A Halloween Bash - Decor

Just a few of my favorite Halloween decorations from this weekend. I had way too much fun this year and may have gone a little overboard. Most of these things I either made, already had or were purchased from the Dollar Store and dressed up a bit to fit the theme: Family Friendly Skulls and Spiders.

It was all about details for me so I'll point a few out for you. The wreath you have seen before but I covered my entire porch in spider web and spiders. My house had over 250 little plastic spiders! Most of those were added to the chandelier which I highlighted as more of an upside down centerpiece. I strung some spiders off of the bottom so it looked like they were coming down onto the table. You can barely see them in the picture above but if you look closely at the picture of the skull you'll see a spider hanging there.

Speaking of that skull, this was a dollar store skull that I covered in fine purple glitter, it looks so much better!

For a little trickery I added creepy eyeballs (the kind where the eyeball always looks up which has always freaked me out) to the sangria. So yummy and spooky!

My most subtle addition was the miniature graveyard with a custom Raiders tombstone. My voodoo didn't seem to work this week!

We didn't ever get the chance to carve the pumpkins but I think they look pretty good there piled up with a giant furry spider to keep them company. Maybe we'll get motivated and carve them in time for Thanksgiving!

And of course no blog post is complete without a picture of Nolan. Here he is getting acquainted with our garden skeleton.

A Halloween Bash

I love Halloween and having Nolan around has only made that feeling stronger. Last year we didn't do much as I figured Nolan wouldn't know any different but I made up for it this year with a Halloween/Seahawk Bash. We invited some friends over to celebrate with us and to watch the Seahawks v Raiders game. The Seahawks lost but the party was super fun.

We had a family of bedbugs over.

The most adorable Turkey dinner ever, complete with waitstaff.

A slew of Seahawk fans, the High School version of Rachelle and The Dude stopped by. So nice to see them all!

The nice Seattle fans that we are, we even invited a representative of Raider Nation to the party. She brought the Budweiser guy and Tinkerbelle for protection.

Only on Halloween can Tinkerbelle and a Bull be BFFs.

This is the only picture I got of Nolan's whole costume, not great, but it will do for now.

And a detail shot so you can enjoy this grumpy bull in all his glory!

He did not like wearing his costume at all so I ended up taking it off him for a little while. See how much happier he is as just a Seahawk fan?

I should have known! Oh well, we had a great time hanging with friends, booing the Raiders and eating lots of food. We hope you all had a wonderful Halloween too!

Love,

the Matador, Running with the Bulls guy and the Bull (a.k.a. - the Clingmans)

A Change of Plans - Pumpkin Patch Edition

For some reason the annual pumpkin patch trip kept falling to the end of our to do list. It was out there looming but for one reason or another we just kept not going. Today was a gorgeous sunny October day so we made it the priority of the day to take the trek down to Carpinito Brothers Farm for Nolan's 2nd year of pumpkin picking. Last year was great, Nolan wasn't mobile yet so he would just sit and pose wherever I propped him. Refresh your memory here, before reading on.

Now I like to think that I have pretty realistic expectations for my toddler. He likes to run, he likes to explore and he loves to meet new people. I kept my goals pretty small. All I wanted was a family photo, a picture of Nolan in the field and maybe a few fun shots. Here is how the day went.

First stop, giant pile of gourds. Nolan loved it here. He would pick one up, oh ah and then find a new one.

This was all very promising for a successful trip. We even got a great Nolan & Papa picture.

Next we grabbed our wheelbarrow and set out to the fields.

A few photo ops with Mom and then off to hunt for pumpkins.

Then this happened.

You can't tell from the picture but he tumbled into a mud puddle and instead of jumping right up to his feet, because toddlers can't do that, he rolled around in it for a while before we could get to him to help him up. That's ok, what's a little mud? It adds personality, right? This can be salvaged, if not for the good story. Deep breaths Megan. So we wiped him off, removed a layer and continued on.

Then this.

Complete face plant into a puddle...awesome!

This is when the perfectionist in me started to doubt the success of the trip. But Nolan wasn't bothered by the mud so we rolled with the punches and continued on with the day.

