Happy Halloween!

our front porch ~ with a little help from pinterest this year

Pumpkins

We spent yesterday at a huge pumpkin patch outside of Omaha and what a perfect day!

I had to work really hard not to let the fact that I had left my camera at my sister-in-law's ruin the perfect day. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm. The kids were happy and so excited. Hubs gave us a whole day, when he could have filled it with work to do's.

I wanted to take pictures of all of the beauty, but only had the Hubs phone. So we have a photo of the day, to remember the fun and excitement and warm fall weather.

Because really, the memories of that day are more important than the photos. We can make do with the phone pictures because we will hold that memory in our hearts - of how great a day spent together as a family can be!


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Merry Merry

Our second big snowstorm of the year came just in time for Christmas Day. We were fortunate to be done with extended family celebrations by lunch time on Christmas Eve, so didn't have to stress over ruined plans. We've been snowed in for three days and that's just fine.

B enjoyed her new wizard book and decoder glasses. Note the ginormous drift in the window behind her.

Finally yesterday we were able to go outside and play. As long as he crawled on them, the drifts didn't swallow up our little guy. It felt great to get out!

Pretending to shovel! The piles are taller than her.

Come evening, it was a pile of homemade noodles to make some chicken soup.

Top it off with a glass of wine for me and it was a fine day.  Cabin fever or no, I'm so grateful for my family. For the time we've spent together. For an excuse to slow down a little. To relax. We are all rested up, just in time for new year. I love Christmas break.

Our Pumpkins

Why did I think that by saying "No messes." that the three-year old would know to put a FINGER into the finger paints? B did much better, so I guess six is the magic age for understanding that concept. Although his blue pumpkin turned out just fine too.

While I cut up our jack-o-lantern, the kids painted theirs.

B likes to help scrape out the insides. Little man says "That smell makes me SICK" so he opted out of the pumpkin guts scraping activity.

As the kids get older, it's the little traditions that feel so right. That bind us as a family. We are approaching some of my favorite times of the year. And what means so much to me is that word. Family.

I've been feeling so crumby for well over two weeks now and I can still say with complete sincerity that I am blessed. So thankful for my family.

A Day for Dads

Happy Father's Day, J!

We love you so. The kids and I are so lucky to be a part of your family.

And to my own dad. I.Love.You.

Dad & me ~ September 1978

And to my dad's dad. My dear grandfather. What a joy to be part of a family that includes a long line of fantastic fathers. Dads and dads and dads who took care of their families, taught their children to succeed and came home every night to the families who have loved them.

Happy Father's Day!
And thank you for being who you are. Each a unique individual. Each a man worthy of our honor.

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Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evilbut rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."(1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, NIV)


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Muffins

I've been hunting for the PERFECT banana muffin recipe. Trying out several varieties in the last week. I made some whiz-bang muffins. They were good, but not quite what I'm looking for. Right now, there are Banana Crumb Muffins in my oven and I'm very optimistic. How can anything topped with brown sugar and butter be bad?

My nephews, ages 5, 3, and 1 are coming for an overnight stay in just under an hour. The thought of entertaining and feeding five children on my own for 8+ hours has me itchy. I know some women have that many every day. Or those who run a home daycare and have even more five days a week. We'll see how it goes, I'm sure they'll have lots of fun. I have bubbles, popsicles, and a movie or two planned. The interesting part will be this evening, when I think they all need to go to bed. That has me the itchiest!

So the baking is therapy, it's calming me down. Knowing I'll have a healthy, wholesome snack for them.

Wish me luck!

Edited to add: The kids were great. Energetic, but great. Busy, but great. The sleep was very light, but it was a good night all in all. The muffins? Really good. The only bad part was that I ate more of them than the children. B liked them, but the nephews were not crazy about them.

Mother's Day was lovely. We planted some flowers that the kids had given me and they gave me all sorts of lovely treats. I felt like the queen, just the way a mama should.

And yes, Mimi and Beck, send those recipes over my way. I would love to continue the quest. There seems to be no shortage here of over-ripe bananas. I keep buying the bananas and we keep not finishing them.

A Day for Sweethearts

It's funny how Valentine's Day changes.

At one point in time, it was all about who got what (and I'm talking balloons and single roses, in high school...).

In college, it was all about the jewelry. And who got a pearl?!

Then I joined the cubicle world and learned quickly that it's important to get flowers delivered AT WORK. Crucial.

Now it's so low key, you'd miss it if you didn't know where to look. It was two token gifts for the kiddos. Some agreed-upon money socked away for our spring break trip. And heart-shaped mini pizzas for supper.

Romantic? No. Lovey dovey? Absolutely.

