They say the darndest things...

Overheard this week:

1) Colin: "Eamon looks like a vanilla ice cream cone!" (picture to come...when I remember to upload it)

2) Liam: "Mommy, do woodpeckers like rain?" Me: "Um, I'm not sure, I don't think so." Liam: "Well, will they come out in the rain or will they hide?" Me: "I guess they'll hide" Liam: "Are you SURE woodpeckers won't come out in the rain? Mommy! Mommy!" Me, exasperated: "I don't know, Liam, why????" Liam, clutching his balloon from Trader Joe's and frowning: "I'm afraid a woodpecker will come and peck my balloon until it pops!!!"

3) Colin, asking about musical instruments: "What's that one, you know, the Rock Star Violin?" Me: "A guitar????" Colin: "Yes, that's it!" Can you tell we're a little more Vivaldi than Guns N' Roses around here?

4) Liam: "There are no real ghosts. There are no real ghosts. There are no real ghosts. Mommy, are there real ghosts in the WOODS????" .... On second thought, perhaps he was a little young for the Haunted House he went to this week... and maybe that pitch black walk to the neighbors' house last night in the blustery storm past the blowing white ghost wasn't the BEST idea before bed...

4) Eamon: "Clara!" "Woof!" "Sit!!!" (screamed in Clara's ear, hoping to instill in her that he shall take his rightful place as Alpha to her. Someday. When she stops licking his face until he falls over in glee.) "Night-night!" "Mama" "Dada" "Bappa" (Grandpa) "Up" (yelled while vaulting into my lap) "Bock-bock" (eating chicken for dinner) "Ckkkrrrru!" (Truck) Yup... that's about it. At least that I can think of. He is a man of few words, but his sign language repertoire is quite good... and he ALWAYS makes it clear what he wants... generally by lowering his head, furrowing his brow and giving you the Death Look when you do not comply, followed by the Angry Stomp, the Throwing of Toys and the Impish Shriek. Thank God he is so cute.

Autumn Odds and Ends

I've been sort of lame about blogging the last few weeks so a bunch of events and pictures have piled up unblogged! Here are a few hints as to what the Clan has been doing.



A big thanks to Uncle Eddie for the kids' pumpkins. Carving is frustrating for them still so they used Mr. Pumpkin Head pieces to flesh them out. Here's Liam's interpretation of Grammy as a nightclub singer. Notice the golden curls and TWO pocketbooks. She must be a real moneybags!

Our yummy baked rendition of the perfect pumpkin. Colin was introduced to fruit rollups for the first time in making the leaves... love at first sticky bite.

Christopher Columbus setting his sights on the New World with his nifty hat and telescope!

A typical morning in Casa Chaos.

We went to pick pumpkins at an Oktoberfest a local farm. Here's Eamon playing in the outdoor kitchen. Of course, we never got to actually pick pumpkins and Little Bugger melted down at the end of the day.

The big boys and their cousins take a very fast spin around the farm on the Apple Train

Liam feeds the Llamas.

Colin and David are two peas in a pod. They even got photographed for the local paper.

The cousins settle down for some warm fall treats. It was cold and dank that day, but some pulled pork and apple pie did the trick.

Fall fun

Colin uses Daddy's noise-canceling headphones to shield himself from Eamon's shrieking.

Liam was so proud of the "Fairy House" we built out in the woods to ensure that the fairies are warm and cozy all through the winter. He made a path so the fairy could find the house and filled it with all manner of comforts.

Here's a rock bed with pine cone pillow and leaf blanket. We also outfitted the house with a tiny little fireplace with miniature logs, acorn cap bowls, mushroom end tables, a couch made of pinecones, a tree bark roof and wild berries for food. The boys very much enjoyed it and I've been remiss in not bringing them back to check on their houses lately. Colin is concerned the recent rain storm wreaked havoc on them so we'll have to go repair the damage!

A true woodsman.

Eamon didn't build a fairy house but had fun exploring nonetheless.

Liam just loves golf so we had the chance to go indoor mini-golfing on a rainy Saturday and he was thrilled about it.

Eamon spent more time chucking his ball into the many water traps and wielding his club like a weapon, but managed to have fun regardless.

Little Bugger is CONSTANTLY up on the kitchen table. And oh so proud that he stole a bag of crackers to boot.

We went to a local fair and the kids got introduced to face-painting which they loved.

Although the big bouncy house and slide was more exciting!

The boys are OBSESSED with superheroes and I finally had to hide their costumes because they were started to get worn out and it's weeks until Halloween!

Robin makes the perfect side-kick. Though he's already lost his mask somewhere...