Tuesdays Treasures: Pumpkin Patches of the Past

Reading Storing Up Treasure's pumpkin posts inspired me to dig out the oldies but goodies. Our first "fall season" in Hoover, Alabama. What a treat for us city slickers. Its 2005, Nicholas is 5 months old. We realize our cute Halloween shirts are just not going to be enough, so we had to have long sleeves on, now this is a first for former Floridians. Next we took a real hayride out to the pumpkin patch where most pumpkins where still attached to the vines! This was another first for us, I never knew how big a pumpkin patch was. After hiking up and down a football field to find just the right one, we had to carry a newborn and a pumpkin about the same weight back to the hayride, without dropping the baby or pumpkin or twisting your ankles climbing over vines. Note to self: cute boots with heals is not appropriate at a real pumpkin patch.

Alabama 2005
Fast forward a year, we are visiting Denise and my parents in WPB, Florida for Jaren's 5 birthday and decide go over to the "pumpkin patch" with my mom (this was always an activity we did). But which patch should we go to? In AL we had 4 main patches but in FL there on every corner! We picked a Florida pumpkin patch on the way home, you know a few pumpkins and faux haystacks in a church parking lot. (that's why FL has so many!) Where we can wear any old shorts and tshirts and the whole choosing/carrying is not a real issue because you look for the non-rotting ones closest to the cash register. But we got to pose with the friendly scarecrow on the way out! Note to self: cute boots with heals is not appropriate in south Florida.

Florida 2006
No need to run out to the pumpkin patch in 2007, we accepted moving back to Florida has many pros (my family and dear friends and no iced over bridges) but has its cons too (2 season summer and hotter then summer). We are going to try a "pumpkin patch" this year since Kelli has said she has never been to one. Let's see what she thinks.....

I "heart" Dawn

Thanks to Dawn my blog has fall wear and a new scrapbooks header! I just could not stop there, I had to redo my sister's blog too! Watch out, if I have your pass codes you may just wake up to a new blog design. I "HeArT" Dawn, my scrapbooking blogging hero!

Mac and Cheese Please?

We spent the weekend at my moms house. When dinner time rolled around my mom asked Kelli and Nicholas if they would like macaroni and cheese. They both jumped up and down with a yes, yes, yes! So my mom takes out a box that does not look like Kraft, but I was helping my dad and didn't really take notice.

The kids are sitting at the table eating, when my dad and I came in and we heard this conversation:

Nick: This is the best Nana!

Kelli: I don't know the pasta is funny in my mouth.

Vinny: Are the pasta in the shape of motorcycles?

So my dad and I have to take a closer look.....

Those would be penises! My mother did not have mac and cheese, but did not want to upset my children so she made them Penis Pasta that Tyrene had gotten as a gag gift for her Bachlorette Party! Hmmmm

First Fieldtrip: Nicholas and Friends

For our 3 year olds, Crystal and I thought a weekly "fieldtrip" would be great for the boys since their older siblings are at school. Our first trip was to the Marine Center. Eli and Nick sat at the dock looking at the water thinking about what kind of fish lives there.






Next the boys became scientist and looked at different ocean slides.

The "big boys" let Omar studied the fish in the largest tank! There was a cute yellow and clear fish that buries itself in the sand. WOW don't you feel like joining him some days! The boys were allowed to touch a sea cucumber, hermit crab and had their nails "done" by shrimp. We also saw baby seahorses and a baby octopus.
We walked to the Historic House next door and learned all about the creation of Ft Pierce and the kids were able to walk through a house built before electricity and running water. Oh they thought living back then would have been awful, until they saw the "outhouses" which then their opinion changed to hilarious!

Tag we are IT!

We have been tagged by Growing Up Garcia , She's asked me to post 6 random things about each of my children and then tag their friends when we are done...So here goes:

1. Vinny loves bugs, lizards and frogs, and catches them often
2. His favorite color is GREEN
3. He loves golf and wants to play more
4. His favorite food is cheeseburgers and just started eating them 2 years ago
5. He taught himself to swim this summer
6. He still likes to play in the dirt, which is only done at the Garcia's!

1. Sal wears his emotions on his sleeve
2. He loves math and completes his homework in record time
3. His favorite food is pizza, which was hard for him to give up for awhile
4. He loves MONKEYS! and has 50 stuffed monkeys in his room.
5. He is very close with my sister Tyrene, and has many sleepovers with her!
6. His is a "big spender" he gets Manatee Money from school and has to spend it right away!

1. Kelli can eat and eat! There is nothing she does not like.
2. She has started to like to wear dresses and now says she is beautiful
3. She has a mad crush on the show Drake and Josh!
4. Sneakers are her favorite shoe
5. She has no fears on rollercoasters
6. She wants her hair to grow to just above her booty

1. Nicholas was named after me
2. He loves to watch Noggin
3. He has to have "Quackers" to sleep with at night, but is okay if Quackers stays at home/car when we go out now.
4. He has a ton of socks but will only wear 3 pairs to school (Scooby,cars, Ducks)
5. He loves being a "cubbie" and can't wait to go to AWANA each week
6. He has a great imagination and can entertain himself for hours

We hope you got to know our youngest chicks in the nest and we tag:

1. AJ, Eli and Omar
2. Zach and Reagan
3. Tooty and Airport

Tuesday Treasures: My Dad and Charlie

My dad with our "ex-dog" Charlie. A new meaning to man's best friend (yes, they have matching shirts)!

