Halloween '07: A Post in Progress - FINISHED

In our family, holidays don't just fall on "the day", but start early and end late. It's too fun to not see everyone and get good use out of the money spent on costumes and special holiday clothes!





I could wait and just show all the pics at once after it is all said and done, but I decided to just add to this one as I go.





Monday's Events: My Grandma Barb's house with Daphne, Maisie and my brother's son, Cole (2 1/2 years). Candy corn, cookies and McDonald's was on the menu. We neglected to get Grandma in the pictures, but you can guess she was smiling ear to ear and so glad that the neighbors came out of their houses to look at her great-granchildren too.

Tuesday's Celebration: An annual tradition of visiting my other Grandma Barb and my Grandpa Foye, with as many of my cousins' kids as possible too. My dad and mom were there enjoying the kids too! Pizza, lots of treats, and it isn't even Halloween yet. Really truly, I am not a Halloween fiend - I just love when kids get to make believe and play with their cousins. Are you bored yet?

Halloween! : We had the luxury of going out to breakfast as a family in the am - that is something I love about my husband's job. Most of the time he is super busy, but at least he is the boss of his schedule and we get to squeeze in some family time in "normal business hours" every once in awhile. The girls and I carved our pumpkins - although never lighting them last night...whoops! The big stuff was the Trunk or Treating fest and traditional trick or treating around our neighborhood. The girls had such a fun time - I think next year we'll do more of the traditional trick or treating - Daphne ran to each house and Maisie and I were always a step behind. Once Maisie "got it", she really was giggling and having fun too. I ate way too much candy yesterday and am swearing if off for the rest of my pregnancy...

The best kind of farm...

Mike and I lived on 5 acres for 4 years and I love lots of things about living out in the country. I especially loved it during the fall, when it was still mostly sunny and the trees and crop life are so abundantly voicing God's presence in creation. We moved into town a year ago, though, and I am now very thankful and never take for granted the luxury of living 2 minutes from my gym, Wal Mart, our grocery store, church etc. It is very agreeable with life at home with little kids.


Right now, when I need my "Green Acres" fix, I can visit Mike's parents, who live on 85 acres and have horses, chickens, 7 baby chicks (that just hatched), ducks, dogs, a cat, a pug and lots of farm toys, like "Rambo", the four-wheeler, "Cubby 1" and "Cubby 2", the antique red tractors, Donny, the John Deere tractor, and the list goes on and on... Mike Sr. names everything and we all get suckered in to eventually calling them those things too.


This is a taste of what my girls and our yellow lab, Gus, get to experience each time they visit Grandma and Grandpa's farm!
We could never keep up with the maintenance of this farm - but we still get to enjoy it often! Thanks Grandpa and Grandma:)

Special Note - My assistant and I are working behind the scenes to make my promise of a blog gathering happen soon. I won't let you down, please stay posted if you read Home Is Where The Ranch Is, and know of what I am referring:)

The "doc" Prescribes Bedrest

Gotcha!

No, I am not on doctor advised bedrest...but, me the "doc" in this tale, decided that I deserve some.

This is being a little too honest, and very irrational, but when I hear of pregnant women being put on modified bedrest - the kind that seems like the doctor is being wisely conservative, but enough so, that husbands, moms, mother-in-laws, good friends etc, come out of the woodwork, rallying around the mom, so they can sit in bed a little each day...I get jealous. (note: I do understand that all doctor advised bedrest is a serious issue, but don't we all sometimes wish for things until they really are happening to us and then it all is a different story)

Of course, I am completely aware of the blessing that I have healthy, and very normal pregnancy aches and pains...I really am! I thank God daily for making me fit for this type of job - but still a little "okay, stefanie, you're going to have to slow down, lay in bed a couple hours a day, and let other people take care of the kids..." lecture - might be nice. Because lately, since entering my third trimester, I am really slowing down and wanting a big breaktime everyday! And let's face it, even the normal aches and pains and weird things happening to our pregnant bodies are enough to deserve non-prescribed bedrest! When will our society catch on to that?

So today, I decided, that better yet - I am going to be a step ahead of all of that, and still be

a. a mom that doesn't NEED bedrest for health

BUT

b. gives herself a little bedrest for enjoyment

This is my pledge, that twice a week, during Daphne's preschool hours (2 hours at home between pick up and drop off), while Maisie is a for sure napping kid, I am NO LONGER going to blog, clean, or possibly even talk on the phone. It's going to be, me, in bed, napping or reading my book. It's the best of both worlds - I won't be sitting worried about my health, cause I am perfectly fine, but I will still get some of that coveted bedrest. (I chose that bedroom out of the Pottery Barn catalogue, because it looked like a nice bed to rest in!)

