My parents arrived yesterday and we went to lunch after I picked them up from the airport. We ordered M’s lunch right away because I could tell she was hungry. By the time our food arrived, she was ready for her dessert: a peanut butter cookie. She also spied my little condiment cup of ketchup. I was hungry, so I just passed it on to her and started eating my lunch. A few minutes later, I really paid attention to what she was doing:

Yep. She’s dipping her cookie in the ketchup. And loving every bit of it!

The other day I was discussing my amigurumi addiction with Lauren. “I have to stop,” I said. “It’s getting out of control. Bella doesn’t need anymore little hippos, pumpkins, vampires, cats, etc.” She suggested that maybe I start giving them away. Aha! A giveaway! And just in time for Halloween!

What the winner will get: This cute amigurumi candy corn, which is totally fat free and has zero calories! It’s crocheted out of soft acrylic yarn and stuffed with polyester fiberfil. Eyes and mouth are embroidered on, so it’s safe (and washable!) if you want to give it to a little one. It’s about three inches tall and two inches wide at the base.

Here’s the skinny (ha, ha): Leave a comment before Wednesday, midnight CST and tell me about your favorite Halloween treat. M will draw a name out of a hat on Thursday and I’ll announce the winner on the blog.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, my favorite Halloween treats are mini twix bars.

Did you make something yourself? Post it here!

This time, I want to hear Joe the Plumber debate Joe Sixpack. What do you think? Would you tune in?

Yesterday, while M was playing with her music bench, the batteries died. I was tired. I suggested that maybe Dad could fix it when he got home. No sooner were the words out of my mouth I thought, “Who am I? What am I teaching my daughter? Wait for someone else to change batteries?” I told her to carry the bench out into the living room and I would get a screwdriver. When I came back, she already had the bench upside down and was working on it! She had gone into her closet and pulled out her little wooden screwdriver puzzle piece. It was so cute!

I used the real screwdriver, pulled out the batteries, and she took them over to the trash. Then we put everything back together, turned on the bench and she continued on with her dancing. Oh, and we did a high five and she exclaimed, “We did it!”

Today, I sat at my desk looking at the wilted daylillies I had asked T to pull the last time he cut the grass. I was avoiding them because of my allergies, but couldn’t stand looking at them anymore. I took my little helper outside and she cut the front lawn while I trimmed the daylillies.

I love how she loves to help out! She likes to fold laundry, sweep the floor and dust with the feather duster. Well, she hands me each piece of laundry out of the basket so I can fold it. And she walks around with her mini dustpan and brush, but doesn’t actually do a lot of sweeping. With the feather duster, though, she actually manages to really dust. She does all of this with such joy and enthusiasm! Sometimes her excitement actually rubs off on me, but I doubt you’ll ever hear me say, “Yay for laundry!”

I have lots of pictures like this. I love their spontaneity. I like catching The Moment. There is something here that you just can’t capture in a portrait studio. Unfortunately, they’re usually in the same spot, in front of the window. In the mornings they are blown out and in the evenings they are grainy or blurry. That’s ok. It’s the moment of the picture I love, not the quality.

Yesterday was T’s birthday. I had hoped to post these yesterday, but we were too busy enjoying the day. I love you, sweetheart! Happy Belated-Blog-Post-Birthday to the best husband and dad in the world! xox