Happy Halloween

Well, I did it. I finished Logan's costume and yes, it almost killed me. If he ever doubted how much I love him, it should be perfectly clear now. I worked on it from Friday afternoon until 1:30 am, and then again Saturday early afternoon until 1:00 am and then I finished it up Sunday afternoon. I think most of my time was spent dealing with my sewing machine that kept jamming. Turns out it was user error... whoops. I learned a lot though and am really thrilled with how it turned out. Just don't look too closely at my stitching. I don't think you'd find one straight line or correct seem. At least it's holding together and it looks super cute. I'd say that is an epic success for my first time at the machine.

He LOVED it and was flying like an Angry Bird through the yard.

Logan's preschool class had a costume parade and party during the morning of Halloween. I had signed up, along with another mom, to host the party. The other mom brought cupcakes and juice boxes and I was assigned a craft, book to read and a second snack as there are some dairy/egg allergy kids in Logan's class. If you know me at all, you know I do NOT like crafts that just get thrown in the trash. You put all this effort in to planning something, the kids make it, the parents look at it and think "oh, that's nice", they take it home and then it gets thrown out. NO thank you! My time, money and efforts are worth more than that so I racked my brain and browsed through Michael's craft store to find something useful and fun. Of course, I picked the most expensive thing I could, but I think it was a success. I decided to let the kids make t-shirts. I got 2, 6 pack Fruit of the Loom t-shirts, fabric paint and pens, pumpkin cookie cutters and I made stamps from foam leaf covered note pads. The kids really enjoyed it and the parents gave great reactions when they found out what the kids were making.

Logan's all boy preschool class. SO cute!

The costume parade

The craft. Hmm... from the looks of their faces and body language, maybe they didn't like it after all. HA!

Daddy, Logan and Aunt Mandy

This was Logan's first year of door to door trick or treating. We went with Scott's dads family and their friends and had a GREAT time! Logan had a serious crush on one of the little neighborhood girls who was trick or treating with the bunch. She was dressed up like a cat and must have been around the age of 6. Logan kept going up to his daddy saying "I really love that little cat". It was super sweet!

Logan and Raegan getting ready to head out for some candy. It was cold out so Raegan went in just her super cute Puma velvet sweat suit.

He did great and had a blast with the other kids.

The Angry Bird with Pippi Longstocking

It was truly a wonderful and exhausting day. Everyone that saw Logan's costume said how wonderful it was (insert pat on the back here). I think Logan had a great time doing all of the fun activities and now we are thoroughly enjoying all of the candy he brought home. Can you believe the boy doesn't like chocolate? Ah well, I guess I'll just have to eat it for him. Excuse me now, I hear it calling my name.

Creative Procrastination

I mentioned in an earlier post that my little Logan has decided he wants to be the yellow Angry Bird for Halloween. I decided that I could make his costume for WAY cheaper than we could buy online, so in that moment I had signed a check I wasn't sure my rear could cash. Scott bought me a sewing machine for my birthday and I'd been hoping for a project so I could break it out and use it. Let me clarify that I have NO idea what I am doing. I have sewn a few semi-straight lines in years past on my mom's sewing machine and that is it. I don't know what makes me think I can pull this off but I'm jumping in head first. What choice do I have after all? I guess I could be THAT mom at Walmart midnight Sunday night buying whatever costume leftovers they have. But Logan deserves better. So, by golly I'm gonna do my best to give him what he wants.

This past Sunday, Logan and I headed to our nearby Hancock Fabrics store and picked out all of the material and stuffing we needed for the project. Guess what?.... All of the supplies cost a little more than it would have cost just to buy it pre-made. Ugh! I tried and now not only am I out the money but the many hours I know it's gonna take to make this thing.

Well, I don't want to have a bad attitude so I'm lacing up my boot strings and I'm gonna get this thing done by midnight Sunday if it kills me. Tonight I sketched out my pattern and I hope to get my material cut and pinned tomorrow. We're making memories over here folks! Here is the beginning....

Can you even see him? I tried adjusting the lighting in Photoshop but it didn't help. Hopefully you can make out his face at least. It's just a pencil sketch for now. More to come...

Weak

I've heard it said a hundred times or more... "Motherhood is not for the weak". This week I have felt WEAK! Since my hopes for this blog space is to document my little families stories, that has to include the good, the bad and the ugly... right?

