happy halloween!

Blue got to wear her Princess Jasmine costume to dance class this morning. And then to Target, because we had to pick up a couple things before heading home. I told her, "Everyone in Target will say, Oh my goodness! Princess Jasmine is shopping in Target!" As soon as we entered the store, Blue turned to me and said sadly, "No one is saying it, Mommy!"

That blurry snapshot was the best I could get because Spider-Man
had a little trouble standing still:

I match my Spider-Man PEZ!

See? I match my Spider-Man PEZ, Mommy!

But the cutest thing of all? The fact that he kept saying, "Cheese!" from behind his mask. Maybe he's smiling inside there?

three things

1. After waiting in line for about an hour so Mommy and Daddy could vote, after being shushed a million times, after waiting another fifteen minutes for Mommy and Daddy to cast their votes, Blue was so confused when we left the library. "Hey! I thought we were going on a boat?!"

2. I need to watch my mouth around the Lion: "Where is my freakin' Spider-Man PEZ? Where the heck is it?"

3. The bank accepted our counteroffer and we will close on Glenbogle on November 14th and pay $10,000 less than we thought we would!

sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds

This recipe from Martha Stewart rocks. It is very tedious and disgusting to separate the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin "guts" but soooo totally worth it:

Ingredients

Makes 1 cup

• 1 medium pumpkin
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• Pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut pumpkin open, removing seeds with a long-handled spoon. Separate flesh from seeds. Pumpkin should yield 1 cup seeds. Spread seeds on parchment in an even layer. Bake until dry, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Let cool.

In a medium bowl combine 3 tablespoons sugar, salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pumpkin seeds and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook until sugar melts and pumpkin seeds begin to caramelize, about 45 to 60 seconds. Transfer to bowl with spices, and stir well to coat. Let cool. These may be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

good grief, good night

What a great night I'm having! Jonny and I took the kids to the library this afternoon and we voted. I love voting. I do not understand people who do not vote; I really don't. I have always voted, even in primaries, and it is a feeling unlike any other...

I am very happy we voted early and I encourage everyone to get out and do it. We were in line for quite a long time (there are a lot of initiatives on Colorado's ballot) and I cannot imagine how crowded it will be on Election Day!

Then we went to Home Depot and looked at paint chips and appliances and flooring for Glenbogle House.


Then we came home and made an awesome faux Chipotle dinner of black bean burritos with guacamole and pico de gallo and lime-cilantro rice. So good. I could eat Mexican food every night. Seriously. Every. Single. Night.

Then the kids made construction paper Jack O'Lanterns and now we are watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

can you hear me now?

I am a mess. Living in a messy apartment.

We had our home inspection on Wednesday. Luckily our new house, although an eyesore, has good bone structure.


We are still set to close on November 14 and that date is approaching at breakneck speed. Since we just moved three months ago, half of our belongings are in storage units downstairs, still boxed. And Jonny saved all of the boxes from when I unpacked, so I have been reusing them. It irks me to buy newspapers just to ball them up and stuff them into the boxes, but at least I have boxes, right?

So my packing style is this:

1. grab a box from the pile in the living room
2. assemble box
3. check the label I scribbled on box this summer
4. fill box with said items

So each box is a surprise. And so each room in the apartment has been half-packed, half-assed. But since no one ever pops over to visit us here, I don't care how disgusting this place is looking. In my head I am already outta here.


Jonathan and I are full of plans for this house. Which we have named Glenbogle House. If you are a fellow Monarch of the Glen fan, you get the joke. If not, um, go rent it from Netflix. You will love it. In the meantime, here is the first sentence of the synopsis on imdb:

Archie MacDonald, carving out a life for himself as a restaurateur in London, finds himself called back to his home in the Scottish Highlands to assume his role as The Laird of Glenbogle and get the 40,000 acre estate back on its feet.

Since this house is so badly in need of some tlc and since it is the neighborhood called Hyland Greens (and since I am obsessed with this freakin' show) Jonny named the house Glenbogle and the name has stuck.


