Love 'em and Leave 'em

So Shall I Run For President of the USA?

I seem to have mastered the key qualifications....

Preview to Boo

Hallowe'en came early in the Kaka-Poo neighourhood. The whole family metamorphosed into 3 fairy butterflies and a skeleton, and headed out to Sam & Joe's Hallowe'en party.

Fairy and Scary

Our frightful hosts

While Mudzuks got right into character (social butterfly...? groan!), Vecais got lots of practice acting like a skeleton (you know, can't really say much except for the odd grunt and scream, standing on two feet sort of works but things often fall apart once you start walking...).

Later in the evening Mudzuks got to try her hand trick-or-treating with the rest of the bipedal kidlets at the upstairs bedroom doors, while Mamuks and Papuks went trick-or-treating at the beer fridge.



Meanwhile, Sabina and Hugo were engaging in their own little drama:

Hugo & Sabina: Mmmm. Food....

Hugo & Sabina: Hey, they're taking our FOOD.

Hugo: No worries, they left some crumbs.
Sabina: Hmmm... leftovers?

Hugo: No really, try some, they're good.

Hugo: Crap, sorry. Now here go the crumbs, too.

Hugo: (Thinking....) But maybe we can score some BEER....

Quest for Pumpkins

So in anticipation of our upcoming fright night, Mudzuks and Vecais enlisted Nan to go off in search of some pumpkins. (Mudzuks, having been rained out of her MSU field trip to the pumpkin patch was particularly keen to see what all the hoopla was about). Alas, after driving to two different places only to be greeted with mostly rotten rhomboid-shaped vegetables for the low low price of eight dollars or thereabouts (!!), they had pretty much settled on choosing their special squash from the selection at Food Basics discount grocers', nestled no doubt somewhere between the toilet paper and dog food aisles (hardly the romantic fall outing they had hoped for). Luckily on the way home a circuitous route took them by an authentic pumpkin patch, complete with straight-talking farmer, a muddy driveway, two large fields scattered with the orange manna, and a plastic box in which to leave your 3 bucks .

There's a trick that I'm learning to do...

Vecais: So I' ve learned to stand on my own. For a LONG time. And bend down and pick things up. And smack'em together. In fact I've been doing it for over a month, really. And in fact walk. Yes, I'm walking. I've taken several independent steps many times now, but for some reason my parents are pretty blase about it. Sure, it was all like *STOP THE PRESSES* when big sis "walked" for the first time (if you call those anomalous three steps she once took days before her first birthday, even though she didn't do it again for AGES thereafter, "walking"), but me, hey, I guess I'll have to learn to walk on my hands while fiddling dixie if i'm going to get any recognition around here.


So intead I've learned to yank Mamuks' pigtails. Constantly. THAT gets her attention.



Meanwhile, Mudzuks has learned to walk ALL of the stairs, ALL by herself.


(Big deal, says Vecais. Let's see her do it holding two things and smacking'em together. THEN I'll be impressed.)

Mr. Dress-Up?

Well, Papuks may be a lot of amazing things, but Mr. Dress-Up he is NOT.

Today, Mamuks went out to do some errands while the troops graced Papuks with their presence and obedience. Mamuks came home to find the gang had gone out to the library. WHen they came back, Mamuks wondered two things:

1) Why is Krusa wearing no pants? (Apparently Papuks thinks leotards, complete with kiddie control-tops, and a shirt are appropriate "going out" clothes).
2) Why is Hugo wearing one of his own shoes, and one of Krusa' s?

Papuks, of course, noticed neither of these things.

There is unfortunately a lack of photographic evidence, as Mamuks oscillated between mortification and rolling-on-the-floor hysterics.

It's a miracle he gets himself dressed, I tell you.

Giving Thanks

While most people around here seem to think its actually called Turkey Day, the past weekend is in fact officially known in Canada as Thanksgiving. So, unsurprisingly, Mudzuks and Vecais spent their weekend giving thanks:

Thanks for a great Toronto stopover lunch, Summer, Jen and Nancy!

Thanks for letting me blow out your birthday candles, Scout! (And phew! only just before Barbie' s lovely coiffed do went up in carcinogenic smoke...)


Thank heavens for little girls... ! (Mmmm, that means Barbie cake... , thinks Hugo, surrounded by his lovely XX-chromosomed gaggle - second cousins Greer, Eloise, Scout, Abby, and of course the venerable Mudzuks)



Thanks for the dollar store sparklers, Uncle Rod!


Thanks for the ride, Abby!
'Thanks to the Pied Piper of Dyson Lake...


Thanks for gorgeous autumn days.



And thanks for Mamuks,

and thanks for Papuks...


They'd probably smile, and say you're welcome.

Quote of the Day

In Latvian:

Mamuks: Mudzuk, vai tavs bralitis ari bus gudra skudra ka tu?
Mudzuks: Ja. Kad vins bus meitene.

In English:

Mamuks: Mudzuks, will your little brother also be smart like you?
Mudzuks: Yup. When he becomes a girl.

Presenting... Mudzuks!

This evening, at approximately 5:30 p.m., Mamuks conducted the following interview with Mudzuks (although the photo shoot was admittedly a couple of weeks ago). The following views are the sole opinion of Mudzuks and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts, wishes or desires of Mamuks in any way:


THE INTERVIEW:

What is your favourite food?
Pizza (Ed. note: She wouldn't touch it last night)

What is your favourite colour?
Blue.

What is your favourite animal?
Cows.

If I say the word "airplane," what' s the first thing that comes into your head?
Good.

Who is the smartest person you know?
Papuks.

Who is the most beautiful person you know?
Me.

Who is the smallest person you know?
Me. (Rethinks) Hugo.

Who is the softest person you know?
Me.
Really?
No. Vecdzanitis.

Who is your favourite brother?
Hugo.

What is the best place to go?
To the park. And to the fence.

Who is your best friend?
Papuks.

Do you ever lie?
Yes.

Apple of yer eye

So Muduzks and Vecais rallied the troops last week for some lessons in apple picking:

1. The bottom of the apple is called an eye. When you pick an apple, you must put the EYE to the SKY (courtesy of Mrs. Myers).


2. Why bother picking them if you can just eat them? (courtesy of Vecais)


2. If you pick 20 pounds of apples, put yourselves in the wagon along with the apples, and choose to pick from the trees at the furthest possible distance from the farm buildings, you will get to make your mother work very hard to pull the whole thing back to civilization. (courtesy of any children who have ever gone apple picking)



3. Do not try to make friends with wasps (courtesy of Robin & Mudzuks).
(photographic evidence not available. Too busy finding onions and calming screaming children.)

But most importantly:
4. You can pick your friends and you can pick your apples but you can't pick your friends' apples. (courtesy of Mudzuks and Sam).

Other apples of our eyes:

Sam in the trees

Dawn and River (going for the non-picking apple picking, preferably sleeping, option)