It’s been a really long time since I uploaded the iphone photos onto the blog. Here’s a big ole’ bunch of photos from the last month. Mimi, this one’s for you! 
I love one-piece PJ’s. I tried to get a picture of them all wearing them one night but the boys insisted on holding their guitars for the photo. Maybe to off-set the fact that they are in one-piece pajamas? Then India decided to use Rapunzel as a violin and Karis started singing. They made a pretty effective band but I think we need to work on wardrobe if we’re gonna take this show on the road. 
The weather has been wonky all month, which means my allergies have staged a revolt against my entire head, which means I’ve been sick off and on for weeks. The upshot: lots of cuddling. 
Still not believing that these two are five. My kids are now 6, 5, 5, and 2. It feels as crazy as it sounds. 
Jafta is really starting to read this year, so I ordered him several early reader books. He read an entire book to India and I was so thrilled – in part because I was proud of him, and in part because I’m happy to have someone else pick up the reading duties. 
I’m loving this shirt I just bought from Dangerous Negro. 
We spent much of September and early October deliberating over what the kids would be for Halloween. They changed their minds several times a day. I tried really hard to get them to all choose something along a similar theme. I think you can see who won that debate. 
The girls and I got to attend Strawberry Shortcake’s birthday party in LA. This is one of the occupational hazards of blogging: your kids become entitled and think that they should be able to attend the birthday party of every character they adore. Lucky for me, Strawberry Shortcake is on the top of their list. (And mine. Man, I loved those dolls when I was a kid!) 
India thinks that she and Strawberry are BFF. 
(Did you know there is a new Strawberry Shortcake show on HUB? It’s pretty darling.) 
After the birthday party, there was a moment of crisis where the girls grappled with whether or not to go trick-or-treating as Rapunzel or Strawberry Shortcake. Life is full of hard decisions. 
The other day we found a bluebird in our yard, who flew away as soon as we spotted him. The boys decided that the violin would lure him back. It did not work. (This picture is only cute because YOU CANNOT HEAR IT.) 
We are trying to incorporate a little meditation/strong sitting into our daily routine. It’s pretty cute. 
The day before Halloween we attended a fundraiser at South Coast Plaza. (Kembe was off apple-picking with Grandma and Grandpa). I knew there would be face-painting and crafts involved so I refused to let them wear their real costumes. Jafta is wearing his PJ’s, and the girls are wearing $7 tees from the Disney store with some cow-print fabric glued to their jeans. This is my one craft for the year.
Can we talk about the slutty Halloween costumes for a minute? This girl was all of nine years old with her butt hanging out of a Sexy Devil costume with fishnet tights. I complained about it to Mark and he assured me that Jafta was still too young to notice. Sure, Mark.
Jafta asked the face painters to make him a skeleton zombie. I was impressed with the result. 
The face-painting was supposed to be of the kid variety (flowers, spiderman, etc) but India sat down and asked the lady to give her “grown-up makeup”. If this child ever saw an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras, life as we know it would be over. 
We had the kids paint their pumpkins this year, since having them carve with sharp instruments seemed like a safety concern. And also because the insides of pumpkins make me want to BARF. 
Karis’s painting technique is to mix all of the colors until she achieves brown and then to paint herself. 
No comment on this mother’s choice of Halloween costume for a 9am party for four and five-year-olds. Ahem.
Waving to people while walking in a parade was the highlight of India’s year. 
Karis was a fan of the walk and wave, too. I also love how this boy’s REAL Woody costume punctuates the slacker get-up I sent Kembe to school wearing. Oh, look: A T-SHIRT! And scene. 
But hey. The real costumes were kept clean for the main event.
Since my kids were little, I’ve always told them that the Halloween tradition is that you collect candy from trick-or-treating and then put it in a bowl for other kids who come by. I figured they were too old to pull that off anymore, but when they got back to the house they pulled out a few candies and then dumped their loot in the bowl for me to pass out. We ended Halloween with less candy than we started with. Suckas!! (I mean, what sweet, generous children. Of course.)
