America's (And Jude's) Favorite Cookie

What is that old saying? Oreo's are America's Favorite Cookie? Well, around my house we would agree. Only it's not really an oreo, it's a Newman-O. That is Paul Newman's organic equivalent to the great Oreo. They really do taste remarkably similar and only those hard-core Oreo fans could taste the difference. I wish they would come in the double-stuff variety but unfortunately they do not. Tonight, after dinner, Jude and Conor each received one Newman-O and my-oh-my did they have fun with them. Jude was especially cute eating his, he gave me this huge smile and several of his teeth were blacked out from the cookie - too funny. It made me laugh out loud, causing him to ham it up even more for the camera.

A Quiet Afternoon

After a very busy weekend, we decided to have a low key Sunday. The first half of the day we stayed around Folly and ate breakfast and then took a short golf cart ride. Brett had an afternoon meeting at the downtown Charleston library so we decided to tag along just to get out and do something different. What better way to spend a quiet afternoon than going to a quiet place? Before we arrived, we chose a few topics we wanted to read up on: astronauts and space, Cleopatra and Egypt, and robots. The library has this great kids area and we explored every inch. Chapel and Eli love going to the library at school and I can tell their once a week visits are really paying off. They really know their library manners - whispering the entire time and walking nicely, sitting nicely. It was an easy and fun activity to do with all the kids. We ended up checking out 17 books. Crazy!  Some highlights include:

Conor and Jude enjoying a board book.

Chapel picking out her books and sitting very contently looking through page after page of mummies, Egypt, Cleopatra and the Nile.

Eli looking through his robot books and reading his favorite astronaut book, "Lauch Day." Eli even fell asleep in my lap while I was reading to him. Which meant I had to take the babies out of the stroller and let them play in the toddler zone so he could sleep in the stroller seat. 

Jude playing with the blocks while Eli sleeps in the background.

And, finally, Chapel put on this really cool puppet show for me and the babies. Each puppet was from a different country and I had to guess which country.

Pumpkins & A Whole Lot More

The pumpkin patch is not just for pumpkins anymore! When we visited the Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch last week we were surprised to see all the activities the kids could partake in. Just picking out a pumpkin is a thing of the past. Now you have to get a wrist band that allows you to jump on the jump pillow (which was super cool even for mom), feed goats, go down giant slides (Eli went face first into the dirt) and you can even explore an extra large corn maze! Cousins Caroline and Bren went in and I honestly thought we might not ever see them again!

We were lucky enough that MaMa Anne and PaPa Ed could also join us with the cousins. Eli, especially, loved seeing Cross.

The twins also explored all the pumpkins and seemed genuinely curious about what those large orange things could possibly be.

There was also one final stop on the way out that every kid attraction needs - a gift shop. Yes, a little area under a tent where you could buy candy, toys, and other Halloween sundries. Chapel opted for a pumpkin painting kit while Eli got gummi worms. MaMa Anne worked hard to find the perfect painted pumpkins for each grandchild that had cute little tufts of hair. It was such a fun day and a great way to spend an afternoon.

And The Oscar Goes To....

.......PaPa and GiGi!

Who kept all four babies this weekend so that Brett and I could go to market in Atlanta for SPROUT. We have always packed everyone up for the trek but this time our trip was going to be short and sweet so we decided, kind-of at the last minute, to leave the kiddos behind. I know mom and dad were busy the entire time but every time I checked in they had the kids doing fun activities or were cooking a great homemade meal for them. Some of the highlights from their weekend included the aquarium, Folly Beach playground and a movie. They did not seemed overwhelmed at all which made me relax and enjoy my time away. And while I know they did not get much sleep, I must confess, I got about 3 hours a night more than I have been used to in a long time.

When we returned Chapel, Eli and Conor gave me lots of kisses but Jude just gave me a sideways glance and ran to sit on GiGi's lap as if to say, "you just go on back, she's got it all under control." I had to give him a little extra attention today just to win his affection back.

So, thanks, mom and dad for all of your help and for a job well done. Now if you could just move a little closer, like right next door, life would be perfect. 

Eli Had Made An Important Decision

After much hemming and hawing, Eli has finally made a final decision on his Halloween costume. 

Fred from Scooby Doo? No..... 

Vampire? No....... 

Spiderman? No........ 

Although all of these were very high contenders, the winner was (drumroll, please) Astronaut! Complete with space shuttle. Just wait until you see the photographs on Halloween. I am watching him play astronaut as I type and it is cute, cute, cute. I am so happy that he has finally made up his mind because for a while there he had a new costume idea everyday. Here he is, pictured outside the Hokus Pokus - bags in hand. 