The Life Of An Italian Child

If you're not of Italian heritage some of these things may seem a little strange. BUT if you are this is a nice reflection back to the way things used to be... Per tutta la Mia famiglia e gli amici it amo oggi, domani e sempre (To all my family and friends I love you today, tomorrow and always)

40 Things In The Life Of An Italian Child

01. You have at least one relative who wore a black dress every day for an entire year after a funeral.

02. You spent your entire childhood thinking what you ate for lunch was pronounced 'sangwich.'

03. Your family dog understood Italian.

04. Every Sunday afternoon of your childhood was spent visiting your grandparents and extended family.

05. You've experienced the phenomena of 150 people fitting into 50 square feet of yard during a family cookout.

06. You were surprised to discover the FDA recommends you eat three meals a day, not seven. 07. You thought killing the pig each year and having salami, capacollo, pancetta and prosciutto hanging out to dry from your shed ceiling was absolutely normal. (Wow, that's really Italian!)

08. You ate pasta for dinner at least three times a week, and every Sunday, and laughed at the commercial for Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti day.

09. You grew up thinking no fruit or vegetable had a fixed price and that the price of everything was negotiable through haggling.

10. You were as tall as your grandmother by the age of seven.

11. You thought every one's last name ended in a vowel.

12. You thought nylons were supposed to be worn rolled to the ankles.

13. Your mom's main hobby is cleaning.

14. You were surprised to find out that wine was actually sold in stores.

15. You thought that everyone made their own tomato sauce.

16. You never ate meat on Christmas Eve or any Friday for that matter.

17. You ate your salad after the main course.

18. You thought Catholic was the only religion in the world.

19. You were beaten at least once with a wooden spoon or broom.

20. You thought every meal had to be eaten with a hunk of bread in your hand

21. You can understand Italian but you can't speak it.

22. You have at least one relative who came over on the boat.

23. All of your uncles or great uncles fought in a World War.

24. You have at least six male relatives named; Tony, Frank, Joey, Johnny, or Michael.

25. You have relatives who aren't really your relatives.

26. You have relatives you don't speak to. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

27. You drank wine before you were a teenager.

28. You relate on some level, (admit it,) to the Godfather and the Sopranos. Forrgetttabbboutit!

29. You grew up in a house with a yard that didn't have one patch of dirt that didn't have a flower or a vegetable growing out of it.

30. Your grandparent's furniture was as comfortable as sitting on plastic. Wait!!!! You were sitting on plastic.

31 You thought that talking loud was normal.

32. You thought sugared almonds and the Tarantella were common at all weddings .

33. You thought everyone got pinched on the cheeks and money stuffed in their pockets by their relatives.

34. Your mother is overly protective of the males in the family no matter what their age.

35. There was a crucifix in every room of the house.

36. Wakes would be held in someones living room.

37. You couldn't date a boy without getting approval from your father. (Oh, and he had to be Italian)

38. You called all pasta 'macaroni'.

39. You dreaded taking out your lunch at school.

40. Every condition, ailment, misfortune, memory loss and accident was attributed to the fact that you didn't eat something.

CIAO!

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Froggers

Sunday Crystal's family came over for a bar.b.que and pool party. Eli and Nick had matching frog floaties and could not wait to have their photos taken. We have 7 children together and they swam all day....and slept all night!

Tuesday Treasures: Friends from Faraway

Amanda and children meeting Kelli for the first time, Our family meeting Ashley for the first time.

Here Kitty Kitty

Introducing Jacomo! Ed saw many kittens while in Houston TX after the hurricane. One little kitty took the kids hearts and they wanted Ed to bring him home. Texas is not ready to adopt out their animals in hopes that their owners will come and look for them after things are settled. We could not tell the kids that so the search began on Craigslist for a kitten. We found Jacomo last night and picked him up today. We are going to the vet tomorrow to see about his age and his health.

Hollywood Studios

We decided to hop over to Hollywood Studios before heading home for our favorite ride Toy Story. We only waited 15 minutes for the best ride in the park and was greeted by Disney Year of a Million Dreams team when the ride was over. We were awarded Dream Fastpasses for 7 of Hollywood Studios top rides/shows. A dream fastpass allows you to skip over the line and right onto the ride/show. We thought we were going to leave early but now having these passes we stayed the day. The top rides for the day were: Star Wars, Tower of Terror, Rock N Rollercoaster, Toy Story, Little Mermaid, Lights Camera Action stunt show and Indiana Jones. So we nixed Rock N Rollercoaster due to height and nixed Lights, Camera, Action due to time. So we split up and Vinny and Sal got to ride Star Wars twice and Nick and Kelli got to see The Little Mermaid. Everyone but Nick and I tried out Tower of Terror and we all got to enjoy Indiana Jones and Toy Story. What a fun and surprising day!

Disney: Magic Kingdom

We bumped into Stitch at the Magic Kingdom and he took Nick's Quackers! Stitch thought it would be super funny to put Quack-Quack on his head when he took a picture with the kids. Kelli was not to sure she thought Stitch was as funny.

Disney was beautifully decorated for the fall with pumpkins and scarecrows. The boys gave their best baseball poses with Baseball Scarecrow and Kelli had her teacher face on with Teacher Scarecrow!