Tidepool Toads: October 2013

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Fall-Time-Favs

Joe and Holly came to town for a little R and R to rest from the vigors of Paris life.

So they went straight to work clearing out the yard!

And then we put them to work babysitting!

AND they came baring gifts! How's that for the best visitors ever?!

Rat Brains and Cubed Earwax! Our Favorite!

Mmmmmm!

We showed our appreciation by making everyone's Fall-Time-Fav, Apple Crisp! Of course Holly and Joe supplied the apples, Northern Spy! A delicious tart apple, perfect for baking.

Not so good for snacking, unless you are LC.

He chowed one down smacking his lips saying, "Mmmmm! Lemonade apple!"

New England Pride

It's official after 12+ yrs. we are finally New Englanders.

Words From The Family Sage

"Mom, I sure love cider. It's the bridge to egg nog town."

Halloween Spoiler

We love Halloween. We spend the entire month looking for the perfect costume for the big night. Impact is everything. You want the costume that will bring in the biggest candy haul!

Superkid is thinking like a Minion!

But there is also the possibility of being an Archer!

Hmmmmm? LC is considering a dinosaur...

And even Spiderman...

But Little Chief is loyal to his elephant costume from last year.

Even though it is better suited for high water conditions, he always comes back!

No contest for Abz. A BAT all the way!

I found this creepy bat-face selfie she left me on my phone.

She is going all out!

She is even seeking recruits!

But Jaws wanted to try a few other costumes on before he locks anything down.

Lobstah!

Little Stinker!

Tadpole makes a cute little Shrek!

Top Gun!

Optimus Prime!

Bumble Bee!

Even Shadow is in on the fun!

Many Hands Make Light Work

Jaws has joined the crew of kitchen helpers...

He mainly takes care of the lower level duties for now...

But he keeps an ambitious eye on big bro. He can hardly wait to fill this apron!

Ta Da!

Look who can stand with no hands!

Actually this picture was taken in September and this stunt is old news.

I am seriously behind on the blogging!

Look forward to a massive catch-up before this kid starts to walk!

Superkid's birthday was the perfect excuse for me to go to one of my favorite places, the bicycle store. When I was a kid we loved to pedal down to the local bike shop and drive the shop keeper nuts.There was a certain little silver number with pink lettering that had my number. I think I took that baby for a enough test drives that I was the only person left who would actually buy the bike. I saved my babysitting money until she was mine. I rode her with pride in the town 4th of July parade. I also spent considerable time rolling over dirt hills pretending I was one of the stunt riders in the coolest movie ever, "Rad".

When I noticed that Superkid's knees were skimming his handlebars I seized the opportunity to steal away to the bike shop. We took this one for a test drive. I'm not sure who was more excited. I talked Pops ear off about the bike until he agreed that the weather was getting colder and we should definitely buy the bike a few weeks before Superkid's birthday so he could enjoy it before it got too cold.

We took it out the following morning. We blissfully rolled through the crunchy leaves past wild turkies and covered bridges, the perfect idyllic morning. That was until after a brief water stop. After remounting, I heard the most horrendous clash of medal ever. I turned expecting to see a mangled heap of bicycle parts and children. Luckily, we were mostly put together if not a little shaken. Superkid forgot to put up his kick stand. It got caught in his pedal, snapped off, through his back wheel 4 feet into the air (his estimate) and flung backwards into the shrubbery. Luckily it didn't smack into Abz who was behind him!

Here I am, happy as a clam.

This is my favorite place to take the big kids. There are plenty of small rolly paths to explore. There is a lot of wild life too! Deer, turkeys, squirrels, birds and mystery animals scratching in the bushes (yikes!).

We got the little kids up and riding again too. Tadpole was ripping it up last fall. He was riding so fast that when his training wheels caught he would spill. So first thing this spring I removed the training wheels. Big mistake, he hasn't touched the bike all summer. You win Tadpole. We moved him up a bike and re-attached the wheels. Should have let him re-gain his confidence after the snow before pulling a fast one. He is back up to speed now!

And Little Chief has joined the peddlers!

We go an adventure whenever possible.
Usually it is a mixture of strollers and bikers, but it is always fun!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

How Do I Love You? Let Me Count 10 Ways

I am his number 1 fan. I love this kiddo to pieces. He holds a special place in many hearts, we are so blessed to have him. All birthday week, Pops and I have been reminiscing about the last decade. We wouldn't trade the last 10 years for anything. He is wonderful. How do we love him? Let me count 10 ways:

1. He has a 6th sense when it comes to knowing when Mom can use a hug. He can turn around any bad day with one of his stealth squeezes.
2. He has a solution to everything. You can't tell this kid something is impossible. Whether it is over a pile of sudsy dishes we are washing together, or if it is before I sneak off to the train in the morning, we are always brainstorming a new way to tackle disease. He has all the ideas, I have all the obstacles. His ideas are bigger than any of my obstacles. They usually involve nanobots and carbon fuels.
3. This kid has to know everything about everything. Google browser is his best friend.
4. He is highly independent. Nobody shovels this kid out of bed in the morning. He is here to tackle the world.
5. His dream is to host a DIY program on You Tube. His current favorite thing to demonstrate is how-to-make rainbow loom bracelets.
6. He is the king of technical speak.
7. He is THE NICEST KID.
8. Ask any grandparent, he is the perfect lap-child, all snuggles no wiggles.
9. When he is thinking of nothing else, he is thinking about flying a jet. I'm just guessing here. I just hear him swooshing and diving as he buzzes through the house.
10. He is always obedient. Always.

Happy Birthday Superkid! The Toads love you to pieces!

Monday, October 14, 2013

October Skies

Saturday was Superkid's 10th Birthday. We decided there was no better way to celebrate than have an, "October Skies" birthday party! Perfect for our little space junkie.

When the kids arrived, Pops helped them assemble their Estes Rockets.

Then we strolled in the light dewey rain behind our house to the big open soccer and baseball field for the launches. The air was wet and cool and there was a slight breeze. Not ideal rocket weather, but nothing that would deter this crowd of enthusiasts. I caught a pic of Nora's rocket a split second after blast off! It was all very exciting. Even though the field was huge, we lost about half of the rockets in the trees and neighbor's yards. That gave the kids a chance to practice their advanced math skills and calculate the rocket's trajectories to locate their downed aircrafts.

Then back home to experiment in making our own rocket fuel (Diet Coke and Mentos).

Then we looked at our watches and realized we still had about an hour to kill so, operation"Run-the-Kids-Ragged" began. We played Black Hole (stuck in the mud), Solar Wind (red light green light), Post Space Mission Muscle Regeneration (wheel barrel races and leap frog) and we even had a competition in aerodynamics (paper airplanes). But the kid's fav was a little game called "Zero Gravity" which is a twist on bobbing for apples.

The kids worked up astronomical appetites,

so we roasted weenies, toasted marshmallows and gorged on s'mores.

Which gave the kiddos super-human strength to pound Superkid on the head with their gifts. They got a huge kick out of "Heavy Heavy Hang-Over" They had never heard of it before.