Happy Halloween

Halloween was a beautiful warm night. A nice break from the rainy weather we had been having. Everyone had a great time getting into costume, even Anne and Levi. Mackenzie was very excited and wanted to go to a lot of houses...even the scary ones! We now have two buckets full of candy, probably enough to last us until next Halloween.

Auntie Monkey and baby Emersyn

Levi and his trusty steed Juicy

Trick or Treating on Grant

On Saturday afternoon we headed to Grant Ave to meet some friends and go trick or treating. Grant ave is the downtown area of Novato and all of the local businesses were handing out candy. Finn was a little unsure about this at first, but once he discovered the candy he was all about it. He wanted to open each piece as it was given to him. Kenzie was very excited to see her friends and wanted to walk with Logan and hold his hand. Everyone had fun and now we're ready for Halloween night.

Lindsey, Logan, Finnegan, Mackenzie, Jake & Connor

Kenzie & Logan

Halloween Party at School

Today Mackenzie had her first school Halloween party. I think I was more excited about it than she was! We brought her to school and got her into to costume. All the boys were super heroes and all the girls were princesses and fairies. We had all the kids line up and they marched over to San Marin High school  to show off their costumes. Then the high schoolers gave them each a bag of candy and prizes and led them into a classroom. One of the teachers was dressed as a witch and read a story to the kids. She was very animated and had fun trying to get all of the kids to cackle with each page turn. After the story we marched back to the preschool and had snack time. The kids feasted on cupcakes, finger cookies and fruit. It was a cold and rainy morning but everyone still had fun getting in the spirit of Halloween.

all the girls at preschool

waiting outside the high school

princess Mackenzie trying to stay dry

story time with the witch

snacktime

finger cookies

Pumpkin Carving

Today Mackenzie had a playdate with Logan. We decided to decorate pumpkins. The kids are still a little young for carving so we let Daddy carve his while the kids painted theirs. This was Finn's first experience playing with the paints and he did really well. He was very focused on his pumpkin. Everyone had fun especially Daddy. He carved a cat for his pumpkin and baby feet for Emersyn.

gutting the pumpkin

Kenzie & Logan hard at work

Finn the painter

Domestic Bliss

Jim is on leave on week, so we've been enjoying taking him to all our daily events. We've also been keeping him busy with projects around the house. Today he worked on improving the garage. He did a great job putting up shelving and a new cabinet for me. I think we'll keep him around!

Pee Pee on the Potty

We have been slowly working with Finnegan to start using the potty. He is very good at telling us after he has gone and his diaper is wet. He also likes to sit on the toilet and go through the actions. His favorite thing to do is flush the toilet. Well tonight he surprised me! He came to me and said Mommy pee pee. I checked his diaper and he was still dry so I let him sit on the potty chair. After a few minutes he went and was very pleased with himself. We brought everyone in the kitchen to see and clap for him. Hopefully this will be the start to one less child in diapers. 

Finn - very pleased with himself

always checking out the mechanics of things

5 weeks old

Our sweet little girl is 5 weeks old. She still a good sleeper and loves her bouncy chair and her swing. Today she took a snooze next to the window on the counter top. This is her safe spot away from very loving and very interested older brother.

Happy Birthday Daddy

Today was Jim's 39th birthday. We had a relaxing morning hanging around in our jammies and spent the afternoon doing a little shopping for Christmas and birthdays. Then Emersyn and I took Daddy out for a special dinner. We went to Boca an Argentinian restaurant. Jim was very excited to get his steak fix. Emersyn was the perfect date through dinner, but decided she had had enough, so we skipped dessert. We stopped on our way home and picked up cupcakes for the kids. Mackenzie and Finnegan enjoyed singing to Daddy and helping him blow out his candle ( a number 2).  You are a wonderful father and a great Dad. I am so glad we got to spend this special day with you. 

Saturday night fun

Its been a rainy few days with kids cooped up inside, so burn off some energy we place music and dance in the evenings. Mackenzie likes to show us her ballet moves and Finn just loves to run around the room. 

A new sherrif in town

NMC Halloween Party

Today was the Novato Mother's Club Halloween party. They had the party at the middle school's gymnasium. As part of the club membership you need to volunteer 2 hours per year, well I am a little busy this year so I volunteered Jim. I found the perfect job for him...putting on temporary tattoos. So while he was manning his station I had the kids. Our first stop was to see the fire truck and ambulance from the local department. Finn was excited to hop inside to get a closer look. After this we sat down to watch a bubble show and then everyone got their faces painted. Then we went to visit Daddy and get some tattoos. Once Jim was finished with his job he took Mackenzie to the arts and crafts station. Finn was happy to run around and Emersyn was content to sleep in the bjorn. A fun Saturday for everyone.

Fireman Finn

Princess Mackenzie

Jim's temporary tattoo station

One month old

Today marks one month with Miss Emersyn Fiona and the time is flying by. Our first month has seen a cold, eye infection, a belly button that doesn't want to heal and a rash on her face and chest. Other than those challenges she has been a pure joy. She is a sleeper and a snuggler with a gentle disposition. She's even given us a couple of smiles. I am loving spending my time with this adorable little girl. I feel so blessed that we have so many friends and family to help us with the adjustment of bringing our newest Malcolm home. It has made the transition to "Clan Status" a breeze.
The Stats: wt - 10lbs 140z  ht - 22.5 inches

Nicasio Pumpkin Patch

Today the sun was back out and we were excited to head to the pumpkin patch. It was a Monday afternoon so we had the place mostly to ourselves. Mackenzie played in the bounce house until near exhaustion and then we headed for a hay ride. Finn was excited to sit on tractor and check out the gears. After our ride we headed over to the pumpkins to pick out the perfect pumpkin for Daddy. 

Rainy Day

Today we were supposed to head to a pumpkin patch but the weather had other plans. It was our first rainy day since we moved to California. We stayed inside all day and tried to keep the kids entertained with art projects and movies. By the afternoon everyone was going stir crazy so we put on our rain gear and headed out for a walk.

Ruffle Butt

I love picking out clothes for the kids to wear, especially the girls.  I love all the cute newborn outfits and the more ruffles the better!

Man and his grill

Jim is the grill master of our house. We have an old grill that our large family has outgrown, so we decided a new grill would be the perfect birthday gift for Jim. This morning we headed to Sears and found the perfect grill on clearance. One screwdriver and a pair of pliers later and we were able to get the grill into the back of the van. Jim was very excited to ride home in the back seat with his new toy. He was even more excited to cook up some barbecue chicken for everyone.