All of Our Fall Activities for 2009...Crammed Into One Picture Post

We made an attempted trip to the pumpkin patch and that failed, so we visited a roadside stand in the middle of a thunderstorm, but got really cool and really cheap pumpkins.  Everyone was happy.  We have played in the leaves, wrapped ourselves up as mummies, carved pumpkins and trick or treated.  We've also had 3 cases of the flu, pnuemonia, and a suspected case of chicken pox.  We've barbequed, celebrated Jacobs birthday and had a hayride for fifteen eleven year olds.  It has been busy and flown by in a rush, a fun one, but still crazy fast.  I am in total denial that Christmas is right around the corner, but first we get to celebrate my favorite holiday of all:  Thanksgiving.  I have so many things to be thankful for, 3 of which are the highlight of this post. Life is good.  Happy Fall Ya'll!

Tricky Little Trickster

This picture says it all.  I am so glad Halloween is over.  I seriously thought that last night might have been the night I finally had to be committed.  Yesterday was a beautiful day.  The kids helped rake leaves, played outside and pretty much had an awesome day.  Yes they were a little excited but not bouncing off the walls with excitement, until 5:20 p.m. then it was TIME to put on the costumes.  Hannah did her own thing and Jacob was the typical 11 year old (where's my socks, can I wear this disgusting t-shirt under my costume, short break for video games, blah, blah, blah) then there was this little guy. I had bought him a skeleton costume, which he didn't wear to his party, but I wasn't too worried about it, I figured by Halloween time he would wear it.  WRONG!  He threw a bloody little fit for an hour and 15 minutes and I threw one for at least an hour. Mine didn't involve laying down on the ground and crying, but I seriously thought about it. He refused to wear it.  He went so far as to tear up the mask.  Everyone was ready, it was 6:40, which is a late start, and Ben was refusing to get dressed.  My dear friend had brought him some of her sons costumes to play with and so we finally convinced him to wear the Ninja costume (which he wore to school on Friday) and just get in the car already!  By this time I was wondering if I could go as a cup holder or a drunk possibly.  Where is the wine?  Cause I needed some.  My husband was all Mr. Cool and Collected and I was a ranting lunatic.  So we got everyone's tears dried up, went to visit Grandma, where she handed me asuper sized  box of Pinot (God bless her) and gave the kiddos their treats and then we headed back to the neighborhood and the kids filled up their buckets.  Ben was a crazed man, he ran to every house, and was soooo excited.  So my husband pointed out that he just climaxed a little early, like before it even started!  Lord help him in the future...ok, I'm not even going there.  But anyway, we got the kiddos into bed by 8:30 and by 8:35 I was sipping on my chilled Pinot.  Aaaahhhhhhh.  Happy Halloween.

They Don't Call Me Grace For Nothing

Ya know how you tell your kids, don't do something, like say, climb on the rock wall cause the rocks will slip and you could fall and bash your head in on the concrete?  Don't climb on the rocks over and over and over, to the point your youngest exclaims "We Know!" "DON'T CLIMB ON THE ROCKS, GEESH!"  Throws his hands up in the air and walks around the rock wall 27 times while playing soccer in the front yard.  The type of warning, which being the parent  you should heed, but you don't?   Well last night about 6 p.m. I looked out our front window and noticed our rake laying in the yard.  I tried to ignore it, but then thought, what if someone thinks it is part of the big item citywide pickup and takes that rake?  Also, it's in the front yard, just laying there, making the place look junky (along with our brown and green striped couch and yucky twin mattress) and a total disregard for our house tools! Damn kids!  So I march down the stairs and out the front door, minus my shoes and bra, I want you to get a visual here, sorry I mentioned the unmentionables.  I was in my sweats and t-shirt and favorite sweater and socks.  Then I realize the yard is a mini pond and I don't have my shoes, but man the RAKE! In the YARD!   So I gingerly step on the first rock and make my way all Ninja Warrior style out to the big rock in the front yard, reach over, grab the rake and about bust my ass in the yard, I risk getting my sock wet and step off to catch my balance.  Then I turn around (now picture Kung Fu Panda in the beginning of the movie) carrying THE RAKE!  and step back onto the rock then take a faceplant, two or three feet to the concrete stairs.  The rock crashes to the new concrete below, I land on my knees and wrists.  So it really wasn't a face plant (Thank you lord for small favors) more of a knee/ wrist/ finger plant.  So I crawl into the house and start screaming/ crying for Jacob to get my husband.  Aaron comes upstairs, helps me get to the couch, ices down my leg, and I am still crying.  This was worse than childbirth, then I remembered I had drugs, so I couldn't really compare it to that!  Needless to say I made it through and my lovely husband informed me if it was broken I wouldn't have made it into the house.  Then proceeded to tell me he heard some loud crash and thought Holy Smokes someone actually came and took that ugly couch.  So he looked around the side of the house but didn't see anything and went back to grilling and drinking his beer, in peace, until Jacob came running.  He said I was totally getting an idiot award card for this little move.  And to top it all off Ben says, "Mom you aren't supposed to walk on the rocks, you could fall."  Nothing like being made an ass in front of your kids and husband.  I guess I made believers out of them though. 
Anyway, my knee is a lovely shade of purple, my back hurts, my arms and wrists hurt, and my middle toe hurts.  Go figure. Sooooo how was your Monday evening?

