Happy Halloween...Early

Big Daddy had to work late and I had so many things to do. Actually, the only thing that I really had to do was fold the two loads of laundry that have been on my bed since this morning. I decided to do the responsible thing and start the dishwasher (which I rarely use) and take pictures of my girls in their tutus. We carved our pumpkin last night, so I'm sharing a few pictures of that as well.

The Contest

Yesterday I participated in a contest that I didn't even know I was in. I did my usual drop off routine at preschool. The Muffin was supposed to wear or bring her Halloween costume if she wanted to. She wore her tutu to the car, but then realized that it was too too big to fit in her seat. Before I had Ellie and her tutu strapped in The Muffin had her tutu sitting beside of her. I guess I got too too carried away with the tulle!

The Muffin was happy carrying her tutu in a bag and very happy to hang it in her cubby. Everyone else in the class had decided to wear their costumes. There were three D.isney characters, (Tinkerbell, Ariel and Sleeping Beauty) a princess wearing pink and then the only boy in the class was a dinosaur. The Muffin didn't mind that she was the only one not wearing a costume. And she didn't mind that it was only a tutu, because that's what she wanted. She had a very sweet substitute teacher (Oh, how I wish this lady was her teacher every Monday & Wednesday!) that told her just to let her know if she wanted to wear her costume. I left the school feeling sort of bad that she didn't want to wear her costume and wondering if we should have bought a really elaborate D.isney Princess costume when they were marked down to $50 when we were at the beach. Then I remembered all of my years of preschool teaching and how all of this was about what my daughter wanted and not about trying to out do any of the other children or parents. If my daughter wants to be a ballerina then that is what she will be, period.

In our little newsletter we were asked to bring one treat (and it was underlined three times) for the children's Halloween treat bags. I bought Dum Dum suckers, Skittles and Oreo fun packs. The Muff picked the Oreos and I placed a bag of them for each child in a ziploc bag with her name on it. I expected her party treat bag to have one treat from every child. Needless to say, a few, okay probably all, of the parents brought more than one treat. The Muffin has no need to go trick or treating because she already has a nice, little stash.

In our packet of information at the beginning of the school year we were reminded to sign up for two class parties. Although I had my ideas of which parties I wanted, I let Miss Muffin choose. (Our parties are later in the school year and I don't even remember which ones they are.) We were asked to only come to the parties that we were in charge of . Being a former preschool teacher, I completely understood and obeyed this request. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the preschool ten minutes before dismissal to see that all of the other mothers were at the party! I couldn't help but get a little mad and of course, that left The Muffin being the only child without a crazy, excited, camera-toting mother coaching their child on how to pose. I don't think she minded. As soon as we left the room she complained that all of the children and their mothers were being so loud. I couldn't help but snicker because those moms were acting so...stupid.

Long story not quite as long, The Muffin wasn't herself at all yesterday morning before school, during school or after school and as I was fixing lunch and she was sitting at the kitchen table (evaluating her candy stash) she said, "Oh, I feel like I'm going to.....blaaaaakkk". She "throwed up", as she likes to say, all over the table and herself. After that, she acted normal again and I think she would have worn her tutu to school if she'd had another chance.

And on another note, this is not anything serious or health related or really anything to even bring up, but it would make me feel better to ask. Please pray for my sweet, little Muffin. I don't want to go into the details because I want to protect her privacy (even though I just shared that she puked all over the table). It's been a rough six months for her with having to live without her Daddy being home for a while, then the move, the new sister, then moving again and leaving her church and her friends in the process of all of that. I think that all of this has really taken it's toll on her. She is such a happy little girl, but Big Daddy and I have noticed such a difference in her. It breaks my heart to see and hear her laugh and suddenly realize that she's laughing the way that she used to laugh before all of this stuff happened.

Time Flies

Big Daddy and I felt like we sort of lost the summer after The Muffin was born and we've sort of felt the same about this past summer. I guess moving and having a baby within 7 days of each other combined with another move and a "to-do" list a mile long makes you feel that way. Now, it's Fall and I'm feeling like Christmas is so close and then Big Daddy will start working on his MBA again the first of the year. We are trying to get a few things taken care of before he starts spending almost all of his time away from work locked upstairs in the bonus room, a.k.a. his room.

