Trick-or-Treating!

We are so happy to be back in Jefferson City!! We got to meet up with our good friends, the Knollmeyers, to go trick-or-treating this year! I usually start their costumes in late August, but I got kind of a late start this year. I was sewing feverishly up until the last minute!

Roan, Libby, Clara and Chloe, ready to head out for candy!

Libby decided to be Cleopatra this year. I thought she looked so cute in her wig and eyeliner!

Roan wanted to be a ghost and wear spooky make up!

I think this is such a fun picture! I love Libby's "Frankenstein smile" and her little belly sticking out. I love the way Roan is standing with his chest out... he looks exactly like my Grandpa Jones when he does that! And he was sure to grab his "camping flashlight", even though it was still daylight! They sure had a great time!

Halloween Party, part 2

So last Saturday, Libby and Roan each invited two little friends over for a Halloween party.

Here's Libby with the mummy dogs she made.

And the "bugs" we made from little smokies...

...and the monster cookies.

...and VERY happy children having a great time! They thought drinking hot chocolate from wine glasses was so cool! To Libby's right is her best friend, Clara. They met at swim lessons when they were 9 months old!

Here's Roan and his best friend, Ryan.

The O'Donnell-McGowin household survived the Halloween party of 2010! I was worn out by the time it was over, but the kids had great time!

Halloween Party... OR... Let's torture mom!

The kids begged and begged me to let them have a little Halloween party this year. I love to give parties, and I love my children...but the thought of a bunch of Kindergarten and first graders overtaking my house was almost too much to fathom. So, we compromised. I let each kid invite two friends over...and for only a couple of hours.

They made their own invitations...

Libby working hard on her spider invitations. She is incredibly focused and meticulous. Her invitations were so cute!

Roan's invitations had bats on them. He worked hard, too, but needed a little more help from mom!

Of course, Libby planned the menu. We had mummy dogs, smokey bugs, hot chocolate and monster cookies...

Roan helped make the mummy dogs, too!

Mummy dogs, ready for the oven!

Party pics to follow!

It's no Gojo's but...

Jefferson City is a-buzz about the new restaurant in town... Fuji offers hibachi-style cuisine as well as sushi, and is similar to Gojo's in Kansas City. Anyone who has read this blog knows I'm crazy about Gojo's... On our first anniversary weekend, Shannon and I decided to give it a try.

The chef was very entertaining, and did a lot more knife work than the chefs at Gojo's. However there was no shrimp appetizer or dessert, and it was a bit more expensive. And alas, there was no yellow sauce, and no green sauce. They did have something very tasty that Shannon and I dubbed 'yum yum sauce'. It got us through. You can see the yum-yum in the ramekin on the right, below...

This was my dinner... a tasty chicken stir fry. Maybe I can pay the Gojo's people to ship me some yellow and green sauce.

And this was my dessert! Shannon surprised me that night with an amazing engagement ring! Oh, my completely charmed life.... and by the way... I said yes. As if there was any doubt!!

Roan's Detox Foot Bath

At my office, we offer Detox Foot Baths... it's an amazing process. The ionized water pulls toxins out of the body via the feet. The color of the water and the particulates tell the doctor what issues the person has... liver issues, candida, joint problems, cigarette toxins, etc.

Roan has always struggled with eczema and candida, despite never being vaccinated and never being on antibiotics. So... I decided to see what the foot bath would do for him. He thought the whole process was super cool!
This is Roan's water after less than one minute!

Yes, it looks gross. This was after 10 minutes or so.

And it kept getting darker and thicker...

This was the water when he was finished (after 30 minutes). Very dark orange/brown and sludgey. (is that even a word?)

It's hard to see, but there were a lot of solid particulates at the bottom of the pan. I was shocked to see that they were mostly heavy metals. And this in an unvaccinated kid!! Heavy metals can enter the body many ways, I know, but I was still very surprised.

The day after his detox, he woke up crying in the night, saying that his skin itched terribly. He was frantic from the itching and pain. It took an hour and every remedy I had to calm him and his skin down enough for him to go back to sleep. When he got up the next morning, every bit of eczema was GONE! Amazing!

Seussical Auditions

A few weeks ago, the kids auditioned for 'Seussical the Musical'. We found out on a Thursday night that the auditions were on Saturday. The kids were expected to memorize a song and perform it at the audition. Luckily, Libby's piano instructor worked with them both on the song, and what to expect at the audition. Then we practiced over and over....

Saturday morning came and they were both so excited!! We went to the Miller Performing Arts Center and saw LOTS of kids waiting to audition. They called the kids up by age group and practiced the song with small groups.

Libby and Roan got to go up together to practice with the accompanist. Of course, that's Libby in the foreground; Roan is the third boy from the right. They marched right up on stage and didn't seem nervous at all!

The kids were also shown a dance routine and were expected to learn and perform it right away. They both did great! I was more nervous than they were. After they practiced, they were called to the stage one at a time to sing the song. Roan volunteered to go first. He got a little lost in the song, but he stuck it out and did his best. Libby also got a little lost in the song, but continued to sing to the end. I was really proud of them both for having the courage to stand on that huge stage in front of all those people. Although neither of them got a part, they had a great time and learned a lot!

Pumpkin carving!

Libby and Roan absolutely LOVE to carve pumpkins! We had a great time this year...

Libby is very good at carving. She does her best to clean out her pumpkin, too. Mom really appreciates that!

I don't know what's up with the smile... but don't let the picture fool you. He had very little to do with cleaning out his pumpkin! He worked pretty hard at carving, though.

This is Libby's masterpiece! She did every bit of it herself!

This is Roan's jack-o-lantern. He had a little help, but worked pretty hard at it! Cute, huh?

My little musicians

When I was in school, I absolutely loved being in band. In fact, I met my two best friends from college when I joined Marching Mizzou. We won't talk about how long ago that was...

Both Libby and Roan have always seemed musically inclined since they were little. Libby started piano lessons when she was 4. When we got to Jefferson City, we were lucky enough to find a piano instructor who lives about 8 houses down from us! Libby goes to her lesson once a week, and to a group lesson once a week.

This is a shot of the kids at group lesson. That's Libby sitting at the piano, playing a piece for the grup. They love it. Roan goes, too...he's the "drum captain".

We also found "Class of Rock" that offers all types of music lessons. Roan has been taking drum lessons since August. He says that "drummers get all the chicks". Yes, he's 5. Yes, I know I'm in for it as he gets older...

So, my hope is that both kids are talented musicians, and that music will be a big part of their lives... so far, it's been worth all the hours of practice and shuttling them to lessons!