Dilemma

This picture really doesn't have anything to do with anything.  I just like it.  So there you go.  Anyway...I have noticed I have gotten away from writing anything worth anything and just throwing up some pictures and a discription, which isn't the reason I started writing this blog. When I started this I was staying home with my kiddos, selling real estate and working with Aaron.  I loved it.  I left teaching when I had Ben and it was awesome to be able stay home,fix my kids a good breakfast, play with them without thinking of what I should be doing, volunteer in my kiddos classrooms, clean my house, cook, actually fold laundry, etc. etc.  Well as everyone knows, the housing market crashed, therefore putting a dent in the ole housing market (our business) and the real estate market, which go hand in hand, but when you are married to a builder who built primarily spec houses, whoa baby.  So long story short, we moved back to my husbands hometown, I went back to work full time and somehow managed to get all three of my kids in school.  Without any major accidents.  This is very important when you have two older kids who loved legos and polly pockets, and a little guy who was walking at 9 months and into everything!  Anyway, I did not go back to teaching, instead I got a job at a public library as a children's programmer, which means I do things like storytimes, and craft hours, and outreach.  It also means I work 8-5, Monday through Friday and year round.  It also means I have to deal with this little thing called PTO (paid time off)  It is the curse or blessing of the working mother.  In my case it is the curse!  Because every time I turn around a child is sick and I have to use some of it and I can't build any up!  Also, I nickel and dime it to death.  2 hours here, an hour there, you get the drift.  Sooooo I have approximately 24 hours and 32 minutes (I'm kidding) I do only have 26 hours, and I have worked there a year and a half.   It is somewhat of an office joke :)  Cause just when I get it built up, someone gets really sick or stubs their toe or I need to get my hair done!
So today I am sitting there thinking if we can just make it til next Friday, then I get more PTO hours....You do realize where I am going with this, right?  I am also thinking, man there is a huge flu bug snorting around out there and half of the kids in Jacob's class have been absent all week.  Fingers crossed, saying prayers, not stepping on cracks, you name it, and then my cell phone rings, oh a number I don't recognize, so I answer.  Lo and Behold it is the school nurse, and she says Ben has chicken pox, you need to come get him right now.
Well that's not possible cause I have a program in 10 minutes, so I call my husband, and no answer, then my mother in law to the rescue.  So I go to my program all frazzled cause he had the vaccination and who in the HELL has the pox at school?  The nurse said no one did.  Hmmmmmmm. Just my luck.
I get through my program, then talk to my husband and he got him a doctors appointment, which we had to go in the back door and be quarantiened because apparantly the chicken pox are even worse than the H1N1. But for future reference I think I will always say I think it's the pox cause damn you get in and out of there fast.  20 minutes tops and we were heading home, with a diagnosis of who knows? It could be the pox, or any other virus that is out there, except the flu (thank the lord),mainly just watch and see.  And my selfish self is thinking 'How many hours will I have to miss, or make up?"  So answer me this, especially the mom's who work outside of the home, how do you balance this?  My husband and I really do a good job of taking turns and working together, but do you ever eventually work up some time off?  Time to have just for the hell of it, cause you need a mental health day?  Because lord I need a mental health day, all by myself.  How is that for selfish?

Family

 

Last weekend we went to St. Louis for my cousin Josh's wedding.  It was very beautiful and we had a great time.  The best thing about this trip was almost my whole family was together for the first time in almost 20 years.  I got to see my Aunt Jackie, the picture on the bottom, whom I haven't seen in about 10 years or more, and it was like being 13 again.  :)  Only in a good way!  She has been in Iraq for 5 years and she was home to watch her baby boy get married. Oh and to bring me coffee and candy from all over the world and to shower her great nieces and nephews with coins and candy too.  She is a very cool aunt in my kids books.
The picture at the top is my family, my dad and my sister and her girls, (her hubby had to work on Saturday, I can't imagine why no one would switch with him :)  As you can tell I don't look a thing like my father! HA.  There is a picture of all the kiddies in their "good" clothes and then there is a family picture, which I am using as my Christmas photo, because I guarantee you it will never happen again.  5 people, smiling, looking at the camera and dressed in decent clothing!  A Christmas miracle I tell ya.
Have a good week!

Happy Birthday!

Happy 11th Birthday Jacob!

Benspeak

The other day Aaron and I were sitting on the couch in the sunroom enjoying the day and Ben runs in and flops down on the couch. Aaron looks at him and happened to notice Ben was going commando again and asked him,"Ben what are we going to do with you?"

To which Ben replies, "I guess you are going to have to sell me!"

I love this kid!