Cute photo of Nolan in patch, Check! After that we selected our pumpkins, let Nolan pick out a few gourds to bring home and quickly checked out. Before leaving we grabbed someone to take our family photo...check!

Not our best, but at least it tells a story!

Some of my favorite shots of the day were taken after we were done when we turned this mess

into this one,

and then right back to my precious little man.

What a day! In the end we all had fun and there was a lot of laughter so it turned out even better then I had expected.

**Bonus points if you noticed that Nolan wore the same shirt two years in a row. It's the exact same shirt, not one in a different size or anything. I like to stretch his wardrobe out as long as possible. Do you think he can make it another year?

Clementine Turns 3!

Today is my niece's 3rd birthday. This fact is astonishing for many reasons but mostly because it seems like a minute ago that my sister and I were talking about our someday mom dream lives. We would meet at the park while our litter of kids played and we would drink fancy coffee drinks and gossip, giggle and get lost in deep conversations (at least that is how I pictured it anyway). This hasn't happened yet but we try our hardest to get together when we can. This Saturday we got together to celebrate the first Johnson sister baby, Miss Clementine.

There were lots of fun things to play with while there. But the favorite had to be the balloons. Clementine and Nolan were completely content just prancing around the house with them bopping behind. Every so often I could get them to hold still for a photo. Here's Miss Clem looking like a big girl.

And Nolan looking like a stand up comic.

Seriously, can't you just hear him saying, "Have you heard the one about the chicken?"

There was a pinata filled with some of Clementine's favorite things, playdoh, lollipops, silly glasses and plastic dinosaurs. That was a big hit!

And when it came time to blow out the candle, this girl knew just what to do. I mean she has done this birthday thing twice before...she's a pro!

And finally, the best birthday gift of all. Nolan's first PDA, caught on film and everything!

That's right I blurred the edges, it's a moment here! It's really the best gift he could give since it's usually only reserved for Pat or I. I'm so glad he did it, Clementine loves Nolan and I've been told she talks about him all the time. I think if Nolan could talk he would do the same, and this hug shows how much he loves his cousin too.

Happy Birthday Clementine, and thank you Emily for carving the path on this motherhood thing!

I think I have a problem...

I'm addicted to making wreaths! I can't stop myself. It all started with this one for Spring, and then this one for Summer. Well here were are in Fall and I have a lovely store bought Fall wreath that I love. But I just couldn't let that be, I had to make a Halloween wreath! Here it is:

This wreath consists of a wreath form ($2), 3.5lbs of "old fashioned" candy ($5) and a Dollar store sign ($1). I should point out that I'm not sure how much of the 3.5lbs I actually used since Pat got into first. I even bought an unpopular candy so it wouldn't be tempting for us to eat or neighborhood kids to steal. Let's face it, if I saw a wreath made out of Snickers bars it would be hard to resist walking off with that one! So I probably used 3 pounds and I learned that Pat is one of the few people in the world that enjoys Tootsie Rolls and Dots...yuck!

It's really turned into a habit though as I've picked out my new Christmas wreath.

Imagine this with Red instead of Pink, Pat would never go for that!

And the wreath for Nolan's birthday, because what else do 2 year old boys wish for on their Birthday then a wreath made of non blown up balloons?

Again subtract the pink, sigh.

I am just so proud of our door and have a strange fixation on keeping it decorated for each season and holiday, is that really so bad? If I start making a new one for each day of the week you have my permission to lock me up!

Two Little Monkeys...

Luckily no doctors were called!

XOXO

Our 1 and only nap together...EVER!

Nolan was never a super affectionate baby. From day one he preferred to be swaddled in his crib to being held. This was great for me as i was able to get a lot done while he was on his own. Yet I still longed for a cuddly baby, someone to curl up with to read or nap or just hang out...some of my most favorite things. I had given up on this dream of a cuddly boy as I didn't want to force him into it just for me.

But then I started to see a change around the time he was 18 months old. It was little things at first like insisting he sit on my lap when I was reading to him, getting me to play with his hair like I did when we were still nursing (he literally picks up my hand and set it on his head), or coming to me for comfort when he got hurt. I cherished these moments and was thankful for them.

