A few moments

Brandon took a few pictures of the kids a few days ago--I thought they were too precious! :) A very true depiction of how things are.

Jenna insists every night on having a story read to her, and then HER reading the story to us--or Spencer. :) Every night she has him lay down in bed with her so she can snuggle him and kiss and hug him...
This is ABSOLUTELY Kaden to a T!!! Always on the move!!! :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I got thinking tonight that I wasn't really sure why people say Happy Halloween--I mean, it is supposed to be kind of a ghoulish holiday--why would people say HAPPY in there?? Hmmm...just a thought to ponder. I just told everyone while we were out trick or treating to have a FUN Halloween... :) The whole Happy thing started to get to me. Who knows?


We had a pretty low key Halloween--did the normal trick-or-treating after dinner. It was actually kind of neat how they did it here. We saw more kids than I think I have EVER seen out. And everyone was sitting out on their porch passing out candy--I kept wondering why nobody would come to our house--so we finally just went out and saw that it was because we must not have gotten the memo on the outdoor candy passing. Jenna had such a fun time! At each house she would turn to us and say, "I want to go to another friend's house and get some more candy". Let's just say that we have about 20 new "FRIENDS"... :) Kaden stayed in the stroller and looked like a calm child--definitely fooled everyone! And Spencer fell asleep--just like a good caterpillar should do. :)


Here is Spencer in the infamous Halloween outfit!

Ladybug Jenna...funniest thing though--while we were trick or treating, one lady actually asked if she was a devil. I almost DIED laughing!!!
Our attempted costume posing--

Here is Jenna (left) and Spencer on the right. Kaden wore this outfit too, but I can't find his picture now...He was a cutie for sure...

The Kaden Kid--at the park

After taking Jenna to preschool this morning, Kaden and I stopped off at a park by our house. He played so nicely...it was pretty chilly this morning so we brought out the coats!

Of course he had to go for the sticks...carried them around and pushed the leaves with them.

It was pretty comical!


Okay, random one of Spencer in here. :) He is growing so fast! I can hardly believe it.

How can you tell I am a mother?

Just some thoughts I had in the middle of the night...

How can you tell I am a mother? You can tell because I wear Dora the Explorer bandaids on my fingers and tears, snot, and leftovers on my shirt. You can tell I am a mother because I have 5,256 pictures on my computer...from this year alone. I share my bathtub with rubber duckies and plastic princesses. Instead of Best Selling novels, I read "Goodnight Moon", "The Poky Little Puppy", and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear"...You can tell I am a mother because I carry more diapers than dollar bills, always have wipes on hand, and carry a diaper bag the size of a suitcase instead of a trendy handbag.

You can tell I am a mother because my children have nicer (and MORE) clothes than I, my life resume grows daily, and dreams of trips around the world have been replaced with trips around the house chasing each other till we fall on the floor laughing. Instead of building palacious structures, I spend my days building forts out of bedding.

You can tell I am a mother because my mind is going quickly...I find myself putting boxes of crackers in the freezer, clean silverware in the cupboard, and bowls of icecream in the microwave. I sometimes change the same kid's diaper twice within minutes, when obviously not dirty, just out of habit.

You can tell I am a mother because I have at least 23 different names...from Alisa to Dora, and Copper to Harry...I respond to them all! I can speak with multiple accents, and can make up words on the spot! You can tell I am a mother because there are always dishes in my sink and laundry ready to be done. I see stars daily--perhaps not the Hollywood kind, but the ones that dance in my children's eyes when they are excited. You can tell I am a mother because I am loved and "hated" within minutes of each other. Instead of evenings out a fine resturaunts, I serve my dinners at home to a mighty fine bunch!

You can tell I am a mother because at the end of the day I snuggle with my kids, sing songs and listen to their dreams...and know that despite the hardest of days, my own dreams really are coming true.

Touring my town...

