HaPPy HaLLowEEn!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

we are busy eating lots of candy

running around, destroying the house

baking pumpkin seeds

hyper, hyper, hyper

and enjoying a cloud free day

More to come...

Peter piper picked a...pumpkin!

Ok, ok I know the title is cheesy, but this week Halle is learning about Ps at preschool and has been saying that nursery rhyme all day long. I thought it was very fitting. Anyway, here are some pics of our annual trip to the pumpkin patch!!

searching for just the right one...

found it!

Cohen took a nose dive amongst the pumpkins and I had to just snap a picture

before rescuing him

Spent hours it seemed running through the corn maze

Bye Bye for now

n'spice

One of my favorites things about fall is that everything seems to have "spice" added to it. Candles, baking, decorations and today when we were out scavenging the Farmington trail I even noticed the air was full of spice. It was a great day...and an even better season!

I would like to thank my models, Halle Camille, Cohen Michael and introducing Gavin (Halle's current boyfriend).

Basket Head Mother

So only recently have I found Nienie. In fact I knew of her story, but just this week proceded to her blog (after watching her on Oprah) and have not left. I have been so inspired.

I came across a particular post that I just loved. It sums up her outlook on life and particularly on being a mother. Her post it called, "basket head mother" and she has an adorable picture of her with a basket over her head (her pictures are always adorable).

Under the picture it reads, "sometimes life feels this way"

She quotes Author Anna Quindlen, "The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less'(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11)."

Nienie writes, "I AM NOT GOING TO BE A BASKET-HEAD MOTHER! I am going to listen, love, communicate, cherish, enjoy, teach, preach and prepare my children. Time for everything else later."

I love it. My new moto as well. Sorry for the long post without pictures...

a day at the market

Oh how cute...you are thinking

wrong!

This is the new reality of my grocery store trips every since Smiths was kind enough to offer children their own grocery carts:)

1) Halle runs into the back of my feet about 10 times with her cart (causing me to swear)

2) Cohen runs into about 15 people who roll their eyes annoyed...

and today he managed to knock over the display of oatmeal

3) They have to have the same items in their personal carts so I have to buy 2 of everything

4) Cohen usually gets lost on the junk food isle and fills his cart completely full of fruit snacks

5) I am constantly yelling, causing a scene, as they both run different directions, down different isles

6) Once they tire, I end up hunched over pushing both their carts to the front of the store

7) I never get everything on my list due to the migraine they cause within 20 min of being at the store

8) Checking out is a whole other story... lets just say they are very specific at which bags go in "their" cart

Thanks Smiths!!!

p.s I wouldn't have taken this picture if I didn't think they were the cutest things ever

Having withdrawls!

So it has been ten years since I have really bonded with my High school friends. I hate to say "high school" because I have known most of them since I was 13! We spent the weekend down in Las Vegas and it was a blast. We have such funny memories of growing up together and now that we are all adults, married with families, it was so great to reunite! We spent most of our time just gabbing and catching up. We also hit the malls, briefly walked the Strip, saw a dumb movie (Fame), and ate lots of non-healthy food!!! Gotta love it. Well I got home late Sunday night and I have just been having the biggest withdrawls. I need more time with these girls...

Hopefully this will be the first of many girls trips in the future!

Preschool