Happy Halloween

We had to make a new tradition this year since we weren't able to trick or treat with our besties from the old hood. We still managed to have a good 'ole time here in Mason and because there was candy involved the kids didn't even mention it. Sorry Townsends! I missed you. :)

My parents still came over and brought some dinner for us all. We also celebrated with our neighbor, Ms. Sandy who joined us for dinner and sat around Mark's beautiful, amazing, Boy Scoutish fire handing out candy. Sorry about all the adjectives, they were for my beloved. :)

Sister Sue will probably always end up in a hand me down costume so I figured Brooke's old fairy dress with wings was a good option. Stella didn't mind and everyone thought she was a cutie pie so she got a lot of candy even though she went to less houses than Brooke and Luke. That silly look on her face is an attempt to produce an on command smile. Better luck next year. :)

Luke wanted a monkey costume from Old Navy much like (or exactly like) the one I bought last year for him to wear. Last Halloween at the last minute he changed to a cowboy to be like Brooke. Since I was slacking off this year and last year's monkey was too small, he opted for his favorite color crayon.

Brooke had her heart set on being a boy Indian because she wanted a bow and arrow to go with it. She ended up without a bow and arrow and a girl costume and then told me tonight that her costume turned out better than she expected. I'm happy, she's happy. :)

See Sparkly Bunny? Brooke worked hard to make her a princess costume out of paper. I guess that's what happens when your parents take all the toys out of your room and leave you with some school supplies and some books. Sad, but true. I thought Spark's (that's what her friends call her) costume turned out pretty darn well.

Stella got pulled in the wagon again this year because she has a bit of a bum leg. About 3 weeks ago she woke up one Friday with a bad limp. After waiting a week for it to go away we ended up getting an x-ray and then at the orthopedics office to learn that it's a viral infection that moved into her hip. We were told that it will clear up in a month on it's own. The funny thing is this type of infection usually comes after a high fever or sickness. We don't recall Stella having either, so this was a big surprise to us. Needless to say the wagon was a must and she loved being pulled around the neighborhood.

The picture above cracks me up because what you can't see is that Mark started talking with a neighbor and couldn't apparently stop himself. The kids got too antsy waiting so Brooke grabbed the wagon and took matters into her own hands. It was thoughtful of her to take Stella along because she could have just ditched her and ran ahead. I think the black heart is starting to defrost. :)

Mark and I were really proud of Brooke and Luke tonight. They were full steam ahead through the neighborhood and never stopped to take a break or complain. I think all the playing, running, and bike riding outside has whipped them into shape.

I don't have any pictures of Nash for two reasons. Reason one: I was too cheap to buy him a costume. And Reason Two: He was napping through the first hour of trick or treating. By the time he was ready to come out, it was dark. He did however enjoy his bottle by the fire at the end of the driveway. Next year he'll be riding in the wagon or running through the neighborhood like the other kids. I hope he likes hand me down costumes too. :)

Tomorrow we have to get up for our home school group. More sugar, less sleep. I'm sure that's not going to be pretty. :) Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

Pumpkins 2011

Today was pumpkin carving day 2011. I have to throw in the date because I'm afraid my brain is too tired to come up with something more original. After 4 kids and 7 Halloweens later, I'm not sure originality even counts anymore. :)

What was different this year was that Brooke and Luke actually helped scoop out the guts. In years past, you wouldn't catch them dead with their hands in the pumpkin. Even though Brooke felt compelled to run inside to get a bowl of water after her hand made contact with the goo, I was still impressed that she hung in there to get the job mostly done. You know how that is with short attention spans. :)

Brooke insisted I take a picture proving that she threw caution to the wind and got dirty.

Nash was glad to be let out of the house and therefore was happy to sit on a blanket with his toys and watch everyone else do the dirty work.

Hello, delicious little toothless smiley boy!

Brooke was happy to take this photo when I asked her. When the kids look back at the billions of family photos I want the kids to actually know that I was around and not just implied. :)

In our Halloween bin Stella found this old Lion King Costume circa 1999. This was my niece, Carly's costume when she was a little tike. It's a squeeze for Stella, so that's why tomorrow she'll be a fairy. She was growling at me like the fierce lioness she is. :)

After Nash got bored with the toys, he moved on to the grass and leaves. Check out his face... Hmmm, that looks interesting, perhaps it's a tasty treat?

Wow, that's not nearly as tasty as it looks.

Bad choice! Bad choice! Bad choice!

