Splash!

This firefighter doesn't need a truck to spray some water around!

Oh yea, this mom got a costume that was totally usable after October 31st!

Warming Up Our Winter Walk

Brrrrr! It's getting chilly out there!

On our regular walk through our backyard park, each boy had had a different approach to staying warm.

Gavin's: Smiling beneath the layers!

Ethan's: Cardio!!!

Eavesdropping on Ethan: My Alex P. Keaton

A little backstory...

During Obama's '08 inauguration, I was pregnant with Ethan. After knocking on doors and calling voters, Ethan joined us within my belly as Chris and I celebrated in the cold on the National Mall or danced at the Inaugural Ball!

A year later, we dressed him in an Obama tshirt for our Cherry Blossom photos, where he became a prop random strangers used for their tourist photos!

I joked all along that he was going to rebel when he was older by being a hardcore conservative. Instead of peircings and tattoos, he'd wear a bow tie and vote Republican. I called him my future Alex P. Keaton, after the Family Ties character.

I forgot about this as the time from the '08 election season passed.

Until today.

From the backseat, Ethan overheard the politics talk from an NPR show. And asked me to explain it. I told him how everyone gets one vote to say who they want to choose to be "in charge".

Enthusiastically and full of confidence, he exclaims, "I'm voting for MITT ROMNEY!!!"

He's continued saying that phrase to everyone he meets, including at the polls.

Even posing with our yard sign, "Mitt Romey is my FAVORITE!"

"Romneyyyyy!" instead of "cheese".

Sandwiched between our Obama shirts, Gavin wonders where we went wrong.

Note: As long as my children are informed, thoughtful, and compassionate citizens, I support whatever political leanings they choose. But I thought I had a little longer until that happened!

 

Happy Halloween!

Tonight was Gavin's first and Ethan's fourth Halloween!

Who needs a red fire engine when you can stroll through the neighborhood parade on these wheels!?

For the third year in a row, he trick or treated with his neighbor friend, Thane.

They shrieked, "They have their porch light on!!!" running house to house.

"That house gave me TWO!!!"

It was a first for Ethan really as it was the first year he really understood it, chose his own costume, and the first year mom and dad planned on letting him have any of the candy. It was pretty cute, earlier today he saw some neighborhood friends and they offered him some candy. He said "No, not yet! It's not Halloween yet! I want to wait." When he got home with his loot tonight, he was so thrilled he willingly went to bed and forgot about the promised bites he was waiting for. We are still strategizing our candy dispersing strategy, mulling it over while chewing some Snickers and Skittles ;)

 

Picture of Romance... with two young kids

6:18pm sunset view off our balcony in San Diego.

Talk about a third wheel...

And off camera... hearing three year old whining through the monitor about not being sleepy.

Hey, we tried!

California Dreamin': Surf's Up!

Gavin's toes have felt the sand and surf for the first time!

Here are some favorite shots from the first day of our family vacation to visit my Dad in San Diego.

I think more sand got in his plumber's crack than the buckets!

Then big bro had some big boy fun in the water while Gavin laid out.

And when I say laid out, I mean took his morning nap in his sunscreen bodysuit.

Perfect first day for a pretty phenomenal trip. Stay tuned for more!

 

Splashing Streamlined!

I've finally found the courage to bathe the brothers together! Was much more successful, and fun, than any of the three of us expected!