I've been battling with my will, the will of my children and the selfish desires of my heart this week. Logan is in a phase of telling lies. They aren't huge lies, but they are lies nonetheless and it is driving me crazy. I hate fighting the battles of "did you go to the bathroom?", "did you wash your hands?", "what did you do to your sister and why is she crying?" etc., only to be answered untruthfully. Bedtime has also become so difficult. It is always such a struggle to get him up the stairs and it usually ends up with threat after threat being doled out. My son has the uncanny ability to be happy go lucky one moment and then he becomes a tired, crying, whining mess in the blink of an eye. It's hard to know exactly when it's going to happen and we've started to refer to that phase as "he's turning in to a pumpkin".

I'm still struggling with trying to find a happy balance here at home. I'm trying to figure out how to spend dedicated, quality time with the kids and also make time to clean daily or at least keep the house straight. I feel totally crazed and out of control that my days don't seem to have a rhyme or reason. I often think of other moms who have more kids than I do and they seem to have it all together. Their homes are clean, their kids seem to be appropriately stimulated and loved and they always have their hair done and makeup on. These moms MUST be able to live on no sleep (or be aliens or another life form) and be up before the crack of dawn making their husbands coffee and packing their children's lunches. I, on the other hand feel like a hot mess who, on most days doesn't get out of my pajamas until 2:00, my house is a filthy mess and my children are begging for my undivided attention.

I felt the Lord nudging my heart tonight. He brought the verse to mind 2 Corinthians 12:10 - That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. I can bring my weakness to Him and He will be my strength during these hard days of parenting. After all, He loves my kids even more than I do. They are His!

I do not have all of the answers but I am so thankful to know and have a personal relationship with the One who does.

Thanks for letting me vent!

Pumpkin Patching... kinda, sorta.

This past Saturday we decided to head to the pumpkin patch with the kids. We invited my father in law and one of Scott's little sisters to come with us. Logan's preschool class went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch a week ago this past Monday but he had to miss it due to being sick. We usually go every year and this year we decided to try the farm that his preschool had gone to. It was a beautiful farm with lots of horses and green pastures. We were pleasantly surprised with how few people were there, and all of the employees were very friendly.

Logan and Madeline

My sweet father in law, Logan and Madeline

We loaded up on the hay ride as the farm requires that they drive you out to the pumpkin patch. They drop you off and then pick you back up once you've picked your pumpkin. I just have to say that I found this hilarious. They dump us off in what had to be the ugliest part of the farm with very few pumpkins to choose from. I guess I'm spoiled from our trips apple and strawberry picking and the plethora of fruit that are ACTUALLY on the tree/vine. As we are trying to find that perfect pumpkin and realizing the picking's are slim, we notice these guys driving on an ATV, towing a huge box of pumpkins behind them. We stood in disbelief as they quickly ran down the line unloading the boxes of pumpkins out in to the field. I just had to laugh. I know it's all about the experience, but part of me felt like we should have just cut out the middle man and purchased one of the pumpkins in the bins at the front of the farm.

Logan and Madeline had a ton of fun running around the patch which made it all worthwhile.

This little peanut enjoyed herself as well. I guess the kids were totally unaware!

Daddy and Raegan

I caught Raegan standing all on her own right before she fell. Yay Bwee Bwee!!

Logan "hiding". He and Madeline played hide and go seek all the while we were searching for our perfect pumpkins. She did such a fabulous job of acting like she couldn't see him.

What's better than a box full of corn?... NOTHING! They played a riveting game of "bury the sock and try to find it again."

Let the carving begin.

We chose a cat in front of a full moon. Reason: we have this hilarious black cat that roams the neighborhood and terrorizes the squirrels. With each passing year he gets more bold in his chase.

I got Logan out of bed to come see the Jack O' Lantern in the dark. He LOVED it! Not sure where his muscles come in to play, but still.

I've been thinking recently about how much our kids are getting to experience year after year that neither Scott or I got to experience as kids. Things like strawberry picking, annual summer vacations, apple picking, going to the pumpkin patch, going to the Children's Museum and more. I hope they will look forward to doing these activities and realize how special they are and that not all kids get to do them. Growing up, the closest thing for me to going to a pumpkin patch was heading to the local grocery store that happened to have their pumpkins on sale. My parents couldn't afford to do any activity outside of paying our bills, but my mom made up for it in making pumpkin-carving so much fun and super special. We would get in to the flannel nightgowns she made for us, bake special cookies with candy pieces in them and carefully plan and carve our Jack O' Lanterns. I look back on those times with such fond memories. I hope our kids will too.

