buytoyguns.com

Tonight I found a cool website to buy boy toys! It is buytoyguns.com . They are really inexpensive toys. And I found something to really get excited about (if I was a little boy have you).

It's the kind of toy that I could see a child getting immersed in pretend play with. It's a little old fashioned too. Now that I think about it, some people might not like it, but there are other ones to choose from...

It's 8.99 and has a little canoe...someone in my family is going to get this for sure!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Table Garland




We made these garlands at moms group on Friday and they turned out great! Just rope (Wilco is the spot to find it), wire for attaching the pine cones and ribbon for the bows.

I'm taking it with us today when we head to the beach for the holiday weekend! (along the 1000 other things I have YET to pack!)

Amazingly, with things to cook, gobs to pack, and hopefully a tidy house being left behind...I am not anxious but have my life's priorities hanging high above the check-list.

I leave you with a message I heard at church often growing up:

"Praise God from who all blessings flow..."

OUR Girlfriends

My girls and I have the most special growing relationship with the BEST women! Their names are Candice and Lacey (Hacey to Ruby) and they are mother and daughter. We have so many connections with them. First, Candice is our pastor's wife, and "Lace", his beautiful teenage daughter. Secondly, Lacey babysits our girls and provides them with an example of Godliness, pureness, style and cool that goes without compare. Thirdly they are our next door neighbors, which provides innumerable bonding opportunities - trick or treating, impromptu dinners, quick goodies left on porches, and over the fence conversations. Finally and most importantly, we have an unstated agreement that we are going to BE and SHARE in each others' lives.

I know some things will change in the future. We aren't guaranteed to be neighbors for ever - even for years, Lacey will go to college soon, and our lives may go separate ways. But for now we are fostering a really fun relationship AND in the future what they are giving to me and my girls will always be in our hearts.

When Mike and our pastor, Charlie, were both in Mexico, once again we leaned on each other....on this particular night we did so in PAJAMA style! We dined on yummy pizza, salad, milkshakes, and popcorn from the stove top! The movie of choice was American Girl Molly (a Riddle girl favorite).

Lacey and Candice are beautiful women - stunning actually - and their mother and daughter relationship is one of the strongest I've ever seen. I know with all my heart that God put them in my backyard to give me a head start on creating the same sort of one with all my girls!

He's Home

Mike got home at 1pm. I waited up for him, wide-eyed from a variety of caffeine products. He collapsed into bed after a long long day of travel.

I'd even gone to see an 8:45pm showing of Social Network with a good friend that I see only around 4 times a year. (great true life story!!)

The funniest part of the night was the 2 hours leading up to his arrival. My pastor's wife and I were texting back and forth all that time, keeping each other company while we waited. She's also my neighbor so it almost felt like we were in the same room.

Here's a sampling of the texts:

"Laying in bed, but can't go to sleep..maybe I'll go get a snack"

"Wide awake...should I do chores or rest?"

"I kept my make up on in hopes that I might look cute still when he gets home...but not my eyes are getting itchy".

"LOL - cute but blind"

" 'she stumbed into his masculine arms because her eyelashes were sealed shut'"

"when will they be home now...cuz maybe I'll go shave my legs"

"honey...they've been bunking with men all week, I don't think that will even matter"

"you are so wise friend"

"love you"

"love you"

Isn't it great to have wonderful friends to get us through hard times?

I had a LOT of them this last week - thank you everyone!

I MADE IT!

"this one's on Dad"

When my dad passed away last spring, my brother and sister and I started discussing a little trip together. He had said at one time if there was any money left if he passed that we should "get away....go somewhere".

So after lots (and lots) of emailing and discussions we agreed on a Thanksgiving getaway to the coast. We rented a very large house - big enough for 8 grandkids ranging from age 10 months to 7 years, and 7 adults!

Here's a peek at the beautiful house we get to stay in for 3 nights and 3 days:






We've already begun the Thanksgiving dinner planning...

Meghann's bringing rolls and a ham and a Costco caramel apple pie...
Les is bringing lots of sides and her pumpkin ooey gooey cake...
I'm bringing my favorite stuffing and yams and my mother in law's broccoli cheese casserole...
We might even tow the traeger along for a bbq'ed turkey...

It's going to be a delicious time!

