WHAT?

Really? Not a single person has a comment to leave about the hilarious pictures below? Come on!

More reasons to love my family ... OR

... more reasons that I might end up in the loony bin.

Benji cried after Chad took away the marker he was chewing on:
Fat lip after a fall in the bathtub:
Ethan took this picture of crazy Daddy. Need I say more?
Ethan took this picture of Benji:
and this one:
And the following are me trying to get a decent picture of both children at the same time. Not an easy task:

Ten things you probably don't know about me

1. I wish I was Anne of Green Gables

2. I love my Schwinn Free Wheeler AL Swivel Double Jogger Stroller that I got free from Christie almost more than life itself.

3. I also love my garlic press from Pampered Chef an enormous amount. It is the greatest garlic press known to man. If you get one, you too will experience the joy that I have experienced.

4. I've been listening to country music lately. For years, I hated it; now there's a whole new genre that my eyes are being opened up to.

5. In college, I took an aesthetics class with Chad to prove my love for him. I tried so hard to understand it, and somehow got a B, but I really hated it, and it caused many fights between Chad and I

6. I used to fold my underwear carefully in a specific way and put the freshly washed ones underneath the older ones, so that they were rotated and all got used evenly. I quit doing this about 2 weeks ago; I finally realized I don't have time for this. Now, they're wadded up in the corner. It'll probably take another month before I'm really okay with this new change. YIKES!

7. My lifelong dream is to publish a book and have it fill the shelves of Barnes and Noble and be on the New York Times Bestseller list.

8. I had a poem published in a Canadian magazine when I was in college.

9. I used to shampoo my hair every single night, always, no exceptions. Then Betsy told me about a girlfriend of hers who has truly amazing hair, and she only shampoos once a month. Since that night 3 weeks ago, I've only been shampooing every other day. On the off-days, I feel ugly and dirty and greasy, but I really want amazing hair.

10. I haven't ovulated in 2 1/2 years.

Halloween

First of all, are we not the most adorable Peter Pan family you've ever seen? AND, I must add that our costumes were homemade! I made Benji's shirt, all of my costume except the wings and the shoes, all of Ethan's costume, and Chad's coat and cravat. Isn't that Martha Stewart of me? Thanks, Michelle, for making Benji's hat when I failed at it.

Here's Captain Hook and Tinkerbell, putting aside their differences for the sake of love:
Here's Ethan trick-or-treating at University Center:
Chad and Benji trick-or-treating at Uni Center:
Benji takes a break in the stroller and enjoys a lollipop:
Here's Ethan with his good friend Gugi:
Here's Ethan with his good friend Kate:
And here's Peter Pan with Mr. Smee:
Here's me with my sweet, darling, chocolate-drooling, sugar-saliva-encrusted children (By the way, Benji refused to let go of his pumpkin all night; he wanted to keep the candy close at hand):

List of things I did NOT do today

1. work out

2. eat healthily

3. sit on the floor and play with my kids

4. have patience with my children

5. go to the WIC office

6. buy plane tickets

7. pay rent

8. talk to good friends

9. read my sister's long email

10. read any of my book

But I DID wash, dry, fold, AND put away 3 loads of laundry, which is quite an accomplishment for one day. And I took care of two kids all day. And I squeezed an hour-long nap in while the kids were down. And I ate tons of Halloween candy; it's taking over my life and my kitchen, so the best thing to do is eat it so it's all gone.

I feel lousy about my lack of accomplishments today, but I need to get over that. I need to be more of a be-er and not such a do-er. It's one of my hubrises.

Make over

What do you think of my sultry new red-headed friend?

(Only positive comments allowed here).

Hi, my name is Benji, and I'm an addict.

Group: Hi, Benji!

Benji: Well, I'm 17 months old, and I already have two addictions.

Group member # 1: Go ahead, Benji, we won't judge you.

Benji: Well, I'm addicted to trash and to making messes. The trash cans and recycling bins are like magnets to me. I'm just drawn to them; I can't help it. I love to take things out of the trash and throw them on the ground, like raw chicken fat that my mommy threw away, or a sticky yogurt container, or soda can. And if there's any drops of soda left in the can, I like to dump it out on the floor too.

(pause)

Group member # 2: Go on, Benji. This is good for you. Get it all out.

Benji: I also love to put non-trash items into the trash. Like my brother's shoe, my mommy's mascara and lip gloss, nail clippers, toy balls, magnets from the fridge, socks, pajama pants, cups, toy robots, and spoons. My mommy gets very upset, but I just can't seem to stop myself. I get such a rush from putting things in the trash can! I sometimes clap for myself and say "Yay" after I put a new item in the trash. (sob)

Group member # 3: Don't worry; crying is good for you.

Benji: My other addiction is making messes. I like to destroy entire areas of the house. I'm like a tornado. My parents sometimes call me the Benjmanian Devil. I like to open drawers and take literally everything out of them. I like to carry some of the items to other random parts of the house and leave them under strange places for my mommy to find later. I like to take Daddy's books down from the shelf and scatter them on the floor. I like to take all the markers and stamps out of the craft drawer and chew on the stamps so that my mouth turns pink or blue. I like to take all the rubber bands from the bag and make it rain rubber bands in the living room. I like to throw my food on the floor when I eat, and drip water or juice out of my cup onto the carpet. I also recently realized that I love to drink liquids from my cup, then spit it out on my shirt. And I like to flush the toilet unnecessarily and then clap for myself.

(pause)

And I like to find the marshmallows and the fruit snacks in the pantry, carry them to my mommy, and whine and cry for her to give some to me.

(pause)

Group leader: Is that everything, Benji?

Benji: No, I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

Group leader: We do. Thank you for sharing, Benji.

Group: Yes, thank you for sharing.

Group leader: Okay, let's close our meeting. Lord, grant me the serenity...