HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Last year, Cooper was his favorite thing in the whole world...Boston's GREEN MONSTER!

This year, Cooper is his favorite thing in the whole world...DADDY!



BEHOLD! Mini Jakob!



Coop is sporting all things Jakob! He's got the beard, the Red Sox cap, the corduroy jacket, the blue shirt and the goofy tie. He's even wearing little Converse Chuck Taylor AllStars.



AND he has the same taste in movies as Daddy, too.

Happy Pagan Holiday Everyone! May you all bloat with sugary treats!

Pumpkin Patch

I remember going to pick out a pumpkin with my dad when I was a little girl. I think I made him dig through about 22 pumpkins before I agreed on which one was "perfect."



Jakob had mentioned seeing a pumpkin patch in Sherman Oaks, so we took Cooper.



They had apple cider, kettle corn and a pro pumpkin carver.



Coop sat still in the wagon for about 17 seconds. Then I had to make him get out because he kept wanting to stand as we wheeled around...such a lil' devil.



Cooper was very into the warty gourds. We purchased his favorite--a wee bumpy green one. We named him Warty Gordon McGourd. Cooper spent several minutes trying to pick the warts off Gordon. Who woulda thought that a gourd could be so fun?



Drum roll please...I am officially an old woman. I had WAY more fun in the pumpkin patch with my toddler than I did at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios.



I thought I was still "hip" and maybe even "with it." But the maximum capacity crowd, the 80+ minute wait for every attraction, the endless amounts of fog being pumped at my eyes, the continuous loud screaming, the same Rob Zombie song playing over and over, the doods chasing you with chainsaws, the doods squirting you with water, the doods snorting in your ear and the doods stabbing you with fake knives was just annoying to me. My body is tensing up just thinking about it.



That place was for teenagers who want to drink a bunch on Boones and then be scared and cling to each other and then later go make out in a Ralph's parking lot.



The pumpkin patch was much more my speed.

GO SOX!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The 2nd World Series win in four seasons. Hurrah BOSTON!!!!



And who was voted MVP????







I LOVE LOWELL!!!!!

Coop passed out just before the game ended. Jakob got this great photo.



Geez, my 30th year is off to quite a start.

Yummy Spooky Cookie Time

This is my favorite time of year.



I asked Andrew what I should do with the leftover lump of cookie dough and he said, "cook it." So, I made an attempt at an 'Elephant Man' cookie:



It's no masterpiece...but it made me chuckle.

So that happened...

On Saturday, I turned 30 years old.

To mark the occasion, I performed my one-woman show in front of 30 people at a brewery in beautiful downtown Burbank.



This is me getting ready for the show. Most people don't know this, but I have to shave that moustache everyday.

I struck a deal with myself to let go of all the mucky muck. I don't usually get along with me, but we made it work. For one night, I did away with doubt and self-loathing.



It was lovely. I had so much fun. I forgot that performing could be so fun.



Thank you to Dave Lowe for making the storybook for my 'Fat Unicorn' poem.

I'm THRILLED that the shadow puppets that Jakob and I fretted over were such a hit.



Actually, the puppets stole the show.

A big ol' thank you to my father for helping me construct my background singers. They had people doubling over with laughter.



Thanks to Sean for being such a fancy, fancy butler.



The artwork added to the show, too.



There were some sleepless nights trying to get these just right, but it was worth it.



Andrew, Ryan and Jakob supported me and loved me throughout this whole wacky whirlwind. They encouraged me to do it and then wouldn't let me bail or flake or worm wiggle away from my fiercest funny or my most disturbing scary.



Thank you, guys. You are my family.

An extra phat thank you with sugary sugar goes to Jakob. Thanks for convincing me that it would all work out fine AND dandy.



All that...AND THERE WAS CAKE, TOO! Man, I freakin' love cake.

Ready or Not

Beer...wine...food...



Singing...dancing...laughing...



7 paintings...12 puppets...3 videos...



All in one crazy show.

My show.

I always wanted my 30th birthday to be an outrageous fiasco.

Now, I've made sure of it.

I've worked really hard and I'm only doing it once.

Yeah, it's $20. But you know I'd pay twice that to go to your birthday party.

So if you can make it...please make it.

The Pilsner Room at The Gordon Biersch Restaurant
145 S. San Fernando Rd., Burbank, CA 91502
Saturday, October 20, 8:00PM

rsvp - contact@mightymcpilgrim.com

THE wedding.

Sorry for not getting these pix up sooner, but I JUST sobered up from what will go down in history as one of the best darn times of ALL time.



I gotta say it. My husband looks smokin' hot in a tux. I snagged me a cutie! I hope whatever spell I have on him keeps him in love with me for a super long time.



Lizzy, my father and I caused hilarity to ensue in the lobby of the very rich, very luxurious and very fancy 'Shutters On the Beach'. We were already silly. It was only 4:30pm.



I love this photo of Carrie & Giza. Everyone was lookin' snazzy.



The ceremony was stunning. The rabbi hit a homerun. You know how folks say, "she looked like a million bucks"? Well Edy looked like a hundred million bucks! But what made me weep with joy was the way Alex looked at her. His eyes were full of tremendous, incomparable love. It was beautiful.



