Clean windows, Gyoza, and Happy First Day of Fall

We spent this past Saturday doing some pre-fall cleaning.  At the top of the list was washing the outside of the windows.  Keith and his assistants did a great job!  I was busy inside washing walls, cabinet doors, and cleaning bathrooms.  While the screens were off we used this kitchen window as a take-out window for the kids snacks and water while they worked.  It was super cute.

 My grandparents came into town and we got together at our house on Monday night for a Japanese dinner of Gyoza (potstickers).  We had other family come over too, for a total of 20 people.

My mom and grandparents came over after lunch and we got started preparing the food.

Brett was happy to have someone to play games with.  :)

 I just love that my grandma is 91 years old now and she's still up and around helping with everything.  While she was standing here washing some dishes, Camille walked up behind her and gave my grandma's legs a big hug and then walked away.  It was darling!

 My mom, grandma, and I sat around my kitchen table putting together 200 of these things.

Later they were lightly fried, then steamed.  We had them along with rice, california rolls, and an asian salad, with chocolate cake and strawberries for dessert.  Yum!

We decided to count that dinner as our First Day of Fall dinner that I usually host, because I just haven't been feeling well enough to do that traditional dinner this year.

Today I'm feeling pretty good and Brett and I whipped up these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies in honor of the First Day of Fall.  They are super easy and delicious.  Very cake like, if you don't mind that sort of thing.  Now we just need the weather to cool off more and it'll really start feeling like fall around here!

Happy First Day of Fall! 

The other watermelon picture

Remember a similar picture with our watermelon?

Well, here's the other one.

 We didn't even plan that picture.  It just worked out really well.

I don't think we could have tried to get our kids to do that if we even wanted to.  Ha!

We used that picture above to share the news with our family.

And here's the little melon today.

We're super excited to welcome this little baby at the beginning of April.

And I'm excited to hopefully have only a few more weeks of "morning sickness!"

It's been rough, but some days are better than others and I use those good days to try to catch up on the stuff that doesn't happen on the bad days.

A morning in the shade

I gave Camille one of my old toys and she thought it was so interesting that she sat in her room this morning and played with it for a while before she came out for breakfast.

This is how Camille usually comes out of her room.  She gathers up her Lambsy and Pigems and her blanket and toddles down the hall.

 After dropping off Grant at school we had some outside play time in the nice shady backyard. 

The weather has been cooling down a little lately and it's actually pretty nice out in the mornings (in the shade).

 Brett stayed home from preschool today.  On Wednesday he said he wasn't feeling well, and then that night he woke up crying.  Yesterday he had a fever, cough, and runny nose.

It was nice to be able to get him outside for some fresh, cooler air.

He's trying to be a bunny here.

 Camille had a blast zooming around on the plasma cars.

She could live outside, she loves it so much.

 Our pumpkin plants keep on growing.

I think we probably planted them too late in the season, but we have high hopes that maybe they'll grow extra fast and we'll have pumpkins for Halloween.

 Brett said, "Mom, did I get one?!"

He was working on his skids.

What a boy!

We have a long weekend to look forward to.

Brett will be getting lots of rest, and I think we'll paint the tree trunks in the backyard.

It's also time to get down to business and plan my annual First Day of Fall Feast.  It's coming up!

Happy Weekend!