We're having a "date day" to celebrate Big Daddy's birthday and I'm hoping to finish most of my Christmas shopping. I'm really excited about buying gifts for The Muffin this year. I feel like I finally know what she'll really like (B@rbie's, My Little P.onies) and my mom, sister and I have already picked out some really fun things. Baby Ellie is another story! Of course, she has all of The Muff's old baby toys and my mom already has a few new things for her. The Muffin loves this for herself, but it would really be for Baby Ellie. I'm just not sure that Big Daddy will go for an $80 baby toy... I'm not sure that I want us to spend that much money on it either!

I guess if all else fails, I can just get a few empty gift bags for my two sweet and crazy girls!Baby Ellie may look like an unwilling participant, but I assure you that she was loving this!

What I Learned This Week

This past week has been fairly uneventful, but I'm always learning something new. You can visit the carnival at Musings of a Housewife.

• Kids really do say the darndest things.
• No matter how much sleep I get, it never seems like enough.
• Planning a date for Big Daddy's birthday is so exciting for me that I want to pick the restaurant. (Any suggestions??) Maybe that's because we ate at Zax.by's on my birthday.
  
• The Muffin's half birthday just happens to be the same day as our engagement anniversary. This is the first year that I've realized it...I'm slow, I guess.
• I think I'm really addicted to coffee. I look forward to drinking it anytime of the day...but only with some sort of chocolate in it.
• The Muffin loves to cook.
• Baby Ellie can stay in the nursery at church without crying!
• My hardwood floors squeak when they're really clean. :-)
• Laundry is the story of my life.
• Baby Ellie loves to pull her socks off and this will lead to losing a sock before church.
  

The Weekend Ahead

We are ready to start our weekend! Most weekends around here aren't that different for me. I still have to cook, clean and do laundry as well as care for the kids and try to do a few a extra things while Big Daddy is around to help. And in my spare time, I'll be trying to read a page of this book, because I feel like I could use a little refresher.

This weekend we will be going to a little festival here in town- keyword: little. The Muffin is excited about the possibility of riding the kiddie rides and eating a funnel cake like last year. (Okay, I admit, I'm excited about the funnel cake too) I'm hoping to get a new hair bow or two to add to our collection with the hope that Baby Ellie will enjoy wearing pretty bows for longer than her sister did. (At least we have cute hair bow holders, courtesy of Auntie Charles, to hold our unused hair bows...I'll share pictures one day.) Big Daddy had wanted to go to the farmer's market, so we may go there after the festival. It will depend on how Muff and Baby Ellie are holding up and we'll see if my hip survives the walking. Have I told you about my hip problem??

On Sunday, we will be attending the early service at our regular church and then going to The Muffin's preschool church for their "Children's Sabbath" celebration. Muff has been tirelessly rehearsing the song that I'm pretty sure she won't be able to utter a word of once she's in front of the church. Bless her heart, she's shy like her mama!

This will give us another opportunity to attend a different church since were not 100% sure that we're at the right one now. I won't get started again on our troubles with finding a church.

And since this blog is all about preserving memories of our "ordinary" life for my sweet girls:
We love you both more than you'll ever know.
You make us so happy.
We want to find a great church as much for you as we do for ourselves.
We try to do fun and exciting things on the weekend to make lasting memories for you.
It really is all about you.

Sweet Girls

Tuesday started out as a very good day. I had accomplished more by 10:00 than I normally accomplish all day. That should have been a a warning that things were about to go downhill.

My mom came over for lunch and I asked if she would watch the girls while I watered the newly sewn grass "real quick". An hour and a half later, I came inside, wet from the knees down and tired. My mom left, I put Baby Ellie in her crib and took The Muff to her room so that she could nap. An hour later, The Muffin was still awake and it was 3:00. I told her to get up and we started playing grocery store and kitchen. I knew it would be a long evening because Big Daddy was going to the gym after work.

I fixed dinner and it was not good. Immediately after we ate I gave The Muffin a bath and we played some more while Baby Ellie fussed and chewed on her fingers, my shoulder or anything else she could get her hands on. I decided to take her to her room and changer her into her pajamas. The Muffin told me to get the camera and this is what happened. It was the perfect ending to a not so perfect day.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm not a big fan of baby hairbows and headbands, but Baby Ellie was looking a little too boyish in her overalls and Halloween shirt! Her head is big. She will not be able to ever wear this headband again. It was fun to dress her in this shirt since I bought it about a year ago when she was baking in the oven.

