This is Halloween!

Madison has been singing this song all week. I think it's been playing on the Disney channel. We had a great Halloween. We hope you did too!

Happy Halloween!

I don't like to go to school...

This is what came from Maddie's mouth this morning. She cried and told me she was scared of monsters at school. Ok, so now I totally know that the scared thing is just so she can get out of something. They didn't even get to have a costume party so I'm not sure why she would think there would be monsters at school. They did, however, get to pass out treats to each kid in their class.

When I got the note sent home saying please bring a treat for 14 kids last Thursday I asked Maddie, "What do you want to take for your treat?" (My mistake was asking.) She said, "I wanna take choc-it cover'd pet-zels. Ok, so we had them at Gabe's 1st birthday party last year (over a year ago) and that is what she says she wants to take. I was thinking ring pops or a candy bar. Not something that would require work. They turned out cute though. I had sent 16 so that the teachers could have one of our sophisticated savory treats, but they sent them home instead. So, as I'm waiting for Maddie to come out of class with the extra treats in my hand one of the other moms reached over to look at them and then announced to all the other moms how cool our treats were and for everybody to look. I was kind of embarrassed there, but I will definitely brag about our delicious treats here...lol. Here's a picture of them.

Also, here's some cute pictures of Gabe sleeping on the couch yesterday morning. He fell asleep while watch Disney Pixar's Cars - that's criminal!

Phew! Everything's ok!

Gabe is good. We went to the doctors this morning and he was still concerned about Gabe's limp so he sent us to the hospital for x-rays and blood tests. Gabe is such a little trooper. He did so well. Everything came back fine and we're supposed to call the doctor on Thursday to tell him how everything is going. I definitely feel better about the whole thing although I still wonder what the heck happened to him. We came home and took a nap. We've been out of commission for a couple of hours.

The Whole Crew Has Croup

So, we have all been awake for at least an hour now (it's 5:30 a.m.). Maddie put herself to bed yesterday around 5:30 p.m. so I was expecting her to get up early, but Gabe sounds like he is going to hack up a lung. My poor little babies. We'll be going to the doctor later about Gabe's limp. I'll let ya know what we find out.

Is Gabe a Faker?

Ok, so now Gabe is totally congested and feels a little warm. He still seems to be limping sometimes, but not all the time. It is so hard to figure out when to take your kids to the doctor (or in this case the ER).

Bad Dream

When I woke up this morning I was scared to death. I dreamed that I had a lucrative career sewing giant bedspreads. I went to school during the day and then went to the airport in the afternoon and caught a flight out to somewhere else and stayed in a hotel room. I would go to their bedspread factory and help sew these giant bedspreads and then catch a flight back home.

One day before I went to the airport I took Gabe on a play date to my old elementary school playground. We went and played with the other kids and I talked with the other moms. One of the other moms offered to watch Gabe if I needed to do anything and I took her up on it even though I didn’t know her and left.

Next thing I knew I was at the airport catching another flight out and I had never gone back to the playground to pick Gabe up. I was about to call my mom and then all of a sudden she walked up to me in the airport. I told her what happened and she told me to call my grandma to go and get him. I called my grandma and asked her to go to the playground and she said she'd call me when she had him and then hung up. A feeling of dread set in as I began to wait.

All of a sudden I was in a bathroom with Dave telling him I lost our son who had no ID on him and couldn't talk to tell anyone who he was.

Then I woke up and at first I was so scared and was trying to figure out what to do and then I realized it was a dream and I was so relieved.

Today was BooRific!

Today we went to Little Boo at the Zoo at the Toledo Zoo. We had a great time. It was supposed to be rainy, so I asked Maddie if she still wanted to go if we were going to get wet and, of course, she said yes. So we went. My in-loves went with me. We had a great time.

Yesterday we noticed Gabe was walking with a stiff leg. Then today at the zoo he started limping and wanted to be carried a lot. I was concerned so I called and got him a doctors appointment. We were there for 15 minutes and they told me Gabe may have a joint infection and Maddie (not even there to be diagnosed) has croup. There's nothing we can really do for either of them. I gave Maddie some Tylenol and we just have to watch Gabe to see if he gets a fever or is congested. If he is we will have to take him to the ER for X-rays and blood tests.

What I've Been Doing Lately...

Location: Craig's List - All Locations

Do you think you'd make a Sexy Race Car Driver for Halloween?

Take a look at all of our sexy costumes including: sexy nurse costumes, sexy witch costumes, sexy cop costumes, and more!

Samantha Who?

So, I spent last night watching Heroes and trying to figure out how to upload a really cute video I took of Maddie singing songs to the webcam. It was SO cute! She sang twinkle, twinkle little star, I'm a little tea pot and the ABC song. Unfortunately I still can't figure it out.

Tonight I'm watching "Samantha Who?" Anyone else watching? I LOVE Christina Applegate!

Pictures

Here are some of the pictures from last night's adventures.

