Days 13 and 14

You guessed it. We've been running around like chickens with our heads cut off. BUT aside from the hovering sadness we feel due to the family situation, things have been really good.

I think it is because of that sadness that we feel compelled to enjoy each moment. That is why I started these daily posts, and will continue to do for the next year. It is really forcing me to look at things in a new perspective. Instead of getting easily frustrated, or mentally and emotionally bogged down by things, I have chosen to just live in the moment, and push through things with a smile on my face. Let me tell you, life has been much calmer. I'm not saying that life is suddenly perfect, because it is far from it. I have just tried a new approach to dealing with things, which has resulted in a calmer, happier me, which in turn means a calmer, happier family.
Whatever it is, it's working.

We visited with Nathan's brother and sister, and his sister's boys on Friday, and Ty attended his school's Halloween party. Saturday morning Nate scored three goals at his soccer game. He is such a great soccer player! I was able to go see my godson Connor play in his soccer game Saturday afternoon also.

Then..

oh and THEN,

I had a massage!

You read that correctly! It was glorious! It was relaxing! It was everything I needed and more.

Afterward the kids and I made Halloween cupcakes at my mom's house, and we managed to get home by 8:30 that night.

I know I am a day behind, but I promise to make Day 15, the Halloween post SPOOKTACULAR!

Day 12

Oh Day 12, where to begin?

Well I will begin with something fantasmical.

Yeah I just used that word. It was that good.

This morning, after I woke up and got the older two boys off to school, I took a shower.

By myself.

With no children barging in.

Seriously.

For the first time in... gosh at least three years, I took a morning shower with not one child coming in, pulling the curtain back, screaming for me.

Holy mother of God, it was GLORIOUS!!!

I would have sung hymns if it weren't for fear of a baby investigating where the noise was coming from. Ha.

How did this happen? Well Nate's friend gave him this Handy Manny toy tool box that sings and makes the tools dance. Keira is obsessed. She parked herself in the toy room, with that tool box, and had Dora on for added insurance. Brody was still sleeping. I had the door half open (the toy room is across from the bathroom) and I just went for it. I know, rebellious of me, huh?

This folks, is one of the moments that reconfirm our decision to not have any more kids.

With so many of my friends, and people my age in general, just starting out having kids, it is sometimes hard to feel like I'm done. But the fact is, I started waaaaaay earlier. In fact, I was pregnant with Ty already this time ten years ago. (That deserved both italics and bold.) It amazed me how drastically my life has changed in these ten years. I have been a parent for ten whole years. A decade.

In my best Joey Lawrence voice, Whoa!

If you don't get that reference, we can't be friends. Sorry.

Oh Joey, how I loved you. I can't wait to see who Keira swears up and down she will marry one day. Fred Savage was my first real crush. Now good ol' Fred is the voice of Oswald. I hate Oswald. Keira loves Oswald. It's like things have come full circle.

Anyway, migraine gone this morning, I took a shower alone, had Brody's evaluation, got all my errands done, decided to go to the grocery store and buy the stuff for the master cleanse, played outside with all of the kids, raked my yard (again), saw Nathan for a brief few moments, and came in, cleaned the kids, and now am waiting to pick up Ty from his LAST football practice of the season.

Life is good today.

Okay

I will post my "daily" post later, BUT

I just thought I'd share...

I just bought everything I'll need for the next 10 days (or more, if I can hold out for more) of the Master Cleanse. I'm doing it.

Thank you extra 6lbs from steroids.

Thank you period. (sorry Dad)

Thank you still sore ankle.

You have all motivated be to finally take the plunge and stop putting this off.

And I will now have a reason to withstand the power of mini Halloween candy.

More to come in my daily, but for now, my headache is gone and I am in a good mood. Good enough to submit myself to the Master Cleanse torture. Ha!

Day 11

So I am trying to stay positive and to generally salvage this day BUT

I have a killer migraine, and have since about 15 minutes after I woke up.

There is no school today, for staff development, naturally.

It is raining, of course.

I tried, I really did. I did my best not to scream in pain any time my kids turned on a light, or ask me to get up to get them something, or talk so loudly right in my ear.

I did curse Nick Jr for playing any commercials at all, because commercials mean I turn into a jungle gym. Don't the executives there know my 18 month old will only sit still if Dora and Diego are playing non stop?

It is 1:09 pm and I am fearful that this day is lost. I am hoping there is some family movie I can get all of the kids to agree on so I can rest again. Rest until I have to get up and cook dinner with lights on and actually drive to football. Ugh the thought of all that is making my stomach turn.