What I Learned This Week

Musings of a Housewife is hosting the What I Learned This week carnival again. I'm actually going to participate this week! It seems like I've been too busy lately to get a post for this together. My next goal is to participate in Tara's Music Monday, if I can find the time to search for and remember how to post a video!!

• Explaining death and Heaven to Maggie is a challenge. My little Muffin has such a sweet heart. (I really like what Big Mama told Caroline about Heaven.) The Muffin and I discussed how our sweet friend loved fishing and I told her that he might be fishing in Heaven with Jesus. Unfortunately, I told her this as we were driving by the pond near our house and now she thinks that our friend might be fishing there. My heart broke.
  
• Seeing one of your dearest, sweetest friends without her husband for the first time ever is heartbreaking.

And on a lighter note...

• Even though Baby Ellie has extended her sleep time in the morning and I'm getting an extra hour (or two) of sleep, it's just never enough.
• Most of my time is spent doing laundry or cleaning children in some form or fashion.
• Muff's preschool is trying to rob me blind with the prices of school pictures. Of course, I want tons of pictures of her and Baby Ellie in their giraffe pants!
• Trying to establish family traditions for our family is difficult, when Big Daddy will not pitch in with fun and exciting ideas.
• I may never get both the garage and bonus room straightened up and everything put where it belongs. At least my room, a.k.a. the laundry room, is as neat as it can be!
• Getting a sweet card from someone at your old church can really make you miss everyone there. It only makes things worse when we aren't so sure that we've found the "right" church yet. *sigh*
  

Family Traditions

Now that our family is complete, I want to start establishing family traditions. Big Daddy's family has never made a big deal about birthdays and I don't think they have celebrated a holiday the same way more than once since we've been together (1996). My family is quite the opposite. I would like for Maggie & Ellie to feel special on their birthdays and for us to do certain things with the passing of each holiday.

Back when I was teaching preschool the first time, my first favorite little girl brought this to school on her birthday. At the time it seemed silly, but now I desperately want one of my very own. I'm thinking of picking up a "special" plate that can be used for a special person on their special day. Big Daddy will be celebrating his birthday on November 4 and I'm going to make a big deal about it with the kids. We'll be making a cake, decorating signs and we'll probably even have balloons. He doesn't know it yet, but Big Daddy will be eating his cake on a special plate too! My first favorite "little" girl, Kelly Grace, will be celebrating a big birthday this month and I'm going to find out if she'll be eating on her red plate. I bet she will!

Miss Muffinhead is desperate for a jack-o-lantern, so I'm hoping that we'll start the tradition of carving a pumpkin and maybe enjoying a cup of homemade hot cocoa together while our pumpkin seeds are roasting.

Last year we bought a new gun on the day after Thanksgiving and then I decorated the Christmas tree alone. I'm thinking that we'll eat breakfast and then decorate the tree together (me & Muff while Daddy plays with Ellie) while listening to a Christmas CD. I also want the girls to hang their own stockings on the mantle.

For Easter, we will make "Resurrection Biscuits" and read the Easter story. And of course, we'll hide Easter eggs and talk about Spring things too.

What's your most favoritest family tradition?

Weekend Review

We have had another busy weekend, but nothing fun to report.

I went shopping on Friday with my mom and my girls. We were able to buy a couple of things for Christmas. I got a call while we were shopping letting me know that one of my best friends and Maggie & Ellie's adopted Gammy (back in our old hometown) had lost her husband. I cried right there in Walmart and The Muffin was so concerned about what had happened. I told her a little later and she was heartbroken and confused.

I'd appreciate your prayers. I want to explain things in the best way so that I can help Muff understand death and Heaven. I want her to understand why he won't be there on our next visit. I want my sweet, special friend to be okay knowing that her husband is now breathing easier and I'm sure, fishing. I want to be with her and feel useful. Mostly, my heart just aches.
Big Daddy and I left The Muffin and Ellie with my mom and sister today so that we could go to the visitation and the funeral.

Finally...