The Huckleberry Railroad

Dave got home from Nashville this morning at 4:30 a.m. He was up and out the door by 9:00 a.m. Madison gave me a really hard time today because she got to eat breakfast with Daddy this morning and had it in her mind that she was going to work with him too. When he walked out the door she said, "Daddy's coming back, isn't he?" I think she felt abandoned this week while he was gone. I felt so bad for him.

Dave wanted to do something we would all really enjoy and my Aunt Phyllis had told me about Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad just the other day. So we decided to go tonight. We got there about 5:00 p.m. and did the trick-or-treat thing for a little while and then headed back to the boardwalk to board the train for our ride. Gabe and Maddie got such a kick out of the train. I've never seen Gabe sit so still. He absolutely LOVED it. After the train ride we ate dinner in an old fashioned cafe and then headed out to do some more trick-or-treating. Maddie found her way through a hay bale maze and at the end we all got donuts in cider. We had a great time and will probably go again next year.

They also do the Day Out With Thomas thing at The Huckleberry Railroad and we'll definitely do that next year.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow. I think I got some really good ones of the kids in their costumes.

Ugh...

Dave has been gone since Monday and is due back tonight around 1 a.m. He's flying from Nashville to Chicago and then from Chicago to Detroit. I found out recently that Chicago is having inclement weather and Dave's flight has been delayed. Because his first flight is delayed he might miss his second flight. If he misses the second flight there aren't any more flights out until the morning and they don't put you up in a hotel for bad weather. This sucks!

UPDATE: So, I haven't heard from Dave so I'm assuming his plane finally took off. The american airlines website says his flight should be in at 11:19 p.m. Chicago time and his flight from Chicago to Detroit has been delayed and is scheduled to take off at 12:00 a.m. If he hurries he should be able to make it. Hurry Dave, hurry!

UPDATE: Dave ended up getting home at 4:30 a.m. I'm so glad he's home.

Halloween Traditions

Looking back on my childhood I remember Halloween being so much fun. We'd pick pumpkins out at the store and bring them home. My dad would cover the kitchen table with newspapers and cut the tops open. Then my sister and I would scoop all the guts out with our hands. We would go through and save all the seeds so my mom could bake them and we could eat them. When the "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" Halloween special was on TV we would all sit and watch it.

My memories are all warm and fuzzy. In one word: Happy. I want this for my kids.

Friday, on the way home from The Fall Harvest Festival at Maddie's school, we stopped and picked up a pumpkin. We came home and carved it. Maddie picked the design. We baked the seeds and ate a few. We put the pumpkin on the front porch, lit it up, and then stood in the pitch black darkness and stared at it. Maddie thought it was cool. Gabe was already in bed.


On Sunday night we watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown". I wasn't sure how they would like it, but they watched the whole thing. Madison liked it so much that every time the theme song came on she would move her eyebrows up and down to the rhythm. It was so funny.

All in all, I think they got the effect I was going for. Mission complete.

I Knew This Was Coming

Maddie came home with a note from the principal today that says, "Although there is not an active case of Head Lice reported within the Preschool or Elementary School population we may have been exposed indirectly through Sunday Children's Church Services."

Great. We haven't been to church in weeks, yet the one time we do go there is a Head Lice outbreak.

Feak'in Out: Explained

A while back I posted on the topic of "Feak'in out".

Today, on my way to the gym...

Maddie: Mommy, are we going to the gym to feak out?

Me: No, we're going to the gym to work out?

Maddie: Do you have big muscles?

Me: Not yet, but I'm going to work out so I can get big muscles.

Maddie: When I get big I'm going to go to the gym and feak out just like you, and when Gabie gets big he can feak out too.

Me: We're going to the gym so Mommy can work out, not feak out.

The Cider Mill, Part III

Two weeks ago Gabe and I went to the cider mill for a field trip with his playgroup. Last week my family went to the cider mill for my birthday and had a great time. Today Maddie and I went to the cider mill for her class field trip.

Yeah, it was fun, but oh so cold. She was bundled up in her spring jacket with her winter coat over the top of it. I haven't bought new hats and gloves yet because last week it was in the 90's. On Sunday the kids were running around outside in their bathing suits. Of course, today it was 45 degrees out, windy and rainy. Great weather!

We went on a hayride, where we had to flip the hay bales so our butts didn't get wet, and got to pick a mini pumpkin. Madison picked hers up out of the mud and proceeded to hug it transferring the mud from her pumpkin to her coat. Because I haven't bought hats and mittens yet I had brought a pair of socks to put on her hands so they would stay warm. After the socks got muddy from the pumpkin she wouldn't wear them anymore. At least I had something to wipe her coat off with.

When we got back from picking pumpkins the worker men told us that was the shortest hay ride they had ever seen. We were all fine with that. It was way too cold to linger in a pumpkin patch. We then went to the donut hut and had donuts and cider. We went in the store and bought some honeycrisp apples. They're our favorite apple EVER!!!!

