October-ing

Oh, October! You've were quite the odd one! Your trees said fall but your temperatures said summer. 

Also, you seriously went by in the blink of an eye.

We did get a few chilly days which prompted me to pack away all of Parker's shorts, only to unpack them a week later. At one point, the weather report actually said "You are going to need your entire wardrobe over the next few days!" as the highs were fluctuating by thirty degrees. Alabama weather, I still haven't figured you out. 

What have I figured out? Toddler activities, of course! And Parker is hip to this concept as well. The newly released If You Give a Mouse a Brownie arrived via Amazon this month. I heart Amazon. We opened the package and shortly after I had to hightail it to my barre class. While I was gone, Parker informed Dada that he and Mama would be baking brownies just like the book when I returned. So I had to oblige.

We made the same brownies that Max made for me from scratch while we were dating. At that time, I had never made brownies from anything but a box. I was smitten. Has he made me brownies (or any other baked good) since then? Well, no. The wooing is over. But he did pass on his mom's recipe:

(from the Helen Corbitt cookbook)

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup melted butter

4 oz. bitter chocolate

1 1/2 cup sifted flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

With a spoon, slightly beat eggs; add sugar and stir. Add melted butter and chocolate. Mix flour & salt and add to butter mixture. Add vanilla and stir until blended. Pour into well buttered 9x13 pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes. 

Add a three-year-old and your kitchen will be covered in flour :) On a side note, P loved the book. It also makes a great present since it's a new release and most likely not already in the recipient's home library!

We did the sweetest craft to accompany Five Little Pumpkins, an old favorite from my days as a teacher. I just had Parker go to town stamping orange handprints, which he was all about. With a three year old, the messier the better. Then I used markers to make them into jack-o-lanterms. Voilà! I heart October.

There were festive outfits to be worn...

And more crafting to be done...

And what better time to get a teeth cleaning than right before Halloween??

We enjoyed the (very few) cool breezy days - Parker was obsessed with the falling leaves.

And I was obsessed with this library book :) 

Add in some Pure Barre and you have a perfect October day :) 

Wishing you all the colors of the rainbow!