For better or worse, we run as a pack these days. The kiddos, the Hubs, and me.

A good friend used to talk about life after the kids left the house. She said that while it was lovely, I'd better make sure that I enjoy this time too. This messy, sometimes suffocating, loud time. Tantrums and all.

And I do. I do.

Happy B-day Hubs!

He might not remember that the first of his birthdays we spent together, we had been engaged for two days. It sort of eclipsed the whole turning twenty three thing. We met friends downtown and there were lots of "Congratulations! Let me see the ring! Oh...and happy birthday J."

Looking back, the past eight years have been my favorite. The best parts of my thirty one years. He likes to kid because I turn the next age two months before he does. I'm the older woman.

So today we're the same age again. It's eight years later. The ring is still on my finger. Be still my heart.

Love you, J.

Happy Birthday MKJ!

My mom.

The woman to whom I owe my faith, values, education, and sense of self.

A role model for aging gracefully.

Someone who takes each age, each decade, with attitude and excitement.

November 7th, 1948, a beautiful life began.

Happy Birthday!

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The Kid-Tough Camera Edition

Our B's birthday this year has much hoopla, although not totally unlike other years. Every year has included a family BBQ with Hubs' family and mine, a once a year gathering of sorts. With a pinata. We also have always done something especially fun on the actual birthday.

This year we added in a friend birthday while taking out none of the other fun. So it's three celebrations for five years of life. It's a birthday extravaganza!

We got her a kid-friendly digital camera for her birthday, which was just what she wanted and pleased her very much. It's fun for her because she can look at the pictures she's taken. The main bummer being that photos taken are poor quality and almost always blurry.

Here's a birthday memoir from the eyes of a five-year old.

It was fun, to see what she had gone around to snap photos of. Very random, very fun.

Here's a few shots from our trip to the indoor water park. I took them, so they are a slight less blurry.

FL

I have to say, our trip to Florida was just what the doctor ordered. My brother, sister, their spouses and kids, and our parents all stayed in a ginormous rental house a block away from the most gorgeous beach I've ever seen. We spent from Saturday to Thursday morning together, all together. We all had lunch by the beach at a place called the Crab Trap and enjoyed a shrimp boil back at the house that very night. One evening my sister and I spent until 4:30 in morning having a very deep talk about nothing at all. Our kids played and played and played (not until 4:30 in the morning, but close). There was a pool out back, so they went straight from beach to pool to meal time and back to the beach every day.

It was awesome!

I'll leave you with a few pics. The really good beach ones are on my sis' camera, since I was too chicken to take mine to the beach. She got some great shots that I'll share when she sends them my way.

Walking along the harbor so the kids could see the boats!

It amuses the locals, how excited we get to see a pelican!

Outside of the The Crab Trap

Goodbye, Florida!

Hello, Nebraska! My two frozen babies, waiting for daddy to pull the car around.

Pen Pals

Keeping in touch with my grandparents had been on my mind. When we had to miss Christmas this year, I didn't get to see any extended family. I couldn't help but fear, what if someone were to pass on this year? And I missed their last Christmas? I know it's a little morbid, but it was an honest fear. The Hubs lost both his grandfather and grandmother to strokes in the last two years. I have a grandfather and two grandmothers who are alive and well. They are so very dear to me.

If I'm honest, it's hard to see them grow old. It brings thoughts to my head of my own parents aging and even of myself at age 80. The great part is that my grandparents have led these lives full of family and service. They have rich histories written in their wrinkles. The hard part is that in my head, they are still in their 60's, gardening and doing volunteer work. When we head back to my folks and visit with the grandparents, their age surprises me. It gets harder for them to get around. The pace is s-l-o-w. I don't want them to ail. I don't want them to age. Time is a tricky thing.

It has bothered me for years that I'm not in touch with them more. Phone calls are difficult, I usually think of it when it's too late to call or when I can't really take the time to make a call. I'm also not great at chit chat and feel akward sometimes calling people just because.

Then this holiday season, it occurred to me. What better way to keep in touch than by writing letters! I love correspondence. You know the kind. With stationary and a pen and stamps? Love it! I've written monthly updates so far, and sent them off to my grandparents. It gives them something in the mail (don't you love getting mail that's not a bill or credit card offer?) and also keeps them up on what's going on with their big city grandkid. It's a win-win.

It's one small thing that I've been doing to brighten someone's day. It's not global. It's not changing the world.

But it sure feels great.