Because we are the unoriginal, non creative type A type, we buy the kits with premade patterns. With Mark carving, we've not had a bad jack-o-lantern yet. He got off easy this year because we got smart and didn't buy one big pumpkin for each kid. We also have another smaller pumpkin that at the suggestion of a neighbor, I drilled holes all around it. Supposedly that idea was featured in a magazine and since it required very little effort, I was totally game. I'll let you know how that turns out.

The kids are beyond excited about Halloween tomorrow. They are also beyond excited to go trick or treating. Why don't they just call it "candying" because isn't that what it's really all about? We have our home school group on Tuesday morning, won't that be a treat after a night of sugar? :) Be back soon with kids in costumes!

Mom's Little Helper

Luke has grown a lot in the last year. Yes, I realize that kids are always growing, but it's more pronounced in someone who since he was one, has worn the same pants two years in a row. It could be just the way God made him or it could be the fact that my texture sensitive son would eat but a handful of things up until the last year or so.

As the second child, my expectations of Luke have been lower as we weren't waiting in breathless anticipation for him to do new things like our first born. Yes, I'd like to think Mark and I are less neurotic than we once were. :) But while we weren't watching, Luke learned to ride a bike without training wheels when he was just over four and this summer he learned to "pump" himself on the swings. Then randomly a few months ago I caught him coping full sentences from one of his books at bedtime. The hilarious thing is that he didn't even know all his letters nor can he read!

If Luke's not already outside, I can count on him asking me several times a day if he can go out. He loves being outside so much that he doesn't even care if he has someone to play with or not. He'll get out the big trucks and go play in the mulch or grab his helmet and ride his bike on the driveway. He can entertain himself for hours and I love that about him.

When it comes to personalities, Luke probably has a more easy going one than the rest of our crew (Nash is exempt because his opinions have not yet formed beyond the fact that he likes me best. Smart baby. :)) which isn't probably saying a whole lot considering Tuesday he screamed for 20 minutes straight because he was mad about losing the privilege of choosing his own clothes for the day. He's come along way and has matured tremendously since last year.

A natural consequence of being more content and less demanding than his sisters, Luke gets to go grocery shopping with me on a weekly basis. I treasure this time because he just goes along for the ride, looking at things and making a few observations here and there. I accused him of only wanting to go to Whole Foods with me so he can get a treat, but even if that were true I still enjoy his easy company. He's so pleasant and so good that I can't resist when he asks for yogurt or chocolate covered pretzels from the bulk bins. I can only imagine how much more spoiled our family would be if they didn't require a padded cell...daily.

When Luke and I are out shopping he is so darn cute. He says things like, "Mom, I'm a big helper to you." or "Mom, it's a good thing you brought me so I could remind you to get more apple juice." He's a chatty little thing, but in such an undemanding kind of way. A well placed "Yes, son" or even a mumbled "uh, huh" do the trick and he feels validated and I feel happy to have some company that doesn't complain that I'm walking too fast or someone that's dissatisfied that I said no to some junk food they wanted me to buy. There is no pouting while shopping with Luke.


For posterity's sake I do have to say that meal time with Luke isn't always as enjoyable as shopping for the food with him. Even though he's come a long way from eating oatmeal and baby food when he was a year and a half, his mealtime preferences are still grains and sugar. Throw in some meat and veggies and he's ready to stage a coup. Through "time out" and being excused entirely from dinner, we've come to a somewhat manageable place of trying some bites of everything on his plate. This is where his love of ketchup comes in handy. :)

Luke is such a lover. I joke that he's going to make a good husband someday because he is always telling me how pretty I look and good my hair smells. When he kisses me before bed he likes to hold my face in his hands. He's so complimentary and sweet and if he gets his fiery temper under control, he'll make some girl very, very happy some day. I just hope his wife loves me too. :)

Luke will turn 5 in December and I can hardly believe that he's approaching school age. I love the balance of boys and girls in our family and one day I hope that the hormones are balanced out with the wasting of toothpaste and the drawing on the walls. :) I love my Luke.

Leaves!

One of the great things about our new house is the trees and therefore the leaves (if you are my children). Does living in a house for 7 months still count as new? I suppose until we've celebrated every season and holiday here, it's still technically new to us. :)

What kid can resist a good leaf pile? Brooke and Luke have been trying in the last month to make a leaf pile on their own so when I offered to help, they were over the moon.

Sister Sue looks so thrilled because she is about to dump that pile of leaves on me. Little punk!

I can't be sure how all three of them are looking in my direction, but I promise this time there wasn't a candy bribe. This time... :)

Stella has the face of an angel and a heart of gold, but man, she can stir the pot like nobody can.