This too shall pass.
It will get better.
I will not have a migraine forever.

Day 10

Oh today was an interesting one. I had intended to set up my stroller (I had to get a replacement frame for it) last night, and got so frustrated that I gave up. I planned on running this morning, because I need to. Because when I went on steroids for two weeks, they destroyed my hard work this year and I gained SIX pounds back. Six.

Not cool steroids, not cool.

So since my lingering 'roid rage made me too annoyed to finish my stroller I couldn't go running on this gorgeous morning, so I woke up in a funk. Once you start your day like that it is pretty hard to get out of it.

Brody had Early Intervention today, and his teacher told me she wants him also evaluated by an OT for some sensory issues. Nothing major, but they are hindering his learning process, and we may as well do all the evals at once rather than space them out (his speech eval is Thursday morning.)

Nate went to a friend's house after school today, and I decided to turn my day around, and get a good workout in, despite my stroller issues. And so I raked my yard. My whole yard.

I have a big yard that is surrounded, no engulfed by trees. There were a lot of leaves.

Oh man did I work up a sweat.

Then I reorganized yard toys.

Then I decided to give the stroller another go. Because naturally, I felt like my luck had changed since I was on such a roll.
And it did. I finished my stroller. I sliced my hand somewhere along the way, but I did it. I feel accomplished.

I just dropped Ty off at football and am starting Taco Tuesday dinner, and getting the other three kids in the bath/shower, and am going to continue with my getting-things-done streak.

That is until I crash, because Keira has had insomnia the past two nights, and I know that inevitable crash of sleepiness is coming.

Day 9

Where did you go Day niner niner?

I know. You were taken up by doctors appointments and hair cuts and basketball tryouts and a shining brief moment of playing outside.

That is where you disappeared to.

So the stats:

Keira's 18 month (holy crap, at her next doctor appointment it will be her TWO YEAR one. Weird.) Keira finally did it! She made it to a whopping 20 pounds. Even. She is resting comfortably at the 5th percentile for her weight. She is 30.5 inches long, which is somewhere between the 7th and 10th percentiles. In short, still a peanut, but keeping steady, so no cause for worry. She had two shots and was a trooper. A few tears, but happy smiles as soon as she was given her Dora sticker. She is still wearing it. Now on her pjs.

Nate's 6 year: 42lbs (25th percentile) and 46" (50th percentile). He is healthy as an ox. He had his flu shot and did great.

Brody: he has been sick ever since his surgery. He is being treated with antibiotics and hopefully can kick this awful cough/cold. He weighed in at almost 33lbs (in case you were wondering.)

Ty: had his basketball tryouts and did very well. He had some great steals, and hopefully will end up on a good team this year.

On that note, I can not believe football is wrapping up this week. It is doing so, naturally, with a bang. The kids have three practices this week, and a god awful early game on Sunday, that is about 45 minutes away. We will be leaving the house at 6:15ish that morning. Halloween morning. It will be a long day, propelled by sugar rushes. Yet I look forward to it more than I can say.

Day 7 and Day 8

Like whoa.

Let me repeat.

Like whoa.


I recently watched an episode of Oprah and it was on multiple personalities. I am fascinated by this. She was talking to someone with 20 different personalities and was asking what it was like to not be in control, or if they were aware of the switch, and there was a discussion of how everyone experiences this to some degree, like when you are driving and go on auto pilot and realize you have no recollection of how you got to where you are.

Well, it is Sunday night and I think I have been on auto pilot for the past two days.

Not joking around here.

We have been up early, had sports each day, were rarely home, visited with family, and generally just went non stop (that is my attempt at making this short, and not boring you with all the details. Nathan says I need to get to the point sometimes, and I'm sure as you, my readers know, I can make a short story long, like this explanation for example, so I am trying this whole being concise thing. There.)

But the point is, although at times it was chaotic, and there was the fact that we were so busy that I ended up having to rush home from Boston last night to get to the grocery store before it closed, (but on a side note, I know I just promised more concise... but I did a week's worth of grocery shopping with all four kids in twenty minutes. Seven dinners, school snacks for the week, breakfasts and lunches, again with four kids, twenty minutes. That has got to be some sort of record.) SO my point, again, is that even though it was crazy, it was filled. It was not until we came home for a late dinner and bed that my legs ever stopped.

And this upcoming week? Well lets just say it is a doozy, but I'm okay with that. I am welcoming that this week.

