So much went on this week.

We came home on Thursday to give my Mom a breather before the busy weekend. This meant that I spent a night alone in the house with the kids. It would have been fine except that on the way from my Mom's to home, the nightlight bulb broke. Well, I thought I had more but I didn't and after rifiling through the garage while the kids were screaming upstairs, I decided to just leave the door open for light. Yeah, that didn't go over well. 2 hours later, the kids finally fall asleep, then Tilli noses her way in and wakes them up. Then back to sleep they go, but waking through the night because its too dark. Fun times.

Saturday we went over early to my Mom's to visit with everyone, then came back home to put the kids down for nap. We were chilling downstairs when we heard this very loud THUD and then Gwen crying. The little monkey had crawled out of her crib and fell out. Then Jason and I started freaking out because we are not ready for her to be in a bed! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Time was pressed since I was attending Shelly's play that night, so we decided to put her in the Pack 'n Play which has higher sides. It worked. And yesterday we put her in Ethans crib, then turned it around so that the higher back side is in front. This worked. She can't climb out now. Thank goodness. We are not ready to deal with the move to a bed yet.

Sunday we carved a pumpkin (didn't turn out as good as I would have hoped) and I made seeds in a totally different way than I usually do. I used this recipe from Martha Stewart: Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Here's the full recipe.

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Makes 1 cup

Pumpkin seeds must be completely dried out in the oven before combining with spices. Whether for cooking or carving, choose an unblemished pumpkin that feels heavy for its size; it will store well, uncarved, at room temperature, for up to a month.

1 medium pumpkin 5 tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger Pinch cayenne pepper to taste 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil 1. Preheat oven to 250°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut pumpkin open from the bottom, removing seeds with a long-handled spoon. Separate flesh from seeds, and reserve the flesh for another use (see Pumpkin Pie). Pumpkin should yield 1 cup seeds. Spread seeds on parchment in an even layer. Bake until dry, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Let cool. 2. In a medium bowl combine 3 tablespoons sugar, salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pumpkin seeds and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook until sugar melts and pumpkin seeds begin to caramelize, about 45 to 60 seconds. Transfer to bowl with spices, and stir well to coat. Let cool. These may be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

I doubled the recipe since we had a big pumpkin. Oh, and I left out the cumin because cumin reminds me of a smelly, sweaty man. Sorry, it just does.

These are really good... sweet like candy, but with a warmth and spice behind it. Yumness.

Heree are some pics from the last few days.

My cousin (err, technically second cousin I think?) Cedric. At 3 months, this little guy is almost Gwen's weight!




The kids, especially Ethan, doted on him.







And this right before we headed out to Ben's 5th birthday party. Doesn't she look so cute in her sweater dress?