Trick or Treat!!

Ryder's cousin Anna came over tonight and we took them trick or treating around our neighborhood! They got soooo much candy, especially for being so little!! It was my first "real" time to go trick or treating! Matt and I got married in 2000. Over the last 8 years I have always handed out candy from our house...but I have never walked house to house. Never. Where I grew up we lived on an old country road and houses are literally full pasture lengths apart. Halloween for us meant going to the Carnival held on the Main Street of our little town. Matt looked over at me tonight and said, "This is your first time to walk around trick or treating". I thought to myself for a second and realized he was right! It was so much fun to see all of the decorations and hear the scary music playing as we approached the doors! Anna and Ryder took turns riding in the wagon. For some reason when they were both in the wagon together they would cry! Crazy kids! Anyway hope all of you had a fun and safe one! Onto Thanksgiving!!!

Fun in the Leaves!

We just got back home today from a week long vacation to Arkansas's Mt. Magazine State Park. It was beautiful! This last week in October is the week that the color of the fall leaves peak. We don't really get a "true" fall here in Texas, so for us it was wonderful! The morning air was cold and crisp and the afternoon's never heated out of the sixties! We hiked, took Ryder on Wagon rides, drank hot cider and just plain relaxed. We had the most fun doing absolutely nothing that we have ever had! Back home now and ready for Halloween tomorrow! Thank Goodness the weekend is here and I'll have Matt home for a few more days before Monday rolls around and we are back to normal! Happy Trick or Treating!!!

Splish Splash

"Mom, I can make this Bathroom look like a Tidal Wave came through....watch!"

Halloween Costume Take 2

Do we all remember how I shattered Ryder's dream for a perfect Halloween when I suggested that he might dress up as a cute puppy and then went one step further having the audacity to actually try the costume on him? Let me remind you:

Well, I made my mind up that I was not going to go out of my way to get him something different, but if I came across a costume that, A. Did not have a head piece and B. did not cost a fortune, I'd pick it up. A few weeks pass and then last week I was at Joann's looking at stationary for Ryder's Thank You's (this is what I came up with...still not in the mail....see below as I digress) ...and I found a really cute skeleton costume. It does have a hood, but the hood doesn't have to be worn for the costume to be recognizable. It was 50% off, so I snatched it up. I decided to try it on him today since it was rainy out and we had to stay inside. I think I can declare it a winner, besides a few tugs at the sleeves he didn't fuss. I should say as long as the hood was not on. I pulled the hood up at the end and he wasn't real happy..actually he was mad...but thats o.k. Here are some pictures! If anybody wants to try the Puppy let me know and I'll send it your way!

PS-We got the walking on video, but with our video camera so I have no idea how I could possibly upload that onto the blog. Anyway, I'll try with my camera later!

Flashback a Year to our spooky little spider that was barely a month old...wow how they grow in a year!

We are Walking...Sort of!

We made some huge steps in our house yesterday, literally! Ryder walked across the room twice and spent the day taking baby steps (5 to 10) intermittently with crawling! I was so excited, but of course didn't get any of it on video. That is my goal for today! I am not sure when he will just cut out the crawling all together and solely walk, but I was his "cheerleader" all day yesterday! LOL!

Play Date

Ryder's cousin Anna came over this afternoon for a Playdate. He was not a Happy Camper this morning and I actually believe there is some truth to that whole waking up on the wrong side of the bed thing. I mean, he literally woke up just plain mad. He got better once he had a friend over to play and he took a really long nap this afternoon which seems to have helped! He was really excited to show her up the stairs where we keep all of the toys! They are so cute at this age! Miss Anna even had fun after Ryder went to bed!

Some Candy, Please??

What does da da da ga ga ga duck mean? Apparently, I'd like some of that Halloween candy....how obsurd is it that I felt it necessary to take a picture before cleaning it up?

Last Nigh't's Lasagna is Tonight's Lasagna Soup

Matt hates Leftovers! Growing Up Friday Night was Cafeteria Night at his house. Cafeteria Night consisted of his Mom pulling everything from the week out of the Fridge and Heating it Up. To this day, I can not make the Man eat Leftovers. So....I have to get creative! He hasn't made it home yet, so I'll keep you posted on how this one goes over.

Instead of just heating up last night's lasagna (remember it served 9), I turned it into Lasagna Soup. This is so easy! Take your Lasagna that you refrigerated over night. Cut 1/2 in. strips vertically through the lasagna. Then go back and cut 1/2 in. strips horizontally through the dish. Dump all of this into pot and pour two cans of chicken broth over the lasagna. Let simmer for 3o minutes until the lasagna pieces begin to crumble into the soup. At this point you can add more broth if you think the soup is too thick.

Next, I took some French Bread and cut it into 1/2" slices. Toast lightly in the toaster and then drizzle with olive oil, garlic salt and mozzarella cheese. Place them on a cookie sheet under the broiler until brown. Serve soup, cheese toasts and a salad with a vinaigrette dressing for a meal.
WA-LAAA You are Finished!