Cousins!

Ezekiel and Luna explore the wonders of Aunt Pat's kitchen.

This rooster, for example, is highly entertaining.

Someone needs to pull up his breeches.

Baby Pepper shows off her sitting and hugging skills.

Luis, Tina and Luna were in town, so we jumped at the chance to get to see them. And to have haystacks with Pat and John. And to cuddle Pepper and see Jo and Chelane. Luna has really grown up and is mastering all sorts of words in both English and Spanish. We enjoyed catching up with everyone and watching Luna and Ezekiel chase each other around the kitchen island.

In other news, happy birthday to Grandpa Jim and today was Oliver's due date, but he's not here yet...

The 39 Steps

David has been telling us bits and pieces about this play, so we were pretty excited to finally go see it tonight. It was amazing, but hard to describe. It is adapted from an Alfred Hitchcock movie, but is really clever and silly. Totally different than the other plays we've seen. Awesome job, David and crew!

(And at intermission we decided to make it a real fancy date night and got $1 snacks from the vending machine in the hallway. Yeah, that's how we roll.)

Jumped Up and Bit Me

So, I got a big ol' fat lip today. I'm not going to try to describe how. Let's just say it involved a large pile of lilac trimmings, our medium sized garbage toter and a small misunderstanding of the laws of physics.

Remembering Grandma Ella

Just a few photos today in honor of my Grandma Ella. She would have been 89 in December. Waiting for that day when we are all reunited.

Salted Caramel Six-Layer Chocolate Cake

The tempting photo from Martha Stewart Living.

What we ended up with.

Padmini and Ezekiel patient wait for the cake to be finished.

Nelita spied an amazing recipe in a recent magazine, and we decided to give it a try. It seemed ridiculously complicated, so clearly must be worth it. We started on Monday night, purchasing the supplies and making all of the key components. My attempt at the caramel filling was an abysmal disaster, but Nelita successfully completed three round cakes and the chocolate frosting.

Yesterday I made another attempt at the caramel sauce then we met up and assembled the cake. That involved slicing each layer in two, dividing the caramel and spreading it, cooling the whole thing then frosting it.

Finally, tonight we got to taste it. I wouldn't have believed it a couple of days ago, but it was totally worth it.

The Wonderful World of...BOXES!

I guess the exciting story here is that Nelita got a new range. But, for Ezekiel it is all about the box. Kennedi got to come over this afternoon and the two had endless fun.

First Word

While out running errands this morning, Robb thought that it might be fun to take Zeke to the pet store. We got to look at the rodents (bleh!) and listen to the little birdies. Then on to the reptiles (only slight bleh). There was a super cute little turtle that was roaming around being funny. Then we went around the corner and when Zeke spotted the aquariums, he stopped in his tracks, pointed and said "ishy".

Bobbing for Arils

Nelita informs me that the little juicy seeds of a pomegranate are arils. Awesome. David has been harvesting bowls full of these tasty treats and apparently this is how Zeke has chosen to enjoy them.

Fall Walla

Enjoying the stray soccer ball from the playground across the street.

Jordan strikes up a conversation with a friendly local.

It was a perfect fall day so it only seemed natural to show Candace and Jordan around Pioneer Park. Of course, Ezekiel may have had some ulterior motives. With the slides and swings and rock climbing stones, the park is one of his favorite places.

Burn Victim—Eek!

Still able to play with Auntie Candace's iPhone.

Showing off for the camera. (Mommy cringing.)

Magic Papaw ointment. Thanks, Candace!

As temperatures have been dropping, we put a fire in the stove tonight for the first time this season. It was lovely. Then it wasn't. Zeke burnt the pads of both his little hands and is learning a tough lesson about the word "hot". Surprisingly he slept well last night and is in high spirits this morning.