October Fun!!!

CLICK HERE:::::: Mommy and Me

I am thinking that I will go October 13th! If you want to go and you can make it happen, load up the babies and let's go play! Come on, take the morning off and let's play in the playhouses with the kids and check out ALL the fun stuff over at the Arboretum. You know this looks like a blast. And then, you know we will have to have some lunch. :)

How did I not post these?

Buzz Lightyear has landed!!!

Yes, the costumes have arrived and they are ever so happy! Kierstin has, as you know, been wearing hers for days. She is not wearing it now as I HAD to wash it and once it is dry she will certainly be wearing it again. When RJ, who makes the perfect Buzz doesn't he...when he came to get his costume it was after a full day of fun at Grapevine Mills enjoying time at this Choo Choo place and then the Disney Store AND THEN treats at Cinnabon! That is one heckuva day for the under 3 set. I have to say that it was quite a nice morning and I generally despise the mall destinations.

I am sure that there are plenty of things to update, including the impending Holidays and all that come with it...lots to plan. Birthdays for two special boys of mine and an anniversary for me and Larry. I am enjoying the cooler weather and lighter load since the floors were finished. I still have plenty to do and catch up on but for now we are coasting along, getting things done and being grateful for new days and new challenges and new triumphs. Kyra had the only 100 on a paper in her class today. That is worth celebrating!

Let Halloween Begin!

Kierstin as Jessie

So, Toy Story mania has reached epic proportions in our home lately. So much so that the little 3 year olds in our lives are all dressing up as characters from the movie. Kierstin is Jessie, RJ is Buzz (of course) and Carson makes the perfect Woody. The costume came in the mail today and Kierstin HAD to have it on. She has not taken it off and just walked in to inform me that she needs boots like Jessie's. I am so in love with this little phase. What's even funnier is that this costume has brought out the inner 3 year old in my older children as well. They LOVE the costume as well. All I can say is that I love this Toy Story franchise so much. It has narrated so much of the best times we have had with little ones. Kimball was Woody when he was 3 years old and these characters have never really left us. So cute!

You know you're crazy when...

The smell of cut wood mixed with rain gets you excited.
That same smell makes you mad by the end of the day.

That's me today, well for days I think. Here is a golden example:

I pick the elementary school kids up in the afternoon. I am in a carpool, so I pick up 5 children, instead of 2. Irrelevant to this story, but part of the scenario. So, in our carpool lane at school, we have several options. I opt to use what we call the "South Loop". In this loop there are two options. TWO. One for kindergarden pickup only. One for everyone else. So, from time to time someone will pull up and get confused. Which lane should they need? We don't use car tags for pickup so no one else knows, besides the driver. So, I choose to go up a little early as to get in the line early allowing me to get out of pick up lines as fast as possible. Sometimes there are distractions, like children who choose to stop and visit with teachers and children (Kyra), sometimes its children who aren't sure if they have afterschool activities...sometimes it's parents in line who CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHICH LINE TO USE! How hard is it? So, I pull up today, this is the example of how crazy I am these days so stay tuned, I pull up and there are not one, not two, but three lines. Three? And then there are two cars sort of suspiciously parked in what we could call a fourth lane, but no one is too sure. So, I sit there for 10 minutes before we start to inch our way up to the waiting children and I am stewing. STEWING! Downright agitated about the 3 1/2 lanes. Yes, people should learn how to pick up their kids, we are 3 weeks into school so this should be an art form by now, but why in the world do I care! Larry says it is officially time to go see the doctor about my condition, undiagnosed as it is. I offered to voluntarily check myself into a pysch ward for observation, a vacation unto itself I am sure.

I am going to drown in a warm shower and crawl into bed for some much needed sleep and wake up to the smell of new floors being cut and potentially more rain. Hope you have a fun story of how crazy you are, humor me I say. Don't leave me alone in my ailment.

Rain

I just love it. This rain is cleansing and so very comfortable. I know that we would hate it if this rain persisted for long periods of time, but for now, it is fantastic. We are working hard at our house. Floors are all ripped up downstairs, with the help of Ryan! We are ready for the new floors to come in tomorrow. It will take most of the week, as we are told, which will be a bit of a disruption but by the end of the week it will be marvelous. We have Larry home and it is a surprising relief. You think you are doing well and hanging in there and then one day you realize that you are actually just barely making it and you really, really miss him. At least that's how I feel. We have cleaned and organized and cooked and loved every second of it.

By the way, I know why I haven't updated, my computer is not up and running right now because the office is broken down for the floors, but why aren't YOU posting updates? Pictures? Something!

