Autumn days

Nacho went to Zurich and all we got were these amazing chocolates 

Joined the YMCA again this month and I'm trying to give it a good start

Sticky toffee pudding from The Lowery made my whole week

Fall is here. Even if we're not ditching our summer clothes quite yet. The muggy, warmer temps have been a sort of blessing in disguise I suppose, keeping us active and outside through most of September and October so far. And though I would personally like to see more jeans and sweater weather, I know we will soon. So for now, I'm biding my time and starting to break out the little remnants of pre-Halloween fever like the candy corn dish my mother gave me. It's now filled and waiting for prying hands. I also snagged a chocolate cookie haunted house decorating kit from Trader Joe's recently so we saved that for a day we had Leonardo over for a playdate. The kids loved decorating it and I was able to leave them to it once I got the stupid thing to stick together right. Ah yes, not exactly Pinterest worthy, but still fun to look at. And there was also a crafty playdate with Kira and a little walk to the park to "sell" their fluff balls on popsicle sticks. Fortunately, the wind proved too much for their lightweight wares and the girls decided to abandon the idea of sitting at a table and selling them. And though no money was made, a good time was had. 

Oktoberfest Reborn!

After a two year hiatus, Oktoberfest at Sunnyside Gardens Park was BACK! And I was so happy to see it. I could write a whole other post on what has transpired to make this year extra special, but suffice it to say the turnaround at the park has been a big part of it. We were having this festival come hell or high water! And boy, did we luck out with almost stifling heat for an October day. The humidity levels were definitely more reminiscent of summer. Kate and her fraulein crew put on a great event and the beer was flowing! My girls grabbed some mini pumpkins early and painted them up. Unfortunately, Carolina's got swiped by the end of the day--perhaps it was too pretty, we reckoned--but that was the only downer on an otherwise brilliant day. The girls bounced and climbed, ate and played. They bought slime and squishy toys from the craft fair and all the while enjoyed their friends in the park. Nacho landed that afternoon and managed to make it over to enjoy a few beers before things wrapped up. And we even saw Olive who came to visit some craft vendor friends. I finally got my wish of seeing a polka band play at this event and the wait was worth it. The Apple Strudel Gang certainly wasn't much to look at, but they revved up the beer hall atmosphere a few notches. Well done all around and I have to say, I know these events are a lot of hard work, but they really pull our community together. And after two years of missing out, this was much needed. So danke schön!

Equilibrium