When Life Gives You Lemons....

We've all heard the saying,"when life gives you lemons...make lemonade". Well in my case, "when life gives you butternut squash...make jack-o-lanterns!" I've searched high and low for big round orange Halloween pumpkins to no avail. There are lots of squash-looking-gourd-like vegetables here but no pumpkins! Probably best because if I could find one it would no doubt cost $100!

So I decided to take some big butternut squash and carve my designs anyway. Happy Halloween everyone and stay tuned for the costume post! You're not going to believe how cute M&M are!

Anonymous Comments

Some "M&M Report" followers have questioned why they couldn't post a comment if they weren't bloggers with an account. So just wanted to update you.... I've changed the setting so anyone can post a comment. Just click on the comment link at the bottom of the post and check the anonymous circle and post your comment. Look forward to hearing from you!

Still Enjoying Pool Fun

One of the great up-sides to living here is the nearly year round hot humid weather. OK yes, that is also one of the down-sides to living here. But when it comes to the pool we have enjoyed it. We've taken to visiting the indoor pool, not because the weather has cooled much, but because we don't have to slather M&M with sunscreen and the whole preparation process is much quicker. More time at the pool!

Mary Ellen is deeply engrossed in the inner workings of blowing up the tweety boat. Really any excuse to be right next to Daddy! Isn't she a doll in her little cherries one-piece?!

Michael practicing his boogie boarding techniques before we leave for the pool.

Now if this isn't the cutest little boy you've ever seen...I don't know who is. Could be a Baby Gap ad!

Lounging after a tiring swim with Mama and Daddy. The secret reason for the pool trips is that they sleep so well afterwards. They are sporting their new beach towels they got for their birthday from Ms. Julia and Col Kevin. Michael's is a robot and to Daddy's delight, Mary Ellen's is a tiger!

Today's "NOOOO..." Moment

Some days I feel all I say is no. Shocking, I know, with the sweet beautiful miracles I call my children. My latest hair-pulling moment is that no matter how small, Mary Ellen seems to find every tiny foreign object on our carpet and put it in her mouth! Now I know that she's just done it, when I look over...usually from blogging or my Facebook page...and see her chewing something. As I scream "Nooooo" as mean as I can to hopefully detour later snacks, she merely smiles at me like "what?".

Things I've now dug out of her mouth...

• Small food crumbs of who-knows-what.
• Wood shards from their toy baskets
• Chips of paint...and I used to make fun of those people who worried about lead paint. I'd piously think, "just don't let your kids eat your walls, big deal!" Live and learn.
• Long strands of my hair.
• Tiny balls of fuzz.
• and the grossest of all...ants! This has happened twice...one time it was on her chin, nice and moist. They are dead ants however...she doesn't hunt them down.
• But most are truly unidentifiable and so small they can barely be seen with the adult eye.

The sad thing is, we have a maid. So I win no Mother-of-the-year awards this week. Must do more vacuuming! Something tells me this may just be the beginning :-)

Little Picasso...OK, More Like Pollock

I thought it would be a fun activity for M&M to use their new crayons and big drawing pads to color their first masterpiece. Now whatever genius decided to market crayons to one year olds, either didn't have kids or did not raise them up through toddler years. No matter how short, chunky, and ergonomic they are constructed, a one year old is going to spend much more time with crayons in their mouth than on the paper. So we live and learn. I promise you that the crayon package said 1+. And I don't want to hear from any of you Mommies out there that your little "Tommy" was regularly drawing trees and sunsets when he was one. I won't believe you!

So they can't really even scribble yet, but I did learn that Mary Ellen can do a pretty good job of turning the pages of her pad on her own. Which is a great pre-literacy skill. This was the one upside to the afternoon adventure.

Mary Ellen contemplating the next grand stroke of her purple crayon.

Michael; the red crayon tastes best!

Ahhhhhh....masterpieces!

Going for a Walk With Dee

It has started to get cooler here. OK, so most people won't think that 90 degrees is very cool. But when you've spent 4 months in upwards of 115 degrees with 80% humidity, 90 is comparatively a cool Fall day! So it was actually possible for us to take a walk around our neighborhood while Mother was here and not completely melt. M&M love to be in their side-by-side stroller and be able to look around at all the flowers and palm trees.

This was our first walk when Mother was here. We all enjoyed it and we even got slightly lost in our compound. That tells you how little we've been able to get out and walk in our own neighborhood this summer...thank heaven for the malls!

This was right before Mother left and we went out for another quick walk to deliver thank you notes to friends who came to their birthday party. It was a bit hotter this day and Mary Ellen didn't like her hat at all. Tough luck...she had to keep it on!

M&M loved having "Dee" here. Every morning when I'd go in to get them up, they'd look around me and watch for Dee to come in the room. I'm already "old hat" I guess! Love & miss you Dee :-)

Just For You Stacey

More gifts from great friends! My forever friend Stacey and her family sent M&M a birthday gift. I call Stacey my forever friend because we've known each other since high school and have been involved in each others lives ever since. We were on our dance line (All American Dolls)together in high school, then went to the same college, pledged the same sorority, and were roommates for a time. We were both in Speech Pathology in college and both came back to Florida after we graduated and worked together in the same school districts. We then started grad school together and travelled back and forth while working full time. God definitely wanted us to stay friends. Stacey has since had FIVE beautiful kiddos...four girls and a boy. She was thrilled when we had M&M and gave me a surprise baby shower, along with the rest of the "Grad School Girls", when we had our "Reunion" the summer before M&M were born. She has been so generous in her gift giving to M&M.