Independence Day

On my side of the family, my dad's side of the family gets together every 4th of July for an Independence Day bash. My parents live out in the country on 4 acres so it's a great setting for said bash. There are 9 (sometimes 11) children age 14 on down to 1 who accompany the adults. It is big fun in rural Nebraska. The kids swim, run through sprinklers, play in the sand box, and then in late afternoon out come the fire crackers, smoke bombs, and other "kid-friendly" (ha! no such thing) fireworks. We have an awesome potluck supper where everyone brings the same things every year. It's a meal the rivals Thanksgiving dinner in terms of deliciousness.

Tomorrow is no exception, we're headed out after lunch.

The evening show is the best. The men all spend way too much money on fireworks and get the display ready all evening while the women tend to the children. They have sawhorses and plywood and get it set up out in the garden. After dark we all grab our chairs and blankets (if needed), reapply the bug spray, and get settled to watch the show. One year they almost shot the barn. One year something exploded right among them. I can still hear my brother's laugh, the way it burst out after that one. A mixture of fear and amazement. Afterwards they rehash the show to see what they can improve on for next year.

It really is good fun.

After the party, we bathe the kids quickly, then it's off to bed. We adults sit up and talk about what a great day it was as we all finish off our beers.

What better way to spend the 4th. With my family all around me.

Last year, Brenna is all dressed up to go.

What a difference a year makes! Mason with his aunt last year.

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Thursday morning the hubs and I are off on a road trip without the kids. They'll be staying at my parents' while we head out to Cheyenne, Wyoming for a friend's wedding. I'm excited for the trip, it will be so fun to go to a wedding and enjoy it without chasing kids or keeping them out of the slide show, d.j. equipment, cake, etc. But I'm also worried I'll miss my kids and that my parents will be overwhelmed. It's the first time we've left the kids to take a trip. Hubs and I took a trip to Kansas City for our first wedding anniversary. We haven't really gone anywhere alone together since then (that was 5 years ago). We are overdue for a little break together.

Today is a barrage of packing and planning. I've got to get productive today. Laundry and packing. I do work best under pressure. I hear the coffee finishing, so I'm off. I'll be back Sunday!

Happy Independence Day!!!

Wedding, Reception, and Reflection

The wedding of hubs' baby sister was held at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Yes, the haunted hotel where Stephen King got the inspiration for The Shining. The 90's mini-series version of The Shining and Dumb and Dumber were both shot at The Stanley. The bride and groom took a haunted tour of the hotel with guests after the reception and stayed in a room in the manor (which is also supposedly very haunted). They are not freaks about ghosts, they just really like the mountains and found the hotel to be beautiful.

Giving away the bride

It was gorgeous. The views were breath taking, the wedding was tear-jerking. They got married outdoors in a gazebo. They had about 20 guests. Family and a couple of close friends. I've never been to such an intimate affair. The reception was a delicious dinner held in the manor at the Stanley. The only bummer would be that we had a 3-year old and 1-year old to keep entertained in the lulls. They did well overall, but are not really groomed for formal dinners at the Stanley Hotel yet. I love my kids, a lot, but they can really ruin a grown-up event, ya know? There were 8 kids there, under the age of 4. Among about 20 adults. The bride and groom wanted it that way, tantrums and all. They plan to have children soon and love their nieces and nephews. They wanted their family with them on this blessed day.

Sippy Cups and Stemware

Last night was the reception here in Omaha. The family met an hour before the reception started to eat together. Then there was a dance. This reception turned out to be such a FUN night. I was dreading it a little. Expecting a repeat of last week with lots of reigning in the kids and embarrassment over their manners. I was so wrong. It was one of those receptions where the adults all loosened up with free keg beer and the music was loud and kids ran around and danced by the dozens. We fit right in! My kids had such a good time and we stayed until about 10:30. Mason konked out in my lap around 10:00, but Brenna was still going strong when we drug her from the place.

I was so glad that my kids got to experience a night like this. When I was a child, this is how it was. We went everywhere with my parents. My parents didn't often ditch us with a babysitter, but they also did not give up their social life after having us. They took us to the local Legion Club (bar) while they drank with friends, we went to friends' houses while our parents play cards, and we definitely went to a lot of wedding receptions where we ran around and danced way past our bed times while our parents had their own good time.

For now at least, I think my own kids are getting a good taste of childhood. They may have scraped up knees from time to time and be a little tired this morning. Hopefully they will know what it is to really be a kid. And trust their parents to get them home to bed at night. Even if it's not at 7:45. A good night of fun now and then is worth it. I think.

*If any of the comments posted today confuse you, it's because I've taken out a big chunk of this post. The part where I ranted on about snooty parents who don't let their kids have any fun. I realized later (actually just now) that my rant goes against my biggest belief when it comes to parenting. "DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU". I was being harsh and judgmental. Judgmental people suck. I try really hard not to be one. So I've deleted a big chunk of my post that was just that. You didn't miss anything.