We Did It!

Corn Maze... check

Pumpkins.....check (did everyone notice how many pumpkins were in the picture?)

Dr. Appts/Flu Shots/Immunizations....check

We're doing ok after all!

The Dr was worried about Shanna's throat, but an instant strep test came back negative, they'll send another one to the lab, but my "mom instinct" says she's ok and going back to school tomorrow! Kaci is the toughest little girl ever. She hasn't cried the last few times she has gotten shots. I explain what is going to happen, and she watches them do it and gets a smile on her face when they put the band-aid on. Now Shanna..... she is almost too big to restrain anymore. She felt pretty embarrassed when it was over though and said she wouldn't scream and cry the next time. Hallelujah, neither me or the nurse want to go through that again either!

Halloween is TOMORROW???

Oops. In all of the Halloween preparations, I forgot that the actual day is tomorrow! Shanna is still sick, we have not carved the pumpkins yet, we still haven't made it to the corn maze.... yikes. Luckily, I already had both girls scheduled for check-ups and flu shots today, so we'll see if she has anything more than a bad virus. Hopefully she'll still be able to get a flu shot. Kaci has a Halloween party at her dance class this morning. I can't make her miss that, so I guess Shanna will have to sit in the car with a movie or a book while Kaci is in dance. Cross your fingers for us that Shanna will be better by tomorrow and that no one else gets sick! I have been doing laundry and dishes non-stop and disinfecting the house several times a day.

On a good note, Tyler had his knee checked at the orthopedic dr's office yesterday, and he said it was looking much better. He no longer has a "dr's note" for things like lawn work and dog walking, but still has to take it easy with his extreme sports. He'll get it checked in another 6 weeks. That's a big sigh of relief!

Dear Tyler,

VS.

This is such an important moment in our lives that I feel that we should document our conversation. We are both aware of the big game on Sunday. Our teams are the last of the unbeatens. (Should I mention that the Patriots are 8-0 and the Colts are only 7-0?) Last year, your team beat mine twice, the last one really hurting when they went on to (win) the Superbowl. This year, however is going to be different. Pretty much every NFL commentator has been talking non-stop about how amazing Tommy is this year, and how he is about to break Peyton's record. He is on fire, with the team averaging over 41 points a game this season. It is now time to decide what our wagers are going to be. Everything is going to be documented, so be careful. I would love to get some input on possible ideas from anyone else......

Another one for the list

Here's another one to add to the "things you never thought you would say until you had kids" list.

"Don't stand on your Mom's food."

I really should put this one into context... our kids really aren't monkeys. We were getting into our Halloween candy last night (why do I always buy the good stuff?) when I dropped a chocolate (still wrapped) on the floor. Instead of picking it up for me, Kaci decided to stand on it. (Still not sure why) And that's what Tyler told her!

The real way to play Dominoes

It was an innocent "calm down before bed time" game of Dominoes last night when the girls decided to find a "better" way to play.... Makes you want to play Dominoes at our house, doesn't it??

Plans change

We had the whole weekend planned with lots of fun things to do. Last night we were going to go to the corn maze behind our house. (If we have to deal with the bright lights from October - November we better go enjoy it at least once!) We were going to the Dixie State Football homecoming game this afternoon and the Wizard of Oz play tonight.... but poor Shanna came home from school with a fever and sore throat yesterday. She has been pretty miserable and I feel so bad for her. There is nothing worse than seeing that sparkle missing from her eyes. Her fever is better this afternoon, so hopefully she'll feel better soon and no one else will get it. It's never convenient to be sick, especially when you have plans!

Fun with Dad

Tyler took the girls to have some fun while I got my hair done yesterday. They have a Thursday night family oriented event downtown that has music, food and the ever-so-popular "jump houses". I met up with them after a while and it was a great time.

Tyler took Kaci in his car and I had Shanna in mine on the way home. I asked Shanna what her favorite part of the night was and she told me how her daddy had taken them to dinner and let them get corn dogs. Then she told me that she would tell me the best part if I didn't tell Tyler that she told me. She got this big grin on her face and said "Dad let us eat with bad manners." I was really curious what that meant. I had all kinds of images in my mind on how bad it could have been. She said that he cut up their corn dogs and let them eat the pieces with the stick. They were pretending the ketchup was a camp fire and they were cooking their food over it! Dads are so much cooler than moms. They also have really strong arms to hold sleeping princesses.

Anyone know any witch craft?