Apples don't cobble themselves

So, what is a girl to do with pounds of apples sitting around waiting for something delicious to be made out of them? Make apple cobbler of course. I've found that the fresh apples we pick at the orchard can make an apple pie soggy because of how juicy they are. I love apple pie, but not soggy apple pie. My solution? Apple cobbler. There is no crust on the bottom to get soggy and the crumble topping stays crisp and delicious.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 pan. Peel, slice and core 8 medium apples. Pour apples in to pan.

Cover apples with brown sugar. Use more brown sugar if you are using granny smith apples. Sprinkle top with cinnamon.

In a separate bowl combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup white sugar, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 t. salt and a half teaspoon of baking powder. Sprinkle top again with cinnamon. Pour over sliced apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Lastly, melt a stick of butter (1/2 cup) and pour over the top.

This is what the cobbler will look like once you've poured the butter on the topping.

Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until to topping is golden brown.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yummo!

Jumping Ship

Today was one of those days where I spent the morning running around like a crazy person only to come home and feel even more crazy looking around at the mess that is my home. Piles of newspapers, toys all over the floor, food from every meal for the last who knows how many days or weeks dried on the floor, dirty dishes, dirty clothes, dirty diapers, a bag full of fabric waiting to be made in to an Angry Bird for Logan's Halloween costume and oh so much more! I hate feeling like there is no time for anything. I remember when I was working full time before we had kids I always felt like I was never able to give myself fully to either job. If I gave more of my time and energy in the office, my home suffered. If I gave more time and energy in my home, my work suffered. You know the vicious cycle. Now that I am a stay at home mom I feel the same struggle. I want to spend time with my kids but I also want a clean and orderly home. Well today I decided to jump ship. Once Raegan woke up from her nap (which was only a whopping 45 minutes today), the kids and I abandoned the cluttered house and spent the afternoon outside on our play set and taking a walk around the neighborhood taking pictures and collecting leaves. It was great to have the inside of my house out of sight and out of my mind and just enjoy some time in this beautiful, fall weather with my kids. I have come to learn that choosing time with the kids over cleaning is ALWAYS the right choice.

I think they wholeheartedly agree!

I learned today that my little Raegan is quite the dare devil. She went down this slide all by herself probably 30+ times and loved every single trip. She would slide down, Logan or I would catch her and then she would immediately start grunting and kicking her legs to go again.

We trespassed on one of the lawns in the neighborhood to use their fall decorations as our picture backdrop. Love it!

It turned out to be such a wonderful, fun and special afternoon with the kids. The dirt, laundry, unmade costumes, etc. will all be there waiting, but my kids will be up and out of the house before I can blink an eye. While playing outside today Logan told me "I was his favorite". Be still my heart!

Annual Apple Picking

A week ago yesterday we loaded the kids up the car and went on our annual apple picking trip with my brother, sister in law, niece, nephew, Mom and Dad. It was our third trip up to Carter Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville and we couldn't wait to get there, soak in the views and pick some delicious Fuji apples (My FAVORITE!). It was my parents first time going with us and I was excited for them to see what all of the hub-bub was about.

Logan and his cousin Anthony

We marched up the hill to the Fuji section and picked to our hearts content. Look at those views behind my beautiful family! Gorgeous. I seriously could pack a lawn chair and a sandwich and sit all day just staring at the beauty of God's creation. Part of me really hopes that one day we can move to the mountains. It would be a dream come true to have views like this from some point in my house and maybe some water too off in the distance.

It's hard to believe that last year at this time I had my tiny little baby in a baby Bjorn and she slept and pooped her way through all the apple picking.

Here is my sweet niece Alyssa, Logan and my handsome nephew Anthony. I could only get Logan to be a part of the pictures if I allowed him to make funny faces. The kids had a ton of fun picking the apples and snacking on them. I love that they get to have experiences like this to look forward to throughout the year and that they get to make memories doing it together. I hope that they will always look back on these times fondly.

Cousins

It was a wonderful day and we picked a ton of juicy, sweet apples. We ate our way through a half dozen freshly-baked hot apple cider donuts, road on an underwhelming and uncomfortable hay ride (note to self: save the $9 next year and skip it. Put the money towards a bottle of wine!) and thoroughly enjoyed time with our family. What more can a girl ask for?