And on a side note, with all of this running around and not being home, my house has never been cleaner.

I win.

Day 6

In like a lion out like a lamb.

Today was filled with crazy kids.

I had to get myself in check. I think at least one child was screaming at all times for the majority of the day.

The most screaming/crying/ear shattering wails came from Brody who was mad at me for washing Ty's dirty, smelly football practice clothes. What can I say, the boy loves football. And he loves wearing the gear.

I decided what we needed was a turn around. We walked to the grocery store to pick up some pizza essentials.
We made yummy pizzas (pepperoni and cheese for the kids and sun dried tomato and artichokes for me.. and Keira who thinks tomatoes are the greatest food in the world.)
We watched A Goofy Movie.
And we regrouped and refreshed ourselves.
Now we are happy and Mr Potato Head is trying out some new looks.

Day 5

Oh Day Five.
We played at the park with friends. It was chilly, and we were the only ones there for most of the time. It was well worth it, and very much needed.
We baked.
We played out in the yard until the sky grew black.
We watched the sky transform back to its sunny self, and rushed back out to enjoy it.
We went to football.
We watched hockey.
I kissed boo boos (Brody got a doozy on his outer brow bone, thanks to Liberty, our dog, and a meeting of his face and the corner of the coffee table.)
I chatted with family, and grew closer through these difficult times.
I gained new admiration for Nathan in watching his wisdom and love and compassion and strength. Even in times of great sorrow, he has seemed to grow and mature and be a man of leadership and a rock for his family. It makes me love him so much more.

Day five, I have learned a lot. Thank you.

Day 4

I stayed in my sweatpants until 11:15 today. Said sweatpants got put on around 8:30 last night. I also did not dress Keira until the same time. Brody, who insists on stripping down and picking out clothes the instant his eyes blink open, was dressed. So were Ty and Nate, because they went to school, and I'm not that much of a neglectful mother.
In my defense, when Brody was getting dressed, I asked Keira if she wanted to get dressed too, to which she rapidly shook her head back and forth and yelled

"Noooooooooo"

So I listened to her.

Who wouldn't listen to an 18 month old who sat next to me after the kids got on the bus and watched Teen Mom, clapping when the audience clapped, and seemed as thoroughly engaged as I was.

And speaking of Teen Mom, I am really happy Maci and Kyle are back together. I also am glad Ryan was so cool about the whole situation.

And can some one puh-leeeeze tell me how it is acceptable for Amber to still have custody of poor Leah? I'm not one to feel strongly about a baby not being with her momma, but really? Come on.

So we sat in our p.j.s/sweatpants, until I knew Nate was coming home from school and I would need to venture into the world, but I feel no guilt for that. I, in fact, got a surprisingly large amount of housework done today, given that fact that I lounged all morning.

But I enjoyed it. I needed it. Keira enjoyed it too. Brody was just happy I built him a really cool track for his trains this morning.

As I mentioned, I got a lot done today, and that always makes me feel great. I also made a mean baked mac and cheese using Colby, Cheddar, and Fontina cheese. I threw in some onions and layered the top with fresh sliced tomato and cheese.

We had my nephews and brother in law's girlfriend over this afternoon/evening, and I made mummy dogs for the kids and served them up with my so-good-I-ate-two-bowls but-don't-care-because-I'll-run-it-off-tomorrow mac and cheese.

I am grateful for my time with them. I am grateful for my kids. I am grateful for extended family that are also friends (that is big.) I am grateful for comforting words and phone calls to check in. I am grateful for friends. I am grateful for family. I am grateful for sweatpants. I am especially grateful to my mom, who has gotten approximately 37 phone calls a day from me the past few weeks. Thanks mom.
Day four, I'm out!

Day 3

I know I already posted Day one and two today, but I am worried I will playing catch up forever if I don't squeeze today, day three in.

Day three.

Today started out with great promise. It was full, with an early start with Brody's teacher. Brody was super focused the first half of the time, and then his focus slowly started to go down. That was fine. It was early for him.
I made an early lunch for the kids, and we ran a few errands.
When we got home we played outside for the rest of the afternoon. We blew bubbles and played on the swingset. I pushed bikes and trucks with the kids and laughed at their silly stories and funny faces they can make. I was the participant of an hour of knock knock jokes.

Now I am trying to make the best of the day, after some more heartbreaking news. It is so difficult at the moment, and I am doing my best to focus on the kids and put on a happy face.

Day three, come to an end. Day four is a new day.