After the initial excitement wore off, I decided it was time for another mini photo shoot. I can't help it, I get bored easily and I love having new favorite pictures. The kids were way more cooperative than Mark who went into hiding in the house while I got everything set up. Above, Brooke said she had the perfect pose and requested that I take her picture like this. Yes, dear!

So we changed a few shirts, found some hair accessories, and rounded up the pumpkins. A few M and M's later and I got a few sweet photos. If only I could bottle up this sweet face. :)

The monkey business is actually helpful in getting some genuine smiles. Luke was very surprised when I told Brooke to put her hands over his eyes.

It won't be long and the leaves will be gone along with this lovely weather. Yikes! I hope there are more days to get out to enjoy before we need the hats and gloves.

Nash's Christmas List

You'll know I'm joking when I tell you that on the very top of Nash's Christmas list is a straight jacket. He hasn't officially petition Santa for one yet, but if he doesn't, I will. :) This 7 month old baby boy isn't mobile yet, so it's not that he's getting into things, it's just that he won't hold still....ever. In all honesty I'm a little afraid what the future will hold. Allow me to explain...

If you draw the short straw and find yourself feeding Nash a bottle, he has either his legs going or his hands or sometimes both. On a really super day (insert sarcasm) Nash's hands are flailing so much he rips the bottle out of our hands and onto the floor it goes. And for bonus, on a really crazy day, his mouth is also moving. This kid will occasionally talk through his bottle. Fun times!

You can imagine with all this nonsense that giving him a bottle isn't a quick process. We had the bottle routine down to 15 minutes and now it's taking 30 to 40. In the last week he's gone from taking 8 ounces of formula to 4. While nursing I've experienced nursing strikes, but a baby that is not interested in the bottle is a new one to me.

Another reason Nash needs a straight jacket is for diaper changes. No, he's not rolling over like babies sometimes do (at least not yet!), but he's clinging and clawing our arms through the entire process. If you've got long sleeves or a watch on, you're toast. You can barely shake him long enough to get his new diaper fastened! He's like the booger that you can't flick off. That's hypothetical of course. :) You'd have to experience it first hand to know how exhausting this task can be.

I'm sure a straight jacket in the bath tub is a safety hazard, but if they weren't, I'd make Nash wear it in the tub too. :) Last week while I was washing the the toes on his left foot, he was swinging the right foot around and splashing water everywhere. He was like some wild animal caught by a trapper that couldn't quite get away. I'm afraid, very afraid that I'm not going to have the energy to keep up with this one.

While I'm making up a hypothetical Christmas list for this silly baby boy of mine it wouldn't be complete without a request for a volume control button. Nash is still happy most of the time, but his happiness is very, very loud. You're probably wondering how loud one happy baby can be aren't you? The best comparison I can come up with would be a smoke detector. You know that ear piercing sound that makes you run around the house trying like crazy to make it stop? Yes, Nash can shriek so loudly I'm pretty sure I've sustained some ear drum injury. For real.

On the flip side, he eats baby food without gagging, naps when he needs to, and prefers the pleasure of my company above others. Well, who doesn't? :) It's hard even with all his constant motion and noise, not to enjoy the happiest baby we've ever had. We'll still let him claim the title" Captain Awesome" just like his shirt says. :) We love that Nashy Boy!

Field Trip!

A while ago Brooke joined the American Heritage girl troop at our church. Never heard of AHG? Check it out here. One of the other moms in her group called us last week to see if we wanted to accompany them to a museum about 30 minutes from our house. Being new to the area, we had no idea what little gem lay just a drive up the interstate from us. It's called the Booneshoft Museum of Discovery and it is awesome. If you have a Cincinnati Museum membership, you get in free or if you have a Cincinnati Zoo membership, you get in for half price. Gotta love that! We were there for 4 hours and only managed to scratch the surface of all they have to offer. Of the things we did do, this climbing tower was a big hit. It's 3 stories to climb and slide and the kids never seemed to get tired of it. Above, Luke is climbing up one of the tunnels.

Mark sat on the mid level to supervise our people. :)

You're never going to believe this, but inside this museum is actually a zoo! They have otters, porcupines, meerkats, owls, a bobcat, bats, skunks and so much more.

The meerkats were the most entertaining with at least 10 of them darting around their enclosure doing all kinds of crazy things.

We also enjoyed the make believe pizza shop and grocery store.

On our way out we stopped to participate in their "Do Lab" which featured a science experiment on crystals. Provide lab equipment and they will come. :)

In an effort to get through our math curriculum, we try not to be on an endless circuit of field trips. Maybe we should adopt the "unschooling" philosophy. :) We are looking forward to going back and seeing what else the museum has to offer. You should too!

