I was worried that the 20" would be too big for him but, clearly, I was very wrong.
Lolo with some of his grandbabies.
The train table from Lolo is the greatest gift ever! ALL THREE BOYS can stay occupied with it for hours. I love it.
The boys and their loot at Grandma's!!!
Cutest things ever, or what?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE MAN. I hope you know that you are VERY MUCH LOVED. I don't expect you to know EXACTLY how much you are loved, because that is something that even I cannot comprehend or quantify. You and your brothers are MY LIFE. I LOVE YOU WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING!!!!
Isaiah and Sloane, one of his friends from school. Conveniently, their moms have become friends as well, so we were able to continue the celebration with dinner at their home after the program. Sloane has a little brother that is 6 months older than Mikey, so those two hit it off very well. Liam, well....Liam just kind of scooted around and mingled with everyone. :)
Mikey refused to attend the program unless he could wear his jammies, just like his Kuya.
Isaiah and a friend right before the program.
I was also inspired by a friend to make these super cute baggies of white chocolate peppermint bark for some of the moms in Isaiah's class and both of the boys' teachers. 
Soooooo stinkin' easy, it's unbelievable. Melt the chips, spread on wax paper, sprinkle with crushed candy cane, stick in the fridge to harden, then break into 'bark-like' chunks. But, I must share with you the ultimate secret of this recipe (at least it's ultimate to me, it could be I'm the only uninformed one regarding the melting of chocolate), MELT THE CHOCOLATE CHIPS IN THE MICROWAVE!!! Otherwise, you'll spend forever trying to figure out the best way on the stove, only to discovered that there isn't one...not that I had that problem...(haha!) This project is UNBELIEVABLY easy, not to mention DELICIOUS!! I couldn't stop munching while I was breaking the bark up into pieces.
At the tournament, he first learned what it was like to lose a match and he also learned, very quickly, that it was a feeling he did not like. This was obvious in his second match, where he was able to quickly submit his opponent, giving him the 3rd place medal!!! The submission he used on his opponent involved bending his opponent's arm backward until he 'tapped' or submitted. Afterwards, Isaiah apologized for hurting him, gave him a hug and offered to share a rice krispy treat with him. :) I'm so glad we have found HIS sport. This is what he loves to do, looks forward to, it brings out the best in him, and it makes him happy. Shawn and I couldn't be any more proud!
Eggplant slices
Freshly made sauce from scratch.
I had a curious little helper in the kitchen with me all morning. Liam was enjoying playing with the bowls and utensils. I hope one day he will also share our love for cooking.
They suggest tying a pair with a nice ribbon and bottle of soap. Sounds like a great idea. But I haven't quite decided if I want to do that. I may use the same pattern, just a little skinnier and longer, to make some cute scarves. We shall see......
I'm thinking ahead this year. Unlike last, when I went crazy and bought all new ornaments for our tree, half of which were GLASS! Yes, I know, so shoot me. I realized my poor decision immediately, as soon as the first ornament fell from the tree and shattered into a gazillion pieces (yanked down by Baby Mikey, who was 1.5yo at the time). Rest assured, all glass ornaments were promptly returned to JoAnn that same afternoon. 
I had to zoom in on my favoritest of my favorite ornaments...my Starbucks cups, in white and Christmas. Love them! Thank you, Ebay! My second favoritest of my favorite is our Yo Gabba Gabba ormament collection, all five characters gifted by Auntie Tracey last year. Those ridiculous, yet extremely cute, things were spotted at Urban Outfitters in Santana Row, and were damn freaking expensive. Obvious display of our obsession with the show, which far surpasses the childrens'. Thank you, Obsessive Auntie. I believe that is the primary reason the two of us get along so well. Love ya! ;)
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Wowwwww. I was managing my photos on Shutterfly and discovered this cool, new way of linking my photos to my blog! I'm excited because this makes it a lot easier to share photos. Here's a few from our Thanksgiving dinner at our place. So glad we were able to get everyone together and share this occasion. We definitely have plenty to be thankful for and needed lots of help tooting our horns!!!
