Okay, so I don't exactly subscribe to the above-mentioned decree of gamerhood one-hundo, but if for instance I were filling in the magic opinion bubbles on SurveyMonkey, I would have filled in the "Agree" to "Strongly Agree" choice when asked if I did. For the record, I do really like science and medicine though. I use both of those things a lot...And you can quote me on that, Ms. Lane.
Not only do I dabble in the video game arts once in awhile myself, but it is also my life. My life because these guys pay my bills:
As does this guy. Scratch that, this guy's mom probably does the bill paying from upstairs while he explores Kalimdor from the basement:
Why do I tell you these things? Because it's my sorry excuse for not posting in ages. You see, in the gaming industry it IS Black Friday and Christmas as we speak. We are currently in the thick of planning for the biggest shopping season of the year and I. Am. Swamped. But hey, I'm not complaining in the least. First, I am gainfully employed. Second, I've got Nerds #1 and #2 (and their moms) taking care of home. Third, it could be a lot worse. I could NOT be talking about video games all day. Nevertheless, when given the choice at the end of the day, I'd rather not spend any more time in front of a screen of any kind. I'd rather drag race home to stare at these faces instead:
So here I sit owing this blog [and myself] a hellacious update. All of a sudden, it's the end of October and we're thinking about ladybugs (this year's Halloween costume) when as far as I'm concerned we should still be thinking about mosquitoes. Time sure does fly when we're having fun.
To be fair, autumn is my second favorite season next to summer, and it might have even been my first if not for the fact that every day is a cruel reminder that the earth is preparing for stupid winter. Yeah, that's right, winter, I said it. You are a stupidhead and I hate you. Phew...Now that that's out in the open, I can focus on the gloriousness of fall. The beautiful colors and smells, and as Brennan and Dale from Stepbrothers would say, we can do so many activities!
Pumpkin patches are where it's at.
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| In addition to pumpkins, this patch grows giant rocking chairs |
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| If all shoulder roasts looked like this, I'd probably become a vegetarian |
One of Team Torres' favorite holidays is Halloween. Yep, we're the nerds in the neighborhood who go all out with the decorations. And since Ali isn't quite old enough yet to realize that we're those people, she gleefully participates. Mwaaahahahahahahaha...
Oh, and don't think that mama hasn't been having a little bit of fun too. I don't want to brag, but I again hobnobbed with a major celebrity last weekend. I only got to hang out with...ahem...THE WORLD'S LARGEST BALL OF TWINE EVER! Yeah, I know.
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| Ummm...Can I have your autograph? Oh, you're kind of tied up at the moment? Okay. |
Mr. Twine currently resides in a little town in Minnesota that, when coupled with the experience of enjoying your libations at a "set up bar" across the street, just might be the best place on earth! I dare you to name one person that wouldn't want to bring their own bottle of booze to the bar and then get charged eighteen thousand dollars for a glass of soda! Why would you leave the comfort of your own home for virtually the same experience, you might ask? Let me tell you why. These "set up" places are a people-watching gold mine. I have not seen so many non-ironical mullets in one place since the Def Leppard tour of 1987.
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| The barkeep fixin' to filtch our jug o' booze. Don't you dare judge on the Strawberry Schnapps |
And speaking of pooping...We did go ahead and get her a big girl potty.
Ummm...
...Yeah...We're not quite ready for potty training yet, it seems. No, seriously. The girl would sit in her poopy diaper for two hours if we let her. It's gonna be awhile. The potty does look really awesome in our bathroom collecting dust, though.
In other big girl news, we have now discovered an extremely reliable and adorable method for avoiding forced-to-sit-in-grocery-cart struggles. We now BOOC (Bring Our Own Cart)! Alessandra picks out her own groceries and puts them in her cart and then puts them up on the conveyer belt and carts them out of the store after we are all done. The bonus is that we always hit up the produce section first, so she always goes for the bananas and strawberries that take up all the room in her cart so she can't fit any of the more frivolous items in. Let me tell you, I had NO idea how many kid-trap items these stores are putting on the bottom shelves at their eye level! The sheer amount of squeeze yogurts, boxes of cereal, and bottles of vitamins I've had to wrestle out of those little arms!
In addition to prolific shopping, Ali is progressing quite well verbally, and I also continue to be amazed by her recognition of every random object we pass. Her knowledge of the world around her is seemingly picked up from each conversation, television show or book we come across, and one time will do the trick. Needless to say, cursing has become a lot less popular around our house which is quite problematic for me. Yeah, you try exclaiming "FUDGE!" when you've just been nipped by hot bacon grease, or just slammed your toe into the leg of the couch and hit that perfect nerve that delays the inevitable pain for just enough time to take it from bearable to gnarly. So, while we grownups' sentences are becoming a little less colorful, Alessandra the Great's are growing into a BIG box of crayons. Like, the kind with the built-in sharpener in back. She is utilizing pronouns, adjectives and possessives properly. (Mama's blue car, my cute shirt) She's incredibly empathetic and recognizes the emotions of, well, everything: People and inanimate objects alike. All the Halloween stuff is "angry...raaarrr!" And probably my favorite thing is that she is catching on quite well to sounding out letters. (Thanks Fridge Phonics!) We are trying our hand at sounding out whole words, but my budding genius is not quite ready for that yet. Just like the potty, I'll never ever make her until she's ready, but I'll be over her shoulder testing it out once an hour just in case, don't you worry! As for counting, she has plateaued at 15, officially. She counts beautifully up until 15, and then she just repeats "wateen, wateen, wateen, wateen..." over and over again. Hmmm...Do I smell a new exaggeration number opportunity? I'm always looking for those.
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| Vikings gear and remote control cars?!? Only thing that would make this scenario better would be beer and BW3's! |
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| Grandma and Grandpa Torres came to celebrate all the way from Michigan |
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| Isabella and Alexis came over for a giggly sleepover |
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| The many hats of birthdaydom |
Have a SPOOKY Halloween and give yourself a hug from Team Torres!
1 of you love me, and I you:
LOVED your sneak peek of family pictures and loved the detail of this week's blog post! We are so bummed to have missed Ali's birthday but are thrilled at spending extra special time this Christmas. We can't wait to have you stay with us to rest, relax and rejuvenate! Sending lots of love from Michigan! Hugs to you all!
By the way, all three of you are GORGEOUS!!!! :) :) :) :)
of you love me, and I you