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Fright Fest 2008

Posted on October 30, 2008 12:05 am by TheAngelForever

Several weeks ago we went back to Six Flags to get our photos taken for our new 2009 season passes. This time we decided to take the little guy with us and thought the big kid would love to go on some rides while there. JSL was mesmerized with watching the rides as he waited in line.

Thanks to a short rain storm, the lines were not too long. The boys were able to get some rides in before the rain started back up.

In addition to just taking in the rides, we were able to enjoy the Halloween atmosphere within the park. Starting in October the parks all participate in Fright Fest. If you have never been before it is absolutely amazing. They go all out. Every inch of the park has something Halloween-ish going on. Whether it is cobwebs, skeletons, or wandering characters you definitely get the feel for the holiday. Now if only they realized the Chain-Saw guy running around with the horribly loud noise was NOT very friendly in the afternoon for families with young children.

Even the park entrance was decorated going out to the parking lot.

Here are some of the decorations from throughout the park to get you in the mood for Halloween on Friday.

This was likely our last trip to the park this year (they close this coming weekend), but we look forward to many more memories with our season passes in 2009!

Categories:
fun holidays jl jsl looking back my boys nhl photos weekend

Thanks to Joe the Photographer

Posted on October 26, 2008 10:11 pm by TheAngelForever

Sunday afternoon we went on an adventure. It was finally time to do NHL’s five year portraits. For those counting, that would make it over two months since his fifth birthday. We decided to head back to the popular portrait studio that we used in the past. JL and I just were not impressed with the other place that we had his four year portraits done at and JSL’s first birthday.

When we arrived we were all dressed in red with our jeans on. Talk about getting looks from people later on in the day – LOL!

We were told to head into the first studio as soon as we arrived. When we went in a very friendly photographer came into the room. We learned his name thanks to NHL. He asked and Joe told him. NHL quickly told him that he knew another Joe, you know, the one in Blues Clues. Of course all that went through my mind . . . . Joe the Plumber!

We decided to start with family photos since JSL had not napped earlier in the day (our session time was 2:00). Needless to say, it is quite tricky to get a decent shot with all four family members looking at the camera at the same time. I kept blinking, NHL kept talking/smiling funny, and JSL wanted to walk away. If you have done family portraits you know exactly what happened. We managed to get one that was not too bad.

Then it was time to get the much anticipated photos of NHL with the giant number five, dinosaurs and his camera. Joe did a great job working with NHL. NHL definitely played it up. As you can see we switched his red shirt and I really like the ones with the short sleeved blue on more.

October '08 Portraits - 16 October '08 Portraits - 14

Once NHL was done Joe asked to try some with both of the boys alone. That did not work out too well. The overtired 17 month old kept walking out of the frame. We did manage to get one cute one before we switched gears.

Before calling it quits I asked Joe to try one of all of my boys. This time both of the little guys were getting tired.

We bought a package that included the portraid CD so we own the photos and can print them whenever we want. JL was quite happy about this. That would be why I was able to post this so quickly.

The rest of the photos from the photo shoot by Joe can be seen on my Flickr photostream.

Categories:
birthday jl jsl milestone my boys nhl photos weekend

New baking toy (Aloha 19)

Posted on October 24, 2008 7:36 am by TheAngelForever

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the Mr. Linky there if you are participating.

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My question for this week is inspired by something new we bought for baking:

Do you have a new "toy" that you like to use to cook or bake with? What is it that you like about this item?

May I present you with our new favorite baking item:

Since the boys are really into muffins we thought it was finally time to try the silicone baking cups. I was hesitant for the longest time, but thanks to a 50% off coupon at Michaels I figured it was well worth the experiment.

We opted to fill the cups, use cooking spray to help things slide after baking, and put them into a traditional muffin tray to steady them. I was too afraid to put them on a cookie sheet in case they were bumped. I could just see muffin batter all over the kitchen floor.

Check out how easy it was to get them out of the muffin cup:

And when they were all finished there was not a lot of mess to clean up. The little cups are dishwasher safe or I just cleaned them in soapy water and they were all set.

We have used the silicone muffin cups at least 3-4 times now and love them. The 24 that we now have were well worth the money and we will only use the paper liners for special occasions when we want to decorate.

Categories:
Aloha Friday baking photos yummy

Tiny toe troubles

Posted on October 23, 2008 8:28 am by TheAngelForever

As previously mentioned, the cold weather is definitely here. I know how to bundle the boys up to head outside to stay warm. The trouble I am having is keeping some of the items on JSL once we are out and about. I will not even imagine the fun we will have with hats this year. Of course with the limited mobility from a winter coat that may not be a huge issue.

Right now my problem is best illustrated with the following photo from yesterday:

Do you notice the twinkle in his eyes, and the smirk on his face? Yes, even at 17 months old he knows to do this! Typically he yanks off his shoes and socks upon getting into the car. If I can stop him for a few minutes with a Wiggles song on it may take 3-5 additional minutes. Then I hear him fidgeting around in his seat. This is followed by a giggle and sweet little voice pronouncing "sock" and "shoe" as they come flying around the car with a big THUD!

He is beyond stubborn and determined. No matter how I try to stop him his mission is always accomplished. I try not to make a huge deal out of it because that only encourages the situation. Still I am getting quite sick of being greeted with tiny little toes when I get JSL out of the car. Trying to find two socks and shoes launched in a van is tricky at best.

I worry about his feet getting so very cold this time of year. My hope is that once we switch to boots he may have a little more of a challenge getting them off. I am sure he will be able to toss those (at my head probably), but I will worry about that later.

So do you have any tricks that may help us out? If you do I would greatly appreciate any suggestions.

Categories:
car jsl photos vent weather winter

Tinkle Tinkle . . . my little star

Posted on October 20, 2008 9:31 am by TheAngelForever

Last Sunday JSL walked into the bathroom while Daddy was in there. He pointed to his rear end and said "poop!" JL called to tell me and the little guy waddled to the changing table take me there. I checked and there was nothing inside.

We asked JSL if he would like to be like big brother and sit on the potty. The little guy got very excited and ran to the bathroom. We found the potty seat that goes on the big throne and cleaned it off for him. One slight problem happened, the pee guard (pretty crucial in the beginning for little boys) was missing. JL said that he would assist JSL while sitting on the potty.

Much to our surprise JSL was very at ease on the potty. He happily sat there and chatted. Of course NHL, JL and I were all there cheering him on. He gave me some funny looks for snapping photos, but it was a milestone that had to be documented.

Then he was telling us where poop comes from:

After about 7-10 minutes he was antsy so we took him off the potty. He did not do any business while sitting there, but it was a great experience for a 17 month old. Since that time he has probably sat on the potty seat 2-3 more times. Usually he asks. He will just sit there and chat and look around the bathroom. Of course he also understand the importance of good dental hygiene.

Last night we decided to plunk him onto the potty before a tub. I was manning the pee guard duty when all of the sudden I heard a tinkle sound! We all cheered for JSL and he was quite impressed with the noise we made. So just a few days after he turned 17 months old he peed in the potty.

We are not even close to real potty training. Still these little accomplishments are a step in the right direction. It was especially fitting given he just used his last size four diaper this morning. We shall see how things go, but thanks to big brother NHL we may be inspired a lot sooner than I may be ready for. Of course who am I to complain about the possibility of no more diapers!