The menu was fantastic and the wine selection was even better. I've finally come to terms with my waistline and have attributed it to a happy, well-fed home. :) I can't help it if we love to cook and, therefore, eat!!!! Shawn's philosophy is that a skinny cook is not a good cook! I think it's true...look at Paula Deen and Ina Garten. :)
Liam has taken to it very well. Even after a huge dinner of turkey, vegetables and rice, as evidenced by the globs of orange all around his mouth and nose, he was quite happy to nibble on this exciting new piece of jewelry that mama has donned. After he broke a second necklace, I decided I needed to think of SOMETHING. But, apparently, someone else already thought of that 'something'.
I got the idea from the blog called Living Locurto; lots of great creative ideas for people like me, who can't think up an idea if my life depended on it. Instead of using craft paper to decorate the lid, I slipped a thin square of fabric between the collar and lid before screwing them onto the jar. They came out so stinkin' cute, I LOVE THEM!!!! You can probably catch a glimpse of my little helper in the background, who worked terribly hard at cutting and punching the paper for me. So much fun!
We carved our first pumpkin for this year! The design was drawn by Shawn, as dictated by Isaiah, then cut by moi. That's why the left eye looks 'lazy', as Shawn called it. Don't worry, I fixed it after I took this picture. :)
We've had our pumpkins for a few weeks now and, since we won't be carving them until later this week, they've been looking quite blah. These kitty cat masks are the perfect pick-me-up that they needed to hold them over until we begin our ultimate makeover on them later this week. :)
I love that the kids are excited about Halloween and we've definitely made it a big deal this year with decorating the house inside and out. But, I must say, these little plastic spider critters have been keeping me on my toes for the past few days. I find them everywhere and see them in my peripheral vision, and each time, it never fails to startle me! I can't wait to collect them and put them away...until next year! :)
This week, Isaiah has been "Star of the Week" at school. He is having lots of fun with his new and exciting, yet short-lived, title. Sporting this title for a week entails a long list of duties and fun things to share! Isaiah's favorite is having the tasks of being line leader and lunch helper for A WHOLE WEEK. How awesome is that?? Apparently, VERY awesome in the eyes of a 5yo.
Today, I made pumpkin pie for the first time! 
What's next??
Can you spot my little pumpkin?
The Adams pumpkin patch. :)
Mikey takes his tractor riding seriously, you know.
He's definitely grown since last year!
A silly buncha boys. So adorable, they all are!
The boys and I were very glad that Papa was able to make a cameo at this playgroup outing, since it was along his normal route, and even the same time, that he goes to work. I wonder if he feels the same way?? heehee
The "Trick or Treat" banner is another one with a printable template that I found on Skip to My Lou. I just love that website. Lots of fun ideas for any occasion, as well. I took the author's advice and used light coat of spray adhesive and glitter. 
While at Michaels to buy glitter, I discovered a glitter equivalent called "Tiny Glass Marbles" and I'm hooked. I'm always hesitant to use glitter in any project just for the crazy mess that I will inevitably be left with, even after I've 'cleaned up'. These tiny marbles are awesome. They don't cling to clothing as readily as regular glitter and look fantastic. Very cool!
Shawn celebrated his 36th birthday on 9/15. Isaiah started soccer with the local soccer academy, Just4Kicks, that same day. 
Shawn and I went away for a weekend getaway to Napa Valley, sans kids (that's a huge thing for us), to celebrate his birthday on 9/17-19. 
Isaiah's elementary school held their first major school fundraiser, Around the World at Traina, so I spent lots of time helping the Parent's Club prepare for the event. Here's a shot of the awesome bake sale table I helped at. They had a fantastic turnout!
Interspersed among all of that up there are the usual: work, Kindergarten and homework, preschool, playgroup, PTA meetings, Moms Nights Out....WHEW! You can see why I've fallen behind in my blogging!