In celebration of picking his costume, we made caramel apples when we got home.

Les crêpes sont délicieux

This weekend we had a delicious brunch that did not include the Folly Beach Pier - we decided to try something different: homemade crepes! For those of you who are asking what is a crepe, it is a type of very thin pancake served with a variety of fillings. When we go to the farmers market downtown on Saturdays, we usually stand in a very long line to get a tomato, mushroom and cheese crepe. The Charleston Crepe Man has a very serious and loyal following. Sometimes we wait so long we even splurge and order two crepes, the second one being the sweet crepe, filled with chocolate and strawberry. We decided to go the sweet crepe route for our first crepe making at home. Using Nutella and strawberries we embarked upon this famous French tradition in our very own kitchen. Also present for our international food fare was our very good friend Andrea and her son, Sidney. Andrea is a French teacher (at Ashley Hall) and has lived in France several times so her discerning palate was a welcome addition. Chapel, Eli and Sidney built their own crepes and Brett cooked them to perfection. Everyone enjoyed a fine foreign treat and agreed - les crêpes sont délicieux.

Eli assembling his crepe.

Sidney listening to Brett, or Godfather, on how to assemble his.

Andrea and Chapel.

Mom pretending to cook the crepes. Brett actually did all of the work!

Andrea & Sid comparing it to the "real thing" from France.

Chapel licked the plate clean....

Eli taking Sidney for a ride after the delicious meal.

World War III

They really are the best of friends. They talk to each other, sleep in the same crib every night, chase the dogs together. But every once in a while, or at least once a day lately, they get in a heated game of tug-of-war. Sometimes it is over a toy. Sometimes a telephone or sippy cup or bottle starts the war. But today, I was shocked at what they were fighting over....Can you guess? A plastic grocery bag! Filled with clothes that needed to go to the cleaners. What is the fun in a plastic bag? I really don't think it's the prize they care about, just the win. Conor definitely had it first but Jude decided he HAD to have it - no matter the consequences. In the end, the clothes were all of over the floor, the bag was ripped, and I had to upset them both by throwing the torn bag away! Check out the play-by-play below......

1. And so the tug-of-war starts. 

2. The clothes are now all over the place!

3. Exhausted after his win. 

4. But very happy with his bag!

5. Although blurry, Conor is clearly mad.

6. So she comes back again to show who is boss!

They're creepy and they're kooky, Mysterious & Spooky

My husband rocks! On Sunday I went on a home and garden tour of Folly Beach with my friend Darlynne, and when I returned home 2 hours later the twins were napping and the older kids had completed their first Halloween project: A Halloween Haunted Gingerbread House. Who even knew gingerbread could be haunted?? Chapel and Eli loved decorating the house and when I asked them what their favorite part of the project was, they answered:

Eli: "The chocolate!"

Chapel: "Sampling all the candy!"

This haunted house is indeed haunting my children. Everyday they climb up the bar stools, sit directly in front of it, and proceed to ask no matter how many times we have said "no", if they can have a piece of candy from it. They have to really control themselves not to sneak a piece off! I keep counting the candy corn on the front to make sure it has not been vandalized. So far I have noticed one missing but did not catch the thief. Oh my, they have  long time to wait until Halloween.....I wonder how many pieces will survive the "sticky" fingers??

"Fall"ing into the Season

The Barker family loves fall. Brett looks forward to this time of year because he gets to carve pumpkins (he  is an excellent pumpkin carver) and he gets to plan and host an amazing Thanksgiving feast at our home. Chapel and Eli love fall because of all the activities: Halloween, dressing up, trick-or-treating, pumpkin patches, haunted houses, school carnivals and, you guessed it, Christmas is right around the corner. And finally I love fall because the cooler weather means better wardrobe choices, less chance of a heat stroke walking up and down the stairs to my home, no mosquitoes, and a busy selling season at SPROUT.

To celebrate the arrival of fall we have, for two years now, hung decorative corn on the front door. This year Eli did the honor of hanging the corn; Jude also assisted but he seemed more interested in tearing it down than hanging it up. The children love anything ornamental so it really gets everyone in the spirit of the new season. Last year, our corn met an unfortunate and untimely end when some hungry squirrels made their way on the porch. Hopefully this year we will have better luck. 

Yay fall - so glad you are here. Mosquitoes, take your cue and leave. Our family wants to enjoy the back yard again.