Pirate Pumpkin

This morning we enjoyed a trip to the pumpkin patch that is right near our house. We had a really good time, but we had to leave a little too early so that I could go tutor. In fact, we might go back this afternoon for a little more fun.
Maddox rode the train all by himself! The attendant showed him how to pull a string to make the bell chime, so Maddox rang that bell about 500 times during the 2 minute trip.

Maddox is a very active kid. It's toddler torture to make him sit still for a picture.

Jumping in the bounce house.

After spending some time at the pumpkin patch, we did what every frugal shopper does. We went to the grocery store and bought a pumpkin for $3.99! I'm not paying pumpkin patch prices for something we're going to cut up and set outside to get moldy!! My momma didn't raise no dummy!

We also got one of those nifty pumpkin carving kits at the grocery store. When I asked Maddox if he would rather have a smiley face pumpkin or a pirate pumpkin, he burst out singing "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me." I took that to mean pirate.

Read It.

Read Angie's post at Bring The Rain today. Run; don't walk. You'll be glad you did!

The Birthday Boy

Well, yesterday was Jeff's 34th birthday, and we spent the weekend celebrating! On Saturday morning Jerry and Kelly picked Jeff and Maddox up to take them to Disneyland. (The Gash's and I went in together to get Jeff an annual pass!) I stayed behind to do some baking and cleaning for the BBQ we were hosting that night. When they all came home, Maddox was showing off his new Buzz Lightyear Astroblaster gun! (Kelly and I were laughing about that because Maddox is always asking me for that toy at Disneyland, and I never buy it for him. In fact, I never buy him anything at Disneyland because Jeff would kill me. However, about 2.6 seconds after they walked in the park, Jeff caved in and bought the gun!)

Saturday night we had some friends over for a little BBQ, birthday cake, and two LOUD games of boys vs. girls Scene It. The girls got worked both times.

Sunday morning, Jeff's dad joined us for church and then took us out to Red Robin for a little birthday lunch. It was a fantastic weekend celebrating a pretty spectacular guy!

Some birthday kisses for Daddy.
The usual suspects getting ready for Scene It.
Melissa and me in our self portrait.
Jeff got the "birthday shirt!" Our friend Mark got this shirt for Jerry for his birthday a few years ago. Mark spent $1.99 for it at a thrift store, and he got ripped off. Since then, it has been passed around to different guys who all have to wear it to church as soon as they get it. So, Jeff attended church Sunday morning loud and proud.
Clubber made the rounds to all the guests, making sure they felt welcomed.

At lunch on Sunday, Maddox had fun blowing little bits of napkin across the table with a straw. Oh, the things we do to entertain our children until the food arrives!

Happy birthday, Jeff! Your little man and I love you more than you could know!!

Shout Outs

"My Future's So Bright...

... I gotta wear shades."

San Jose Half Marathon

Last weekend we flew off to San Jose with our friends (Greg & Becky Young and Jerry & Kelly Gash) to run the San Jose Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon. We had a great time! It occurred to me, though, that many groups of friends get together for dinner and movies; we get together and run 13 miles. Apparently we are gluttons for punishment.
Kelly and me goofing around at the registration expo. (And, yes, that is correct grammar.)

The girls trying on some weird balance shoes...
The boys trying on some weird running skirts...
Here's our group along with Becky's parents, Tom and Debbie.
Kelly couldn't run with us because she got a stress fracture in her foot during our training. We made a sign in her honor anyway.
Sushi dinner the night before the race. Some people suggest loading up on carbs. I suggest loading up on raw fish. And Mike & Ike's. And Mountain Dew.

Here are the Kreil's and the Young's after the race.

Becky and I are very competitive with each other, evidenced by the great karate sparring fiasco a few years ago. So, at dinner the night before the race everyone was talking about their time goals for their run. Becky announced that she didn't care what time she got, she just wanted to beat me. And the heat was on!

She is a very good runner and I had to really push to stick with her. We sprinted the last tenth of a mile or so, each trying to beat the other one. She beat me by a nose. However, let the record show that the race website shows both of our finishing times at exactly 2 hours, 10 minutes, 55 seconds. I say it goes down as a tie.

Jerry wore his Dunder Mifflin Race for the Cure shirt and his "Support the Rabid" bracelet. He's such a philanthropist!
We all survived!!

This was a big weekend for Maddox too ... his first weekend without Mom and Dad! Aunt Alicia took care of Maddox for the weekend and they had a blast. He had so much fun with the Kercheville's that I'm sure he forgot all about us.

Playdate

Last week, Maddox had a ton of fun at a playdate with Jack and Emily Doerr and Maggie Marrs. Maddox spent a lot of time enjoying the abundance of toys, and then spent the rest of the time following the big girls around like a little puppy.
I know that the last few pictures I have posted have been blurry right in the middle. I thought Maddox had scratched the camera lens, but it was just dirty and Jeff was able to get it clean. My photos should be a lot more clear now.

What Was I Thinking?!

October is fall, right? Fall means cool weather, pretty leaves and caramel apples, right? So when my friend Nancy brought over apples and caramel, we decided it would be fun to dip apples for the kiddos. I guess I conveniently ignored the small detail that it was about 95 degrees outside and I have no air conditioning.
Notice the steady stream of caramel pouring onto the floor. This was a joy to clean up. I should have just let the dogs in.

So once the caramel melted and dripped all over my floor, what could I do? I dumped it all into a casserole dish and stuck it in the fridge.

Maddox wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. At least someone enjoyed it.