It's Friday - Let the Hilarity Ensue

What a crazy, hilarious and weird day it has been. It started out that we were running late to get Logan to school. Scott wanted to be helpful and offered to take Logan and pick him up for me. I must admit that it was hard to relinquish what has become a sweet little drop off/pick up routine, but eventually I relented. Scott moved Logan's car seat to his car, got all of his preschool paraphernalia loaded and off they went. Or so I thought. I had gone up and gotten Raegan and was excited about spending the morning having coffee and a casual breakfast with my little munchkin. No sooner had I stepped on the last stair Scott came in and informed me that his car was dead. Not, I need a battery jump dead, but dead. Dead as in it won't even turn over dead. Fan.Tast.Ic!! We quickly loaded up the van and dropped Logan off at school and Scott off at work.

It's amazing for me to see how clearly the Lord works in my life and how the testing of my faith not only produces patience, but much stronger faith! Just yesterday the Lord showed me yet again how wonderfully He provides for my family. Blessings show up in the most perfectly timed ways. Then, we wake up the next morning and the car won't start. I am not stressed about it at all because I know, somehow, someway God is going to pull out of this situation exactly what He is after and He WILL provide.

This afternoon I came upon this little character under the hood of Scott's car. Hopefully he wasn't the cause of the problem.

Yesterday, while I was in the middle of making a homemade apple cobbler, I heard a noise that let me know my little Raegan was in to something she shouldn't be. I found that she had gotten in to my stash of googly eyes and had them all over the floor, in her mouth and clenched in her tight, little, clammy hands. I quickly swiped the ones that were in her mouth out, took her out of the room and commenced cleaning up the rest. Well... today while changing a poopy diaper around 12:30 I came across a googly eye in the poo. HA! Never fear, it was a small one so I don't think any damage was done internally, but, it was pretty hilarious to see.

*You can thank me for sparing you from pictures*

Thankful Thursday and Raegan + Ernie = Cute!

Today I am thankful for the beautiful, cool fall weather outside. I love that it's chilly out and the breeze is blowing. It's so refreshing to see the colorful leaves and feel the cool, crisp air on my face. It renews me somehow.

I'm also thankful this week that Logan's illness wasn't as severe as I thought it would be. He was sure one sick little boy on Monday and he is now on the mend. His throat is still bothering him and affecting his appetite but I know it could have been much, much worse.

This past weekend my thoughtful husband brought me home the most beautiful dozen roses he's ever bought for me in the 15 years I've known him. I have enjoyed seeing them on my kitchen table and watching them open. Not only are they gorgeous, but they smell fantastic too. You know how most roses don't really smell like much at all?? Well, that is not the case with these. Love, love, love them!! Thanks honey!

I will confess that he also brought me home 4 cupcakes but those didn't last long enough to take a picture of. :) I did share... 1 that is.

Last but not least I wanted to share a video of Raegan dancing to Ernie singing "Rubber Duckie". Enjoy!

What are you thankful for this week?

Mommy's Helpers, etc.

I don't remember Logan getting in to as much stuff as Raegan does. Every cabinet, purse, bag, etc. that I don't want her getting in to she is drawn to like a magnet. It's almost hilarious. I will have just picked up the kitchen to turn around and find that she's pulled out all the coloring books, made carpet out of my pizza coupons or is gnawing on the dirty spoon I just threw in the dishwasher.

This day the dishes were clean and she decided to be mommy's helper, climb on the door of the dishwasher and started to unload at a pace that I was unable to keep up with. Therefore most of the clean dishes ended up on the dirty floor. Love it!

I just had to include this picture because she is just too cute loving on her Gra Gra.

I took the kids to the park close by for some afternoon energy expunging a couple of weeks ago. Raegan LOVES the swing and Logan decided to be a helper and push her. It was awesome to just sit back and watch my kiddos enjoying the fresh air and to see Logan being such a fantastic big brother.

Look at the effort behind those pushes. Awesome!

Ride 'em cowboy!

*When putting these brown socks (that he chose himself) on this day he proclaimed that he was putting on his "work" socks.*

My precious peanut!

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I want to remember that when referring to the ash in the charcoal grill, Logan called them "fire crumbs". I love how his mind thinks and how he comes up with the greatest words when he's trying to talk about something and he isn't sure what it's correct name is.