Didn't really plan for this to be an "ode to Stacey" but I'm just now scrapbooking the shower she, Angela and Anne gave me for M&M's baby books, so I'm feeling a bit nostalgic! Special friends during a special time in my life. It was when I was in grad school that I met Andrew. But anyway...we captured the gift opening with some grand photography!

Stacey is one of our regular blog followers so I know the monkey wrapping paper was not by accident. Cute! So if she can pull herself off Facebook for a minute...I know she's getting updated with the M&M Report :-)

Michael is so happy about the cute picture frame. I think it looked like a new fun thing to chew on.
Sweet little Mary Ellen reading the card with Daddy. She just got done with her new thing....pointing to something and saying "dis?" Like she's really wanting to know what each thing is! I think she's collecting words until her mouth finally allows her to say them :-)

Thanks Stacey...For the gift and for your sweet friendship. I know you love these babies...almost as much as we do!

These Robeez Are Made for Walkin'

Dee, the grandkids name for my mother Barbara, gave M&M the best birthday present! They are just taking walking steps...not on their own but along the furniture. So we found the perfect walker while she was here at Mothercare. It's a little shopping cart, with buttons that they can push that plays 3 different songs. They love it and can walk pretty well with it. We had several choices in the store and I'm so glad we chose this one. It's sturdy and has just enough "stuff" on it to be fun but not overstimulating like so many of the walker/activity centers are. The handle also telescopes up so they can use it when they get bigger to tote stuff around in.

Michael, of course, took to it right away after Andrew put it together. He was off and running...well OK walking. He is again sporting his "cheese" face in the picture. We have no idea where he got this from, but it's so funny :-) The video is from the first night we had the walker. Our friend Chris was over visiting encouraging Michael from the sidelines. He's a pro with 3 kiddos of his own and one on the way.

Mary Ellen is still figuring out the one-foot-in-front-of-the-other thing and she's more cautious than Michael. But she can take a few tentative steps with the walker before she sits down. She it so cute and looks so small with it. Bless her heart, she's still under 19lbs. at one year old. Just a petite darlin'!

Tree of Life Trip

Unfortunately there are few "tourist things" to do here so I'm not sure how much fun Mother is having on her visit. But we did go and see one of the country's landmarks the "Tree of Life". It is said to be a miracle. This big tree is growing in the middle of the desert with no irrigation or explainable water source. It is definitely big... and beautiful against the setting sun.

Michael and Mary Ellen were in their car seats ready to go on the world-wind tour around the island. Andrew has given the tour several times and has it down to a science. Michael is sporting his new "cheese" face. For some unknown reason he now does this silly grin every time we get the camera out. Probably because we laugh hysterically when he does it....anything for a laugh, just like his Daddy!

The winds were up that day and we could barely hold onto the kids without blowing over. And they kept squinting with all the wind in their face. Our hair-do's definitely did not make it! But the sand wasn't blowing like it usually is when the winds gets that high, so that was a blessing! These shots are under some of the long reaching branches of the tree. If you look closely you will see the graffiti on the branches. Sad!

Two great shots of M&M sitting on the branches with Daddy holding them up! Fun trip for the whole family, with only some tired crying from Michael on the return trip. Pretty good!

Becoming A Native?

As a fun evening out, Jen and I went to a Henna Salon the day before they PCS'd to Italy. I decided to get it done on my feet and Jen had her hands and palms done. It was a fun experience! Henna is a traditional thing that is done for weddings here. The bride and her bridal party usually have their hands and feet done. It is an amazing art form. These women sit around you and do everything totally free-hand with just a tube of henna. The henna takes some time to dry...a few hours completely. Then it flakes off, which is extremely messy, and the "stain" remains. We had it done over a week ago and it is still almost as clear as the day after we had it done. I was told that it will last around 2 weeks and gradually fade. I guess, this is the poor man's (or scared-man's) tattoo! It is so cool to have it and now I feel like I fit in here...just a little bit :-)

I took the picture below the day after we had it done. It got darker brown over the next day and now it is just slightly starting to fade.

More Gifts!

More gifts just keep coming. We have amazing friends and family! M&M are now becoming experts at opening presents.

The slide show below shows M&M opening gifts from our good friends Stitch & Katy. They are so generous and Katy has to be one of the most thoughtful friends I have. She never forgets a birthday or anniversary.

M& M loved the gifts and the "Crazy Legs Learning Bug", now affectionately called "the bug" is one of their FAVORITE toys! As you'll see in the pictures, Mary Ellen has a lovely scratch on her head from a vigorous session of jumping-in-the-crib.

Our friend Jeanette and her little boy Jacob came over to give M&M gifts the day after the party. Poor Jacob had a playground accident the morning of the party and spent the day in the hospital getting stitches. You could tell he was sad to miss the party, because he kept asking where all the kids (who were invited to the party) were!

Mary Ellen's first doll! As you can see, she is completely in love with it. She's all girl! Michael also loved his hammer and ball set. They both love to carry around the hammer wherever they go!

Jacob is explaining to them, the ins and outs of the new gift as M&M listen intently :-)

My Mother's friend Cindy made these cute little onesie outfits for M&M and she brought them over when she came. Thanks Cindy...what a talent you have!