Halloween Firsts

Tyler's first time trick-or-treating door to door.

We had a great time halloweening with a bunch of friends tonight, but are now officially pumpkined out! On to the next holiday.

Haunted House

Today we went to a pumpkin carving party at this awesome LA home.

The house is so big we couldn't fit it in one shot, and the photos don't do the decor justice. This house is a famous trick-or-treating stop in LA and is owned by one of the directors of Suite Life. Read about his love of Halloween here, and see some more spooky photos here. Tyler was particularly impressed with all of the hanging skeletons. Happy haunting.

Happy 3-0 Mo!

Happy 30th birthday to my wonderful friend Maureen (Mo). Mo is incredibly talented (just click on her name and see for yourself). She also just had auditions for La Scala and The Met - which is huge. She is an up-and-coming opera superstar, and my claim to fame will always be that we once sang (a very short) duet together in Candide. Maureen finally moved to NYC with her husband shortly after Adam and I left. So sad! Just add that to the list of reasons why I miss the city. Here is a shot of me, Maureen, and Adriana when Mo used to visit us in New York. Now I'm the visitor. (I swear that black fuzzy hat I'm wearing was cool at the time).

Happy Birthday Mo! It goes without saying, but I miss you. I love that every time we talk or see each other, it's like no time has passed. Today I will think of you when I pick up a cup of your favorite tea from Aroma.

Autumn in New York

It is 93 degrees right now in Studio City. Seriously?! Like I need another reason to wish I were here:

I would even lug my stroller up two flights of subway stairs!

Trunk or Treat

Every year our church has a huge Halloween party called the Trunk or Treat. It starts out with a chili cook-off and ends up with everyone decorating their trunks and the kids trick-or-treating from car to car. Our church goes all out with decorations, costumes, and tons of people from the neighborhood come to participate. Here are some shots from last night's Trunk or Treat.

Here we are in all our glory. Tyler is Bob the Builder and we are his construction crew.

Adam in the process of decorating our trunk - the construction zone.

Adam and our friend Nick lookin' awesome in their mullets.

 One of Tyler's best buddies, Oliver, checking out the tool belt.

Tyler and Adam went trunk-or-treating while Audrey and I passed out candy at our trunk.

Tyler did a great job. He was pretty overwhelmed when he saw everyone in costume, and there were a couple of "scary" costumes that pushed him over the edge. But of course he is very pleased with his basketful of Halloween loot. He enjoyed a couple Skittles for an after-breakfast treat. One Halloween party down, two more to go!

Grandpa Love

A quick cuddle while carving pumpkins at Grandma & Grandpa Tait's this week. So sweet.

A Boy and His Toys

Tyler went to bed at about 9pm last night. When Adam and I went in to check on him around 11pm, this is what we found. Hilarious! How did he even manage to fall asleep like that? My once baby is turning into such a little kid.

Morning Snack

Tyler and I made this recipe this morning with our leftover pumpkin seeds from last night's carving party at Grandma & Grandpa Tait's. We added a tiny bit of sugar on top as well. I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin seeds, but these were really yummy (and addictive). Sweet, spicy, salty - a perfect fall treat. We've been snacking on them all morning long.

More Lessons From Big Brother

A Little Bit About Us

I'm not sure how I feel about my first official tag, but since this is all about the husband (and lately I've been feeling like this blog needs a little more Adam in it), I'll play along. Here are the rules: Each person answers the questions below and at the end of the post you tag 4 people. Then go to their blog and comment to them that they have been tagged.

What is your husband's name? Adam Carson Tait
How long have you been married? Five years in January
How long did you date? Two years
How old is he? 35
Who eats sweets? We both have a huge sweet tooth.
Who said "I Love You" first? He did when I was visiting him at Surflight Theatre Company in New Jersey one summer.
Who is taller? He is - but not by much.
Who can sing best? He can. But a few years ago it definitely would've been a tie.
Who is smarter? This is a weird question. We are both smart I think.
Who does the laundry? We both do.
Who pays the bills? Mostly me.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you are in bed he does.
Who mows the lawn? What lawn? If you're talking about our apartment building, then it's Alex the gardner. If we owned a home it would definitely be Adam.
Who cooks dinner? We both do. He always cooks the meat.
Who drives? Adam.
Who is the first to admit they are wrong? He is. I am a little too stubborn.
Who kissed who first? He kissed me first outside of a hotel in Melbourne, Florida.
Who asked who out first? It's hard to say when our first official date was since we were friends for so long before we started dating. I would say I did because I bought us tickets to The Last Five Years Off-Broadway when we had a week off from tour.
Who wears the pants? I would like to say we both do, but I just asked Adam and he says it's me.

We met on a national tour of the musical Ragtime.  I was Evelyn Nesbit and Adam was Harry Houdini.

At a random rest stop in Who-Knows-Where, USA (or it could be Canada). We had so much fun on the road.

I included this shot because I think Adam looks like a total stud here. He was in a production of Camelot one summer in New Jersey.

Engaged - Visiting the Washington DC temple where we were going to be married.

Our wedding day - Adam didn't have dandruff, it was snowing that day.

I have tagged Michelle, Sarah, Hillary, and Emily G. because I don't know any of this stuff about their lives and think it would be a good read. Happy blogging girls.

Just Plain Tired

These are the faces of two people desperate for sleep (thanks to our kids who seem to be keeping us up lately). And we definitely need a date night... or two!

