Happy Halloween!

This morning the girls put on their costumes and headed off to school.  Ryan and I will watch them in their school Halloween parade this afternoon.  And then we'll  watch them impatiently wait for it to get dark so they can go trick or treating.

Here are some photos of our pumpkin carving.  Some friends joined us for the occasion...it made for a very nice evening.

Few Thoughts

* I had a dream last night that Ryan and I visited the college we went to way back when.  While there (in my dream) we took a picture of us kissing on the bottom step of the long stair case that led to my dorm room.  The exact same place that we had our very first kiss.  I like that idea.  I think if we ever do get back to the Hoosier state and visit our school I'm totally going to make sure we get that picture!

* I think I'm going to start the process of weaning Rory.  She doesn't know it yet, but I think I'm going to try dropping her afternoon nurse session today.  It's the most hectic time of day with kids coming home from school, homework, and trying to make dinner.  So yeah, we'll see how that goes.  I'm not sure how I feel about yet...a little sad, but excited too.  I've either been pregnant or nursing for the last three years...I'm ready to have my body back.  I have a hunch that she won't be easy to wean.  She still likes to have a nurse session at 3:30 in the morning.  That's going to be a hard one to break her of!

* I've gained three pounds since the last time I weighed myself (it's probably been a few weeks).  I know it's not much, but no one ever wants to see the scale go up!  And you know what?  I blame it on quitting coffee. Seriously.  Coffee kept my appetite in check, and it kept me moving throughout the day.  So yeah, total bummer.  In other news, I may be doing some more mountain biking next year...as in racing.  We'll see.  But with more skiing this winter (hopefully) and perhaps some mountain biking next year, I'll get myself in some sort of shape again.

* Haley and Morgan both refer to combs or hair brushes as a "comb-brush".  Yes, as in "I can't find the comb-brush!!"  When they were younger Ryan and I would correct them, "No, it's just a brush."  But, they never got it. Ryan and I don't correct them anymore because honestly we kinda like it.  Ryan and I have even used that term.  "Haley, get your comb-brush and comb your hair!"  I guess it may be a problem when they're older...I suppose I'll wait til then to do something about it.

We carved our pumpkins last night.  Pictures to come!

Trunk or Treat Dress Rehearsal

A sneak peak before Halloween.

 I'm glad Mr. Bones made the cut in the background.  Mr. Bones has got to be around 20 years old (maybe older!).  It hung in the house when I was a kid.  And now the poor guy is held together by tape in places, but I love that he's still around.  

There were people at the party who didn't even recognize Ryan!

Oooooh, I just want to run my fingers through that mullet.

Kidding...eww.

 I forgot to put a nose and whiskers on Rory.  I'll remedy that on Halloween.

And what do you think of Haley's costume?  Not too shabby, if I do say so myself!

She loves it!

Flu shots, storms, and sewing like a crazy lady!

This week we all got our flu shots.

Rory seemed to have a bit of a reaction from it...fever for a few days (somewhat typical) but then this morning she broke out in hives!  A couple of doses of Benadryl and she's good to to go (it's what the nurse suggested).  So I'll check with the doctor on what's up with that during her one year check-up.  So yeah, she's been a bit of a mess this week.

We also got our first storm...yep, with snow and everything.

It was a little bizarre to look out the window and see snow falling....not sure I'm ready for this yet.  But the good news is that it will be back up to the 70's next week.  

I've been sewing like a crazy lady this week.  We have a sort-of dress rehearsal tonight with our church Trunk-or-Treat.  So I had to make sure it was all done!  And I'm happy to say that I finished it in time!!  I'm pretty darn proud of myself!  Can't wait for her to put in on tonight!  

While I was sewing away in the craft room the kids played in the play room.  Can you spot a couple of kids buried in that mess in there?  But they were happy, which made me happy to get some sewing done.

Happy Weekend.

Halloween...a week away.

Halloween 2008.

Haley was four and Morgie two.

It kinda makes my heart ache looking at this picture...they grow too fast.

They were both dressed up as Fancy Nancy (from the picture book series) although I don't think one person could figure that one out.  Everyone just assumed they were princesses.  Oh well.  They were so excited because they got to wear a little bit of purple sparkle eye shadow and I curled their hair.  And do you see that dummy sitting on the chair in the background?  We constructed that guy using some of Ryan's old clothes...and it's actually stuffed with blankets and more of Ryan's clothes (a homeless guy would love that thing!) .  Anyway, the first year we did it I think Haley was two and she was absolutely terrified of it!  Ahh, the memories.

So yeah, Halloween is a week away.  I was going to get to the fabric store this morning to pick up some orange thread (for Haley's costume) but alas, we are having our first storm of the year.  It's a mix of snow and rain coming down right now, so the last thing I want to do is pack two kids in the car and go somewhere.  I'd rather sit here and sip my herbal tea (yes, herbal tea)...another little warm drink I've been enjoying since the quitting coffee...and watch the snow/rain fall.

School Pictures and Weekend Review

Haley, 3rd grade.

Morgan, 1st grade.

These two girls are so beautiful...how I love them!  I love how the morning of the pictures they had to find just the right necklace...they accessorize better than their mom!

So the weekend...we hit up the library Saturday in search of the perfect Halloween movie for our movie night that evening.  Thanks to Meg for the Shrek suggestion, it would have been most likely the perfect movie, but unfortunately in was checked out.  Morgan found Monster House (kid friendly...or so it looked) so off we went.  Well, I'm sad to say that Monster House basically scared the crap out of our kids!  It was a bit too much for them and I ended up having to fast forward all the "perilous" or "scary" scenes to prove to them that  in the end everything turned out just fine.  It didn't work...Haley and Morgan both ended up sleeping on our bedroom floor that night.  And the last two nights after that they've both been sleeping in Haley's bed.

Movie night fail.

Sunday the girls had their Primary Program at church.  I'm so proud of them!  They sang along with the others and even memorized their lines when it was their turn at the microphone.  That morning Haley practiced all on her own...she sat on the couch and wrote down all the words that she wanted to make sure she said correctly: baptized, confirmed, example, immersion.  Her little strategy worked as she said everything perfectly!  And little Morgan...all smiles and lots of waving to us.  Such a cutie.

Now I best get to sewing...I have a few more things to do on Haley's costume before the this weekend!  Can't wait to show you!  I'm pretty happy with the way it's turning out!

A few things.

Wednesday night cross.  Can you find Haley and Morgan?  Ryan and Piper are in there too!

What's going on around here?

*  Remember when I quit coffee?  Yeah...I'm still going strong...no worries there.  In fact, I never thought I would ever say this, but I think I feel better since I quit!  I don't ever have icky stomach like I used to or the dreaded coffee gut... so that's good.  I also now have quite the array of hot chocolate choices in my pantry (dark, sugar free, pumpkin spice) yeah, I've become a bit of a connoisseur of hot chocolate.  I don't drink it every morning (otherwise I would definitely start packing on the pounds if I did), but every so often it does make a nice morning a bit sweeter.  

*  Our Internet is being screwy.  We do not have TV...well, we do, but it's only function is to play a DVD.  So in the evenings when Ryan and I want to watch a little something we rely on his laptop and use Hulu to watch some normal network shows.  But...unfortunately, our wireless modem is being weird so we've had to use the desktop to watch anything.  So in desperation in wanting to be comfortable we've started dragging our sofa across the room in front of the computer (luckily, it's a very light sofa).  What's worse is that in the middle of the show the screen will go to to sleep and one of us will have to leap up to wiggle the mouse before we miss part of the show.  It's a little silly...but it's only temporary.  I'm pretty sure we'll get a good laugh about this one day.

*  Piper has been putting up quite the fight when it come to sleeping lately.  She spent two hours last night screaming and crying wanting to get up for the day.  Her screaming results in Rory screaming, and then it's all over from there.  I rock one kid to sleep, then the other, and then I have about 5 minutes of quiet until Piper starts the whole process over again.  Ryan and I had to tag team it last night...but it was definitely a losing battle (we were losing).  These are the hard moments you get when you have two kids sharing a room.  

*  Fall has arrived!  Crisp weather is upon us...and I'm kinda excited about it!  I'm excited to change up my cooking (more comfort foods!!) and do more baking.  Something about when it's cold out, I get the urge to either bake cookies or make bread.  And I love, love having dinners cooking in the oven all day or simmering on the stove.  It's the perfect recipe for a cozy house!

For the weekend...I'm thinking a family movie night is in order.  Perhaps a Halloween movie??  Although that's a tricky one with my girls as they get scared very easily!  Also this weekend Haley and Morgan have their Primary program at church which I'm very excited about!  I missed it last year because of crummy bed rest.    

Little something extra:

Haley is going to be a gypsy for Halloween and when people ask her what a gypsy is, she always answers, "It's a woman who dances for money."  I can't help but laugh every time.

Happy Weekend.

We're back!

We're back from our whirlwind trip to Long Beach!

The drive out there was long and horrible...the weather was rainy and the traffic was bad.  Three accidents involving huge semi trucks outside of Vegas led us to a complete standstill.  We had lots of pee stops (thank you very much Piper) and nursing stops which resulted in a 13 hour day in the car.  So, just when I would rather jump out of a moving car than turn around one more time to stop a fight or pick up something that Piper is screaming for, we pull up to my parent's house...hallelujah!

Sadly, I only have two pictures to share of the trip and they are of the drive there.

Ryan...in the zone.

He has to be with a car full of girls.

You can just see Rory's little foot in this picture.

Everyone still looks happy...this must be the first half of drive.

We had such a good time while there though.

We visited the girls' great-grandparents, visit to the park, family dinners, playing with neighbor kids, and two visits to the beach!  They even got a surf lesson from Ryan!  But the big hit were the boogie boards!  Haley and Morgan had a ball on those.  We could hear their squeals and laughter from the shore...it was pretty cute!  And of course they came home with a bucket of seashells.

I was able to go on a ride with my dad and I crank out most of Haley's gypsy dress while there. My mom coached me though it, thank goodness!  And I only had to rip out one seam so far...record?  I think so!

And that's that.  The drive home went so much better thankfully.

Smooth sailing.

Update! Update! Update!

So several hours after I published my previous post I got a call from Ryan (who is still CO, but coming home tonight) telling me we in fact just got accepted to an insurance company!!  Yes, they want me...they really really want me!!  Our whole family will be on the same plan and I won't have to change any doctors! Whew!!  What a relief that call was...I had been on pins and needles ever since I was denied from the companies prior.

So what did we learn?

That complaining works wonders!

Not really...but seriously.  Now, I have the okay to do all the bungee jumping and sky diving that I want!

In all honesty this has been an answer to my prayers!

A few woes, lashes, and CA here we come!

This week's quote on the board.

 This quote is kinda for me.  I have a tendency to get discouraged easily when things get tough.  I've been feeling a little overwhelmed with a few hospital bills...remember our ordeal with Rory?  Yeah...after her being in two hospitals in a different state, and an ambulance ride...let me just say it wasn't cheap.  Plus, our COBRA is up in a couple of weeks and so we've been applying for new health insurance plans.  But so far I've been denied.  No one will take me because of my left side pain that I had in the spring.  It turned out to inflammation in my intestine...but since then everything is fine...all my tests have come out great.  Still, insurance companies won't take me.  I'm upset and extremely frustrated about it.  It just doesn't feel good to be rejected...especially when my health is perfect and I have the test results to prove it!!

Okay...enough of my woes and complaining.

 I admire Ryan for always having a very positive attitude when things don't always go as planned.  He always reminds me that hard times are temporary.  We'll get through whatever is thrown at us.  It just make take some time or perhaps a different route than what we wanted.

By the way...this has been on my mind since I posted about my lashes.  I had no idea that to get lashes done it could run someone up to 90-100 dollars!!  I DID NOT pay that!  I have a friend who does them...she did them for 20 dollars.  And no, I cannot get you that deal so don't even ask me.  Okay...I feel better.

In other news, we leave for CA tomorrow.  Ryan gets home tonight so I've got to make sure I"m on the ball with all the packing and cleaning.  The girls are just over the moon about going on a little trip!

CA, we're still coming for ya.

Rory at the cross race last week.

Can you see her little teeth?  

I felt them pretty good last night when I was nursing her.  Yeah...biting...not cool Rory.  I'm lucky I still have a nipple.  Is that too much information?  But seriously, the abuse mothers go through...

So, an update on the truck...turned out it wasn't a computer chip, but a fuel pump that went out.  It's going to cost a pretty penny to get it fixed.  I'm not too thrilled about that.  I may have freaked out a bit when I told Ryan on the phone.  But it should be good to go by this afternoon.  And it's a good thing too as we are planning to drive to LB on Thursday.  The girls have their fall break and we're going to take advantage of it!  It won't be a long trip, but it'll be a good one!  

Weekend Review

Okay...I should make this post snappy since I've got tons to do today.  I'm sitting here surrounded by messes...everything left over from a busy weekend.

Saturday was a bit of running around on errands.  Picked up some fabric for Haley's costume. Yes, I'm sewing hers...hopefully this decision isn't a big mistake.  She wants to be a gypsy and I could not find a thing for her in the stores...so I'm blowing the dust off the sewing machine and giving it a go!  Haley says to me when she found out, "What?  You're sewing my costume?!  Is it going to be done by Halloween?!".  I hope so Haley, I hope so.

So stay tuned for that adventure.

Also on Saturday we were greeted with a deer that meandered into our yard in the middle of the day.  They seem to enjoy hanging out by the crab apple tree.  Haley spotted about six of them grouped together at that very spot the other night.

 Sunday we ventured out with the family for some hiking.  We had my folks and my brother and nephew with us so we had quite the group!  The kids hiked like champs (well, other than a brief whiny moment from Haley who vowed she wasn't going any further because her legs hurt).  Luckily, she changed her tune when she heard there were icicles up the trail.  From that point on her and Morgan led the way singing songs together...it was cute.  And Piper, oh my Piper...she must have fallen about a dozen times during the hike.  I guess when we hike during her nap time she's bound to get a little sloppy with her walking.  But it didn't seem to phase and she was determined to walk on her own.

 Grandma and Grandpa with all their grandchildren after the hike.

Check out Haley and Morg's faces...how they get so dirty, I'll never know.

 On the way home from the hike, just a couple of blocks from our house the truck just up and quits...just like that.  Not the best way to end a fun weekend.

We suspect it's computer chip that went out...but we'll see.  Ryan left for CO this morning so I'll have to figure this one out on my own (well, with the help of my dad).  I hate car trouble...it panics me.  Oh, and I'll be without a phone very soon (cell phone that is).  Ryan accidentally took my charger with him when he left, and I only one measly bar left...I don't think it will make it three days.  I don't like to be without a cell phone either.  That kinda panics me too. 

 Happy Monday everyone.

Family Cross Night

Haley, Morgan, Ryan and I entered the P-Town Cross Race last night.  My folks came out too!  They were able to keep an eye on my kids since Ryan and I raced at the same time.  

I must say, I was on the fence about racing since my bike isn't in the best of shape...nor am I.  But in the end I'm glad I did it!  I'm really not very good at all, and the other two women that were there lapped me pretty quickly...but, I did have fun.  

My dismounts were a bit of awful and I had a close encounter with a tree...but in the end I survived.

I'm sure I'll be out there again.

The kids race was pretty hilarious.  I don't think one kid out there knew where they were supposed to go, but they all had smiles on their faces and seemed to be having a blast.

I'm proud of my girls for giving it a go!

 Ryan, going super sonic speed.

One of my dismounts that look okay.

This dismount didn't go too well.

Thanks to my dad who snapped the pictures, and to my mom who made sure my kids didn't get run over by the racers.

Quotes and Veggies

I decided to slap a quote on the chalkboard every so often.

You never know, maybe the wise words will rub off on my children...but I won't hold my breath.  Morgan asked what it said and I told her...her very bored response, "Oh, okay." and then ran off.  You can tell she was pretty moved by Anne Frank's words.

And speaking of Morgan, she has become quite the helper in the kitchen!  She has done the dishes four nights in a row now...willingly!  It may not last, but I'll take it while I've got it.

Here she is cleaning the veggies from our neighbors garden.  My garden was a flop this year so we are very thankful for the fresh veggies we get from others! 

It's not a boob job...

...but it may be the next best thing (that I can afford).

Long, luscious, lashes.

Oooh la la...I love them.