Fart! I'm Playing Catchup Again!

I was caught up for about a week. Then we started doing all the finish work on our house, and... now all we're doing is finish work on the house. But I'm only a month behind instead of a year behind, so it could be worse.

Tukker earned his Bear badge in cub scouts.

I was emotionally scarred by this photo. I mean, I get that the kid is a nudist, but this was too much even for me.

Tukk went on a field trip to the state capitol. His class has been learning about governments, so he tried out for governor of his class. He didn't win, so we celebrated with a trip to the dollar store so he could pick out a prize for trying. As someone who was cut from pretty much EVERY team imaginable between junior high and high school, I feel like you should get a reward for putting yourself out there. And he was elected as a congressman later that week, so he still gets to help rule his class.

We still have this. She likes to climb on my lap while I'm working, stretch way out, and go to sleep. She's just rubbing in the fact that she's still around, so she won. Friggin cat.

This is why she's still here. Who can say no to this adorableness?

 Rand has been brushing his teeth all by himself. Sometimes it involves hot dogs. I don't know why. I just said, "Good job, buddy," and slowly walked away.

Hot dog tooth brushing is exhausting. But when you inherit sweet superhero jammies from your cousin, you look cool when you sleep... even when you smell slightly of cheese dogs.

House Progress

April

May

August

September 

October 

November

We've been laying flooring and doing all the finish carpentry, including designing the closets and pantry, which was kind of fun. 8-year-old me would be horrified by the fact that all I wanted for Christmas was this gigantic pantry, with a Costco door so I can take my groceries straight out of the car and shove them inside the pantry through a mini door that connects the pantry to the garage. 

Dude. I'm 100% mom. 

December

It's getting closer. Slooooooowly. Exterior is done except for rain gutters and painting the board and batten and shingles. That'll have to wait for warmer weather. We should be getting a driveway and sidewalks later this week. Interior doors are hung, closets are done, trim is (almost) done. Now we're working on base and tile. 

Dear Santa, please send your elves to caulk our house, because caulking is the worst. And, if we're honest, we're a lot older and lazier than we were last time we built a house. 

I Don't Know How This Happened

Once upon a time a tiny, half-starved kitten showed up in Grandpa Babe's shop and walked right into Rander's waiting arms.

It was all shivery and hungry. And pathetic, kind of like the mom who agreed to let the children bring it in the house long enough to warm it up and give it some milk.

I kept telling them she was going back outside, but Rand just kept hugging her and saying, "I love her! She my best fwend!"

And the next thing I knew Yaya and Grandpa were bringing in their old litter box, and the children were naming her.

It's been 3 weeks, and this is still happening.

 Despite my best intentions, and my lifelong loathing of cats, I think Vin is here to stay.

Sigh. 

Aunt Darby's right. We got kittened.

Halloween 2018

I LOOOOOOOOOVE Halloween!

My only goal in life is to become the crazy Halloween lady whose house is super decked out and who wears a Hallween costume all month long like a crazy person. 

It's good to have goals, you know? Really keeps you motivated. 

This year I got to volunteer at Tukk's class party. 

He dressed up as a Broncos player. 

Caulder was Dipper from Gravity Falls, and Rand was The Hulk.

But you guys.... look at this costume. NACHOOOOOOOOO!!!

I almost died laughing when I saw how perfect he looks. I swear I could smooch this kid's face off!

Caulder and Tukker both went trick-or-treating with their friends this year. It was hard for me to accept the fact that they wouldn't want to trick-or-treat with their crazy Halloween mom forever, but I drowned my sorrows by stealing Rand's candy when he wasn't looking.

Cole and I took him around town, instead, and he LOVED it. He kept saying, "This is so fun! I having fun!"

He especially loved the really spooky houses that played music.

And Caulder and Aleah nailed their Dipper and Mabel costumes.

The Muniz Halloween Party

This is one of our favorite events of the year. Kristin's family does a Halloween party every year, and it's so fun!

We made Frankenguac

and mummy dogs.

We played a little game I like to call "chuck cheeseballs at the shaving-cream topped shower cap head that dreams are made of."

It made us all giggle.

And I'm pretty sure Rand ate a few of the shaving-cream covered cheese balls. Gross.

We also played a game where you had to fish gummy worms out of whipping cream without using your hands.

Tukk was the master of that game.

He was even a good sport when Cole smashed an entire plateful of whipping cream in his face.

This part is one of the best things about October!

October 2018

I'm blogging about October! I'm almost all caught up!

Last month we picked out our pumpkins at Baird's Pumpkin Patch. 

Rand became the Wolverine.

He wore this costume for 3 days straight. I had to sneak to wash it after he filled it up with sand.

We made spooky Halloween treats. 

 We took the big boys to their first concert: Jimmy Buffet!

Caulder really enjoyed it. He glared and pouted the entire time. But SINCE the concert I've caught him listening to Jimmy a few times. We'll make a parrot head out of him yet. 

 Fins to the left!

We dodged a couple of snowstorms and finally got back up to the BOG to pick up our trailer. I was getting nervous that it would get snowed in and we'd never see it again, but we got it home!

We carved pumpkins Grandpa Babe style: in the shop with all the power tools.

I'm not sure what was happening here, but no one lost an eye or got stabbed through the intestines, so I'm calling it a win.

The finished goods!

And we ate clam chowder in pumpkin-shaped bread bowls. I decided this needs to be a new thing. We carve pumpkins, then we eat soup in these delicious bowls.

 And cole took Rander Mander fishing one day when I was at work and the big boys were at school.