No, that's not just a picture of the kitchen. That happens to be the last naked window that's no longer naked!
I finally found fabric for a little window mistreatment for the kitchen. I used the chocolate brown sheets that I bought for the apartment for the french doors. (Oh, but I never told you about those sheets! The apartment needed "curtains" and I refused to spend money (or time) on real curtains and rods, so we bought sheets and I used thumbtacks to hang them. So, my mom took the sheets and hemmed them into curtains!) We bought the brown and cream toile fabric and I told her what I wanted. My mom took the fabric and brought back exactly what I had in mind.

These matching shirts are also courtesy of Nana. And just wait until you see the Christmas dresses that they'll be wearing! We must get Aunt Lisa to take pictures of all three (Maggie, Callie & Ellie) girls!

Big Daddy is working late (AGAIN!) so I must get back to my game of grocery store and then do baths. Such an exciting evening!!

Wordless Wednesday- Happy Girls

Wrapping Up the Weekend

I thought I would take a minute to share our exciting weekend. And by exciting, I mean not that exciting.

Saturday- Baby Ellie decided to start Saturday morning off at a little after 5:00am. She made the decision to start Friday morning off the same way. Mommy is not amused. I had fed her twice during the night and then around 5:00, she was ready to smile, laugh and play. She went back to sleep around 6:30 and of course, The Muffin was up and ready to go around 7:00. Big Daddy took her into the living room to watch "Ellie Mae movies" (a.k.a. "The Beverly Hillbillies") and I was allowed to sleep in until about 8:15. I was able to enjoy my nice comfy bed and listen to Baby Ellie talk and squeal at her daddy and big sister for 15 minutes before I couldn't go another minute without my coffee. It was pure bliss. We were all outside at a little after 9:00. Big Daddy and I pulled up dead weeds and filled in holes in the yard while Ellie enjoyed sitting in her bouncy seat and The Muffin did all sorts of stuff. (We made an appointment with the yard man to sew new grass seed for Monday, so we had to do this even in the muggy, misty weather) We came inside, had lunch and spent a little time playing in Big Daddy's room upstairs. Todd the Mailman surprised me by delivering the frames that I bought after I won a giveaway from Just Simply Southern. They are pretty and I'll try to share pictures soon. After lunch and naptime, we went shopping. Big Daddy needed a few things and we wanted an excuse to go to the big city and have dinner out. We made a poor choice for dinner, but were able to try a restaurant that we had been wondering about. Lesson learned and we will never eat at this place again.

Sunday- Baby Ellie was up two times again during the night. Both times she quickly went back to sleep, but as soon as I would put her in the bed her little legs would go up in the air and she'd grab onto her little toes. it was cute, but I just wanted her to go back to sleep. After a couple of times, I went back to bed and listened to her wiggle around on the baby monitor. She wiggled herself back to sleep both times. She was up again at 5:00, but I left her in her room until about 5:30 when she started getting vocal. I normally get up at 6:00 on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday for church or preschool, so we were actually ahead of schedule. The muffin was up right after 6:30 and then I heard Big Daddy in the shower. We were all dressed and ready to go on time! We arrived at church, left Ellie in the arms of an old friend that was staying in the nursery, grabbed our pager and dropped Muff off in her class. I was so ready to sit and enjoy the praise and worship service! Before the sermon even started, Big Daddy handed me the vibrating pager. He helped me find my way back to the preschool wing and we peeped in Muff's room. She was fine, but I could hear Baby Ellie...screaming. They had given her bottle and then she started crying. They didn't want to page us, but I was so glad that they did. Big Daddy went back to the service and it took me a few minutes to get Ellie settled and then she fell asleep.
I felt so good the other week when she stayed in the nursery. Having to be paged made me feel so bad! Of course, I wanted to be with her if she was inconsolable, but I want her to be happy at church. She is very much aware of when I leave the room and I'm the one that feeds her 99.9% of the time...and helps her get to sleep...and pretty much does everything for her.
The Muffin had a great time and that was so nice to here. She has had a hard time trying to get used to a new church while missing her old church. I have been worried about all of the old things that she had to say goodbye to and all of the new things that she's had to get used to. I know everyone says that children are resilient, but I know that she misses things from our old life just like me and her daddy.

So, now I'm praying that Baby Ellie will do well next week in the nursery so that Big Daddy and I will feel comfortable enough leaving her for two hours so that we can find a Sunday school class. I'm praying that The Muffin will learn to love this church (which I think she is) and make new church friends and that Big Daddy and I will find a class that we enjoy as much as we did our old one. We are all having to open up our hearts and embrace new things.

