Yakima is all about good friends, fruit & fun! The boys & I slipped away to the self-proclaimed "Palm Springs of WA":) (per billboard on way outta town) for Veterans' Day in hopes to help while my good friend Krista was on semi-bedrest but we ended up more on receiving end!! Enjoyed turkey dinner right after arrival on Tues night followed by cute movie Up! Re-Con, Miss Beth & Ty camped out in their parents' room so we could take over their beds; we were even greeted by these signs:)














Of course kids ignored fact that they could sleep in on day off o' school, but had a great time while moms tried to relax in the am-Luke kept busy by loading the dishwasher...
We all sweated a bit in the afternoon over 90 lbs. apples but don't be fooled:) A machine really did most of the work for our applesauce...Ended up leaving with more jars than I brought full of pears, peaches & jam too!Couldn't hit the road before a stop @ Miner's for tasty burgers & shakes. Luke dipped with best of 'em & who could blame him with their bbq ranch fry sauce?! All as good as I remembered:)

T'was short n' sweet visit but well worth it! Thanks Hills!

Little Boy(s) Blue & Christmas Preview

Random post, but I just love my lil' boys' coordination on Sun. in particular...even when they've outgrown their shirts! It's no secret that I've been rolling up their sleeves in button-up shirts for a while as they aren't long enough otherwise. Had to take a pic if it's the last time in this set-anyone know where I can find that classic pin-stripe for my oldest these days? I should've grabbed last one I saw @ consignment store but alas! I was too cheap & now can't find @ Old Navy etc?!
Prob shouldn't be posting this in Nov, but frankly could've in Aug. We (boys already discovered then so we couldn't blame on Santa:( thought Devastator (combo of 6 Transformers) would be hot commodity not unlike Tickle Me Elmo of yesteryear, so snagged what we thought was great deal a couple months ago. Then saw on sale for less this past week, so exchanged & used the difference for more early holiday shopping! Dane was my lil' elf on errands, so he got to see the purchase of his Leapster game on sale. I also picked up some costumes 75% off @ Wal-Mart. Will need to adapt Luke's size if intended for Halloween '10, but I'm afraid others will turn into dress-up. Not bad for $5 apiece, but prob too small by next year?! Guess that won't be end of world 'cuz they think they're coolest things ever now & have already changed their minds re: plan for coming costumes about 5x since Halloween:) I don't know where they got their tendency to plan ahead?!:) Anyway, their new coat & boots respectively were really more needs than wants (not joking about latter since part o' daily attire @ Parker house!!) & can't wait to be wrapped under tree...btw, Dane's expression is intentional 'cuz he was saying "Christmas Rocks!" as I took the pic but I didn't get his 2 thumbs-up in this shot & yes, Cole was hugging Devastator & studying the box long before the camera appeared on the scene! Don't worry if they have already made 2 wish lists from magazine clippings composed of a plethora of items that won't make it into their hot lil' hands no matter how good they've been this year...hate to tell 'em Santa is on a very limited budget his year 'cuz they're extreme believers in a omniproducing toy shop! You can bet I will be emph that t'is better to give than rec've starting tomorrow!!

Calm, Cool & Collected

On Friday, Cole was nominated as "Terrific Kid" by his first grade teacher=>red carpet treatment & award recognition in school assembly :) Fun 'cuz we rec'd letter earlier in the week, but it was supposed to be kept a surprise to him until that very day!!












You'll have to forgive the poor pic quality as I was covering the camera while the main Parker photog was otherwise occupied with his youngest but one of his biggest fans:) Whatever it takes to soothe the lil' guy when he's teething or else the whole gym would've heard Luke instead of Mrs Engle-ugh! And just in case you wondered, here's the namesake of the school-Mr Zeiger himself:) with his wife in a bright Kiwanis jacket since they sponsor the award...













Afterward we had to find Cole in his classroom 'cuz he skipped the little reception in hopes to get out on the playground in time...such a boy! He earned more points in his family's mind when he invited his little bro out to recess with him:)
















Then to make sure he continued to practice what he preached re: positive attitude, we attended his girlfriend's baptism on Sat:) (Actually Dane is pretty infatuated too, so might be a toss-up who's more into the Dent girls but all the more reason to support her...) Here they are giving Maren a gourmet cupcake in honor of her special day; we picked that out @ store instead of an actual white flower 'cuz it tasted better & had same effect:)

Back in the Saddle Again

Cole got his cast removed mid-week--I thought it was funny that the name of the machine was the Stryker!
Gotta compare & contrast...Still a lil' bruised & swollen plus let's be honest, a bit dirtier than the other:(Cole thought the cast smelled gross inside, but that didn't stop him from wanting to bring to next day's show & tell. I told him it wasn't that fascinating to his classmates who'd seen him in it for past month, but he assured me that they would still all want to try it on:) I caught Cole hugging it before we left the office & think he kinda felt like he'd lost a part of him--Of course, Dane had to share the limelight!















His brothers each took a turn, but I'm grateful for their sake & mine that it was only for funsies & we were still smiling after the fact...Would've been bad news for my lil' leftie if it had really been him, not that I don't expect him to have his own turn somewhere down the road-ugh!











Cole was excited to get back on his bike ASAP after a month hiatus!
Although his arm appears to have healed pretty solidly per x-ray, he still has to stay off his fav climbing wall for another couple weeks per dr...All in all, didn't slow him down too much; however, we're grateful that his casting call was endured well & it's over!!

