Pumpkins and Puppies

Halloween 2009 was a lot of fun. Lauren picked out the cat pattern for our pumpkin carving. She wasn't too fond of scooping out the pumpking guts though - 'Oh, man!' she said as she helped empty out the inerts (albeit very slowly, one seed at a time). She was excited to wear her dalmation puppy costume for her party at daycare, and for trick-or-treating on Halloween. Cole and I handed out candy, while Lauren and Daddy hit the neighborhood to collect some Halloween loot. Even though she practiced saying 'trick or treat' at home a lot, turns out she preferred to do her trick-or-treating in silence... Ah, maybe next year :)

Incentive

Getting Lauren ready in the morning is a long process... There's a lot of stalling, indecisiveness, and 'no's. So we gave her a little incentive to keep her moving along - the promise of a sticker when she finishes all 5 of her morning tasks (potty, change clothes, breakfast, sunscreen, and brushing her hair). We still experience a lot of stall tactics, but she does look forward to that sticker - which she peels off and sticks on her shirt right away. And amazingly, it usually remains stuck on all day.

Just 3 months left....

till Christmas arrives; I'm not sure I am going to finish this project. I have all the 'ornaments' completed (still one more set to post), but the calendar looks like more work than I thought. Plus, I want to do a slight redesign which will add some 'additional' time - which I don't have much of these days :)

Double Digits

A few weeks ago, Cole discovered his toes. He hasn't tried to put them in his mouth yet, but he sure loves to grab them. He's still not very interested in rolling - has done it once or twice, but is otherwise pretty content to lay in one spot and touch those toes.

Berries for a Buck

Twice this summer I saw berries go on sale at the grocery store for only $0.99. This deal always seems too good to pass up - so I usually buy more than one pint. Oddly though, I usually don't end up eating too many just plain; I instead look for a recipe to bake. For the blueberries, muffins are always a good bet. Raspberries however, are a little trickier. I consulted my Everyday Food index and found this recipe for Raspberry Buckle - basically a yellow cake with berries baked into it. It was good, but didn't turn out anything like the picture, as all the raspberries sank. Nevertheless, who can beat berries for a buck.

Stir Crazy

Lauren spent several days at home last week, sick with the flu (which was being passed around at daycare), and then with an ear infection. Keeping her busy and out of trouble required a bit of creativity - so we decided to do a scavenger hunt. Lauren got really into it, and especially enjoyed 'crossing' the item off the list once she placed the item in her basket. Some of her 'finds' included her stuffed turtle, a pair of underwear, and a tea cup from her kitchen.

No Pain, No Gain

Cole reviews his immunization record from today's 4-month check-up. 'Sheesh! Enough with the shots already!' He continues to pack on the pounds and inches, doubling his weight and adding a little over half a foot since birth. The stats: 14 lb 2 oz (25-50%) and 26 in (75-90%). And, in other news... bring on the rice cereal!

Xmas Project Update

Here's the next batch - just a dozen (plus the calendar itself) remain. Making these tiny ornaments is very relaxing. Lauren likes to check them out too, and match them up with the pictures on the kit....

A New 'Do

Lauren got her hair cut last weekend. We went with a shorter bob this time, since her fine baby hair on top is still growing out and it was beginning to look a little raggedy. After we were done, we went to Jason's Deli for lunch, where she had a great time enjoying her mac & cheese, milk, and ice cream cone for dessert.

Plum Cake

Tried a new recipe this weekend for a plum cake, from September's issue of Everyday Food. The recipe was pretty simple (the plums are sprinkled on top of the batter, and includes lemon zest too), and it turned out very tasty, and pretty! It wasn't too sweet, making it the perfect accompaniment to our Sun morning cup of coffee (Stew's idea). I couldn't find the recipe online, so I scanned it in here. I ended up cutting the cake into 12 slices (instead of the suggested 8-10) and froze half for a future treat.