We Have a Sitter!

Nash is such a big boy now that he sits. I like this very brief period where they sit and mostly stay where you put them. I love this picture of my people looking at old scrapbooks together. All those hours of cutting and pasting are very much appreciated. :)

What I would do for a few days of bed rest...

One year ago today I was put on bed rest and we put our house up for sale. If I didn't blog about the whole experience, I might not have believed it myself. I know people thought we were out of our mind, but what God has planned, who can be against? :)

We were blessed by the kindness of so many those months I laid on the couch. Laying on the couch sounds heavenly right now as opposed to doing laundry and cleaning up messes. :) A year ago it wasn't what I had in mind, but with God's grace I kept my sanity and saw Him bless our family every time we turned around.

One of our greatest blessings came by way of my favorite neighbor Stephanie, when she organized an online meal schedule and dinner showed up at our door several times a week! Sometimes people we hardly knew (and even strangers!) would ring our doorbell with dinner in their hands. It still moves me to tears to see how God cared for us through this difficult time. Two ladies even made a huge batch of freezer meals for us to eat in between the other meals being delivered. I will never, ever forgot such kindness. Fast forward to today and I'm lucky if I even sleep at night. No, Nash isn't waking us up needing to be flipped over anymore, it's just that there aren't enough hours in the day to do what I have to do and what I want to do gets done between the hours of 8-11 PM. I try to get to bed earlier, but I can't seem to make it happen. Those are the hours I spend making all my plans. :)

We need to get a crash helmet for this rolling 7 month old boy. No longer does Nash stay where we put him. He's under furniture and rolling onto the hardwood floors. He also can sit up by himself, but when he reaches for toys he falls right back over.

We're finally feeding Nash food. Feeding him food is a sometimes messy project, but it's easier than giving him a bottle these days. He is so wiggly and distracted (even when it's quiet and there are few distractions!) that feeding him bottles is no fun at all. I told Mark that if the consequences for not feeding him weren't so severe (um, hello death!), I would elect not to feed him some days. You know I'm teasing, but feeding him is seriously frustrating. I can only imagine how often "my girls" would be hanging out flapping in the breeze if I were nursing him. :)

If you click on this picture to enlarge you can see the trail of drool hanging off Nash's chin. If it's not drool, he's got puke on him. Babies are a messy business!

I'm glad to be back on my feet going at full speed, but for me being able bodied means I try to do too much. When I find the secret to balance what needs to be done versus what I want to accomplish, I'll let you know. :) Hugs and kisses to all of you that prayed for our family and helped us last year. Know that you will be thought of every time we remember that time in our lives. Hope you have a happy weekend. See ya back here next week!

Keepin' it Real

Fall is by far my favorite time of year second only to those first glimpses of spring when you can go outside without winter coats again. I find the days of cooler overcast skies to be energizing and motivating. The kids seem to sense it too. We got out some Halloween decorations which thrilled my people and now they are looking forward to raking leaf piles in the backyard.

{The following photos are all taken by ours truly, James, while he was home on Fall Break last weekend.}


I had plans (of course I did!) to get a family photo this past week because we don't have any with Nash in them. I also wanted to make sure we captured some of the fall foliage before every leaf blew off and we're stuck with naked trees. My original thought was to take the pictures at the park, but after taking our Besties picture in the field right outside our subdivision, I figured that would be way more convenient than driving 20 minutes to the park. This is where I'll show you how glamorous photography can be. :)

These next two pictures pretty much sum up our first attempt of getting that elusive family photo. Wouldn't this picture look great on our Christmas card? No?

How about this one? While Luke's eyes look amazing in this photo, this bug-eyed craziness is not what I was going for.

In the end we came away with over a hundred (yes, you read correctly) photos that looked like this. To say my people were uncooperative is an understatement. We tried to take these pictures after dinner and I think the kids were so tired they were hyper. I also think that possibly they feel so comfortable with James that they let their hair down and were just crazy. Next year, I'm going to hire a stranger to photograph us because I think they will be still and smile nicely for someone they don't know. Go figure!

Mark was not overly excited when I told him that we needed to try that again the next morning. We hung up the clothes and went to the park I originally planned and tried again. The kids were much more cooperative on a full nights sleep (and the promise of playing on the play set at the park if they looked at the camera!). Even with cooperation, we got only a handful of acceptable photos. Such is real life. :)

Here's a keeper from that dreadful evening of photos.

And my very favorite of me and my love. Thank you, James!