Halloween!!

Today was the big day for the Halloween festivities at CVIS, Maxxi’s school.  The kids dressed in costume for the school day, had a morning desfile de disfraz (costume parade), and there was a carnival this evening, complete with bake sale, cake walk, and a super scary haunted house with plenty of gorey zombies and even a chainsaw (we skipped that attraction – Maxxi due to being 3, and us due to the immense waiting line to get in… I was bummed not to experience the horror first hand, but I am more horrified by standing in lines I suppose).

This year Maxxi dressed as Thor, God of Thunder.  My dad brought down his awesome costume, and we had given him a sweet nerf Thor’s hammer for his birthday which has since been a favorite toy.  Of course, after 2 months of having the hammer around, the night before dress-up day we go out to dinner and come home to find the hammer – the HAMMER! – destroyed by the dog.  Gabbi was the one to discover the disaster and when I came down from putting Maxxi to sleep, he was so heartbroken I thought maybe the cat had died.  No wait, he was more heartbroken than that.  Gabbi got busy making Maxxi the coolest “Capitan Mexico” shield and helmet (converting the previous iteration of Captain America shield & helmet that he made him last week), and I managed to rebuild the hammer using an ipod box and duct tape.  Whew – day saved by late-night craftiness.  Thor had his hammer, and a super rad Capitan Mexico costume for Friday show-and-tell.  Of course this hammer actually packs a punch vs. the nerf version – I was a little worried about sending him to school with an actual weapon, but I didn’t hear any reports of bludgeoning from the teacher (that would be “Miss America,” by the way) so I guess we’re all good.

I made what turned out to be a darn-tootin’ good Jesse (Toy Story) costume that was a big hit with the little ones.  Gab went as Green Lantern, Sayulita sector, but Maxxi commandeered his mask and ring mid-way through the night, becoming Green Thor of Asgaard sector.

I also made my first batch of school bake-sale cupcakes: white-as-a-ghost white chocolate mud cupcakes.  So yum.  I made these for Gabbi’s birthday (white chocolate being his fave) and they are delicious and quite easy.  Get the recipe here.   All in all, a great start to another halloween with our little king-of-costumes.

Before bedtime, I just had to coax Maxxi into his “Woody” PJs (and boots and hat) for a Woody’s Roundup cast reunion photo.

Buenas noches, vaquero, you inspire me so.

love, Mommy/Jesse/Lois Lane/Leia/Jane/D-rek/MJ/<insert future pretend counterpart names here>

-QM

La Paloma Blanca

Maxxi singing with his Nona, abuela-extraordinaire.

Come back soon, Nona, te extrañamos mucho!!

…and now for something completely different, equally awesome:

https://www.tumblr.com/gabrea/4544014608/maxxi-wants-to-be-your-doggy-i-love-my-son-i

I ate the eyeball!

Ask my boy what he ate on our recent (amazing, fabulous, wonderful, dreamy) beach camping trip, and  he will give you his biggest grin, exclaiming proudly: “I ate the eyeball!” Yes, the fish eyeball;  and no, despite what the photo below would lead you to think, he was not drunk at the time.

That’s my boy – his papa’s son, through and through!

Safe Haven

photo by Cap Sparling

Coin Operated Re-Dux

Surrounded by music in our house day in and out, Maxxi is really finding his voice and rhythm.  The music is surely alive and thriving, with Los Gatos Negros going full throttle, mama learning to play bass guitar in the band, and the ever present uke and drums duo.  Maxxi lets it all swirl around him, and occasionally fires back his own magic versions of our favorite torch songs.  Witness the awesome-ness that is my boy.  I sure do love him.

my favorite thing you said today:

“Thank you for sharing with me, mom.” -Maxxi at breakfast, Monday morning

…until you sang:

I’m gonna poop on your head, OKAY?

I drink wine, everyday!

I drink wine, everyday!

I drink wine, everyday!

I want to go pants-a-less

(then softly) bumble bee bumble bee

Shades of Sunday

Quiet / Loud

extreme moments i love with my son, and every shade in between

 

My Boy, My Joy

My boy – what joy he brings me each day.  Some days also have their share of frustration (more on this later, and my need/desire/struggle to be more p.a.t.ie…n…..t.), as he stretches his toddler boy wings and asserts his will oh-so-strongly.  Today (most days, every day) I reflect on the loveliness.  So much loveliness and love coming from that boy, it takes my breath away.  My son, my boy, my no-longer-baby, who speaks in full sentences, recites complete books, sings entire songs… who reasons and questions and weighs his options and is starting to understand consequence.  My boy, who sits quietly playing by himself, talking and imagining, re-playing stories from his books and movies, inserting himself into their imagined world, and bringing the characters back into his.

My boy, who rocks out like a maniac on the drums, singing at top volume, dancing like a rock star owning the stage.

My boy, running on the beach, riding horses and building sandcastles with mommy, walking and playing with daddy, throwing the frisbee with us, washing his hands free of sand again and again and again.

My boy, who loves his bedtime books, and has a new tradition started with daddy of just sitting and talking before going to sleep.  “Daddy, can we talk awhile?”

Swoon.

My boy, mi familia = LOVE

ABC, baby!

Gabbi & I both come from a long line of speed-eaters.  We eat fast, our parents eat fast, their parents probably ate fast, and our kid eats fast.  So, as part of my “slow down the eating machine” initiative to teach Maxxi a more relaxed attitude when it comes to wolfing down his chow, we take breaks between bites to drop the spork, count to ten, and sing the alphabet song.  Maxxi’s gotten pretty good at counting over the past few weeks, and has counted to 4 (in English and Spanish) on his own more than a few times.  But today he floored me when, after hearing the song for about a week, he jumped in right on cue with his ABCs.  22 months.  My kid amazes me every day.

QM