Beyond the food, fixings, and fellowship though... one of the most special things about the trip, will be that we'll be there on Dad's birthday. It seems fitting that we will be able to sit around that long dining room table or on those comfy couches and tell stories and share a few tears. It will be a grand Thanksgiving.


I've made sure that my girls know that "Grandpa paid for this beach trip!"

Ruby's First "real" Haircut

Yesterday we visited my hairdresser to see what could be done with Ruby's hair. We agreed to cut it to the shortest length in the back but it's layered around her face.

She was a super star in the styling chair and she has kept a little curl in the back.

I'm still sad, but getting over it. Now I have to look back into my pictures to see if I ever did get pictures of the back of her hair BEFORE this all happened.

A New Smile Here

Sad

My husband is away. I'm already a bit tired from this gig of single mom. My house is a mess. Just trying to have a positive outlook, in fact I had just said a prayer for a great day and an abundance of patience...

When Daphne showed me the single spiral curl on the hardwood floor. It gets worse. As I inquired of the culprit - Maisie - and examined the victim, Ruby...I found out that upstairs there was an little red tin box full of Ruby's beautiful hair. Maisie cut all around her whole head. She has short strands in the back, little bangs (which I had been growing out for over a year...basically a disaster cut.

Guess we will be going to the hairdresser.

And is it so bad that just yesterday I was thinking that her hair was her most beautiful feature?

I won't lie there were tears here this morning.

Experiments in Soccer

Daphne wavered on whether to play soccer this fall, but in the end decided to give it a try. She was very excited...until the first practice. I could tell (as only us mothers can sometimes decipher our childrens' expressions) that she was trying very hard to put on a happy smile during her first soccer lessons. But inside she was feeling anxious and not so confident about this sport. At the halfway mark,while the other girls (who had played together all last year too) were getting water drinks, Daphne came over to my chair and whispered in my ear, "Let's go home RIGHT NOW - I'm really tired!".

The first game was not unlike her first practice but with even more nerves. She had to be taken off the field because she just stopped and started to cry. Not only was this a new thing, but let's face it, her body wasn't used to soccer style cardio either. (Don't you know some people are born runners and some are NOT - her father and I are the latter gene pool).

Needless to say it took all my good parenting "thinking" skills to overcome my good parenting "rescue my baby from any sort of pain and discomfort" intuitions at that moment to agree with Mike that she was going to stick this season out! I'm so glad I have a partner in parenting at those moments, because if it had been just me, we would have thrown in the towel.

But I have to give myself some props too, because although Mike helped with pep talks at bedtime and came to games to cheer her on, and even practiced with her here and there...I had to get her to practice twice a week, and all three kids to the games twice a week too. I mean, sheesh, that's a lot of work in itself - - especially in the beginning when I had to be strong and stick with our "we're not giving up" strategy.

Luckily, she started to like it more and more. The running got easier and the team dynamics aspect is right up her alley. The kids and coach really enjoyed her company so by the end she seemed to be all smiles. The last practice was especially fun for Mike and I, because parents were invited to come play against the kids. Mike is a born athlete and a retired elementary pe teacher so he had a blast and although I didn't play soccer outside of pe growing up...I am actually pretty good at it. Of course we were playing against first graders, so I'm sure that helped a wee little bit! Man was I sore the next day!!

I'm not sure if Daphne will play again in the Spring. But regardless it was such a wonderful experience for her. She stuck with something that doesn't come naturally to her and we really enjoyed rallying around her! I'm sure with three girls in the family we're bound to have a few more soccer days in the future.

In two years...

Look how they have changed:

Such a Happy Halloween

When I reviewed the pictures for this post, my title and theme for this post was so obvious. We are so blessed with a community of great friends. Adults and kids alike had a wonderful time together last night!

To review on my last post, the Great Pumpkin did indeed visit. I was so worried that they would not want to get rid of their candy...but was so pleased to find out that they don't have the same emotional connection with those bright wrapped goodies as I do. They were pumped to try something new and so excited for their toys. The best part was that I was able to send all the candy with Mike, who left on a mission trip to Mexico today. The plan went off more smoothly than imagined!

Except for the fact that Maisie crawled into Ruby's crib at 5:30am to give her the toy that the Great Pumpkin had left....Gotta fix that part of the "plan" next year...