Currently | October 2017

Land of Nod Tour Bus// Like I'm going to turn down a chance to visit Land of Nod, IRL.  It was basically just a lot of furniture to look at (and not buy) and a tote bag coloring activity. 

It is Lakshman, so he somehow managed to make it fun.  He loved the giraffe bus.  We read about each of the characters and he laughed at Paul Frank's descriptions.  He introduced himself to the organizers.  He tried out all the chairs.  As you do. 

Picture Day // What the hecker happened here??

I don't know, somehow after six years I am still hopeless at curly hair.
I really tried.  I spent hours.

I just don't know.

And, they both look like they are being forced to smile against their will by their stage mom.  Really, really hoping the school will have retakes.

Super Lakshman // Target has all these cute super hero accessory sets in the dollar spot right now. All the kids are having a ball with them but Lakshman takes his powers really seriously. 

A sweet lady (whom I had never even met before) called him Super Lakshman on Sunday.  

He is known far and wide. 

T-Ball // Lakshman is playing T-ball again this fall. He had just turned three when he played in the spring.  He is still the youngest now and keeping up with the other kids is getting to be a bigger challenge.  This was the best part of our week in the spring.  Everything was so fun and cute and relaxed.  Why do kids sports have to get so aggressive so early on?

Foxy and Moxie // It was below 80 degrees here for a few hours, so I naturally dressed Lakshman in a thick knit hat for his field trip to the Nature Center.
In addition to being a super hero, he fashions himself a Wild Kratt.   He was psyched to see the fox there, of course, and named him Foxy.  Next to him is the bobcat Moxie.  The same Bobcat Avinash got to see when it came to the Nature Center as an abandoned baby, probably four years ago.  It is so fun to see the same excitement for animals in his little brother now.
We saw the crazy huge Raven Pogo too.  Lakshman taught his friends that Ravens say "Nevermore" just like I taught him.  Gotta love kids who still take everything literally.

Am I not supposed to keep asking him what a Raven says and then laughing when he says Nevermore? No?

Reading // The Books of Bayern. This is a great little young adult fantasy series.  We started out reading Goose Girl together, but I enjoyed that book so much, I ended up reading ahead on my own.  

Someday I will be able to read regular adult books again.  But the day is not here yet.
Can I still say baby brain when the baby is over three years old? No?

Making // Getting caught up on Project Life.  I still love this project.  It feels good to get caught up.  I found that I had more documented than I thought I had because I have a lot of lengthy posts on instagram.   It is so nice to quickly print out journaling.  I am also starting another year with Cocoa Daisy and I could not be more thrilled!

Planning //  So excited about fall finally being here.  Can't wait to go to the pumpkin patch again. Go trick or treating.  And going back to the Disney for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party! We are going on the first day of November with some friends and I love that we are going to be extending the Halloween season even longer.  Diwali is coming up too.

10 Best Pinterest Diwali Decorating Ideas

When is Diwali this year? 

Diwali is on October 19 in 2017. 

Check out my favorite Diwali Decorating Ideas here! 

Pumpkin Patch

Avinash is an October baby but I don't think we made it to an actual pumpkin patch until he was two or three probably.  We took pictures of him in front of the big pile of pumpkins at Central Market for years.  I love that memory.  

I love taking all three now to buy pumpkins at the grocery store and out to the pumpkin farm for even more fun. We visited Barton Hills Farm just outside of Austin.

We got there early for once and the weather was perfect until it warmed up around noon.  I asked the kids to indulge me with the pictures first before running off to the bouncy place, rides and corn maze.  I got lucky too because it was perfectly outcast while we were taking pictures.   Score!

 All the pumpkin shirts are old but the sunglasses are new.

His idea to jump, so much fun.    

Nandini's jump.  She almost got air. 

We had a crew with us on the maze this year. We (wisely) choose the easy route. 

And look at them 2 years ago. Wow!!

I don't think I ever noticed how Lakshman was snuggled up to me before, but now that would be heaven.

Pumpkin Painting Ideas

After our little pumpkin harvest at the farm, I feel like I better start decorating them soon.  Nandini especially is anxious to get the house decorated for Halloween and the party.  Anything Avinash doesn't like she tells him is not for his birthday, just Halloween.  I can't seem to make things scary enough for her.  She even made me buy her a pack of skeleton hands the other day *shudder*.

Last year we painted pumpkins and we might do the same this year to avoid the mess and sharp objects involved in carving pumpkins.  It's not really a great toddler activity.  Or even six year old activity. 

I love how Nandini's pumpkin turned out.  A little bit of creative direction in color selection can go a long way.  

I painted a white design on a ghost pumpkin.  

It's my favorite along with that little spider web pumpkin.  I think I need another one of those this year for sure. 

I even tried silkscreening a pumpkin.  It didn't turn out half bad. 

Glitter pumpkins are always a favorite around here too.  

I did get my teal pumpkin from whole foods this year and I definitely want to put yellow stars on it. We also got a few jacks, a 'golden' pumpkin (it's really yellow but man did it stand out in the sea of orange) and a bunch of minis.  The teal one is a cinderella pumpkin I think.  I still think it's so cute that those exist.  Yay botany.  And fairies ;)

Pumpkin pickin' at Sweet Berry Farms, then & now

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  I can't help but get so excited about fall and the start of pumpkin season.  Maybe it's because Halloween is coming up and I basically treat it as an excuse to dress my kids up every day of the month. 

We went back to the same pumpkin patch that we visited last year and I thought it was fun to look back at the old pictures too. 

Then ...

And, now ....

Same pumpkin patch, same kids, same wardrobe mostly.  But oh my, what a difference a year makes.  My tiny baby looks so grown up now!  And he certainly acts it.  Charging around the place like he has a lot of plans to get to.  Though his baby face belies some deep thoughts behind those two little teeth. 

The light was a lot harsher than last year but I do like being able to see blue sky in the photos.

This truck bed was a fun photo spot.  They were all quite happy to perch up there and get photographed.   Even Lakshman, though he doesn't wear his hat anymore like he used to.

They are doing their best cowboy and cowgirl impressions here.  Heehee.

And, the closest thing to a group shot we are going to get.  At least Nandini looks good. 
We went back to the farm in November last year when the weather (and lighting!) is a lot milder and I'm thinking we have to do the same thing again this year. 

The best was still when he picked up a baby pumpkin, tried to take a bite out of it and said "Apple??"

I still remember Avinash's first "pumpkin patch" experience.  He was a chubby little one year old and we were completely smitten with him.  Of course we had no clue about going to real pumpkin patches or anything yet, but it the obsession was starting.  And, yes, it is the same hat.  See? I'm nothing if not economical.