Shanna woke up this morning with Pink Eye. We are going into the cold and flu season, and I am a total germaphobic. I considered pulling Shanna out of school for the whole winter, telling Tyler to work from home and grow all of our own food, but quickly dismissed that idea. Now, I am thinking of googling some witch spells to ward off evil germs from our house.

On a totally different subject, I have been reading this blog called the "Blog" of "Unnecessary Quotation Marks." http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/ It cracks me up...

Happy Birthday Grandma Swenson!

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday Dear Grandma, Happy Birthday to You! Remember our princess party last year??? We wish we could celebrate with you again this year. Have a great day!

Halloween again and again and again

I love Halloween. I didn't as a kid, I could never figure out what I wanted to dress up as, and got so cold going around getting candy that I really didn't want to work that hard to get. But, I love it now, because I think out of all of the holidays, this is the one that you can have the most fun with your kids with the least amount of stress. No pressure on who-you-have-to-buy-what, you can decorate your house as simply as you want and it still looks like you made an effort, you get to socialize with you neighbors while your kids beg them for candy, and I love any occasion that chocolate is involved!

However, I think the number of times the kids dress up is a little overkill. Shanna wears her costume to dance today, on Monday, on Tuesday, to school on Wednesday and then, oh yeah, on Halloween night too! Kaci wears hers also on Tuesday to her dance class. I think that by the time we go trick-or-treating, dressing up will be not as fun as it should be. At least there is chocolate involved!

Tickets??

We were trying to buy Rockies World Series tickets yesterday. We are not big baseball fans, but we both lived in Colorado during their inaugural season, and have both been to games and had fun. So, we are excited that they have made it! We had 3 computers up and ready yesterday and right at 10am we started hitting the "buy" button. We stayed at it for at least an hour, then gave up for a little while and went for a bike ride. Then, we were at it again until I saw the news update that said they had suspended selling the tickets due to a "external attack." Yeah right. Maybe they should have asked the Red Socks how they sold their tickets. They had no problems. They've won the World Series before.

You'll remember that last week I royally messed up on Tuesday getting Kaci to ballet, so instead of sitting at the computer trying to buy tickets, I will be sitting on a hard black bench waiting for my ballerina to finish dancing. Now if it were the Superbowl in a few months with my Tommy......

Pumpkins

One for each of us!

Good Saturday Morning, My Sunshine Girl

Good Early Morning Sunshine!!! You woke me up before there was any light in the sky this lovely Saturday morning. I have been kicking you out of bed every morning this week and pushing you to eat and get dressed so that we can go for our morning walk, but today it was you "opening" my eyes for me. I am anxious to see what excitement the day holds that meant we couldn't fit even an hour more of sleep into the morning. But, one look at your smiling face and the bright sparkles in your eyes, and I have forgotten about the sleep that I have lost.

"The sun is but a morning star"

Henry David Thoreau

Message from the dog

When I looked out on the back patio this morning, this is what I saw. I am sure some sweet old lady really misses her cat, so I apologize for making light of the situation. But, still.....

Sweet Girl

I came across this picture of Shanna today and thought it was special.

"The flower that follows the sun does so even on cloudy days."

Robert Leighton

Things you never thought you'd say before you had kids...

I asked Tyler if he could put a link on the side of my blog, so I could update this story often. We talk all the time about "the things you never thought you would say until you had kids." I want a list that I can update, because most times after I say something that would fall into this category, it becomes the best laugh of my day! They are so outrageous, most of the time I can't remember what I said the next day!

Here's the latest:

Last night, it was a late dinner and Kaci was being ornery. She took off her socks and threw them on the floor. Tyler told her to go put them in her dirty clothes basket. Sounds easy enough? Well, for a tired 3 year old, it was a challenge. To spare all of the details, she was given a choice of listening or having no dessert. She left and came back, and here's what Tyler said to her:

"We don't eat with socks on our hands!"

I couldn't help but laugh. At least she was thinking enough to put her dirty socks in her basket and put clean socks on her hands.

Mom of the Day

Yesterday, I posted this heartwarming post on how great it is to be a mom. Well, yesterday I wasn't the greatest one. I had the best intentions, but sometimes that doesn't mean anything in your kids' eyes. I had to run Tyler to drop his car off at the dealer and then drop him off at work. I had an extra 20 minutes before Kaci's ballet started, and the plates on my car were expired. Right next to the dance studio is a car shop that will do the inspection and complete your registration for you. (Eliminating the drive to the DMV.) I pulled up and asked them how long it would take. They said 10-15 minutes. I thought "perfect." It was too early to go over to dance and try to keep Kaci occupied while we waited anyways. Well, 15 minutes turned into 45, there were cars before me and after me in the line, so I couldn't leave even if I wanted to, the guy running the computer was about 695 years old and it had to be his first time he had ever seen a computer.

