Fall 101...It's a nice, cool, rainy, fall day. Since I knew it was supposed to rain today, I had promised Jacob that we'd carve the jack o'lantern today. Thank goodness I didn't buy the gigantic pumpkin that I originally had in my hands as I had forgotten how much work it is to scrape out all the pulp. Since we were carving the jack o'lantern, Jacob wanted me to make a pumpkin pie. Okey-dokey, one pumpkin pie coming up! Sorry kid...it will have to be Libby's from a can as my industriousness does not reach to making pumpkin from an ACTUAL existing pumpkin. However, I did separate the pumpkin seeds from the pulp and roasted the pumpkin seeds in the oven. Yum! I had all kinds of flashbacks to growing up. We carved jack o'lanterns every year and roasted the seeds. Now it is time for downtime before I start on beef stew and cornbread for dinner. With a little pumpkin pie for dessert...YUM!

Funny things...Jacob had his first phone call today from a kid in his class just to "chat". It was hilarious! It was one big giggle-fest/who has the biggest and baddest toys/and lots of fart/butt/booger bravado conversation. Wow! It was really quite something to witness.

More Fall Festival Pics...

Fall Festival...This weekend was the annual Fall Festival here in Long Beach. And as luck would have it, my mom, grandma, and Aunt Anita were in town following their fall foliage cruise. They had a great time on the cruise and it was really fun to have them with us for a couple of days. Lots of show-n-tell by the kids and chit chat from the grown-ups. It was fun to show them our town, home, and beach. And Jacob has determined that Aunt Anita is VERY funny! We went out to lunch at Sutton Place (where I work) and then on to the festival. We had fun at the festival. Julia and Ma Mere had their faces painted. We picked and pumpkins and road the merry go round. We opted not to participate in the bouncy slide since we had just had a big lunch. I don't think they would have appreciated the barf-o-rama! We really had a great time catching up and just hanging out. Very relaxing! The only down side is that my TMJ was acting up since the middle of last week and by Fri/Sat, I was in pain and could not longer chew AT ALL. Thanks to Grandma for making me homemade potato soup...yum! Went to the doctor yesterday and am now enjoying the benefits of advil, a muscle relaxer, and an all liquid/soft food diet for at least the next 1-2 weeks. The dentist says absolutely NO chewing. With any luck, maybe I'll lose weight...ha...here's hoping!

Baby Max...Our neighbors, John and Brona, had their baby on Tuesday. Here is the first picture we have seen of baby Max. What a cutie! Can't wait to meet him in person when he comes home in a few days.

Another Funny Conversation...After school today, Jacob played chase on the playground with 2 girls and one of their younger sisters. As we were leaving we could hear the sister's dad yelling for them that it was time to go. As we walked off, Jacob turned to me and said:

Jacob: Whew, it must hard for a dad to have all girls.

Mom: Why do you say that?

Jacob: Cause everybody knows girls are much harder to handle than boys.

Mom: Really?

Jacob: Duh, mom. Everyone knows that.

Ha! Observations from a young boys perspective. Not sure it changes as boys because men...

A New Blessing in the World...Just got word that John and Brona had their baby. Little Max weighed in at 5 lb 14 oz. Jacob and Julia cannot wait to meet the baby and help "take care" of the baby. This ought to be interesting. I can't wait to be a fly on the wall once they come home. What a blessing! It is so exciting! The world immediately looks totally different once you have a baby. I never think of things the same way now. Things that always seemed safe before now seem to be a child safety hazard. A little paranoid, aren't I?

Hallelujah...ROTEL has come to New York...FINALLY! This is a major blessing to our family. Last year during football season, our little local grocery had never even heard of ROTEL. Now this year, it is prominently displayed in the mexican food section. Maybe in some way we have added something to the community...ha! First, it was Pace Picante...now ROTEL! What could happen next?!?! Ha! Once again, it is the little things...