Pregnant or not pregnant, I should have started this kind of ritual a long time ago!

Okay, Okay, Here's My Random Things...

In keeping with being random, these are in complete random order too:

1. My husband and sister were born on the same day, same year.

2. When I watch a movie in the cinemas, after all the previews have been shown, I make myself recite all the trailers that were shown (in my head of course), to either check my memory, or more likely an OCD thing.

3. Another in #2 category, is that I went through a phase, after taking typing in highschool, where if I heard an interesting word or any RANDOM word at that, I would type it out on a pretend keyboard, using my fingers AND toes.

4. I had menstrual cramps so badly in high school once, that when excused from class to go call my mom, I couldn't make it to the office, and instead, laid down on the floor of the girls' showers (never ever used, but still gross) until I recovered enough to then go call my mom.

5. My favorite candy is swedish fish.

6. I was baptized last May, after deciding that although I don't discount the very special day when I was baptized as an infant in the Lutheran church that I grew up in, I wanted to profess my faith in public as an adult, and after praying for a long time, God said - "Okay, Dive In"! A special event in itself, but to make it even more special, I had found out the evening before, that I was pregnant for the third time, and Mike and I hadn't told anyone yet. So baby and I were baptized by the Holy Spirit together! ALSO, my mom came to watch, and afterward she handed me the bulletin from my first baptism and that day's bulletin too!

7. I drove a 1980 Yellow Thunderbird in high school - it was as long as my mini van now.

8. When my husband and I were married, we took pictures with both sets of my grandparents and then both sets of his grandparents. Not only were all 4 sets alive and well, but their married years added up to more than 200!

9. My grandpa's name is Foye. (Rhyme's with Roy)

10. When I picked up Daphne from preschool just now, she told me nonchalantly that "Sweetie" (the pet hamster) had nibbled on her shirt. Sure enough there was an eraser size hole, dead center, in my favorite of the 2 gymboree outfits that her grandparents bought her for her b-day. I guess when they tell you to have them wear clothes they can get dirty, they aren't jokin' around!

(for my non-blogging readers, I didn't write this for the heck of it, but because it was a challenge put up to some of us by a few of our blogging friends)

New Raincoat

Right now Daphne is on her way to the pumpkin patch with her Grandpa Mike....

It was pouring down rain this am, and I realized that she didn't have a raincoat for her BIG fieldtrip this afternoon. So, I took the girls around town, looking to buy one. NO ONE had any. We live in a small town, but I was surprised that the local Penny's, Wal Mart and Wilco, didn't have a one. But then, I remembered that a really fun gift store in town, had some higher-end children's clothes and I even recalled seeing some very sweet raincoats and boots there this summer.

So long, story short, Daphne now owns a 40 dollar raincoat/hat combo. I was secretly happy that this really was my only option, because it justified this "OUCH" purchase and I do ADORE the coat!

I am sad to say, that Grandpa thought it would be too hard to take the camera along to the patch- I don't blame him. But these are all the pics I got of our girl on her VERY FIRST FIELDTRIP.

Souvenirs from Quebec

My husband's not dumb....he came home from his Quebec trip, bearing gifts!!! That alone didn't quite refresh all my batteries, after being a single mom for 5 full days...but it sure helped:)

The girls got the cutest wool animal hats and he picked out a beautiful wool sweater for me. Here's the girls' hat "photo shoot"!

They are even cuter in person!!

I didn't take a pic of me in my sweater, because a bulky wool, NON MATERNITY style pullover, just wasn't that cute on me...but next winter it will be perfect.

I said earlier that the gifts were so sweet and helped with my tiredness...well, this weekend he let me get out to play a lot. On Saturday, Mike single handedly, watched my girls and my sister-in-law, Becca's 3 kids, so that we could go up to the mall for a couple hours. It was a delightful outing, as we strolled through Pottery Barn Kids, lattes in one hand and "registering gun" in the other. Then today, after church, I took off and went on more errands, sin kids, and spent over an hour in Michaels. Now I continue my "me-time", hiding in the den, while he plays referree to our quarreling girls.

I'm so blessed to have a husband that believes in time for me, as much as time for him!

A Garden Sown in Love

Welcome to our family garden. This is the second harvest of a garden of this kind. And it is purely a labor of love; a gift from one very special Grandpa to his five grandchildren.

