Twig & Berries

Snips & snails, sausage & eggs, all that other stuff. In other words:

IT'S A BOY!!!

The Great Pumpkin

Here's a tip for those of us who took our kid(s) trick-or-treating, only to be stuck with a crapload of candy we couldn't possibly consume if we ate nothing but candy for 30 years. Edgar & I read this tip from one of those parenting magazines you pick up in a waiting room at the doctor's office. Who would've thought there would be a gem of an idea in one of those mags? Here goes:

Tell your kid(s) about "The Legend of the Great Pumpkin": On Halloween night, after all the trick-or-treating is over, the Great Pumpkin sails around looking for candy. He/She rewards kids who leave out their bags of treats for him/her. The Great Pumpkin doesn't ask for all your candy, he/she only wants what you're willing to give.

So, after trick-or-treating this year, Chameans picked her 5 most favored pieces of candy and chocolate, and left the rest out for the Great Pumpkin. The next day, right after school, she ran to the front door to discover a reward for her generosity-- a "Little Einsteins" toothbrush, 2 kinds of toothpaste, and Play-Doh! Meanwhile, the "Great Pumpkin" took the donated stash of candy & chocolate to work, where it disappears on a daily basis.

Genius, I tellya!

Hectic Halloween

l-r: Cham, Jill, Joie, Jackie (w/ Brianna), Lee Lai (w/Mary Jam), & Gani

In what's fast becoming an annual tradition, we trick-or-treated and celebrated Marley's birthday at Tia Mitor's house in Glendora again this year. The munchkins seem to outnumber the adults now, so it is getting a bit scary. Jeremy & Krista Juarez brought yummy little Brianna, and Melon's baby Jam looked positively delish in her Tigger outfit! It was chaos from beginning to end, but always a fun time to be had by all, especially the kiddies.

Mitor's neighborhood was crazy! We're used to being the only extra-large group in the area searching for the "good candy", but not this year. The streets were flooded with kids, and it got pretty crowded on plenty of doorsteps.

I don't know what got into Chameans, but she was trick-or-treating like a penguin possessed. I held her hand and walked with her for the first couple of houses, but she soon tired of my slow-moving pregnant butt and hauled her cookies over to Jillian, who was ahead of the pack. Cham didn't even give me a backward glance as she zipped off, so Mitor told me to just head back to the house and hang out with Bina (the official "candy passer-outer"). Poor, rejected Mommy!

Gather 'round for more sugar!

After canvassing the neighborhood for sweets, we celebrated Marley's 4th birthday with candles and 3 different Marie Callendar's pies (mmmm, pie!). There was more sugar in that house than a C & H factory. Even the hamster was running around like a demon by the end of the night. Needless to say, the toddlers went absolutely wild around the house, while we looked on rather helplessly, hoping their batteries would run out sooner or later.

Happy birthday, Lee Lai!

Gani enjoys a horsey-ride in the living room

Later, while getting into the car to go home, my conversation with a slightly delirious Chamina went something like this:

me: Ok, get into your carseat now.
C: Did I brush my teeth? I don't want holes in my teeth.
me: Yes, baby, you brushed your teeth. Remember? You liked the toothpaste-- watermelon flavor.
C: Oh, yes... (smiles, points to her teeth) Mommy, is there a star on my teeth?
me: Yes, I see the star. Your teeth are clean.
C: Oh, good. I like the star. I like clean teeth...
me: Me too, little mamma. (Cham is already sucking her thumb, looking dazed.)

She was uncharacteristically quiet on our drive home. At first I thought she had fallen asleep, but when I looked back to check, she was still wide-eyed. I asked her if anything was wrong, and she said, "No, Mommy, I'm just thinking about my cousins. I love them."

That's just one of the reasons I loooove my kid. : )