Team Halloween

Started out our Halloween festivities with the ward harvest party (don't ya love how even the Church has gone all p.c. on us when used to be called trunk or treat & confused my boys in meantime?:) The boys got to trick-or-treat inside the Church night early even though it actually was clear outside! Better to see the full moon with my dear! Here they are goin' around with some of their buddies who had their coveted Star Wars theme along with classic pirate costume!
We had high hopes of making it to a pumpkin patch on Saturday since Huskies had a bye week o' football, but "parting is such sweet sorrow" with our beloved Acura MDX & instead spent majority of day @ car dealerships-ugh. Luke was thoroughly entertained & sticky in his car seat by this sucker, his new favorite treat!
The boys made up for it in action-packed afternoon with movie Astro Boy (thanks Kanekoas for man date!:) followed by party in YMCA gym (thanks Flannerys !:)This was Luke's first encounter with foam block pit & he was determined to get to the ball...I'll spare you the video clip, but needless to say I had fun watching his quest!He also liked these ones & I liked keeping him contained:) However it was nice for all of the boys to use up some energy that hour after being very obedient & calm rest o' day despite anticipation of sugar overload!
Then we all got back in our football attire with an extra layer for traditional door-to-door adventure...Notice we hadn't even left house before they were making sure their pads still worked:) Something instinctive in males I guess?! After keeping our promise to stop by home of lady in the ward who had previously lamented that living on a busy st meant missing out on fun of trick-or-treaters @ their door, our only other detour was to see the house decked out once again as a pirate ship (complete with cannons & cool music:) Otherwise, they were content with covering our st & one other neighborhood circle nearby before calling it a night-Ok with me since Luke was spent & their bags were already full!

















I did take a few minutes to explain the art of trading to my older boys once perfected by my sisters and me during our trick-or-treating days. Apparently I left out part that not only were all transactions pending beyond the very Halloween night but also entire stash didn't need to be consumed immediately?! Nor did they get the memo (including baby bro) that "falling back" time-wise should mean extra hour of sleep enjoyed by all next am?! Pretty sure I was the only one who still managed to be late to Church despite additional prep time afforded me by my bright-eyed & bushy-tailed boys @ early hour:)

All I Want For Christmas is My 2 Front Teeth!

Guess never too early to bring on Christmas by looks of stores week before Halloween & now per Cole: He pulled 'em out all by himself with latest couple on past 2 Sun. respectively...guess he reverted back to nearest holiday by the blood that accompanied the act?! Kinda funny that it was only a week after we had his 7 y.o. pics taken too! Earned $2 from tooth fairy + $1 from change given @ Husky Stadium concession stand courtesy of Dad + $2 from Aunt Brooke (betcha she didn't even realize her generosity, so thanks! he found on her bed @ home never mind that she's @ BYU:), So showed off his new smile even more when it totaled enough to buy a Bakugan!

Tonight he decided Dad could best help him to make a lookalike:To rewind a bit, mom got stuck with dirty work again somehow?! Kinda like Christmas tree lighting to compare the holidays once more:) Even after a couple weeks of pumpkins hanging out on the porch, still had to deliberate on the design for a while...Opted for silly faces vs scary this year & decided to add a little pizazz with glitter for eyes, teeth & tongue that will prob never dry-ugh!
Also tried scented votives to set them aglow; we'll see if trick-or-treaters enjoy waft of black licorice & candy corn before they're disappointed that we aren't offering any actual candy since we're gonna be out & about ourselves:) Boys couldn't wait for a preview, so we took advantage of photo op...Huey had to be entertained alongside the carvers, but tried to get in on the action toward the end:


















As usual, all Parker boys still had energy for a round o' wrestling afterward...=perfect conclusion to long-awaited FHE...you see, I had to keep reminding them that we have to wait to carve until week o' Halloween here in WA if we want to avoid moldy Jack-o-Lanterns- ugh!

Makin' & Watchin' Ratatouille on Purple Fri!

My sister inspired me with her variety of meals & of course, Oct. copy of Family Fun magazine (already made white chili earlier this week & will def be whipping up the 2 pumpkin desserts I discovered soon:) There's just somethin' about fall plus tonight's weather kept us cozy indoors after a rainy am jaunt to the park, so-oo...We decided it would be fun to try the recipe for the tasty dish from the movie while watching the little chef in action! I took a few liberties with ingredients; those of you who know me will agree that i'm about furthest you can get from gourmet, but quite resourceful in the kitchen! Having said that, I think it turned out decent for first try?!
Not sure about Ego's critique, but I think t'is a great way to incl lots o' veggies with the sweet dark dinner bread from Costco! Here's the purple eggplant before I peeled per dir:) since the French classically made by simmering that with other herbs etcCole enjoyed, but Dane not so much as he's concerned my picky one-Yes he likes to hang out "in his belly" freq:)
But point of story is, Luke had no prob finishing off his brother's portion while my middle child resorted to Easy Mac!T'was indeed hearty though, as those of us who partook were mighty full after our bowl-Just enough room to finish off last pieces of Luke's b-day cake:) after we laughed in same parts as usual: Our all-time fav scene from Ratatouille occurs when Emil? gets whole bunch of grapes knocked outta him after block of cheese falls behind him & door opens for human to find him guilty as charged:)