Happy Birthday To Him!

Get ready to wish this guy a very happy birthday!

Today is Randy's birthday!!! I'm going to confess a huge wife fail: I've never dedicated a blog post to my husband :0( Sorry Babe.

You deserve all the blog love today and so here you go!

Happy Birthday Randy! Because of you everything is AWESOME!

{note to self: take more pictures with your husband}

xoxo

-aMie

Pumpkin Painting

I've been painting pumpkins with Rory for a few years now and this year is no exception. He's still a little too young to carve pumpkins and it's not even going to happen now with Rian. Can you imagine?!? So painting it is!

Earlier this year, my friend Alyson hosted a painting play date and she had the most brilliant idea for painting with the little kiddos. Are you ready to have your mind blown?!? Because mine was when I saw her technique and I haven't looked back since then. So here we go...

I gave Rian a few pieces of painters tape to place all around her pumpkin

Then here's the brilliant part- I then placed the pumpkin in a gallon size ziplock bag and let her pick out two paint colors. I gave each color of paint a few squirts into the bag and sealed it. Once it was sealed, I gave Rian the bag and let her go to town hitting the bag, rolling it around on the table, she even threw it on the floor a couple of times. Have you figured out the brilliant part yet? Not one bit of paint got on her, it was all contained inside the sealed bag!

{tape off the stem, so that you have something clean to grab when removing the painted pumpkin from the bag.}

Removing the pumpkin from the bag is not so neat and clean. But if you taped off the stem its not so bad! Just remove the tape from the stem and it should be free of paint.

And then there's this little artist...

The little pieces of tape that I gave Rian to place on her pumpkin didn't really make any noticeable design since she basically placed them in the same spot. So I decided to paint her name on her pumpkin to add a little more color and interest.

I love that Rory painted not only one, but two faces on his pumpkin. Kinda like Good Cop Bad Cop from the Legos Movie. (What? You didn't think I was going to write a post involving Rory and not mention Legos?!? Silly you!)


Good Pumpkin

Bad Pumpkin

Not bad considering he used the paint brush to write his name

And now the pumpkins have made it outside on the front porch!

{I think I need to get a witch's broom for the right corner. Yes, I think so!}

And speaking of the front porch, check out my Halloween themed chalkboard table:

{Click here for the diy post on how I create my chalkboard table}



Before I go, back to the ziplock painting technique:
It works well with anything that's not breakable. I've used it in the past with construction paper so that Rian could create artwork for my mom. Just keep in mind that the paper will wrinkle a bit, but it just adds to the charm of the art.

Have fun creating with your little ones!

xoxo
-aMie

Pumpkin Patch Play

We made our way over to the pumpkin patch this last Friday with our friends and boy the only thing that felt like fall were the pumpkins. It was ridiculously hot. The forecast said that it was 80 degrees but it seriously felt like it was well over 100! All the kids were super troopers running around in the heat and they all managed to have fun!!!

{Rory, one of his best friends Tatiana and little Rian}

Here's Rory and Tatiana climbing up the slide and Rory was so fast getting to the top that by the time I made it to the front he had already slid down

However Tatiana had second thoughts about sliding down. I don't blame her it was kinda high up there. So I gave Rory another ticket and told him to go back up there and slide down with her.

And these two decided that it was a good idea to spin their bucket around and around for like a minute before the ride started. It was all fun and games until mid way through the ride they both turned grey in the face. The ride attendant had to stop them from spinning around. 

Rian and her bestie Maggie

One tired little scarecrow

xoxo

-aMie

Shake, Rattle n' Tell?

I live in Vegas, right?!? Than why am I experiencing an EARTHQUAKE RIGHT NOW?!?

That was my exact thought on early Sunday morning, early like three in the morning. I was trying to get Rian back to sleep when we felt a huge jolt. Having grown up in So Cal there was no doubt what had just happened. I've had my share of earth-shaking experiences and I'm not a fan! My mom will tell you that as a kid I hated earthquakes. There are so many factors that make me feel uneasy: the sudden movement and sound with no warning, how long is it going to last, is this the big one, I really could go on and on. And if I hated them as a kid, I definitely do not like them as an adult, a wife and a mother. I now have two little beings looking to me for guidance and safety. Now all me peeps in Cali are probably going to laugh when I say that the earthquake was only 3.6. But that 3.6 was centered only nine miles from us. I know I've become a whimp. To my defense I am a little bit of a whimp, but I honestly thought I would never experience another earthquake again.