Day 1 and Day 2

I spent Sunday determined to come out triumphant. It was challenging. I know you're thinking, day one and it was tough? Well it was. My heart was aching and filled with emotion for people I love. Also it was Sunday. What's the big deal about Sunday? Well for starters, it means football, and for the past five weeks that has meant a loss for Ty's team, and one upset and moody Ty. It also means it is grocery shopping/meal planning/house cleaning/laundry wrap up day. I can't say I'm a huge fan. With all the running around and chores done, the kids usually end up complaining about everything. Seriously. You'd think I run a sweatshop or something. The most frequent complaints and whines being
"I'm so tired! I can't lift even my pinky!"
"Oh my gosh I have done things all daaaaaaaaay!"
"I haven't even been able to rest!"

Yup. I have no idea where my kids got their dramatic nature. None.

You shut your mouth, or we won't be friends.

So Sunday came, with my warring emotions and yet that will to soak it up propelled me. Instead of just cleaning, I got the kids to get excited (yes you read that correctly) to rearrange their room. I asked for their input, they sat on the floor calling me super woman while I moved bunk beds across the room. It is okay that my back still hurts, because they haven't come out of their room since Sunday. No exaggerating there. Have I told you I don't allow toys in their bedrooms? I tried that, when Ty was little, and Nate was little, and let's just say I've lived and learned. No toys, no t.v., bedrooms are for sleeping in this house. And for their clothes. I have done this for three years and I have not regretted this decision once.
I digress.
That took up a huge chunk of my morning, along with vacuuming, washing walls, doing laundry, and again, with the kids help, planning meals for the week. Oh and the help of some facebook friends. Yes, those that helped out there are owed a big thank you. Not only did you give me ideas, you made me fully aware that I have never made Shepard's Pie (a couple of you suggested it) for my family, and I need to use my crock pot more, because I've only whipped it out once so far this season.
Anyway, so I loaded all four kids, because I had to take them all, not because I do it for the fun of it, and made the most of our trip. I made it a game, having Ty and Nate take turns finding items, letting Brody hold the list, letting Keira hold a box of Dora fruit snacks that she kissed repeatedly. It always makes me laugh to hear just how many people say "God Bless You" to me when I take all the kids with me. Or tell me how brave I am. This day, the kids were hyper. If I had a dollar for every time someone said that, well I would have a lot of money. I'll take the blessings though.
Once the whole routine of getting home, putting stuff away, bat the kids away from all of the snacks in the house was over, it was time for football. Again, I had all the kids with me. I really like to pay attention to Ty's games. Having all the kids just is difficult. But I was determined to make the best of it. Even when we got lost in a particularly interesting part of the city the game was in, and we were running late because we were lost, I found a reason to laugh. Nate, who acquired a compass, was being ever so helpful, directing me where to go. Turns out my directions were wrong, and I went about five miles past the stadium. Once there, Brody and Keira had fallen asleep so Nate and I listened to music in the car. We got out at what we thought was game time, (yes I woke up the babies and took them too) and hiked up to the stands. Turns out the earlier game was late and it was just half time. The kids and I played, I chatted with friends, I made three, yes three, sprints hauling Keira under my arm, my purse, heavy with juice boxes and snacks to bribe the kids with come game time, holding Brody's hand, and begging Nate to wait up ALL the way down the stands, across the stadium and to the bathroom (don't judge me, it was like half a mile away! I know! there was a track!) Because naturally all three of them had to poop. But my silver lining was that I was sweating so much that I know I got in a goof workout. And no one pooped in their pants.
Oh and the best part of my day? Ty's team won!!! Not just won, but dominated with a final score of 28-0. Ty sacked the q.b. and recovered a fumble.
I came home and had the kids help me make calzones for dinner. We snuggled up on the couch after dinner and watched How to Train Your Dragon, which was cute and out of the norm for a Sunday night. It was a good day.
Monday came with getting the older boys to look good for their school picture day. They did. So handsome! I went for a refreshing and much needed run, and Brody and Keira made me smile in their hats and mittens, those silly kittens. (I couldn't stop myself from writing that.)
We came home and made two lasagnas, one for dinner, one to give. Whenever I am that far ahead of the game, making dinner early, I feel accomplished. We stopped by Nathan's work to bring him leftover calzones for lunch, we saw G-Ma for a little while and laughed at Keira's new surprise face, because it is really funny. We had an impromptu dance party at my mom's house, we dropped off the lasagna, we played outside, we did homework. It was a good day.
Right now with all the emotion that is encompassing our world, good days may not be something grand, or spectacular, but we got through the day. I am grateful for what we have, and the love that surrounds us. I am grateful on harder days, that I survive with my sanity somewhat in tact.
And for those that have checked in this weekend, I am really grateful for your support. It means the world.