Overall, Madison had a great time. She didn't care that it was cold. She loved riding the wagon through the orchards and pointing out the apples, raspberries and pumpkins on the ground. She had a very good time with her classmates and teacher. Hopefully next year it will be warmer.

Subscribe

Ok, so I had a few issues with the subscriptions, but it should be working now. So, you will have to re-sign up so it works. Sorry about that.

Because I Said So

This is hilarious!

Cathedrals

I received and email today that I loved and wanted to share it...

I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"

Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip and she was going on and on about the hotel she staying in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure whey she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Deceptively Delicious

I'm watching Oprah right now and Jessica Seinfeld is on talking about her new book Deceptively Delicious. I have seriously thought about doing this before. I could totally puree cauliflower or spinach and put it in Gabe's PB&J. I am definitely going to buy this book.

Life's Small Treasures

For the past few years my family has gone to our local cider mill to celebrate my birthday. We have some donuts and cider and let the kids play on the playground. It's just a good time to spend with the family. Here is a layout from our day at the cider mill.

Things I Want To Do

I'm not sure what has gotten into me. I have all these ideas, but no follow through. Here are some of the things I've been thinking about doing lately.

1. Take some design (fashion design, graphic design, etc.) classes
2. Start my own clothing or Accessory/Jewelry line
3. Learn how to really draw
4. Take a photography class
5. Start my own digital scrapbooking elements line

I wish I had more drive.

Peanut Free

I feel like such a jerk! It was Maddie's turn to take snack into class today so we spent yesterday going to Costco to get the prepackaged sliced apples and then went to Kroger to get the individual caramel dip cups so they could have a little fun.

Since I go a little overboard sometimes I decided that some kids may not like apples and that they should have options so I also bought some pretzels. Maddie's school is peanut free and I made sure the dip didn't contain any peanuts, but in my hasty decision to also take pretzels I forgot to check the package. I figured that pretzels are pretzels are pretzels and pretzels don't contain peanuts (except the ones that have peanut butter in them and are totally awesome - but I knew these didn't have peanut butter in them).

While the pretzels I bought do not contain peanuts I guess the company processes peanut butter products on the same line as they make the pretzels. Why didn't I think about this? Peanut allergies are SOOO serious. I had to go dairy free while breastfeeding Gabe and was very diligent about making sure I stuck to it, so what was going through my head when I decided the kids HAD to have options.

Of course, the mother of the peanut allergy kid (Maddie's FAVORITE new friend) caught it and made sure her kid didn't have any (Thank God) and was very nice when she told me about the mistake. She then proceeded to ask us to a play date. At least we weren't shunned, but I still feel like a total jerk! I'm glad nobody was hurt.

Verizon Wireless Spokeswoman

So, I just put Gabe down for his nap and then went to unload my laundry. I could hear Madison talking to herself, but couldn't tell what she was saying. I walked down the hallway towards our bedrooms and heard her say, "Can you hear me now?" I looked in my bedroom and saw her with Gabe's monitor up to her mouth trying to talk to him through it. What a nut!

Madison The Story Teller

Madison has started to tell stories. Early this morning (read 4 a.m.) she woke up to Dave's alarm clock. I told her it was still night time and to go back to sleep.

She said, "First I want to tell you a story, Mommy." I tiredly agreed to listen to her story. She said, "Once upon a time there was a little boy who was peddaling, peddaling, peddaling through a tunnel. Then the little boy saw a train go through the tunnel. Then a monst - a bear went onto the tracks. The end."

I find it interesting that she was going to say a monster and then changed it to a bear. It was a pretty good story for a 3 year old though. No "Weed Monster", but good.

I also want to note that Maddie doesn't only tell made up stories. Today she told me something very comical and while I'm not allowed to say what it is or who it involved I just want to put a warning out there that she will tell me all of your secrets. From funny dances and songs to interesting conversations. Little ears are always listening.

I think I watch too much TV

Here's my schedule:

Sunday
Life is Wild
Desperate Housewives (don't know if I'll continue to watch)
Brothers & Sisters (LOOOOOVE IT!!!)

Monday
Aliens in America
Heroes (LOOOOOVE IT!!!)
Journeyman

Tuesday
Beauty and the Geek
The Biggest Loser
House(LOOOOOVE IT!!!)
Reaper

Wednesday
Back to You
Pushing Daisies
'Til Death(LOOOOOVE IT!!!)
Gossip Girl
Dirty Sexy Money

Thursday
Smallville
Survivor
Grey's Anatomy
Big Shots

Friday
Moonlight (This is supposed to be good for people who really liked Angel)

I know it seems like a lot, but I rarely sit down to watch TV at 8 because that is the kids bedtime. Instead we sit down about 8:30 and fast forward through commercials. Also, a lot of the shows on this list I have never seen before because they are brand new so chances are I won't continue to watch most of them.