Rian was in my arms when it hit and she woke up, but didn't cry. Rory was asleep in his room and didn't feel it- slept right through it. Randy and I however stayed up and relived every past earthquake experience we could remember. Rian could care less about her parents and the traumatic memories we were sharing. 

Now this month gets a little crazy, in fact October basically is the start of the craziness that goes until the end of the year. So I'm trying to be better at planning things...Randy's birthday, Halloween costumes, Halloween!!! And as part of that, Rory is now at an age where he can help me with little things. I thought I'd get his opinion on what he wanted to get Randy for his birthday. I thought I was being clever asking when Randy wasn't home, only to have Rory run over to me and ask me "Can I tell Daddy about..." while Randy was in earshot of us a few hours later. I guess in all my planning I forgot to factor in that I was dealing with a very excited four year old! His daddy is his hero and he can't wait to give him his gift. 

Rory had me completely rattled the other night. He was coughing and could barely talk. He spent most of the next day asleep in bed. I guess that's what he needed because he got up in the afternoon feeling better with only a slight cough.

In Rory's world, Legos make everything better

Rian however was not so happy that she had to fly solo all morning. When one kid is sick I try and keep the other one away from them so that they aren't passing germs to each other. And Rian kept climbing the stairs to go see Rory. She missed her buddy at lunch.

Her idea of fashion: Dodger socks with glittery ballet flats. Those Dodger socks are her recent fashion find from Rory's drawer. 

Speaking of fashion... How cute is she looking for something to wear?!? I guess the bikini top on the floor didn't make the cut!

Her new response to everything 

And I can't forget about this pretty lady! My mama celebrated a birthday this week. 

Happy Birthday Mama!!! Love you lots! XOXO

{from a few years ago, on the shuttle going to the Kodak Theater on our way to see Live with Kelly at like 4:00 in the morning}

I hope everyone had a good week and is looking forward to the weekend! 

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

-aMie

We've Been Boo'd

Our playgroup set up a You've Been Boo'd activity for the month of October. I mentioned in my last post that it's like a secret Santa type of activity where you pick a family (or in our case, the kids of a family) and you try to secretly drop off a boo basket full of Halloween fun. I say try to secretly, because one my friends got caught during her delivery. And instead of the recipient letting my friend know she was caught, she let her scramble around, fumble with a gate and even break her shoe all while she was watching out the window! 

Anyway, I can't give any details away as to whether or not I have made a delivery, I can, however give you the details of what the kiddos received this morning. And to be completely honest I'm not sure who boo'd us. I'm ok with that though, it's all in the fun of the game. But let me tell you that our boo'r knew Rory and Rian to a T and that basket was perfect!

It all started this morning when I heard a tiny knock at our door just before nine o'clock. I knew exactly what that knock meant! The kids were still in their rooms so I decided that I'd wait until they woke up to go get their surprise. We happened to be at one of our friend's houses when their basket was delivered, so Rory knew as soon as he saw that the pumpkin-faced bucket was for him and Rian, no question!

There were books for Rian...

...a puzzle for Rory, masks, window jellies and glow wands for both of them...

...and of course a pair of glasses for Rory (because we all know that Rory has to have his sunglasses with him!)

{sorry for this blurry pic- I was trying to hold back Rian from tearing into the candy while I snapped it!}

Rian has recently discovered glasses and is slowly becoming obsessed too!

So the kids spent the remainder of the morning each coloring a pumpkin mask...

{Rian's idea of coloring is laying all the crayons on the mask}

And then Rory made his way to the puzzle and made it not once but three times!

Thanks again to our boo'r for such a great basket! The kids loved it so much and had a blast playing with all the goodies! 

***For the first time since I've moved to Vegas almost ten years ago, this morning felt like my original LV on BW!***

Happy October everyone!!!

xoxo

-aMie