So forget the holidays and look at these pictures I took yesterday!

It cracks me up that [...]]]> Sometimes: when you haven’t updated your pictures in a month… and your holiday cards went out in January… and you spend all your time working on other people’s WordPress websites… it’s just too much to get caught up.

So forget the holidays and look at these pictures I took yesterday!

It cracks me up that among all of the blurry cell phone pictures I took, two look like Eva was posing for The Sartorialist: Playground Edition.

Aside from the grown-up looking posts (they are an illusion of photography), there was quite a bit of imaginative play going on behind the scenes – which I can’t get enough of. Take a look at where Eva was traveling at our new favorite playground.

Grandparents, et al., I will get the holiday pictures up. Someday.

ALLEGRA: Eva, [...]]]> Two weeks ago we purchased the new Muppets movie soundtrack. I already have most of it committed to memory. One week ago we took Eva to see her very first movie. Guess what that was? This week we are having dance parties to “Me Party” and we have a new topic of conversation:

ALLEGRA: Eva, are you a girl or a Muppet?

EVA: [in a grave whisper] A Muppet.

MATT: Is Mama a girl or a Muppet?

EVA: Mama is a grey Miss Piggy.

ALLEGRA: Okay. Is Daddy a boy or a Muppet?

EVA: A Muppet.

And then there’s poor Kermit, who just joined our Muppet family yesterday. Let’s hope he survives the experience.

If you looked closely around the house, you could see it was coming. Like the other day when I walked by the fruit bowl and thought, “That’s strange, there’s [...]]]> To be exact, it’s been more like “remodeling three months” or (as it feels) “forever remodeling,” but we’re just now getting to the big, exciting things.

If you looked closely around the house, you could see it was coming. Like the other day when I walked by the fruit bowl and thought, “That’s strange, there’s a big gaping hole in my pile of fruit.” Because I notice these things.

So where did my bananas disappear to? Oh. They are propping up a flashlight. Obviously.

Now, Eva did not understand this question at all. She probably still doesn’t know what happened last night, except that our street was filled with kids in costume, [...]]]> If you asked Eva any time in the last month, “What do you want to be for Halloween?” Her answer was, “A queen.” Said with grave solemnity.

Now, Eva did not understand this question at all. She probably still doesn’t know what happened last night, except that our street was filled with kids in costume, which was awesome, and our neighbors had a fog machine in a pumpkin, which was scary.

Because Eva does not understand Halloween and was actually just referring to the name of her favorite song, Dress Up Queen, I took some creative license with her request. I give you, the Queen of Hearts:

While I was searching for a queen costume, I found this hat, and discovered I needed to be the Mad Hatter.

I also found a White Rabbit hat. Matt stayed in his suit after work, dug out the bow tie that goes with his tuxedo, and grudgingly obliged. Poor Matt, forced to wear crazy hats once a year.

I found great meaning in all of our costumes. Matt, like the White Rabbit is very busy, always running off to meetings. Eva, like the Queen of Hearts throws tantrums while I pardon people in her wake. And I, like the Mad Hatter, find life can be a never-ending tea party.

First, you must go make Fine Cooking’s Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread. I’ve been looking for a standby pumpkin bread recipe for years, and this is it. I’ve made it three [...]]]> Is baking with olive oil trendy? I’m coming across the most amazing recipes this fall that use olive oil instead of butter or vegetable oil.

First, you must go make Fine Cooking’s Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread. I’ve been looking for a standby pumpkin bread recipe for years, and this is it. I’ve made it three times, twice as bread and once as muffins, following the recipe exactly (a rarity for me).

Next, make Simply Recipes’ Super Easy, Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes, which also uses olive oil (and butter in the frosting).

Finally, when you’re trying to use up your leftover pumpkin, make Recipe Girl’s Pumpkin Spice Lattes. They are so much better than the ones I (used to) pay an embarrassing amount of money for at Starbucks.

I made a number changes to the pumpkin latte recipe because I don’t like my coffee to be very rich. I make my lattes with skim milk, quarter the amount of pumpkin pie spice and cream, and omit the extra white sugar and whipped cream. I also use our milk frother to give the “pumpkin milk” a final mix before putting it all together.

(See also: the self portrait leaf dance video, where Eva can see herself in the camera while I take the video.)

Why go to Home Depot [...]]]> I am having a hard time keeping up with my errands this month. Who wants to go to the grocery store when there are leaves on the ground?

(See also: the self portrait leaf dance video, where Eva can see herself in the camera while I take the video.)

Why go to Home Depot when there are so many things to see in your yard? Like the tiny helicopter seeds in the Japanese Maple and the willow tree in the back yard that “swings” when the wind blows. And this amazing tree in front of our house:

I think Eva best expressed the awesomeness of this tree when she said, “WHOOOA! The tree turned to red leaves!”

Note: I wrote this post last week. Since then, we took a spontaneous Friday night trip to Home Depot (this is the excitement of the suburbs, people). And I finally made it to the grocery store on Sunday during Eva’s nap. But not before I found the back of the freezer – and I think it’s good to do that once a year.

And I have to say, fall in the suburbs is pretty great. [...]]]> Fall is my favorite season. When I hear the first real cold front is coming through and temperatures are going to drop, my heart speeds up. I love pulling out sweaters and socks, and teaching Eva to say, “It’s jacket weather. Yay!”

And I have to say, fall in the suburbs is pretty great. Especially when you have a two-year-old to help you stomp through leaves.

We haven’t had as much opportunity for random costumes as I would like, but Eva did wear this outfit today, which the fashion police [...]]]> Two things that have always sounded fun, sartorially speaking, about being a parent are: (1) kids dressing in costume on random days, and (2) kids going out in unabashedly mismatched outfits.

We haven’t had as much opportunity for random costumes as I would like, but Eva did wear this outfit today, which the fashion police might find offensive:

Then the temperature dropped a few degrees and Eva wanted to ride her trike, and this happened:

As Pete the Cat says, “And I will do it again tomorrow. Because it’s all good.”

It wasn’t enough that the girly world suck me in. The equally jaded Uncle Austin was in town, and is now also under [...]]]> And I thought succumbing to pink was the end of the girly invasion. I give you the cutest thing ever: a leotard, tights, and tiny ballet shoes. Upside-down, of course.

It wasn’t enough that the girly world suck me in. The equally jaded Uncle Austin was in town, and is now also under the spell of ballet.

Joking aside, ballet is the perfect activity for a two-year-old. It involves music, funny stretching, hand motions, a teddy bear dance, and movements that mimic animals. Eva was enraptured for 35 minutes.

And the best part? No Mamas allowed! 35 minutes to sit and read. Or obsessively watch the video monitor. (Austin and I might have chosen the latter.)

I put a few more pictures up in the photo gallery, and if you’re the kind of person that likes to decipher Eva’s speech, watch this video on YouTube.