A Promise

Today has been an emotional day in my family. It has caused me to do a lot of thinking. Thinking that makes me take a good hard look at myself. Thinking that makes me take a good look at my own goals, at my footprint on this world, and on my relationships with those around me.
I can't say the cause of all this thinking was something great, because it wasn't. It is something extremely difficult and sad and it is not something I am going to go into on here.
Here is what I will say though, I will tell you again how much today's occurrences have made me look inward and contemplate life. I guess here is what is weighing heavily on not just my heart, but deep into my soul; no one knows how long they have on this Earth, with those you love. For some it is all over in the blink of an eye, without warning. For some life is long and well lived. For some, you are given a time frame. What would you do in that time frame? What would I do, if tomorrow I was given a year to live?
It makes me question the days I have already had. Most people don't know what days are their "last days" if you will. Would I be satisfied if it all ended for me next week? Or would I wish I had played outside with the kids a little bit longer, or read that story one more time, or made more of an effort to go out with Nathan, or spent more time with family.
It is a lot to take in. It is hard to look at yourself that way, and to wonder if you made the most out of your time given. Let me level with you here, even writing this, now, is difficult for me, and I would be lying if I told you I wasn't choked up.
So here it is. My promise to myself. My promise for you to hold me to, to keep me accountable to.
I am going to live each day. No exceptions. I am going to do the things I want to do, and experience all there is to experience. I am going to make sure that I do not take advantage of my time on Earth. For one year, one solid year, I will keep track of that here. It has been said anything can become a habit in 3 weeks. Well I certainly hope 52 weeks will not be a habit, but a life changing event that rocks me to my core. I promise to be grateful for each and every second. I know that life is not all puppy dogs and rainbows, and I am well aware that some days are going to be harder than others to get motivated and soak up life. There is too much for me to learn and so much growing I have to do, so many more memories to make, so much more to experience. I want my children to be filled with memories and feelings and stories to pass on to their children some day. I want to know I made the most of this life, and my time. I want to make an impact, and leave a lasting footprint.
So for tonight I will reflect some more, because it is okay to be sad, and I am sad right now, but I am going to let that sadness be the catalyst for this next journey I will begin. Tomorrow I will wake up with new eyes, and that fire in my core burning a bit stronger.

Stick To Your Bones Good.

We are gearing up for a Nor'Easter here this weekend. I am thanking my lucky stars it is not yet snow storm season. I spent the day gathering up outside toys, and running errands so I won't be stuck doing them in the rain tomorrow.

The chilly autumn air has made me spark up my cooking (which seems to fade every summer, much the the dismay of my family, or maybe not, maybe they are all grateful for easy summer thrown together meals, who knows) and what better way to say thank you to you, my awesome readers than to share a secret-until-today family recipe.

Oh okay and a giveaway!

Just because I love you.

And because I want you to always love me.

If you are not yet ready to admit you love me, then this is my way of bribing you to take our relationship to that next level.

Fair? I am a briber.

Don't worry, even if you don't win, you will love me after you eat this stick to your bones good food. It is my great grandmother's recipe. We call it:

Grammy's Chicken

What you'll need:

• chicken breast, boneless (I use about 1.5 lbs for our family of 6. You can use more or less.)

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup

• 1.5 can fulls of milk (I use the cream of mush soup can)

• 1 pkg dry onion soup mix

• 1 pkg brown gravy, prepare as directed

• mushrooms. Use a can, use some fresh ones, just don't use the "special" ones those kids in high school dared you to eat. (I'm not much of a daredevil, so I never tried 'em, but I don't think they'd taste too good in this recipe.)
• minced garlic if you like it. Skip this if you don't

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• mashed potatoes (my choice) or rice to serve the chicken on.

What to do:

Prepare the gravy, and start your potatoes or rice, that way everything is ready together.
In a large pan, cook the chicken breast. Season with salt and pepper. When fully cooked, transfer to a plate. In the same pan mix all of the following ingredients together: cream of mush. soup, milk, onion soup mix, mushrooms, prepared gravy, garlic. Cook over medium heat. Watch it get bubbly. While the mix is cooking, you'll want to shred (my preferred method) or cut up the chicken into teeny tiny bites. Again, I urge you to shred it. It is better that way.
Once the chicken is done, dump it on it with the gravy, soup mix. Stir it all together and simmer for a few minutes.
Serve over your mashed potatoes or rice. Enjoy. Think of my Grammy B. She was a cool lady.

photo was taken with my phone. Sorry for the poor quality.