In the spring of 2006, my father-in-law, took on the mighty task of building a tall, electrified fence around a good chunk of soil, nestled right beside their home. This fence, would finally allow him to have the garden of his dreams - one that was previously held at bay by the beautiful, but hungry deer around their property. He planned and planted five wonderful gardenbeds within the fence, and then drawing names, out of a hat, he assigned each of his grandchildren one of the five sections. Being the tender hearted and "attender of every detail", man that he is, he even built a sign for each child, with their name burned out and then painted either blue or pink accordingly. Each child's sign was then placed in front of their own section of the garden.



This year, to improve the garden, he even built garden boxes for each of the five sections. And again the five children were randomly assigned a garden box full of seeds waiting to begin growing.

Well, we've enjoyed the bounty of both of these gardens the past two summers and falls, because of the many hours of caretaking that went into maintaining the garden throughout the summer heat. And always as we were eating something, we were reminded not to forget, that "you are eating Phoebe's lettuce", "Daphne's tomatoes", or "Tobin's squash"...

Today, I was there to witness the "last picking" of the season! We'll still let the pumpkins do there thing a while longer I assume, but it's definitely the end of the season for most of the other crops. Until next year, when Grandpa Mike, will have to build one more garden box and design one more sign, with a little girl's name on it. What will that sign read, we're not sure yet, but one thing I have no doubts about - she will be one of six, very blessed grandkids. Every child blossoms with that kind of love!!

Dedicated to you, Mike - Thanks for all your love, support and adoration. You and Pam make our job as parents so much easier and enjoyable.

Remembering October 2 and October 3

This morning was a huge deal for me. The moms group that I lead at church started again in a whole new fashion, today, after a long break this summer.

Last year, it was a playdate deal - with only 3 times squeezed in with daycare available and more fun for us moms.

This year, I found three homeschooled students that were graciously game to make room in their studying to help us out twice a month! So this year, when us moms meet, it truly is a break from the kiddos and there are treats, projects and speakers involved!

AUTHENTIC BLOG INTERRUPTION OCCURING NOW....

Daphne is calling me to come see the masterpiece she just created (she is painting while I blog and Maisie is napping) and I can't say no to that, so I reluctantly leave the computer and go look. And this is what I found - - - -


yes, in the background you see the beautiful rainbow, but do you also notice she painted her arms too?

Okay, she's all cleaned up now and I've uploaded the picture to prove/document this moment and back to my story...

So anyway - I am pumped about the moms in my church and community, getting this opportunity. Of course, though, it takes a little bit of planning to make sure these things go off without a hitch. So I've been planning/prepping/praying for a good month now and yesterday I had a large to-do list. I took the babysitters to icecream (I planned this back when it was still hot out) at 7pm to go over all the important details, and then took them all home. Ran back home to get a few things I had forgotten and then to the church to set up. I set up the daycare area - moving nursery toys and gates into the preschool room (we only have enough kids/sitters for one area) and laid out all the necessities. Then I moved a lot of chairs in the sanctuary and set up 3 round tables and decorations on them. Luckily there were people at the church recording music, and that made me feel better, since I stayed there until 10:45pm. Then I decided I didn't have the energy to make the cinnamon rolls, so I ran to the grocery store to BUY cinnamon rolls. Got home, had a snack, since I was starving, and then hit the sack around 11:45pm.

Meanwhile, in our life, Mike was getting ready to leave for a 6 day trip to Quebec and we didn't get one moment together last night. And he got up around 3:30am to leave and I barely got out the words "goodbye, have fun, and I love you".

This morning it was up again early to shower, bake the pre-made cinnamon rolls, get the girls ready, pick up the sitters and be there on time.

PRAISE GOD - Nine awesome women came (4 of which had never came last year), 12 kids under 5, and after a few tears, ALL the kids stayed in the daycare area. And us moms relaxed!

Then, needless to say, after getting the sitters home, and eating some lunch, I put Maisie to bed and me and Daphne went to my bed to rest too. We had just fallen asleep, when Maisie walks into my room, of course waking me up, to show her new talent of climbing out of her crib when she doesn't want to be in there!

I think I slept 20 minutes or so... After I put her back 3 times, I pulled out the playpen tent and set her up in the guest room - trapped into a forced nap. Sorry Mais.

Remember my better half on his trip - he calls a little bit later to tell me that he is in Time Square. I guess they had a long lay over in NY and he went to Ground Zero, the Statue of Liberty and was at that moment standing in Time Square. He was giddy with excitement!

It was a strange moment talking to him THERE and me being HERE - such different surroundings.

In conclusion: It must be a God thing, because I am not even jealous at all. All that work, the last month and especially last night, was for such a great thing and I now realize, that I need to delegate more, and my little girls, although unpredictable, they are truly the delight of my days.