Morning.
Saturday, October 31st.
Kale was fast asleep. He didn't know what fun was ahead. Halloween had arrived. And on a weekend!
Once about every 7 years, we are blessed with a Saturday Halloween. What a treat for our family. Normally, Matt and I are racing home after an exhausting day at work...to quickly change clothes...and turn the porch light on in preparation for tick-or-treaters. Tired, rushed... a weekday Halloween is never that much fun.
This year, in contrast, was probably my favorite EVER. I had an incredible day. We all did!
Matt treated us to pumpkin pancakes. Made from scratch. Like a pumpkin pie - but in breakfast form. Given the choice... I would always choose pancake! Truly spectacular. Especially once you added the maple syrup and whipped cream.
I found many other uses for whipped cream on this day. We typically don't have it on hand. So I was anxious to add it to any dish that made logical sense. Like coffee!
The extra does of sugar, plus the fantastically warm and sunny weather, resulted in some spontaneous bike-riding. Who would of thunk we could be outside (and shirtless) on Halloween day! As a child, I remember many a Halloween spent cold, wet, and/or snowy. This was not one of them.
We had yet to carve any pumpkins. So today was the day. It was now or never. Just moments prior to commencing the trick-or-treating, Matt finally got around to carving. Sage was supposed to help. But Matt ended up going solo.
Uncle Sam and Alison joined us for the evening. I was worried that spending the night trick-or-treating would put a damper on their Old Town bar-hopping possibilities. But then they kindly reminded me that no one goes to the bars at 6pm. Ah yes! Great point! Ha!
How quickly I have forgotten how life without children works! Sam and Alison had time for us...and with plenty of time to spare for some action in Old Town. We were so excited to have them accompany us. It's one of the reasons I had such a good time on this Halloween. They are a blast to have around :)
Matt invested in an inflatable sumo suit for Halloween this year. And I chose to indulge in a high-end witch hat. This is the first year we have ALL dressed up. And I loved it. Halloween from this year on will always be a full-family full-costume event!
Sam and Sage did a practice round of trick-or-treating in our small cul-de-sac. When 3/4 of the doors weren't answered, we determined it was still too early to head out. So we headed back indoors for another round of spirits. Then the sun began to set. And the real trick-or-treating started!
We covered about 3 miles of the neighborhood. And scored very well in the candy department.
The next day, Sage and I had a great time sorting out his candy loot. Matching like with like.
Since then, the candy has been the #1 toy in the house. The candy has been dumped, sorted, stuffed in an assortment of containers, and eaten piece by piece. Most of it has been mauled, and crumbled, and smashed. Yet still dearly prized by our 3-year-old. Finally, as of today (11/15), a full two weeks later, Sage agreed to put his candy on the doorstep for the Candy Trader. In place of his candy, the Candy Trader left him a Big Hero 6 action figure. He's still not sure the trade was worth it.
The day after Halloween we had some good old-fashioned leaf fun.
Adorable matching shirts compliments of Grandma.
This week we also got hit with our first real frost. So I had to pick all the green, orange, and red tomatoes off the vine. I've been letting them ripen in my garage slowly for the past two weeks. I asked the grocery store for some produce boxes where I could store the tomatoes with enough space to allow for even ripening. And if I did get a rotter, it wouldn't spread too fast.
I've had a constant supply of delicious tomatoes since then.
In the past two weeks, I've made two batches of tomato soup, and the BEST minestrone of my life. Minestrone is really a vegetarian dream. Noodles, beans, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, spinach, Italian green beans celery, carrots. An entire pantry in one wholesome savory soup. I made an Olive Garden copycat recipe. And was just tickled with the results.
We also did a make-your-own-pizza night.
The following Saturday, November 7th, we had a special birthday surprise waiting for Sam. My parents, and Jack, drove into town, arriving early in the afternoon. I invited Sam and Alison over for a "celebratory birthday dinner". When they pulled into the driveway, the Kansas clan hid in the basement. I eventually lured Sam and Alison downstairs, where they stumbled across the rest of the family, huddled together in our lower-level bathroom. Surprise!
Grandma didn't waste any time bonding with her grandkids.
On Sunday, we all met up for brunch in Old Town.
Sunny Colorado = Cool Kids in Shades.
After brunch, we headed to my parent's hotel for a swim. We had the whole pool to ourselves.
Then it was back to Casa De Diemer for a home-cooked meal and a very competitive round of Catch Phrase.
Grandpa grilled steaks and baked potatoes. My mom and I made a killer brussel sprout, cranberry, and gorgonzola salad. What a feast!
We worked hard to keep Sage entertained during all the cooking and game-playing. Gourd-sorting was just one of many creative ideas.
Another winner was mini-tree decorating. Now typically, we don't unveil a single Christmas decoration until Thanksgiving day. But Sage it quite aware of the upcoming holiday, as well as the storage location for all our Christmas gear. So after a very convincing bout of begging, we allowed him to have a single small tree. Which he decorated and re-decorated over and and over that evening... and the next evening... and the next.
We bought ourselves many hours of peace and quiet with that single tree. Definitely worth it.
Monday and Tuesday progressed much like normal. The boys went to school. I ran my errands and went to work. My parents busied themselves looking for future housing, in preparation for when they retire and move to Colorado.
But on Wednesday, my mother wanted to keep the boys home from school to have some one-on-one bonding time with them. And what a perfect day to do so! It snowed Wednesday morning, and Sage wanted nothing more than a "snow day."
Matt and I headed off to work, free from the normal drop-off and pick-up duties. And my mother worked hard to meet the constant demands of her 3 and 1-year old grandsons.
Jack helped with the kids. (And made friends with Nico!)
By Thursday morning, the last house guest had departed. Next time we get together...we'll be on the beaches of Key West!
