halloween

I am well aware that Halloween is in fact an ancient pagan holiday honoring the dead. However at my house it is considered "dress up day" I think Halloween is a lot of fun. I don't allow my kids to be scary gory gross things, I think it is more about having fun.

I rocked the "bun in the oven" costume, While Mitch humored me with one picture of him in his "baker" costume. I literally made the hats in about 10 minutes. Mitch said the hat looked "girly" so he refused to wear it. Whatever dude! it was funny I thought.

My beautiful britter bug was a fairy. Basically all she wanted was to wear the tu tu... silly girl... I think she looked adorable though.



not to toot my own horn here, but I say this picture wins the funniest of the year... I seriously laugh my butt off every time I look at it. The face, the curled fingers... oh my! I love this boy... he is such a good sport! Originally he wanted to be a mummy. I procrastinated a little, and then I started not feeling well, and then it was 2 days before the school Halloween party and there was no mummy costume. I broke my own rule and took Drayden to K-mart to pick out a costume. (I promised myself I would not be one of those crazies that spends 20 dollars or more on a costume that is only going to be worn once... if I can't make it, you can't be it...) anyway K-mart had costumes at 50% off, so I caved... I just didn't have it in me to make a mummy costume... it sounds like a simple one... just wrap the kid up right? no... not so much... you have to wrap in a way that allows for going to the bathroom ect... so long story short, we went to K-mart. I looked at the costumes and my heart sank...they were crappy... like, super duper crappy... then Drayden comes running around the corner with a huge smile on his face... holding... a hot dog costume. "mommy!! check it out!! how cool is this one???!!"... "uuummm... are you kidding?" "no way! this is AWESOME! I totally want to be a hot dog mom!" "how much is it?" "twenty bucks"... "half off twenty bucks... *pondering*... o.k. dude... you can be a hot dog." "SAWWEEET! my friends are going to laugh so hard! I'm a wiener!" "o.k. dude, so help me, if I get a single call from the school about inappropriate behavior in the hot dog costume, you are going to be in big trouble!" *his little face wilts* "o.k. I'll be good, I promise." What a funny boy!

and last but not least... Chantel the butterfly. She is such a pretty little thing, I am sure she could wear a burlap sack and look adorable... Halloween has been a lot of fun this year... and I can't wait to steal all the tootsie rolls and Reeses Peanut butter cups from my kids bags!!!

modeling the way

Dear Chantel,

Thank you for being so kind. Thank you for loving things that nobody else seems to love. Thank you for being generous. Thank you for being a good example.

the top ten things you do that make me smile:
10~ give me every tootsie roll
9~ cry over dead lizards and frogs
8~ clean your room without being asked
7~ the "aawww" reaction every time we get something new for the baby.
6~ the way you give massages
5~ how smart you are
4~ the way you boss drayden around
3~ when you ask me to play with you
2~ your smile
1~ when you say, "mom, can we have a photoshoot?"



I love peeking in on you when you are playing with your babies, and you change their diapers... and nurse them... lol... you are going to be the best mommy ever someday!


Thanks for being so gorgeous... I am so proud of you! Thanks the very most for loving to have your picture taken... heaven knows mommy needs the practice~~

men are from mars

critters

ewww, eww, gross! I H*A*T*E hate snakes. My husband on the other hand thinks they are the coolest thing ever.

Brittany also thinks that they are the coolest thing ever. I will never learn to like, or even tolerate snakes. I have tried, I just think they are super gross.

I prefer frogs... while they are also a little but on the icky side, they are alot more fun to play with, and they can't bite or strangle me...


Poor frog... lol... Chantel had a blast playing with the little dude... (is it me or does she look super grown up lately?)

Even though I have an icky 4 foot snake living in my house... and a slightly less icky frog... I can still laugh... and Laughter...well, it really is the best medicine isn't it?

goodbye summer...

The temperatures are starting to cool... thank heaven... but that means that we must say goodbye.

Goodbye to shorts and bare feet...

Goodbye to lazy days in the park, climbing trees...



Goodbye to the summer of lost teeth, and growing up...

Goodbye to the sense of adventure that only a tree and a 7 year old boy will ever really understand.

Goodbye to childhood... for some... and cheers to growing up and embracing whatever the next season will bring.

Goodbye to picnics, and spur of the moment unplanned adventures..

Goodbye to the summer of 2010...

I know it is silly, but the marking off of seasons makes me sad. I can't help but think that my babies will never again be what they are at the moments that are now frozen in time. I feel life slipping by, and even though I do my very best to enjoy every moment, I can't help but look back at the moments I could have done better. That time Drayden asked me to play star wars and I told him I needed to scrub the toilet instead... someday my baby boy will stop asking me to play star wars... he will have better things to do, and more important people to "hang out" with. Embrace the small moments... because I promise, whether you clean it today or not... your toilet will still be covered in pee tomorrow.

"The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow,

but children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow,

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I'm rocking my babies, and babies don't keep."

~Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

first day of kindergarten

I know, I know, it is October... but better late than never... lol...

I cannot believe that my baby girl is going to kindergarten. It seriously seems like just yesterday that she was born. I am so proud of her. She is so smart... too smart sometimes.


She was so excited she literally bounced all the way from the car to her classroom...


Chantel is so sweet and funny... there was a time that I worried that she was actually a little bit evil... seriously those terrible 2's were really quite terrible, but thankfully she is growing out of the evil stage... and is becoming quite a beautiful sweet young lady. She is still a spitfire, but I don't really think of that as a bad thing.

I love that she wanted to wear her "Daddy's Girl" shirt for her first day. She really is daddy's little angel. I think it is awesome. I was always very close to my dad, it makes me happy to see such a great bond between them. There really is nothing like a daddy's love.

"Getting old is mandatory, growing up is optional."

Nettie