Two Words...

Two words for what I'll be doing tonight: New Moon. (Cue the screeching tweens...)

(Photo from www.allposters.com)

Evie Thinking INSIDE the Box

Blake was off Nov. 11-13 (I was not) so he brought Miss Evie by my office for a quick visit. While exploring, she found an empty box and climbed inside so that Mary Beth could push her around in it. So stinkin' cute!

"Throw Together" Meals

This week I am doing a series of "throw together" meals I found in my October 2009 issue of Parenting Magazine. Being a full time working mom, time is typically short in the evenings on weekdays. That being the case, I've gotten into a rut of heating up frozen meals or just making mac 'n' cheese and peas. Boring and not so great for us nutritionally. So, when I saw this week's worth of simple, easy, healthy meals, I thought, why not? (Here's a link to five of them if you are interested...)

Tonight I made Lemony Lentil Soup with Greens. Neither of us are big kale fans, but the spices in the soup (thyme, basil and fresh lemon) provided them a great complex flavor. We even went back for seconds! It made a ton so I am freezing half for dinner on another night. Tomorrow, Chicken and Corn Tomato Salad...

(Photo from http://www.parenting.com/)

Happy Halloween!

This was Evie's second Halloween, but the first one she dressed up for. She was a sock monkey (an old fashioned toy, literally a stuffed monkey made from tube socks). We were concerned about how the costume would go over with her as the cutest part was the hat (it had the eyes and ears and mouth). Evie, however, hates anything on her head--hooded towels, headbands, hats of any sort--so we weren't sure if she'd keep the hat on. The video above chronicles her first few minutes of wearing the costume. Once she got used to wearing the costume, however, she was her usual happy self and we had a great time with her.

We had some friends over for dinner and scary movies (Trick 'r Treat and Drag Me to Hell), and my friend Thadra and her daughter, Emma, came over to go trick or treating. I tagged along with them around the block to say hi to the neighbors and give Evie her first taste of the ritual (She didn't know what to think). Our friend and neighbor Jen stopped by with her son, Luke, who was dressed as a 1920s paper boy. You can see pics of Luke and Evie on Jen's blog here. (Jen is uber creative and put Luke's costume together herself.)

All in all, we had ourselves a very happy Halloween! How did you all celebrate? Leave me comments and let me know!

Vacay in Apollo Beach

On October 22-26, we went down to Apollo Beach to spend time with Blake's cousing Laura (who is expecting her first child in March) and the rest of the Mallards. On Friday (10/23), all the girls (including Evie) went shopping and for lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. The only stuff we bought was for Evelyn, and we couldn't finish our lunches yet somehow managed to find room for some cheesecake. Saturday (10/24) we lounged by the pool, watched football and barbequed. And on Sunday (10/25), we went on Tampa Bay for a ride on the boat. The weather was absolutely beautiful (cool and clear) and the water was very smooth so Dan really got to crank it up. We had a blast!

Evie gets a boat driving lesson from her Pops while the rest of us chow down on fried chicken.

Laura, 5 months prego with her first baby, getting her tan on.

Why don't you just whine about it?

This is the face we get when Evie doesn't get her way. I believe Blake snapped this one when she was mad because he wouldn't let her have the remote. Toddlerhood has arrived...

First Taste of Fall

Evie all bundled up against the cold at the Heart Walk.

Enjoying the pre-walk festivities.

Evie peeking at Daddy through the"window" on her stroller shade.

Evie and Blake at the Pumpkin Patch. Evie kept tossing the pumpkin on the ground so Blake had to hold it!

That pumpkin is half the size of Evie!

Me and Evie having a blast at the Pumpking Patch!

We got our first real taste of fall this weekend as a cold front pushed through on Friday (10/16), bringing with it cool, sunny days. After a week of hot, humid, rainy weather, we were very happy to have the cooler temps.

Saturday (Oct. 17), Blake, Evie and I took part in the a Big Bend Heart Walk for the American Heart Association. Blake kept teasing me all week that it was 2.6 miles and that I didn't have to walk if I didn't think I could make it. I assured him I'd be fine, and we both managed to finish the race. (Evie took a nap in her stroller while we walked.)

Sunday (Oct. 18) we decided to decorate for the fall holidays so we went to Michael's and got some fall leaves garland for our front porch. Then we stopped at the Pumpkin Patch at Faith Presbyterian Church. We picked out a bunch of pumpkins of all sizes and put them on the steps of our porch. Evie had a good time throwing the pumpkins we handed her to the ground and watching all the other kids run around and play.

All in all, a fabulous weekend!