Monkeying Around for Halloween

Well, our little monkey had a blast yesterday.

A Halloween parade and party at school, and trick-or-treating
with the cutest Cabbage Patch Kid you ever did see.

He even surprised us and wore the monkey costume.

 Just not the pants.

It could be worse. At least he wore pants. 

It's true. Being an almost two-year-old is rough and being forced to put on pants you don't want to wear warrants kicking, screaming and throwing ourselves on the floor.

I picked my battles. I chose to let him wear the jeans.

And not just at his school parade, but also for trick-or-treating.

Kicking, screaming and falling on the floor once a day is plenty for this mama.

These two cuties had so much fun together for their first trick-or-treating experience.
I highly recommend going with friends.

I was really surprised at how easy it was for them to pick up, and they absolutely loved it!

After two houses, they were pros.

Walked right up to houses on their own {hand in hand of course} and said "tick or teat."

It was the cutest thing. Ever.

 Who are you calling a first timer!?

Unfortunately, Carson didn't really grasp the concept of only taking one piece of candy so we have something to work on for next year.

 The adults learned a lesson too.

Bring two wagons...one ain't gonna cut it.

One for the kiddos and one solely for the beer. Kiddos don't like coolers at their feet. 

We had such a great Halloween.

Already looking forward to next year.

Happy weekend and cheers to a fun-filled 2013 Halloween!

The kind of fall I long for

Fall just might be my favorite season.

It's a tough competitor to summer, but you can't beat these crisp fall days we've been enjoying.

Wagon rides.

Pumpkin patch trips.

Driveway playtime.

K-State football games.
Pumpkin spiced lattes.

Impromptu park dates.

Crock pot cooking.

It's exactly the kind of fall I long for.

Fall is a wonderful season, isn't it?

Kansas City just experienced three days of intense rain, but the sun is finally shining today. Just in time for trick or treating tonight.

We're pretty excited to take our little monkey around the neighborhood for the first time. Last year, our not-yet-walking boy just wanted to dump the candy out on the front porch.

This year, he could care less about the costume and candy, and be completely content with a ball.

Soccer ball, "Back-et-ball", any ball really.

The kid loves balls.

He recently decided he doesn't like it when I pull the camera out. iPhone or DSLR, I get the hand if he's not in the mood.

 

Let's hope he lets me get at least one photo of him in his monkey costume tonight.

Scratch that. 

Let's hope he will even wear the monkey costume tonight 

(no such luck all week even getting him to try it on).

Fingers Crossed.

Fall Back

Well hello Monday, I mean goodbye Monday.

I meant to post this last night, but couldn't because Time Warner Cable is seriously the worst cable/Internet provider on this earth and can't seem to get ours working correctly or consistently. Will U-Verse please just come to our area? Puh-puh-puh-pleaaaasssseee?

And now, I sit here at work trying to crank out this post because I have been that MIA from this blog (thanks to my friend Mark for reminding me). Did I mention that it's already insanely dark outside?

Makes me moody. And somewhat depressed.

While I appreciated the extra hour of sleep this Sunday AM (but not really because I woke up at the same time), I really dislike how early it gets dark now.

In case you were wondering, Baby K is still nestled all cozy inside my belly and is making no apparent signs of coming early or on time for that matter. I'm hoping to hear some results of progression this week, but mainly I'm just trying to stay positive.

He will come when he is ready. I'm just convinced he's as stubborn as his daddy and will procrastinate as long as he can. Two traits I definitely do not possess:)

So, I don't like "falling back" this time of year, but I definitely enjoy having the fall season back. There is something about this time of year that just makes me smile.

The weather and fashion attire play a part (although my attire* options are slim pickens these days), and most certainly the holidays, but one of my favorite parts is all the flavors and aromas that come with fall cooking, baking and eating.

Here's a few of the things I've been munching or sipping on the last few weeks:

 Source 
M&M's White Chocolate Candy Corn

It's no secret how much I love sweets, I have blogged about it way too many times. These are G-double-O-D-GOOD. White chocolate AND candy corn combined? How could they not be?

Source  
Coffee-mate Pumpkin Spice Creamer
It's not quite comparable to Starbuck's pumpkin spice latte, but it makes for a tasty, festive cup of Joe when you don't feel like spending $4+ on a latte.

