Oink

Yes, I did say I wanted life to slow down for a bit. But apparently there is no halfway--full steam or grinding halt. Is it swine flu? Does it matter?--chills, fever, dripping, coughing, sneezing. . . . Even the big guy has fallen. I'm on day four and at least I'm not any worse today. So, which movie should I zone out in front of today? Forced relaxation, it could be much worse.

Halloween 09

Trick or Treat. Halloween night was perfect. Perfect temperature with a bit of a breeze to add to the spookiness. Here are the kids in their costumes. The girls were all mascots from different companies.Reagan was the green M&M girl.

Lilly was the Energizer Bunny. This was not a hard sell for her. She always has energy.

Rachael was the Chiquita Banana Girl. She even knew the song to go with the costume.

Geoffrey was going to be the Geico Caveman for our annual Trunk or Treat party at church but due to a lack of long locks and facial hair he was a Canadian chef who lacked good knife skills (bloody hand).

Annual Fall Trip 09

This Saturday we took our annual New England Fall Trip. This year we went to Western Massachusetts with the Stevens and Grandpa Rogers. It was supposed to rain today, maybe even snow but we ended up having a gorgeous day. Sunny, a little brisk, but beautiful.

Our first stop was The Rock House Reservation in West Brookfield.

This is Carter Pond with a very large boulder right in the middle. When the girls saw it they said, "Now, if we just had a boat. . . "

This is the Rock House. The kids spent very little time here because they were much more interested in climbing to the top. There was a very large drop off at the top so I really had to climb fast to keep up with them. They are fast!

What a view!

This rock is aptly named, "Balance Rock".

Here's me (Tanya) and Mike. Silly, Mike.

Lilly found a great place to sit and rest.

Reagan also found a place to relax.

We walked all the way around the pond. Here's a view from the other side.

The second stop was lunch. We went to The Munich Haus in Chicopee. We all enjoyed our German lunch. They brought us freshly made potato chips and an awesome dip. We had potato pancakes, spaetzle, and several different varieties of schnitzel, lentil soup or salad, and a variety of sides. I think even Geoffrey left there full and happy.

The next stop was the Holyoke Merry-go-Round. This Merry-go-Round was inside and only $1 a ride. So we rode twice.

Last Stop-Dinosaur Footprints in Holyoke

This is one of the many dinosaur footprints that we saw.

Geoffrey finally found a creature with bigger feet than his.

Here's the whole crew--minus the photographer (me).

We have had a lot of fun on our annual fall trips--pumpkin chunkin with the trebuchet, seeing a scarecrow with a pumpkin for a butt (with a crack no less), Ben and Jerry's factory tour when they served us and 2 other large Mormon families coffee ice cream and we all had to decline, and of course the great laughs we have had just being silly in the car. The last time we went to Western Mass we had some laughs about the town of Belchertown. This time it was about the town of Ware. Jason played right into it when he called and asked us where we were. Where? Ware? We are Ware. Ware are you? Incidentally they were in Ware.

Indian Leg Wrestling

Both Mike and the kids were feeling squirrelly tonight so I knew they needed some physical exertion. It was time for Indian Leg Wrestling. For those of you not familiar with this fun sport here are the rules from ehow.

Instructions
Step 1
Both contestants must lay on the floor. Each contestant is required to lay on the floor with their hips even with one another, but each player laying in the opposite direction.
Step 2
Next, each player raises their legs up in the air three times with their leg at a ninety degree angle to their body. Each time their leg reaches the top they count, 1, 2, 3 and then yell "go!"
Step 3
The two contestants must lock legs at the knee and push forward with all their strength trying to flip the other contestant backward.
Step 4
Once one contestant has completely flipped the other player over the game is over and the winner is declared. Continue the process until only one person remains.

Results: The last time we played this Mike, of course, beat us all, but I could still beat Geoffrey. I was not confident that I could still beat my nearly 6 ft tall son anymore. The first three times tonight, I beat him. But then. . . something clicked and he actually used the muscles he's been developing. . and he clobbered me. Now that confidence was gained, could he beat dear old dad?
Well, almost but not quite. Dad is still the king of leg wrestling but he may one day get dethroned.

On a side note, Reagan fights dirty. Clearly she could not actually beat anyone (although dad let her flip him once) so when she starts to lose, she slips her leg out of the hold and kicks the other person in the ribs. Ouch.

So who is the King of Leg Wrestling in your home?

A Visit to Nintendo Headquarters

This evening we asked the kids for input for our annual fall trip. Rachael was "dancing' a bit as she suggested that we go visit the Nintendo Headquarters. Michael said, "No, we are not going to visit Nintendo Headquarters but you might want to visit the bathroom." Then he got a funny smile on his face and we all realized the connection as Rachael headed off to wee (wii). So now the new Roger's euphemism is, "I need to visit Nintendo Headquarters."

Granola

Today, Reagan and I made some homemade granola. Since it was past breakfast when it was done, I had it for lunch over a bit of vanilla yogurt. When Geoffrey walked in after school he immediately yelled out, "What are you making, it smells so good?! I could smell it all the way at the end of the driveway." It's eleven o'clock now, and it still smells good in the house. So to make your house smell wonderful, and have yummy breakfast for quite some time, here is the recipe that I used.

9 cups oats

2 cups sunflower seeds

2 cups sweetened coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup maple syrup (we use a homemade syrup)

1 cup oil

1 cup water

1 cup honey

1-2 T salt

2 t vanilla

Clearly granola is versatile and you can put whatever you want in it--more nuts, cinnamon, dried fruit, etc.

Pack into two jelly roll pans. The packed parts will form yummy clumps so don't spread it out too much. Bake at 275 until golden colored. The edges will bake first so keep an eye on it and rearrange if necessary. It takes at least an hour to an hour and a half at this temperature. I always get impatient and crank the oven up to 300 at the end. I can't wait until breakfast tomorrow.

Apple and Pumpkin Picking

Reagan and I got to go on two fun field trips with friends from church.
First trip--Apple Picking.
Reagan was feeling silly on apple picking day so I guess it's only fitting that she would only pose as a monkey in front of the silly tree that "grows" pumpkins.
Here is Reagan's bag of apples. She enjoyed picking them and really loved the applesauce we made later in the week.

Second trip--Pumpkin Picking.

We got there a few minutes early so Reagan got to try out the big slide and the horsey swings. This was awesome because all morning Reagan had been telling me that she wanted to ride a horse.

Reagan picked out the perfect pumpkin.

Reagan was intrigued by some of the other pumpkins that had stripes on them. Notice Reagan's stripey pants. That morning I told her that they would be perfect pumpkin picking pants since they were orange. Reagan replied with, "No MOM! These are Tigger pants!"

Two great days with some beautiful New England fall weather. Love it.