getting ready for a SPOOKTACULAR Halloween

... we will be staying around the neighborhood for the festivities as there is "no place like home.". As said by: Dorothy (E), the Scarecrow (L) and Glinda the Good Witch (C). I hope to get some pictures of my Oz trio (which will just be some snappies since the DC is in the shop after suffering a fall by yours truly!). In the meantime, we have been wearing our orange and black, painting pumpkins and skulls and eating candy already. LOL!!

You can't really see in the picture but L's skull's teeth are "painted black because he didn't brush his teeth Mommy. He is going to get holes in them". I guess he is picking up on something during our daily teeth brushing battles. :-) He also walked into my room this morning with a sick look on his face and a big blanket under his t-shirt and his cheeks puffed out and said, "oh, aw, I ate too much candy.". Followed by laughter. Can you tell I have already been preparing them for limited and controlled intake of candy on the most candy filled holiday of the year?! :-) But I have a funny feeling they aren't going to remember any of this tomorrow?! Especially since E screamed to her Omi when I dropped her off there this morning, "SHOCK-OH-LET PEASE!" (that would be E saying, "chocolate please"!). The TRICK OR TREATING has begun!

Friday Family Dinners

It has become a tradition for us to dine out every Friday night and having C has not changed that! DH and I drive down together to pick up the big kids from the in-laws (L and E spend Fridays with them) and we go straight out to dinner with all three of our darlings. We have always thought that the more we do it, the better our kids will adapt to eating out plus it really is a treat not to have to do dishes on Fridays! :-) Personally we have always been quite proud of how well we have managed eating out with three young kids (**toot toot** yes that is me tooting my own horn) and then last night came a confirmation from some one else ....

While dining al fresco (an October So Cal benefit, it has it been beautiful out!) with our three darlings an older couple sitting next to us during dinner got up to leave, walked over to our table and the gentleman says to us with a smile, "You two certainly have a handsome family and such well behaved children!". His wife nods and smiles. Wow, just wow, it certainly makes you proud of your children when someone else pays you a nice compliment like that because really, as much as we think they are doing fabulous at their young age, I am still wondering if anyone else sees all that rice they spilt on the ground or heard E scream for lemonade when we tried to give her water or L loudly demanding the YELLOW crayon (he must have yellow!) for his picture. But no, they see well behaved (& can't forget, handsome) children! Thank you, not only for the compliment but for taking the time to come over to tell the exhausted-overworked-parents-of-three-very-young-children-trying-very-hard-to-enjoy-a-Friday-Family-dinner-out *sigh*.

**picture above is our three darlings in a Westin Heavenly bed during our recent trip to Palm Desert, CA Westin Mission Hills Resort**