The Week Ahead- The Muffin has school pictures at preschool tomorrow and I'm going to get my driver's license changed to reflect my new address. After that, Muff and I will be going to the pediatrician's office so that she can get the flu vaccine (we're trying the nose spray this year). I think a Sweet Tea will be needed after this dramatic event!
Baby Ellie will be with Nana until lunch tomorrow. She'll have her picture taken at preschool on Wednesday. The girls will be wearing giraffe print pants ( a gift from my sister), so I'm very excited!

Because It's Fall

Because It's Fall...

We put our pumpkins on the mantle. (The bigger one is Ellie's and the smaller one is The Muffin's.)

We go fun places and meet new people.

We put our fall wreath up and The Muffin put her painted pumpkin from Cousin Callie's party beside of the front door.

We put our fall flag up...

and we planted pansies...

and the girls got to pick out a scarecrow.
We get the furry brown blanket out of the closet and it magically becomes a poppy field when placed on top of the clean laundry in the laundry basket.

The quilt that my grandma made is put on the bed to cover up with on chilly nights...

and in the morning it gets used as an exercise mat.

The Muffin gets to sleep in her ballerina pajamas and Baby Ellie gets to use her "sleeping bag".

There's still lots of fall things to do this weekend. I sprayed the yard with total vegetation killer a couple of weeks ago, so there's dead weeds to be pulled this weekend (Muff & I started on this yesterday). We had more weeds than grass since we sort of forgot to water our new yard during that hot, dry spell we had. Big Daddy and I were too busy getting settled, and living life with our two girls. Hopefully, the yard will get aerated and new grass seed will be sewn next week.

I have daffodil bulbs that I'll plant as soon as my mom tells me it's time and we need to decide on any other planting that we want to do before it freezes.

I want to go somewhere to take a few pictures of the girl surrounded by pumpkins. I've wanted to do this since The Muffin's first fall, but I've never gotten around to it. I had my pick of great pumpkin patches before. Now, not so much. Hopefully, we'll be able to go somewhere fun either tomorrow afternoon or Sunday after church.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Tuesday was a rough day. Yesterday was a great day. Today has not been a good day.

We are continuing to have major wardrobe issues around here. I know that it will be warm this afternoon, but it is too cool for shorts in the morning. The Muffin doesn't like "any" of her fall clothes. She finally agreed to wear jeans and a short sleeved shirt, and tennis shoes over flip flops.

I'm the adult. I'm the adult. I'm the adult. That's my mantra these days.

I want her to have some sort of say in what she wears, where she goes and what she does, but she can't make all of the decisions and I have to agree with her choices. I want her to be happy and feel important and loved.

And in other news...Baby Ellie seems to be teething. She's on her second outfit because of all of the drool. And she fusses. She now weighs over 14 pounds and has grown 2 inches (!!!) since her 2 month check-up.

Baby Ellie at 4 months

Dear Baby Ellie,

You are now 4 months old! You are getting so big and strong! You love to smile and laugh when you get your hands washed. I think that means that you'll be a germophobe like your mommy!

You still love your Lovie that Ayden gave you in Maggie's Big Sister basket. You pull it up next to you when you sleep.

You get excited when you're in the floor and I bend down to pick you up. You like to be held and you love to be worn in the sling.

You still wake up at least two times during the night to eat. I wish you would sleep longer, but I'll sleep later, when you and your sister are all grown up. You used to go right back to sleep after you finished eating, but now you squirm and wiggle and grunt and have quite a time. This usually only last for a couple of minutes and then you go limp and fall into the best sleep!

Tomorrow, we will take Maggie to preschool and then we'll go to the doctor's office. I can't wait to see how much you've grown. We'll discuss starting solid food, since I'm pretty sure that you've doubled your birth weight.

We still love you so very much and are so blessed to have you in our family.

The Land of Oz (picture post)

Here are a few pictures from this year's "Autumn at Oz" party...On our way...

First stop: Kansas
Going down into the cellar.

Oopsey-Doodle!!
Meeting the Lion

Meeting The Munchkins

A Flying MonkeyWinkie guards
The girls sleeping in a field of poppies.


A "Horse of a Different Color"On the hayride down the mountain.And here are a few of pictures from Callie's party.

8