff went all out and cooked for me from scratch (chili and fries) last week. Actually one of my throwback faves from the Michigan days. I craved these from Skip's my first pregnancy (minus the alcohol).

And the Strega Nona fest. The girls are obsessed with these stories by Tomie DePaola. We made three trips to the library last week to get more of the series. I try to read them with the Italian accent I have been hearing here (and on tv). I'm sure it sounds to them like some whacko mutt accent--part Midwest, MN, MI, southern, italian, whatever. But they get a kick out of it.

Check her cute pigtails. Cutie patootie.
And Peanut spent a good hour screwing a towel rack to our kitchen island/pantry last night. She said, I quote,"It takes a lot of practice to be a good screwer. And I'm a good screwer." Seriously. I can't make up stuff that funny.