We missed ballet.

I told her that I was sorry and that I would take her to lunch to make up for it. She only had her ballet shoes, so we couldn't go to McDonalds to play. (darn.) So, I suggested we go through Wendy's drive through and eat at home. She was good with that. Then, I had the idea to stop and pick up Tyler to go with us. Wendy's parking lot was crazy, so we tried to talk her into going somewhere else. (The 3 year old had been laying on the biggest guilt trip I have EVER received since I told her we missed ballet.) Well, all she wanted was "chicken nuggets with a toy, in a bag." We somehow talked her into going to a sports bar and having chicken and ice cream there. We should have been good, right?

No.

After we dropped Tyler off, she said "ok, let's go to ballet." Then, we had to go through the whole thing all over again, on how Mommy messed up, I was so sorry, we would go next week, we can practice ballet at home, etc..... etc..... etc..... (I really did feel bad.) I told her sometimes people mess up, and all you can do is say you're sorry and try to make it up and move on! I let her watch ballet on tv instead of nap. We should have been good, right?

No.

When Shanna gets home from school, guess what the topic was? How terrible it was that Mommy made her miss ballet. Well, Shanna has been through a few (ok, maybe more than a few because she is a first child) days like that where I made some poor judgment calls. She told Kaci "that's ok, Mom tried to get you there, you can go next week." And Kaci said "ok." We should be good now, right?

Before I was a Mom

Instead of forwarding this e-mail I just received, I thought I would post it. I have read it before, but every time I see it, it makes me feel so lucky to be called "Mommy"

Before I was a Mom

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him
down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't
stop
the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so
important
and happy.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to
make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the
wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Hey Macarena!

Shanna came home from school so excited to show me this new dance that her friend "made up". She started humming and dancing the Macarena! Right..... I told her that that song and dance has been around since I was little. She was amazed. Sometimes I am so cool!

And That's A Weekend!

I am actually happy it's Monday.

We packed about all that we possibly could into the break from school.

We biked and walked and played outside, did yard work, went to the park, drove to Las Vegas and went to a Renaissance Festival, played with cousins, ate out, watched the Patriots kill the Cowboys and the Rockies get closer to the World Series!

It was a great time, but I was so glad to tie my walking shoes and get back to my normal schedule this morning!

That's My Girl!

On our bike ride today, Shanna got acquainted with a mud puddle. She wasn't thrilled about it, but I convinced her to let me take her picture for future bragging rights!

She has been off of school for the past 3 days. We have been trying to stay busy. She actually asked for a math page to do yesterday. Kaci has really enjoyed having her sister around. Shanna was a great help with housework yesterday and had fun joining in at our Friday playgroup. I think she'll be ready to go back to school on Monday though. There isn't nearly enough excitement to keep her busy here during the day.

A 3 Year Old + 3 Quarters = Nighttime Peace

Our kids have always been hard to put to bed (and keep to sleep). Kaci never really slept in a crib. When she was 10 months old, we put a mattress on the floor and would lay with her until she fell asleep. (It was much more peaceful that listening to a baby scream for hours) Well, now she is 3 and that is still how she expects to fall asleep. It wouldn't be so bad, except for it can take hours for those sweet eyes to finally close and for her breathing to get slow and steady. After a long day, falling asleep at 8:30 pm in a twin size bed, waking up a few hours later and stumbling to your own bed is not a happy thing. Shanna was the same way, and when she was about 3 we were able to reason with her that a 10 minute snuggle was sufficient.

Last night, I decided that I would have a "grown up talk" with Kaci. I told her that I would snuggle her for 10 minutes, and then she needed to stay in bed, hug her piggy and go to sleep like a big girl. I told her that I would leave money and a note by her bed if she didn't get up. Guess What? IT WORKED! She didn't get up once, and she was asleep within minutes!

It was a great night. I did laundry, watched Oprah, stretched.... and I left a pink heart note telling her how proud I was of her with 3 quarters! Let's hope it works tonight too!!

Is it Monday again?

Some mornings, I just want to SCREAM!!! Guess what Shanna was doing instead of getting ready this morning? She disappeared into her room/bathroom for over 30 minutes. I was sure she was getting ready. But, instead she was READING HER VITAMIN BOTTLE. She brought it to me, (in her pajamas, beds not made, hair a mess and bad breath) and said, "look, it says here keep out of the reach of children. I am a children. Kaci is a children .We shouldn't have these." AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

And in this pond, there was a.......