Source (photo only)  
Penne with Sweet Pepper Cayenne Sauce
This recipe is a keeper, definitely enjoyed the slightly healthier version of sauce (sour cream vs. something like a heavy cream) and red bell peppers
I modified it a bit. Used penne pasta instead of Fettuccine, added chicken (cubed, then sauteed in a pan with some cajun spice), fat free sour cream and added a zucchini because I had one in the fridge.

Source 
Pumpkin Spice Muffins
I got this recipe from Vanessa's blog and these are EXTREMELY tasty. I was skeptical of only two ingredients, but I will definitely be making them again.

I took her advice and cooked them 25 minutes compared to 12 minutes and they turned out great. I also used some of the excess batter in a mini-muffin pan and they turned out great at 20 minutes baking time.

FYI, I highly recommend them with the cream cheese frosting! Although they are pretty freakin' good without:). Thanks for the recipe Vanessa!

Source 
Lobster Bisque at Capital Grille
We had dinner with the in laws on Saturday night, and the lobster bisque at Capital Grille was AMAZING. Although my step mom, Lori, tells me she thinks her recipe is better. I'll be sure to get it from her and report back:). Don't you just love soup this time of year?

Ok, now that I have made all of you hungry including myself, it's time I get outta here.

I leave you with this hysterical video. I'm sure many of you have already seen it since it was posted all over facebook last week. But by chance someone missed it, it's worth watching. Hilarious. The last kids in the video are my fav.

  Halloween Challenge: I Told My Kids I Ate all Their Halloween Candy

*My feet are starting to swell a bit. I couldn't fit my foot into my favorite pair of riding boots last week with socks on. Boo.

Happy Halloween!!

What a busy and fun Halloween weekend!

We went to a friends annual Halloween party where we saw everything from a boy scout to Amy Winehouse, Sue Sylvester to a vagina.

I was quite impressed with the creativity and thought process behind the costumes present this year.

Last year, Brian and I went as Jon and Kate Plus 8, and two years prior we were Bret Michaels and Jess (Season 1 winner of Rock of Love).

So, to continue the celebrity couples tradition, we went as...

Kat Von D and Jesse James

Besides the temporary tattoos that were a complete pain in our asses to get off at 4:00am, we were pleased with our costumes that we threw together in the 4-days leading up to the party.

Everything besides the wig and temp tattoos, I either owned, borrowed or made. I bought the youth sized wig (it's all they had left) for $6 at Wal-Mart and cut layers in it myself. I borrowed some pieces of my skanky outfit from Heather :), and made Brian's decals for his shirt by printing the emblem to sticker paper.

After a little preparation, eyeliner stars on the face, 20 temporary tattoos, and one major slicked back hair-do, we had ourselves a gothic bad ass and a biker dude that cheats.

Fun party!

 Sue from Glee

 Flapper, Witch, Boxer Chic, Pregnant Nun, Kat

 Safari Tour Guide and Cyclist

 Priest and pregnant nun

 We didn't know what to call these two...they didn't know either :)

 Iron Statues

 Jesse and Kat

Yes, you are seeing it correctly.

Jake chooses Vienna...are you serious?

So, you all know my obsession with reality TV. Well, I hate to admit it, but yes - I watch The Bachelor. Go ahead and poke all the fun you want. C'mon, you all know you secretly watch it or keep up with it. LOL.

Anyways, Bachelor Jake was on the previous season of The Bachelorette and was the biggest softy ever. Well, I didn't really like him then, and I definitely didn't like him after his season. Just to be completely honest, I think he is a total tool. Enough about that.

His top two girls were completely different. Tenley - sweet, genuine, positive, the good girl and kind you bring home to meet mom. And Vienna - immature, caddy, conflict starter, the girl you make fun of... in a white trash kind of way. Sorry to anyone that may like Vienna, just giving my opinion:). But really? Jake said he didn't have a physical connection with Tenley. I'll let you be the judge.

 

Vienna, ugh

Tenley

Jake made the completely wrong decision. However, I feel Tenley could do much better than him anyways. And if it couldn't get much worse, they announced right after the show that he will be joining next season's Dancing With the Stars. He made a comment that learning to dance this way "has been his life's dream." He will be joining other celebs (yeah right) some of which include Pamela Anderson, football star Chad Ochocinco, 90210's (the original) Shannen Doherty, EPSN's Erin Andrews, and...

drumroll please...

Kate Gosselin! HA!

Don't I look just like her? :) I'm not sure that would be a good thing...

Halloween 2009. Check out that wig. Cut it myself and added highlights with shoe polish:) HA HA