High Chair Mileage

Inspired by Lauren's comment on my previous post, I dug up this old photo. Same chair, different child - enjoying his first taste of sweet potato. I think Tyler is about 5 1/2 months here.

 

Time flies...

Five Months Old Today

Welcome to the dinner table little one. 

The Only Way to Clean the House

What do you do when your house is a complete wreck after a full day of fun and craziness with the kids? Why have an 80s dance party of course. These days this is the only way our home gets clean. Turn on the 80s channel, crank the volume, and dance with your baby and two-year-old while cleaning dishes, putting away toys, wiping surfaces, even running a quick vacuum. You should see Tyler's rockin' dance moves to Debbie Gibson, old school Billy Joel, and a chorus of Footloose (watch out Kevin Bacon!). Plus 80s music always puts mommy in that happy place. I don't think there's a better way to clean.

Rave Reviews

Last night I went to see my friend Anne in a production of Baby. She played "Pam" and was by far my favorite performance of the night. (I'm not just saying that because I'm so clearly biased. She was a rockstar!) I've known Anne for almost ten years. She is an amazing friend, so funny, and probably the most giving person I've ever met. Here are a few photos of us from the "old days", doing theatre one summer on Cape Cod. Can't let her forget her roots. Ah, memories...

Bye Bye Birdie

Here's my horrible Music Man wig again! And Anne playing Mrs. Paroo - a role that probably should've been played by a fifty year old woman, hence the "gray" hair. That's summer stock for you.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood.  I was Rosa Bud, but Anne's Flo stole the show. (And again with the wig)

I Don't Want to Speak Too Soon...

But I just have to document that I do indeed have wonderful days with my kids, and thankfully they outnumber the not-so-good days. Despite having to do some apartment manager junk this morning, we had so much fun together. I feel really plugged-in to being their mom today, and we have brought out the best in each other. Tyler was so cute helping me pick out pillows at Bed, Bath, and Beyond that I treated him to lunch at Carney's. What two year old little boy doesn't want to eat hot dogs on a train car? Audrey is at one of my favorite baby ages. I could just eat her up! Plus the hives are gone so that makes me happy. (Could dairy be the answer?). And the weather in LA is fantastic today. I really needed a day like this... filled with joy at being my kids' mom, and grateful that I get the opportunity to stay home with them to share these short years together. Here's to hoping this is the start of a wonderful weekend.

Thursday's Mood

Some days it's hard to be two.

Wegmans Love

My love affair with this east coast grocery store began a few years back when I went to college in Ithaca, NY.  Since then the chain has grown and thankfully there is one only a few short miles from my mom's house in Virginia. We make at least one stop there every time I go home. While browsing Etsy (I'm Christmas shopping way early this year, not sure why?) I came across this reusable shopping bag and it put a smile on my face. Maybe it seems strange to be obsessed with a grocery store, but believe me - if you are ever for any reason in the vicinity of a Wegmans you must go inside and take a shop around. There is none like it (and I have been to a lot of grocery stores). You will then understand the obsession.

I Hate Hives

With every fiber of my being... that kind of hate. I hate hives as much as I hated the four months I battled thrush when I nursed Tyler. That's how much I hate hives. Audrey has had another outbreak. Probably the worst so far. I would post a picture but I feel too bad for her. She doesn't seem bothered... still smiling and giggling, happy as can be with the huge red splotches all over her face and body. The newest theory is her allergy is coming from dairy. So I am now on a nut and dairy free diet. Do you know how hard it is to get all the dairy out of your diet? It seems to be in many of my favorite foods. I mean who wants to eat a salad if you don't get to sprinkle a little cheese on top? And pizza? Does this mean I don't get to finish off the frozen yogurt I bought over the weekend? No milk with my morning oatmeal. And I really, really want some peanut butter. This is getting frustrating. Nursing both of my children has been a wonderful but challenging experience. I think it is worth it, but in many ways it has been a big sacrifice. Hopefully my new diet will reap some rewards: Audrey's skin clearing up, and since I have to cut out so many "fun" foods I think I might get rid of the rest of my baby weight. The experiment continues...

Art Project

This is what we collected on our walk between sessions of General Conference today. Tyler glued the leaves on paper to make his very first collage.

Vintage October

 Our pirate pumpkin - prego with Tyler in Encino - 2005

Tapia Brother's Pumpkin Patch - 2006

Costume contest winner - 2006

Carving pumpkins in Studio City - 2007

Turtle with attitude - 2007

'Tis the Season

It's 100 degrees out today. Probably better weather for popsicle eating than for cookie baking, but I'm geared up for fall (thanks to the teaser weather we had a couple weeks ago). Since it's October, here is a new recipe I stole from one of my Young Women (who confessed that she stole it from my friend Emily). I never considered myself a fan of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, but these are so yummy. I think I ate at least half a dozen at Young Women's the other night. I also love that the recipe only involves three ingredients, and it makes a ton of cookies. That's my kind of recipe. Perfect for sharing... but make sure to keep a dozen for yourself.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 small can of pumpkin
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 box spice cake mix

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the ingredients together (don't add anything to the cake mix). Spoon onto a cookie sheet and bake until they are not gooey. This may take a while, probably around 15-20 minutes. Cool and enjoy with a huge glass of milk!

How easy does that sound!