Sweet Potato

Marie & Mack love all things sweet potato. They watch as I dig them from the garden and count how many are in the bucket. Marie delegates the small as Mackenson's, the medium as hers, the large ones as mine...and the monster sized ones as Papa's! It's all very "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"ish of her. Of course they love to eat them too, baked whole or as fries.

Today was a nice and sunny day so after school while Mack was napping, Marie helped me clean the sweet potatoes we had dug yesterday. We took a pail of water and a brush outside on the lawn. She dropped the dirty ones in and I scrubbed them. When we were done we took them inside and I set them on the counter then got Mack out of bed. When we all went into the kitchen again Marie pointed to the potato and laughed, "Mama the sweet potato eyes, nose, mouth, belly button!". Indeed it does. And what a happy chum he appears to be.

Here is our favorite sweet potato fry recipe:

• cut sweet potatoes into small wedges
• boil in water for 10 minutes
• drain and place on oiled cookie sheet
• spray lightly with olive oil and sprinkle on favorite herb/spice (we like basil, parsley or hot pepper)
• bake in oven at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes

Papa's Birthday

Yesterday was Papa's birthday but he wasn't able to be home to celebrate with us. Poor Papa had to work. Marie and Mackenson thought we should still have cake though, and we did. We sang "happy birthday" and missed Papa. Marie asked if he was going to wear a hat for his birthday like she did. She said she could pataje (share) with him! I could imagine Papa in a princess crown blowing out the candles! We love you, Papa!

The Biggest Yellow Ribbon

Mackenson & were two of over 2000 participants in this yellow ribbon formation of Ft. Knox in honor of our Military Members. What a grand event to be a part of! We are near the top of the ribbon, somewhere around the small gap on the right. Can you see us? Mack is wearing his ducky towel and I am holding him...

Halloween ROCKS!!!

Princess Ferris!Marie Dakar can't wait to dress up for Halloween so while Mackenson napped (petite domi) she dressed up Ferris as a princess!
A Princess, A Frog and Harry PotterMackenson had a frog sound maker in his pocket that was oh so awesome. Marie's princess dress was perfect from being a flower girl in Molly & Steve's wedding. Marie couldn't remember who I was so at the end of the night called me a dinosaur. Great idea for next year,eh?Marie & Mack tear up the neighborhood having a super time Trick-or-Treating. Our Jack-o-Lantern; Marie brought it home from her field trip to the pumpkin patch.

Slippers are a Big Hit

Last week Mackenson & I were lucky enough to find some slippers for him on the thrift store's "everything you can shove into a bag for a dollar" table. Once I explained that they weren't shoes to Marie and him, they both thought they were the cat's pajamas, the bee's knees, radical and all of that. Of course we haven't had the same luck finding a pair for Marie, even new ones...they just don't make many slippers in her size apparently. Today we struck gold and found a pair and of course they were pink, I mean what other color do they make to fit little girls? I would have bought the green camo slippers that are made "for boys" if they had her size but they didn't (and I looked). Hmm, at least she likes pink ...and that's just fine. I'll let my kids make up their own minds about gender specific marketing. Mackenson can keep on carrying his pink cell phone in his valise (purse) and Marie can wear her striped dark blue shirt to school.

Sunday's Report

Marie has adjusted her bedtime ritual to include Papa in the "___ so sweet and so belle"as I am saying the final good-night and closing her bedroom door. She used to only say "Mama so sweet" etc, mostly because she wants me to say she is sweet and pretty back to her. Now she has expanded this to include Papa. She still blows kisses to Papa out her window at bedtime; one sweet kiss and one special Papa kiss (a raspberry kiss). Mackenson is getting so much better on the tricycle. He still can't reach the pedals but rides Flinstone-style and goes further and further. He used to only ride back in forth a couple of feet in the driveway. The last couple of times he has ventured all the way to the neighbor's driveway with Marie, though of course not as fast. He keeps straight for the most part and got himself over the small bump in the sidewalk all by himself. Dylan was treated to some love and play time by Marie this morning. Dylan was sleeping on my bed and Marie petted her. I showed Marie Dylan's mousey toy and threw it to Dylan. Marie loved how she played so threw the mousey a couple of times. Earlier this week Marie had me take Dylan out of her room at bedtime. Dylan walked in when it was mostly dark and meowed. Marie said, "I don't like Dylan here". Guess I don't have to worry about losing my warm fuzzy bedtime back warmer any time soon.
Mackenson doesn't interact with Dylan much, he is a bit too loud with sudden movements for Dylan's liking. Ferris however is just about perfect and Mackenson often will force a puppy kiss from him. Like he really had to work hard. All Mack has to do is be close to Ferris and pull his nose to his own face and Ferris does the rest. Boy do they both love that. Simon remains aloof to them as he is with young animals of any species. Mackenson will occasionally give him a hug and Maire will follow suit if feeling in the mood to copy. Some nights Simon sits with us for a story on the floor before bed. Then in the morning when Mackenson gets out of his crib Simon comes and gives him a kiss. He would do the same for Marie but she isn't too keen on dog kisses.

You Wanted Photos, You Got It!

As requested, here are some photos of the kids. They are not the most recent ones, but are some of my favorites to date of the little cuties.

Here is Marie in her pretty dress that she wore to Molly and Steve's wedding as a flower girl. She is so beautiful in this photo. Mackenson was having fun in boxes one afternoon. There was a shorter box that he sat in while I pulled him around as he laughed...until Marie saw and tried to pull him, almost tipping him over. Hmm...sounds like something I would have done as a kid.