We have big things coming and it feels like they are coming up quickly: birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas! A fun movie comes out this weekend that we will surely go to if anyone wants to join: "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs"! I am sure that we will need to set to planning some things soon, but for this week we will be in the midst of an unplanned home makeover. If you get bored, head on over and bring a paintbrush.

Cousins

Cousins by Kierstin

So, as you know by now, we have had visitors over the weekend. Busy times, I tell you. We loved it! We loved having the kids here and wish they could have stayed longer. Kaden has continued to say that he misses them and wishes they lived here again. Kierstin wakes up and asks for her "little friends". When she sets toys up to play, she says that there are some there for Maiya and Noah as well. Kyra called it an extended sleep over. We played a lot and had a wonderful time. It's hard to believe that there are so many cousins, but we love all of them dearly. If only we could get the ones from the North down here at the same time as the ones from the South.

Kierstin took almost all of these pictures by the way. She's pretty good, for a 3 year old. Enjoy!

Happy Family Anniversary

Three years ago today, our fractured family came together once again. That is, of course, not the half of it. Back in 1994 Larry and I met and married. Between then and 2002 we had lots of fun, lots of fights, three babies and more moves than we can count. In 2002 Larry and I decided that we were better as friends. We divorced. It was easier in some ways, and harder in so many more. I know that I wanted it to be over. I was ready to move on. In 2004 we moved here to Texas, me to my parents home and later Larry moved to Flower Mound. We had separate lives, most of the time. Well, some of the time we did. I guess in looking back, we were never too far apart, even when we were busy hating each other. We swore that we would remain friends for our children. And we did.

Until one day in May of 2005.

I met someone else. I met him, married him, moved into a home with him and my three children. I found out quickly that I was pregnant. I was happy for a time with him. Things changed quickly. We didn't know how to make it work. We separated within about 6 weeks and divorced by May 2006. That was a dark year for all of us, but a year that would change all of our lives. (That is the very abridged version of a long story.)

Somewhere in that year things changed with me and Larry as well. He stepped in and helped, stayed by my side, helped me with the pregnancy, and never left. He was my friend first but somewhere along the way, things changed. We realized, I realized that life was too short for the battles and broken families. We dated. We apologized for years of broken promises. We decided to try again. And on September 9, 2006 we married again, making our family whole once more. So, we celebrate September 9th as the day our family was reunited. We had added another little person along the way, a child that was the miracle our family needed and has remained so ever since. We have now accepted the challenge of marriage as adults, not as kids with a fuzzy idea of what being an adult and a partner means. We accepted each others good and bad, right and wrong and we are choosing to be happy every day. Some days aren't as good as others, that's life. But I know that I can no longer imagine this life with anyone but Larry. It took some serious humbling to get us here, but here we are.

So to Larry, I love you and thank you for continuing to love me and our family and for the continuous sacrifices you make to take care of us. We miss you!

Preschool Fun

Kierstin's 1st day at DKH

Ok, I should have had these up yesterday. I am sorry it took me so long. Busy, tired days over here. I think I caught some kind of cold that is making me more tired than normal. As you can see from the pictures, she started out thinking she really just wanted to stay on the couch with her "big giant apple", her kitty and pooh, chocolate milk and Toy Story. It took her a little bit to warm up to getting completely ready for her big day. Once she was in gear; however, she was on. We got all ready and headed out. It was very busy at the lovely new preschool. I walked in with her and she was the first one there. She has made new friends and loves her sweet teacher. When I picked her up she was beaming. She went on and on about the playing: playdoh, and crayons, and the play ground, and scissors, and...on and on. She was sure that she didn't need a nap after such a day until we got in the car to pick up the kids around 3pm. She was out within 5 minutes. She slept for about an hour and a half, but she was so sure that she wasn't tired. We are working on a kinder schedule for her as she thinks she is bigger than she is until around 4:30 or 5 when she reverts to the needs of a baby. Several have asked me if I cried when I took her, but the truth is that we are just so happy for her. She is excited and ready for this next adventure. Let's see if she feels the same way in the morning.

Update pending, but I HAD to share this!!!

In my few moments of stolen quiet, I sat down to cruise through some of the blogs that I have come to love. I know that I have pictures to share from the weekend as well as from Kierstin's first day of preschool, but this is too much fun not to share.

A Mighty Big Giveaway : Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm | Hudson Valley Fiber Farm

You simply must take a look at these lovely babies. So sweet!

Madness at 4:53 pm

So, I am in a good mood. Let's be clear about that. But let me just describe what is happening right now, and I wonder what any of you would suggest doing to temper things. Or, is it simply that you roll with the madness?