About a month ago it finally happened. Nolan reached his arms up like he wanted me to pick him up but instead of just lifting him up on to the couch, he wrapped his arms around my neck, put his head on my shoulder and hugged me. I froze. I wanted to cry, this was his first true sign of affection and i didn't want it to ever stop at risk of it never happening again. But i forced myself not to cry.

We've been working on discipline techniques and the one I've been using most is positive reinforcement so instead of crying I praised him in hopes that it would reinforce that hugs are great! Sure enough the next day another hug, more reinforcement. Now I'm getting daily hugs and still treasure each one. They come completely randomly, and without warning. Sometimes it's after getting him up from a nap, after eating dinner, or just stopping mid play for some love. And just the other day Pat told me that he had finally gotten his first Nolan hug.

In a way I'm thankful that he took his time to become a cuddler, now I know it's how he feels and it means so much more to us.

Arcade Fire

I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to pursue the things that make me happy and although it took me a while to figure out what that was, I think I'm on the right track.

This week is a great example of how it all works, I had quite a few business, Nolan and I got out of the house to explore and Pat and I crossed seeing Arcade Fire live off our bucket lists. I'm no journalist but I wanted to document this occasion so that someday Nolan could look back at this and realize that his parents were somewhat hip, and having a kid didn't stop that!

So here is my non-journalistic attempt to capture our Arcade Fire experience. The entire band was amazingly talented, playing multiple instruments, sometimes all at once. Their energy and passion were infectious, making even stone cold Pat sway just a little. He won't admit it if you ask but I witnessed it first hand.

Somehow they captured everything I love into one show: duets, sing along chorus (see video footage below) and string and brass instruments. They played a great mix of my favorite songs and a few new ones which I didn't know but loved instantly. It was an incredible night that I would even classify as...I hesitate even typing this as it's soooo cheesy, but it's so true...EPIC! I had chills throughout the show it was that good. I couldn't help but feel that this was an experience that I would be thankful for forever.

Our seats were alright, I would still love to see them in a smaller setting then Key Arena, but the band did a great job making the crowd of almost 10,000 feel pretty cozy.

The band members were jumping and running around on stage the entire time (almost 2 hours) and so I can't blame him for singing this one laying down, he deserved it!
Us at the end of the concert, see all the people? It was a sea of Seattle hipsters!
So much fun! I would definitely go see them again if/when they come back this way, and I can't say that about too many bands.

Having it All!

Last night at Arcade Fire, updated with actual footage, but not mine...my camera died before they got to this song!

This morning at Tot Rock...

I love my life!

Sorry!

I recognize that it's been far too long since my last post and I'm sorry! We are all doing great, Nolan is growing like crazy and learning new things every day! This weekend he learned to cheer while watching football, although we have to teach him to only cheer for our team, he would cheer whenever the crowd would.

He also learned to sign eat, I am not at all surprised that all the words he knows how to sign are related to eating but learning please, thank you and sorry just haven't caught on.

He also learned to do a somersault somewhat by accident. I sometimes do yoga at home and he like to mimic some of the moves I do. He went into downward facing dog and flipped right over, now he tries to do it all the time.

Last week he started swim lessons, and boy does this kid love water. He was trying to squirm out of my hands to swim on his own but i just don't think he's ready for that. But he did volunteer to demonstrate the flutter kick to the rest of his class (I swear he raised his hand and everything). I don't know how this kid got so brave! He learned to float on his back, which took a little struggling at first but once he noticed the flags on the ceiling it was all he wanted to do for the rest of the class. It melts my heart as backstroke was my favorite style and he is well on his way to following in my footsteps.

Regretfully I don't have any photos or video of this. I've been slacking on my documentation duties! There is a good reason for that as I've been busy getting Spot On Events off the ground. If you haven't done so already check out the Spot On Events website here. There is blog there that features event tips, ideas and advice. Let me know what you think!

Here are a few random pictures of Nolan being adorable this last week.

Trying on Daddy's glasses...

I went downstairs to switch some laundry over and this is what I found on my return. Cortez was not too happy about being forced off of his bed. I guess I'll have to find a new place for this table.