Something Wicked This Way Comes

The leaves aren't changing, and the temperatures haven't dropped.  As far as I'm concerned it's still summer, but the calendar says it's October and the 7yo is ambitious about Halloween this year.

Ben asked why we had so many "cute" Halloween decorations.  "Mom, Halloween is supposed to be scary." Alan picked up on this and followed me around saying, " OOO, Mom, that's so scaring".

So the smiling Jack-o-Lanterns stayed in the Halloween tote because only the really "scaring" decorations met with Ben's approval.  He hit up Dean for some cash to go buy more decorations because the ones we have aren't spooky enough.  We decided to compromise. He gets to make a small list of new purchases and I get to put out a few cute things.  

Even the creepy child's bust got some new fangs for the season.

Tricks and treats and happy haunting to all you Goblins and Ghouls. 

He's decided it's his favorite holiday...mine too.  

"C" is for Cookie

I'm not a baker. My culinary skills are very limited so when my children ask for cookies they usually get store bought sugar cookies and a can of Betty Crocker's finest to frost them with.  I'm not sure what's changed, but we've made our own cookies a few times since being here.  I think a lot of it has to do with the discovery of THE BEST BUTTERCREAM FROSTING EVER, also referred to as mousseline cream.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-buttercream-frosting/

I use the sugar cookie recipe from the plaid Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and slather on the dreamy frosting.  I prefer mine sans sprinkles, but the boys disagree, the more sugar the better.

Conference Weekend

Someone told me as we were moving that one of the most important things for us to do would be to keep our family traditions.  Something about it providing stability and helping the kiddos feel safe.  It seemed obvious to me until I realized last week that one of our family traditions is Sunday morning breakfast before General Conference at Grandma's house.  In fact, most of our family traditions have something to do with our extended family members.  I realized I couldn't rely on my mom's french toast and omelet's anymore and we would need traditions of our own. 

 I had grand ideas of having a very spiritual moment with the kids while reading about King Benjamin and all his people turning the doors of their tents towards the temple to hear the words of the prophet.  In the end it was Dean pulling the new beach umbrella out of the garage just before the opening hymn and fashioning a blanket over it while the boys filled it with pillows.  Ben did say, "Hey Mom, it's like when Lehi and all those guys went into the desert."  I'll take what I can get. 

I sometimes worry that we go to great lengths to "make an impression" and in the end it wouldn't have mattered if we'd gone to all the trouble.  But then Alan came into the kitchen while I was getting lunch and said, "Mom, is it Christmas?"  Ben was quick to remind him that Christmas was "seventy times better than a tent in the living room".

 In the end I think it's a tradition we'll be keeping.  At least until tents stop being cool.  It got them to sit for a while with us while we watched conference, even if they were only planning a "better tent" for next time.

Alabama Snow

I took a drive by myself in search of pumpkins sold on the side of the road and I bumped into this lovely display of cotton.  I had just seen photos from Utah with the early snow and I couldn't help but feel a little homesick.  It's still averaging over 80 degrees here.  The owner of this particular field was just pulling into her driveway when I stopped to ask her if I could snap a few pics.  I know she thought I was a little off, but I suppose it would be the same for someone seeing their first dusting of snow in Sardine Canyon on the drive home from Logan, Ut.  Simply irresistible.

Je m'appelle Sophie

I didn't know she had a name.  

I didn't know she was French.  

     What I did know was that My dad played with her when he was little and then passed it to his siblings.  My Grandma kept it and every grandchild and great-grandchild has chewed on it and loved it since.  I wanted one for Ben when he was teething, but I always thought there would be more children and more chances to purchase one.  Well, that didn't happen, so today, at Sam's Club, when I saw her (and her hefty price tag) sitting conveniently on a pallet next to the diaper display I had to put her in my cart.

Her name is Sophie, and I think she's a hit.

 She's so soft and squeaky.  If this can replace the pacifier we've grown so fond of it will be well worth the money, indeed.

Gator Lake

#5 on the Alabama Bucket List.... See an alligator in the wild - Check

We stopped at Gator Lake this weekend on our way home from the beach.  We made it about three feet and Dean (our fearless leader) saw this sign...

Now Dean has been known to have some irrational fears in the past (sharks will never be in the Pine View Reservoir, babe) but I think most of you reading this will agree that a "Self Guided Nature Trail" is not the thing you want to hear in the same sentence as alligators.  We decided to press forward, past the signs warning us not to feed the alligators (I kid you not) and were pleasantly surprised by the mac-daddy of all gators.  Ten feet long and not six feet from the trail we were standing on.

Just before we walked back some crazy man decided to climb this tree so he could get a better picture.  His rationale was that alligators don't climb trees... an alligator doesn't need to climb if it's only three feet off the ground, buddy. Dean's wise advice to Ben and Alan was, "you only have to be faster than one other person."

We saw some lovely deer as we were leaving.  

Dean fondly named them Appetizer, Main Course and Dessert.

The Spanish Moss only grows in Florida, not Alabama.  I know it's a parasite, 

but it looks so elegant

My favorite picture of the day.  They really do camouflage themselves well.  We have a favorite song on a Tom Chapin cd about a cute little girl with an alligator under her bed.  It happened to be the very next song we listened to on the way home.  "Go to sleep now, Susy, you know it isn't true. What would an alligator be doing under you? Alligators live in ponds, they don't sleep under beds.  

Go to sleep now Susy, and rest your little head."  

I can't be sure, but I swear I saw Dean checking under his side 

before he turned the lights out. 

St Andrew's State Park

It's official, we can't get enough of the beach.  It seems almost magical that we can get up in the morning, decide to head to the beach on a whim, and be back in our own beds the same night.  I'm not sure if the novelty will ever wear off.  I hope it doesn't.

Even though it's Florida, most people refer to the panhandle as "LA"... Lower Alabama

Can't hardly wait

My favorite beach activity

making sure the crabs are still there

Who can resist the bum shot?

The weather cooperated perfectly and we even survived our first encounter with a jellyfish. 

We've decided the beach is a trip we must take at least once a month. And we can! I still can't get over how close it really is.  We've learned how "not" to do it these last two times, but with some keen observation  of the locals, we know an Easy-Up and a Sand Wagon are the next two purchases we need to make.  You should have seen us this time trying to stake down a tarp and some poles.  We looked ridiculous.  Actually, what we looked like were beach novices, which we are, but not for long.  I guarantee it!