PS Glenbogle is pronounced with a long "o" sound like the word "ogre." Just rent the series, for God's sake! It is awesome.

Mom was here

I was in the kitchen on Friday and noticed all of this candy and junk food on my counter and had to take a photo. It is photographic evidence that Mom was here, since she would not let me take any pictures of her.

the secret

So. The house. I am so excited. I feel like I am on such an emotional rollercoaster, but it just keeps going up and up...

We had that crazy, frantic day Friday and Jonathan got to the house by 5:00 to make an offer. He made an offer and then he decided on the way home to just tell me that we had been outbid. Because I was so intensely passionate about getting that house and because he was afraid if we heard that we didn't get the house while my mom was visiting that it would ruin her visit. And if we did get the house, how excited would I be???? So somehow he convinced me we didn't get the house. And managed to keep up the deception! I am so amazed... and impressed. I could never keep such a secret. I am a total blabbermouth!

Anyway, so he told my mom what was going on because if he didn't tell someone he would just burst! And he heard back from the agent on Monday after we returned from the airport and she told him that all the bids were really close so did he want to submit a better offer? So he did and then had to wait even longer to see if we got the house.

So there I was, completely in the dark and completely crushed that we didn't get the house! But I tried not to talk about it because I didn't want to make him feel bad about it. But my mom and I went shopping on Wednesday with Blue and I just kept talking and talking about the house and its neighborhood and how disappointed I was that we didn't get it. I was also very worried about Jonathan, thinking he had insomnia because he hadn't slept in days (because he was so stressed about the house!) and so I dragged my mom and Blue to Wal-Mart on the way home to pick up some sleeping pills for him.

I walk in the door and he gave me a kiss in the kitchen and said "I love you!" I asked, "What's up with you?" and he handed me a card. Our ten year anniversary (of the day we began dating) is next month and he told me he had bought me an anniversary card but he couldn't wait to give it to me. I said, "Ohhhh, how sweet. I, um, haven't bought a card for you yet, though!" and we laughed.

I opened the card. It was a "Congratulations on Your New Home" card and I thought, he really is serious about getting us a nice house, poor guy. And then I read what he had written inside the card:

I know that traditionally I should get you diamonds for our 10th Anniversary...
but how about a diamond in the rough?

(We got the house!!!)

Love, boy

And I think I read the last line about three times before I burst into tears and asked "What? What? What?" I was so confused. And so emotional. I don't think I have cried that way since the morning he proposed. My hands kept shaking.

That is seriously the most romantic moment ever. Ever.

So we took Mom to see the house today! And I just walked around and around, breathing in the cat smell and dreaming of all of the amazing things we will do to this house. My mom loves it. She was out there weeding the garden and she picked several gorgeous roses and brought them back to the apartment and arranged them in my white creamer and they are so lovely and smell so beautiful... I cannot believe those rose bushes are going to be mine.

Mom

My mom flew in on Monday morning! I have been having the most amazing time and it is just heartbreaking to see her with the kids.

waiting for Grandma

still waiting for Grandma

still waiting

Grandma's here! Grandma's here!

mother and daughter, together at last

Jack-O-Launch

On Saturday we took the kids to Aurora's annual Jack-O-Launch pumpkin toss. We weren't planning on going because it was super cold outside and because it was supposed to rain, but at the very last minute we bundled them up in their hats and coats and went. And I am so happy that we did. I had a blast! There were all these booths set up selling carnival food and painting faces and carving pumpkins

and all these competitors who used various methods to launch the pumpkins. Some had built catapaults, some brought cannons

which the kids thought were a little loud


But we had such a fantastic time and I definitely want to go back next year.

I can't believe it!

ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod

Jonathan completely lied to me about the house. He didn't want me to be stressed out while my mom is visiting. There were two other bids on the house but we didn't know what they were.

Bottom line:

WE GOT THE HOUSE!

This house:


and we close on November 14th, which is ten years to the day that we started dating!

ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod

drama

Yesterday Jonathan and I fell in love. With a house.

And then today we contacted a realtor and found out that this property is bank-owned and there are 2 offers pending and the bank wanted any and all offers submitted by 5:00 tonight!

So we ran around like maniacs, going over all of our debts and incomes. And Jonathan contacted a mortgage broker and got a letter stating how much money we are approved to borrow and then he drove through crazy horrible traffic to meet the agent and submit the offer. Since there were 2 other offers on the house, we went slightly over the asking price. And crossed our fingers and toes. The house needed quite a lot of work so we hoped the others had bid below the asking price.

Jonathan came home and brought me some Mike's Hard Lemonade (it has been a stressful day) and told me that the agent let us know that the other 2 potential buyers have been in a bidding war for weeks now and had both offered substantially higher than we did.

So at least now we know.

End of stress and drama and chest pain and frantic phone calls and racing around like maniacs.

It wasn't meant to be.

But I am so proud of my boy for racing around and doing everything he could possibly do to try and get this house for us. And he is proud of me that I am accepting the end result so well. And we have learned several things from this crazy day:

1. we know how much house we can afford
2. we have found an agent and a broker that we really like
3. we have really narrowed down what we are looking for in a home
4. we know we really want to live in this neighborhood!

It is a gorgeous, gorgeous established neighborhood with a pool and tennis courts and a golf course. Lots of trails and bike paths and mature trees. And the homes are all very well-maintained craftsman-style houses and there are a lot of them (it is a large neighborhood) so hopefully there will be another similar house on the market in the next few months. That won't reek of cat pee.

I didn't mention that the house smelled like cat pee? Oh. Well, it did. But we still loved it.

checking in

Just a brief post because the guilt over not blogging for a few days is creeping up on me.

Lily and Roxanna and Tim went home on Monday!


I left a message on Roxanna's cell yesterday just to say hi. Maybe, hopefully, she was sleeping when I called. I have been afraid to call for fear of waking everyone up because I remember the early days with Blue - of trying to nap whenever/wherever the baby napped.

My mom is visiting next week! I got very homesick for my family after Jonathan's parents visited and I just went online one day and bought my mom an airline ticket. So we are super excited about that. I told Blue that Grandma will sleep in her bed and she can sleep in a sleeping bag. She got so excited: "I can sleep in a sleeping bag!" and then, "What's a sleeping bag?"

So she will be here in five days. I can't wait. It will be much more low-key than Jonathan's parents' visit, because Jonny will be working all week, having just taken 3 weeks off, but I know my mom could care less about touring the great state of Colorado. She just wants to see the kids. And maybe go out to eat.

So there is the excitement over the impending visit. And over Halloween. The kids are very excited about Halloween. We look at all of the Halloween merchandise in the stores whenever we are out. And we read The Five Little Pumpkins at night. Lion is going to be Spider-Man. And Blue is going to be Princess Jasmine even though every other day she decides she no longer likes Jasmine. I say too bad, honey, you already have a Jasmine costume so you are going to be Jasmine!

We were planning to go to Aurora's annual Jack-O-Launch pumpkin toss on Saturday, but now it looks as though we may get some SNOW on Saturday so I'm not sure if we will attend or not. I can't wait! I told Jonathan we are probably the only people in all of Colorado who are excited that it might snow. But I am ready for winter. I gave the kids hot (more like warm, but whatever) chocolate tonight after dinner, even though it was really warm out today.


It was the first time Lion had ever had hot chocolate. He was so cute, sipping out of one of my huge coffee mugs. He would sip very carefully and then he would lift his head and have a huge, goofy smile on his face. I think he really liked the chocolate. He told me he was pretending it was coffee.

Lily is finally here!!!!!

My new "little" niece was delivered via c-section shortly after midnight (Eastern time) tonight!!!!!

Poor Roxanna. Baby Lily weighs 9 and a half pounds!

I cannot wait to see a picture, but Judi told me she has red hair so in the meantime here are some famous redheads: