Hoping...

your Halloween is s.w.e.e.t!

Trick or Treat! :)

~chat soon!

Around Town.

Don't have much to say today.
I have been carrying my camera with me, a lot.
Kind of glad I have.
It's been an picture-perfect week! :)
~Chat soon!

a nice little slap in the face!

I have recently been turned on to Joy's Hope.
A sweet little blog filled with inspiration. A happy place. A nice place.
I saw this Monday-totally sent from above.

It was a weekend full of complaining by me and the girls, along with LOTS of arguing with them.
Not one of my prouder mommy moments.
You win some & you lose some right?
I was glad to see this little post, like it was written just for ME!
~chat soon!

3.

That is how old Katy Bug is today.
Three.
I just can't believe it.
It feels like she just got here, yet I can hardly remember time before her.
Kate has taught us so much and continues to teach us. Daily.
Happy third birthday, Katherine.

Happy Birthday to her Papa Bob also! :)

PIZZA NIGHT!

This past week Anne proudly came home with her Book It coupon. She had read 10 books, turned her log sheet in, and in return, she received a coupon for a Personal Pan Pizza courtesy of Pizza Hut.
Friday night, Adam wasn't home, so we trudged to Pizza Hut-for a girls night. So much fun. Kate has a new obsession with parmesean cheese. Anne was in love with the idea of having a 'whole' pizza to herself, and I was just happy watching them be happy.
It's the simple things, really!
~chat soon!

In case you were wondering...

I still believe fall is...
d.r.e.a.m.y!

the tale of a dollhouse.

This past Saturday we were all outside.
It was warm, the sun was out, we had not a care in the world.
Our neighbor came over.
She is a very sweet neighbor. She and her husband have raised three children and are purging their small kid toys.
The neighbor came over and gave us two very cool dollhouses and two bikes.
Now, it was very, very nice of her. It was so generous and the items are in great condition.
The bikes had streamers and horns, baskets and cool cup holders. The houses had furniture and doorbells, windows that opened and phones that rang.
I would have LOVED to have saved the houses for Christmas gifts-Santa recylces RIGHT?!

Well, since they were given to me in front of the chicks, there was no chance of that happening, on this side of the Mississippi River! THAT IS FOR SURE.
I convinced Anne, that she had to rest, I would clean up the stuff, and she could play her heart out.
It was not that easy.
She cried.
She screamed.
She pouted.
She coughed.
She choked.
She cried.
She said not so nice things.
She hit the floor.

It was a mess.
Shades of my not so hot mothering skills came flying out-oh it was so ugly!
Adam put her in her room and she was TOLD not to move.
She got up from her rest, played for hours, fought with Kate over it...
we have survived the wrath of the dollhouse-but only barely!
I'm oh so thankful that the neighbor was kind enough to share her toys with us.
Next time, I hope to do a better under the table deal!
~Chat soon.

SMACK JACK!

PaPa Bob has started a tradition with the girl.
It is the old run of the mill SLAP JACK game.
Kate has deemed it SMACK JACK. Which is just too adorable.
They are addicted to it.
When Susan was in town Dad brought the trusty deck of cards, taught Ellen how to play, and opened up the can of SCREECHING!
Fun times.

Harvest Party

So, I survived something else as the Kindergarten Mom.
The first school party.
The Harvest Party.
I was very excited to find out that the party would be on my day off.
So, I could attend.
Somehow, I could attend because I was off work, turned into OH GREAT, I WILL DO THE CRAFT, OH REALLY? YOU NEED A CO-COORDINATOR?! SURE! I'M FREE THAT DAY.
Strange, how those things happen.
Time was ticking, and people weren't signed up for the spots, so what is a momma to do? RUN TO THE RESCUE.
Thankfully, I spent a few years as a little girl in my Mrs. Thomas and my mom's preschool classroom and mastered the art of MARBLE PAINTING! :) As well as having an oh so creative co-worker that turned me onto a craft that included pipe cleaners, 'pony beads', and corn husks. VIOLA-a so adorable ear of Indian Corn (do they still call it 'Indian corn'-or is that not such a good thing?)
The co-coordinator position was a breeze thanks to the other co-coordinator, and it was an all around good time. I think.
Would I do every party, not unless you would be visiting me in the loony bin. For the amount of children in her class and the age that they are, it went off without a hitch! :) THANKS TO HER WONDERFUL TEACHER AND THE ASSISTANTS!

Oh, and by the way, when Adam asked if Anne liked it that I was there...her reply, 'it doesn't matter if your mom is there or not'-she turned and walked away. I took another drink of my beverage and started crying. I was sleep deprived, lacking adrenaline, and just needing a bit of a break from reality. Did I expect her to kiss my big toe for going to the party AND making sure they had the cutest crafts in town, NO! But, a, 'hey I'm glad you came to the party' wouldn't have been such a big deal. She promptly returned, pony tail swinging and said. I FORGOT THE PART THAT EVEN IF YOU AREN"T THERE YOU CAN STILL HAVE FUN! Grace's mommy wasn't there, or Emma, or Drew...and they all had fun! :) Okay, she may have saved the day there. Just maybe.
~chat soon!
p.s. pictures are horrid. i didn't take much of the party since i was tied down to the corn table, but Anne was having a blast, especially with her 'game face' at the bean bag toss! ;)

Field Trip!

So last week I went with Anne on her first field trip as a Kindergartner.
It was to the pumpkin patch.
Here is the list of things I learned.
1. being a parent on a field trip IS NOT the same as being the teacher.
2. i don't know if i will go on another field trip as a mother.
3. #2 disregard. seriously, of course I'll go.
4. a child-especially yours-getting lost in a tower of hay, seriously could make you puke!
5. the next time i go on a field trip i will take the WHOLE day off so when I leave the field trip=i go straight for a cocktail! :)
6. kids have fun whether the parents are there or not.
7. no matter the age, girls are each others worst enemies.

That being said;
I survived the first field trip, Anne got lost in the hay tower, she didn't have a flashlight because I left the one I bought special for the trip on the kitchen counter, she tried things I would have NEVER dreamed of her trying. I enjoyed watching her interact with the other kids and getting to know her friends. I think Adam will go on the next one, I'm not sure if this momma is cut out for such an adventure four times a year! :)
~Chat soon!

Friday.

It's Friday.
It's been a week. In the past seven days there has been...

Field Trips, Harvest Party, IRS Visit to the BUSINESS! (barf!) 2 nights of conducting parent teacher conferences, coffee with Kindergarten moms (eeks!).
It's been a week!
I'm capping off this Friday with a large glass of RED WINE and a good episode (or two) of my favorite tv show! ;)
~chat soon.

monday.

Never have been a huge lover of Monday's.
Just haven't.
Today, Susan, and her clan leave.
That makes me not like this Monday, at.all.
We had a great time.
Each day we could fill, we did!
Lots of laughs, lots of food...it was great.
See you at Christmas, Suz!
LOVE YOU!
~Chat soon!

love is in the air.

who doesn't love a wedding? really, it can make even the coldest of hearts melt, don't you think?

we had the pleasure of attending my childhood neighbors wedding this weekend.

it was a uniquely beautiful wedding. i loved it.

it made me have the itch to have our wedding again.

a guest list cut in half, a fun menu, a live band, maybe on a farm???...think i can convince adam to do it all over again?! :)

maybe we'll renew our vows in a few years!

wishing stacy and josh a lifetime of love and laughter!

~chat soon.

tourists.

i have said it before, i will say it again. when susan is in town, we act like we ALL are visiting st. louis!
it's okay thought!
first outing-st. louis zoo.
best place. especially on a monday, when everyone is at work! :)







~chat soon!

what a story.

So, Sunday was THE walk. I posted how great it was, the amazing amount of money we made, and the fun we all had. BUT, I forgot a little part of the story.
Here it goes:
In the beginning of the walk, I was handed an envelope from my Aunt Linda with donation money and a check from someone else to be turned in for donations. I opened the the envelope and stuck the check in, proceeding to place it all in the back pocket of my jeans. I put everything and anything in that blessed back pocket, trusty place for me.
WE GOT AN EXTRA ONE HUNDRED AND TEN DOLLARS TODAY!



We all cheered and realized we were well over 3,500 bucks!
HOLY MOLY.
I then stuck my hand in my pocket to prove that we got it when much to my surprise...

THE ENVELOPE WAS GONE!

Immediate panic.
I checked my jacket, the stroller, my other pockets, the trash bag, the trash can, even the johnny on the spot. (ew!)
I was sick.
Sick isn't even the word.
I put on a happy face and said, 'oh I'm sure it is stuck inside something, we will find it!' (knowing good and well that it was ONLY in my back pocket!)
We got home, I looked through the few other places it may have wondered into to find-nothing.
I cried, I tried to take a nap, I prayed, I searched pockets again, I prayed some more, and then informed the necessary parties that I "LOST THE MONEY"(little type symbolizing how little I felt!). Quite embarrassing.
More then embarrassing.
Can't even come up with a word.
Everyone rallied saying, 'it's okay, accidents happen, it will come up, or if it's thrown away, nothing will be lost'...blah blah blah.