And now, for one lucky reader, I am happy to offer a $35 gift card from the kind folks at CSN Stores for an item of your choice. Browse. Search. Get excited. Start here, look at these console tables, because the selection is amazing. I was drooling.


Or go ahead to their main site here. You'll love the convenience of one stop shopping. Have fun. Here are a few of my favorite things.

Rachel Ray cookware sets. Pretty colors. Heaven.I died. Seriously. I have an obsession with cool Eiffel Tower pictures. 'Nuff said.


I bet you'll have some favorites too. Think of this as my early Christmas gift to you. $35 to pick out anything your heart desires!

How?

Well first and foremost, I must see you name over there under "Followers" (on the right side). It's simple. I won't send you spam or anything. It just lets me know you like me. Leave me a comment telling me you are an official follower.
If you want to post a link to this giveaway on your social network/blog of choice I will give you an extra chance to win, just leave me a comment with the link. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I will be happy you did it. Like a proud mama.

That's it. Pretty easy right? $35 all to yourself.

So go make Grammy's Chicken,
Browse the CSN store website,
and enter to win.

Giveaway closes October 21, 2010 at 5pm EST. One winner will be chosen by random.org.

Swimming in the Season

This weekend we soaked up some more of the picturesque New England autumn. We hopped from sporting event to sporting event. We played, we laughed, and we enjoyed life.

On this extra day long weekend (thank you Mr. Columbus) we headed to our annual spot, Parker's Maple Barn in Mason, NH. As I am sure I have mentioned in years past, it is delicious food in a gorgeous atmosphere. Check out some old memories here and here (and how we've all changed and grown) over the past two years.The kids enjoyed warm maple donuts.



I plotted my escape.
The kids played on old farm equipment.




We explored.



We played checkers.

We took a lot of pictures.


And we waited for our name to be called... for two hours. That made for some pretty hungry kids, and some worn out moms.
This trip is cherished every year for so many reasons. These gorgeous places in the world should be celebrated.

We stopped here for some pumpkins.
And a short wagon ride for the babies while the older boys relaxed their full bellies watching The Mighty Ducks in the car.



We then made our way back to GMa's house for a little while.


It was another great, packed to the brim, bursting at the seams day. I had woken up, and by that I mean I had finally given up on sleep for the umpteenth night in a row, thanks to the steroids I am taking for a serious nagging case of poison ivy, and made it to the grocery store before it opened. I did my shopping for the week, came home unloaded and put everything away and threw some ingredients in my crock pot for an out of this world crab and corn bisque. Then off we went sometime before 9. And sure I came home at the same time as Nathan that evening (he was working all day) and the dishes were still in the sink, and the laundry was overflowing, and the house was in serious disarray, but it was all worth it. Life is made for living, and that is what really matters. The living.

Oh To Have GIRL!!!

For those of you who have endured my words and thoughts over the past couple of years (yes I am going on two whole years of this thing called blogging!), you got to experience my joys over having a daughter.

Don't get me wrong, I love my boys.

Love 'em to pieces.

But this morning as I tried to comb two wild boys' thick hair to look school acceptable, even when the oldest promised me he would be messing it up the second he got on the bus, made me appreciate the moment that just occurred.

My little princess brought me over her detangler (it is a necessity) and then ran off and got her brush, and plopped herself down in my lap and giggled with excitement.

Excitement over me doing her hair.

It's the little things folks. In the midst of all the chaos, these are the moments that spring up on me that make me stop and smile.

Autumn

We live in New England. It is the most perfect place in the whole wide world for autumn. I like the word autumn. Fall is nice too, but autumn sounds better. It is a more colorful word than fall, and this season is all about rich color.
It is now October (holy crap, how did that sneak up on us so fast?!?) and that means we are officially:

• half way through football season
• half way through soccer season
• weeks away from Halloween
• a month and a half away from Thanksgiving
• a month away from Brody's 3rd birthday
• two and a half, okay 11 weeks and 6 days exactly (from today) away from Christmas

How do you like them apples?

So in the spirit of autumn here are a few, okay a swarm of pictures from our recent apple picking/goat feeding/hay ride/ice cream eating/bails of hay jumping/pumpkin picking adventure with my mom aka G-Ma and my brother aka Uncle Trav.
We went to Parlee Farms and we had a ball.