A number of creatures have called this pond home. We have put most of them there, and hoped that they will stay. We know of at least one turtle that decided to go against our smart advice and left and will never return. We have put snails, tadpoles, little frogs, big frogs, 6 turtles, gold fish that the turtles were supposed to eat, but now are growing big enough to someday eat the turtles, and about a dozen koi fish that are so cool. We have struggled to get water plants to grow, but as you can see, they have taken over and are doing great! We thinned them out (more accurately, Tyler thinned them out) and now the pond is looking pretty good. I love seeing the flowers, especially when the water lilys flower. It is fun to watch dragonflies and hummingbirds enjoy them as well.

On Sunday, my friend Robyn called and told me that she found a turtle in the road and wanted to know if she should get it for us. I am so impressed. I have not touched any of the wildlife in our backyard, or do I intend to. But, I told her "sure!" and a little while later, here she was holding the BIGGEST turtle I have ever seen! He is probably at least a foot big... he is a monster! If I had been thinking, I would have taken her picture holding it, because for one thing, she is so cool to even touch it, and second, I will not pick the guy up out of the water for a picture now, so this is probably the best shot of him I can get now! He is loving his new home. He was quick to let the fish know who is the king when feeding time happens, and is already helping thin out even more lettuce. I am not sure how many friends he has left in the pond, but since we haven't found any more odd looking rocks in the yard, I am guessing he'll have a few other turtles to keep him company!

A "Friend" Party

Kaci has been so excited this week that she gets to have a "friend party". We had her good friend, Haylee, her two brothers, and her two cousins come. (and of course Shanna) The kids made some foam crafts and bracelets and had pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Check out the pink frosting! I think the 3 year old princess had a happy week!

Shanna had a Halloween carnival at her school on Friday. Seems kind of early for Halloween, right? It is also the big PTA fund raiser for the year, so I guess sooner is better for them to get their operating money in. Each grade performed a dance, Shanna's grade did a 50's themed teddy bear dance. It was cute. It was so cold and windy that night, it really felt like fall. I had the privilege of manning the "doughnut on the string" booth. (Think sticky doughnuts, slobbery kids and a lot of both of them!) Yuck. I won't be eating doughnuts for a while. I was pretty happy when someone would come up and ask if they could just have a doughnut without eating it off of the string. It was a happy moment when I ran out of doughnuts!

Thought of the Day

"What would you
attempt to do
if you knew you could not fail?"

~Robert Schuller

Funny

Tyler was just at the hair salon getting his hair cut and he saw a curious thing... a bald man selling hair products!

Happy Birthday Sunshine!

Dear Kaci,

3 years ago you brought sunshine, laughter and happiness into our lives with a big firecracker bang! We love your spunk, your weakness for cocoa and Barney in the morning, and especially your sweet love. You are so sweet how you look up to Shanna, and how you adore Daddy and me. Your smile would make anyone's day happy. Happy Birthday Kaci!!!

Love, Mommy




Ps. After you opened your presents this morning, you told us that "we made your heart grow".

Nice Boy

Yes, this is the same dog that jumps and chews and digs, but every now and then you can see a glimmer of hope of a really nice dog shining through.

I Did It!!!

I have completed my 2,650 mile walk challenge 2 weeks early! My virtual walking trail was from the Mexico border, all along the way to Canada! Tyler is wearing the pedometer today to see how many steps he takes. I might start Shanna on a challenge, I am curious how active she stays in school.

Big Girls Don't Cry

Watch Kaci perform her favorite song!

The Thoughts of a 7 Year Old

I might get caught and totally busted for posting this, but it is too cute to pass up on. Chances are, I'll print out the blog and put it in a scrapbook or something, but this notebook will be long lost by next month. So, here is what Shanna wrote in her journal yesterday:

September. 30, 2007

Dear Diary

like I said I was going to write secrit’s in you: well I have one. well I wish kids could have baby’s. and get maryd. and if they could I wold want to have one. and if they cold get mareyd I wold want to be the first to get mareyd. and I know how I would want to marey. Stevey

Spoon vs. Garbage Disposal

'Nuff said... thanks Dad for teaching me what the little wrench under the sink is for!

Welcome Fall

I love the unpredictability of fall. I love how drastic it is. One day, it will be over 90 and I'll be outside sweating doing yard work, and that same night, I go outside to walk the dog, and I need a jacket. We woke up this morning to a rain surprise, big wet drops that you can hear echoing on the roof. I do hope that it will clear up soon so that I can take my walk, but it is a happy way to start the week!