Nothing was going to fix this guilt wash that had over taken me.
COME TUESDAY...
I get a random email from my Aunt Linda to find out.
THE MONEY WAS FOUND! IT WAS FOUND! IT WAS FOUND. She had received an email from a person from JDRF that said the money had been turned in and they were contacting Aunt Linda (who wrote one of the checks) to see if the dough should be sent for donations.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? IT WAS FOUND.
I know that I will never be able to find the person that turned it in.

Nor will I ever figure out how it jumped ship out of my trusty back pocket, but I do know this, each time a prayer is answered, I become a BIGGER BELIEVER that prayer works!
Still in awe.
~chat soon!

wonderful day for a walk...

Yesterday was The Walk to Cure Diabetes.

Our team raised close to $3,500! With 30+walkers. Last year we raised just a smidge over $600.00 with a team of whopping size of 4! The goal I set for our team this day last year was a team of 20 and $1,000! WOWSERS! I would say we met that goal!

I can't thank the people that donated, walked, and, prayed for the walk enough! We are so touched by everyone's generous support!

It was a beautiful day~the weather was perfect, the company was even better!

Thoughts by Anne...

On any given day, Anne blows us away with her thoughts.

I really should write them down as they happen, because I can NEVER remember each and every one of them.

Here are a few from lately.

I walked into her room and saw this perfect circle of My Little Ponies on a towel with a little pony in the middle.

Me-Anne, what's going on here?

Anne-Oh, the big ponies are watching a foal be born.

Me-A, uh, um, a WHAT?

Anne-A foal. A foal be born.

Me-What does that mean, Anne? (i really didn't want to have to have that conversation right then.)

Anne-well, I don't know, but that is what is happening.

Room stops spinning and I can see again. ;)

****************************************************************

After Girl scouts on Tuesday, Adam asked Anne how the first meeting was.

Anne-HORRIBLE! JUST HORRIBLE.

room gets fuzzy.

Adam-WHY?

Anne-Well, first, mommy made us do this project and we took too long and she didn't follow the rules.

Adam-what rules.

Anne-I had to pass out snack BEFORE the project was over.

Adam-well, you would have run out of time.

Anne-Leaders HAVE to follow the rules.

**************************************************

After church Sunday, Anne whispers to me.

Mom, are we sitting on Jesus?

Me-Um, WHAT? No, I don't think so, why?

Anne-well, where does he sleep?

Me-I don't think He sleeps.

Anne-We ARE IN GOD'S HOUSE! WHERE IS HIS BED?

*************************************************

One of Anne's friends from the babysitter also started Kindergarten this year. She rides the bus from Debbie's house and is usually catching it as we are pulling away to take Anne to school.

Anne-mom, why does C get to ride the bus?

Me-her school has buses, yours does not.

Anne-why does hers have buses and mine doesn't?

Me-well her school is different...(searching...searching for more reasons.)

Anne-like how?

Me-you learn about Jesus at your school.

Anne-YOU MEAN SHE DOESN"T KNOW JESUS?! (i think she prayed the whole rest of the way for C.)

******************************************

Anne's room was such a mess last week. She wouldn't let anyone touch a thing. It had to be this perfectly messy, mess. She knew JUST what was going on with each heap or cluster of stuff. Anne came out of her room looking all forlorned. ..

Me-Anne, what's wrong?

Anne-I'm so disappointed.

Me-About what? (thinking something happened with the foal)

Anne-my room is such a mess it makes me want to CRY!

Me-would you like me to help you clean it up? we have been talking about this for days.

Anne-well, that would be nice, but otherwise, I'll LIVE!

*******************************

Anne's kindergarten teachers birthday was a few weeks ago. I found a wierd yellow spoon in her backpack that day.

Me-Anne, this is cool, where is it from.

Anne-oh, we had special treat for Mrs. D's birthday

Me-great, what was it.

Anne-oh you know, well, it was something with beer.

Me-BEER?!

Anne-yeah, it was brown, and cold, and had icecream and you mixed it all up.

I think it was an icecream float with beer.

Me-Does Rootbeer float sound like it.

Anne-THAT'S IT MOM! :)

There you have it. Some aren't quite as funny typed out, but you can get the drift of the 30 year old in a 5 year old's body that we are dealing with.

~chat soon!

Awaiting the arrival...

Of these three.
I.Can't.Wait!
Safe travels, Suz & co.
We'll see you for dinner, tomorrow night!


P.S. don't you think she deserves a Super Woman cape? Traveling 1/2 way across the country with a 3 year old and 6 month old? I have a hard enough time keeping track of my purse AND carry on when I go on a plane! :)