The party that followed was mammoth. The food! The music! The drinks! The laughs!





We partied hearty, Marty--until 4 in the frickin' morning!



Jakob and I knew at our own wedding (seven years ago) that Alex & Edy's love story was forever. I'm so happy for them. Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Bakalarz!

NOW HAVE A BABY :)

For more wedding photo's, click here to visit Flickr.

"I SHINKY!"

Holy Mother Humongous! Is this really my kid?



Just over a year ago he was no bigger than a pile of potatoes. Now he's 30 pounds of crazy, loud, enthusiastic wonderment.



Yes, the magnets stick to the board. Nope. They don't stick to your head.



He's learning so much. Before he just used to knock things over and tear things apart. Now, he's trying to stack and build and create.



But today, something awesome happened. While Cooper was stomping around and yelling, I heard a slurred word come out of his mouth that sounded like "stinky."

I looked at him and asked, "Are you stinky?"



He laughed and screamed, "Iiiiiiiiiiiiiii shinky! I shinky!"

I checked his diaper and sure enough, he was shinky!

I smiled and said, "Puuuuuu! You are stinky!"

Then, I got emotional.

He's communicating.

So cool.

"Yuck! Icky! Blegh!"

Dear Mr. Cooper Kingsley White,

The following is a list of things that you keep trying to eat/drink that I would like you to stop trying to eat/drink:

1. Crayons
2. Candles
3. My coffee
4. My soda
5. My foot
6. Lint (yes, that includes dust bunnies)
7. Sand
8. Leaves on the ground
9. Trash on the ground
10. Rocks (yes, that includes pebbles)

I appreciate your cooperation in this matter. If you cease your efforts to consume the listed items above, I will agree to continue purchasing the tapioca pudding that you enjoy oh so much.

In summary:

wax = yuck

pudding = yummy

Good nap and good luck.

Sincerely,

Your Mother

Breaking the Sound Barrier

When we go to the mall to play in their "toddler-friendly-padded-romper-room," Cooper likes to run, spin around and scream at the tippy top of his lungs.

Other children back away from him.

Two girls have pushed him...to the ground...with force.

Cooper is never discouraged. He pops right back up and continues his crazy play.

He goes up to every adult and starts to talk to them. Then he tries to grab their purses, shopping bags or water bottles.

I say, "No, no, Cooper! That's not yours. Give it back, please." and make him return whatever treasure he has stolen. Once I've taken the object away, he has a meltdown.

I feel other mom's eyes on me as he wails.

Some of them sympathize. Some of them judge me.

Well, I'm doing the best I can. I hope that's good enough for Cooper.

KETUBAH

**SNEAK PEEK**

I finished the ketubah for Alex & Edy's wedding on October 6th.

This was both a challenge and an honor.

DEFINITION: A "ketubah" is a beautiful and ancient part of the Jewish wedding ceremony. It is the official contract between bride and groom, whose marriage officially starts the moment it is signed. Ketubot (plural for "ketubah") once were plain legal-looking contracts, but over time a tradition formed, called "hiddur mitzvah" which calls for ceremonial objects to be made as beautiful as possible. Ketubot are now works of art, chosen to reflect the personal feelings of the bride and groom. They are now also proudly hung in the home, serving as a daily reminder of the vows they have made to each other. At its heart, the ketubah is a personal document, a contract between the bride and groom, signed in front of God and family.



I wanted to tell Alex & Edy's love story and I struggled with how I could do that.

I didn't use paint. I decided to create quilled images with paper.

The upper left corner represents Alex's roots. It features orchids; the national flower of Colombia.

The upper right corner represents Edy's roots. It features red poppies. As I was researching, I discovered that Poland doesn't have one solitary national flower, but the red poppy is considered by most to be the unofficial frontrunner.

The lower left corner is Boston, where Alex and Edy met. It features mayflowers; the state flower of Massachusetts. I am quite proud of my paper swan boat.

The lower right corner is L.A., where Alex & Edy's love grew and where they decided to marry. It features the yellow "beach" poppy; the state flower of California.

I hope they like it. I hope I didn't muck it up.

Beach Baby of La-GOON-Ahhhhh

We've had a few trips to Laguna Beach with Cooper and he digs it.



He digs the water. He digs the gulls. He digs the sand. Literally.



At first he was a wee bit scared of the crashing waves. Then, he invented a game. The waves would roll in and he would run away from the shore. He played 'Catch Me If You Can,' with the ocean.



I guess I better start saving to send this kid to surf camp.



He also likes to run up to other people who are lounging on the beach and start shouting at them. He surprises folks with his dramatic and emphatic baby babble.



I once heard someone say that toddlers tend to sound like little old Korean shop owners at this age.

"GAH! Koo chow wa na ba dee po po beh."



The only problem with the beach is how much sand Cooper eats.



Wouldn't you think that after tasting just a bit of sand that my child would cease shoving it into his mouth? Nay. He kept eating it. The more I said "No," the more amusing he found the whole experience.



Just remember, Cooper...the more sand you eat, the more sand you poop.

And that's not very fun for either of us.