Halloween. Such a treat, don’t you think? The ability to dress up, disguise oneself, and prance around in a jovial state all in the name of...candy. Glorious candy. Gobs and gobs of candy. We had 9 adults and 13 kids gather at our house to celebrate together. Boy, I really love getting together with people I LIKE. Funny people. Carefree people. Supportive people. It was a good time.

Sophie was a chicken (*BAWK BAWK*)

Emma was a princess butterfly

Ethan was Ben 10.

We had a shark, a fish, a Nemo, a transformer, a cheerleader, double trouble, Captain Feathersword, and even Harry Potter, himself, join in the fun of trick-or-treating that night.

These girls love each other. They will be friends for life.

Aidan. cutest shark ever. or dolphin, depending on your prescription.

Our neighborhood doesn’t have sidewalks or street lights. We don’t have speed bumps or anything to help with child safety on this crazy holiday. BUT, we did have yours truly that was more than happy and vocal about yelling at the speeding cars traveling through our neighborhood to dodge traffic on the busier surrounding major roads. If only there were more me’s on every street. What neighborhood doesn’t have sidewalks and street lights? Man. First time buyers learn a lot of lessons through that big purchase. I know I have.

Saturday we had a bit more of a relaxing day. The girls played out in the leaves. College football was on the big screen. Grandpa was over for a visit. And the coffee was enjoyed all morning long. After the girls’ naps it was time to pack up the kids to a trip to Grandma’s so Mom and Dad could have a date night. First date night in months. Wow. I missed date night. In fact, I didn’t realize how MUCH I had missed it. I will always be a mom first in life. But it is so nice to be a wife sometimes too. (Separately from Mommy time, of course.)

Sunday Chris and I slept in, watched a movie (Leatherheads) in bed (uninterrupted!), and enjoyed our coffee before picking up the kids. After retrieving our bloodline we went to a park downtown and then to Carl’s ice cream (because they close for the winter in exactly 20 days from today)… heaven on earth.

Daylight savings time made for an early night last night…which I welcomed with open arms. It felt soooo good. Of course, it led itself to an early morning today, but that was ok. I had coffee with my 4 year old. Of course, she only drank Sunny D, but it was awfully nice to have that moment with her first thing this morning. After all, only 23 more days until she turns 5. These are days I will never get back. That’s why it’s important to live ‘em up while you can, which is what I fully intend on doing.

sophie. at the park. in the sunshine.

emma. after her hike up the big hill.

ethan. making his mom happy by smiling for the camera.

sophie. wanting to get on the merry-go-round with the big kids. not. going. to. happen.

carl's. before the 2008 season ends.

my boy.

quite the pair.

loving life.

not loving life. daddy's clean-up duty cleaned up too much.

emma definitely has learned that it's best to learn how to do clean-up duty on your own.

more for you.

all is right in the world again.

sophie's lil chucks. her favorite possession of late. can you blame her?

transitions are great, right?

Oh the pain! It had to happen at some point. They all grow up and leave the crib at some point. I just thought I wouldn’t be affected by this life changing moment. It was hard. It represented something big. For me, just as much as for Sophie.

Sophie. 3 1/2 months old

Sophie. 27 1/2 months old

She didn’t know it was going to happen. I was home all day yesterday so Chris and I decided to go ahead and make the change. At this point it’s just a mattress on the floor. A mattress with her birdie sheets. Her Littlest Pet Shop blanket Her blue blankie. Her purple blankie. Her mini Elmo. Everything she needed.

Boy, did she love it. Her jaw hit the floor when she saw it. She just couldn’t believe her big brown eyes. She sat on it almost all night. She just laid back on the pillows. PILLOWS. Cribs don’t have pillows. She has PILLOWS! She must be a big girl now. It was like she was soaking in all of this responsibility now because she popped up at one point and said, “No binky now!” {Yes. Don’t judge me. My 2 ½ year old still uses a binky for naps and ni-night. We all do things to survive, and for me, binky = sleep. } She was so proud of herself. And for me, well, it was a lil bit tough. She played on that bed all night long. She read books to herself. Talked on her phone telling everyone she had a big girl bed. And joyously swam in her pillows.

At bedtime she immediately recognized she would not be getting a binky. And she was fine with that! She never uses a binky at daycare. She hasn’t for the last year and a half. But I digress…

I expected her to realize her new freedom. She was no longer a caged little monkey. She was F-R-E-E. I just didn’t know how funny it would be to watch her put on an act of concern if she heard her brother in his room…

“Oh, I be right back. I need make sure E ok.” And then the two would giggle non-stop.


It took about 5 times for me to tell her to stay in bed before I realized her night-light might be the reason she didn’t really think it was time for bed. She was closer to it now than she had been before and she could TOUCH it. After a long talk, I decided to just lay with her for about 60 seconds. She was very calm. I walked out of the room. Silence. After 30 minutes I went back in. I opened the door. She popped right up “You gonna lay with me mommy?” *oye*

I sat next to her. She got real sad and asked where her crib was. “Where my crib at? I want my crib back.” Obviously it wasn’t an option, but my heart broke for her. She LIKED being a caged monkey. Wait. She liked being a caged monkey? How in the? What in the? *ding* She felt secure in there. I just took all of that away without even asking her. What kind of mom? Who in the?


*GASP*


“Your crib is in the basement honey.”


Her little eyes got teary “NO! Not the basement!" and in the tiniest, most innocent, most precious little voice, all she could say was... "i just want my crib back mommy."

Mommy guilt...

“Do you want your binky?”


{new mommy guilt}

my little mama

sophie loves to mimic her mama.

boy am i flattered.

before she can pick her brother up from the bus stop she has to have her 'puss' which also known to many of us as a 'purse.' but before she can leave with her puss she has to make sure it is jampacked to the gills. heaven forbid she leave out an old crayon. or a sock. she is her mother's daughter. and i love her for it.

couldn't you just eat her up?