This weekend, we had a friend come stay with us who is applying to Dental school at Case Western. He had his interview today in Cleveland, and I took him there. For starters, I have never driven in morning traffic in Cleveland. Wow...much different than I am used to. I have to confess we almost got in a few accidents. I know more what to expect next time. :) Geesh. Then, the address they gave him was not really right. While driving to Cleveland, Jenna informed us she had to go potty. I was hurrying to find her a potty, but trying to get him there on time. When we realized we were lost, he called to get directions. They put him on hold FOREVER...after several minutes of waiting, I finally pulled over and parked illegally and ran Jenna into the lobby of this hospital. I am sure I looked absolutely CRAZY--here I am running in holding this child and frantically calling out "I need a bathroom!" Hehehehe...either way, got the business taken care of and ran back out to the car, where Jason was STILL on hold waiting. Eventually we found the place and dropped him off. In all the construction of downtown, I somehow missed my turn and found all sorts of buildings and places I have wanted to see...kind of cool. But I had absolutely NO bearing and was all turned around. Finally found the freeway...long drive home. :)

When I went back to pick him up, I got there just fine. But, once again, we missed the turnoff going back. I was determined to find my way back to where I had been...long story short, we got a few of the Rock and Roll hall of fame and Lake Erie...the fathest NORTH I could have gone (instead of south). Oh well. Got a tour of my town. :) And I was sure glad to see a familiar sign and head for home!!!

A day without the internet...

Today was the longest day of my life...okay, not quite, but close! Our internet was out ALL day--I absolutely do not know how people ever lived without the good world of dot com...

I actually found myself wondering the past few days if people even used phone books anymore, and came to the conclusion that they don't. Until today...and I found myself having to. It was almost painful! :) Just kidding...but it was irritating that I couldn't mapquest anything on the spot. Heaven forbid I have to actually ASK for directions! :) And I had no idea what was happening in the world. After running several errands I broke down and went to a friends house to borrow her internet to at least check my email shortly before dinner time. It actually finally came back up right after Brandon got home. Go figure... :) Never have I felt more greatful for modern technology than today--

Still alive

It has been a long couple days. On Friday, while looking for our keys (Kaden is getting tall enough to steal them from the places we HIDE them, and ended up planting them inside a cupboard) my search turned to our Mary Poppins style diaper bag--there literally is some of everything in there, and it is HUGE! While digging through, I felt a sharp poke on my finger (turned out that somehow the metal lid to a can of formula was left in there) and pulled my hand out to find a bloody mess all over my hand. It just kept coming...The kids were all in the car at this point (I was supposedly just grabbing the keys and walking out the door) and I was desperately trying to stop the blood. Rinsing it made it worse. It was bleeding so much I felt like I could taste blood in my mouth--I called Brandon and he came home from school.

Now, I am not trying to be a ninny, but it hurt so badly! And the blood!!! Yuck! I debated on going to the Dr. to see if I needed stitches, but by the time it slowed down I decided it was not as big as it seemed and it was silly to go in. Saturday morning, it was still bleeding...I should have gone in for stitches. Grrr....

So, that is where I have been the past 2 days. The tip of your pointer finger is actually quite important when typing...so as to not bloody my keyboard, I was left to 4 finger type...not too comfy. Have missed blogging...so much to say, so little opportunity. :)

Kaden's first ice cream cone

Kaden had his first solo attempt eating an ice cream cone the other day. I grabbed the camera to document this momentous occasion. :)

Here's Jenna...

Here's Kaden...

Okay...not as successful as I hoped for. :) He got all caught up on eating the pointy part of the cone first, and...well....gravity took over and he took off! :)

What a funny girl!

Now, these are terribly embarassing pics and I can't believe I am actually sending them out into cyberspace for the whole world to see, but I just had to!

Looking at all the clean laundry on our couch, I am sure one might think we don't ever do it. Wrong. I think we do 10 loads a day and we STILL have more! I don't understand it. I have come to the conclusion that when someone came up with the phrase "making a mountain out of a molehill" they were really referring to laundry. It seems to MULTIPLY when washed. :) Anyway, during our bajillion loads today, (we were getting caught up from yesterdays as well) we just decided to dump it all in a pile on the couch so we could tackle it. Jenna climbed right in and played peek-a-boo!
This picture below was actually taken yesterday--I wish there was a better angle I could have taken it from so you didn't have to see the gate pile. You see, the kids stand at the gate and throw things over--guess they figure if they can't be in the room making a mess they might as well stand in the hall and make a mess where I don't WANT a mess. :) Whatever works...anyway, Kaden and Spencer were asleep and I was checking my email. Jenna came up to me and asked if she could take a book to her room to read, which I agreed to. Not even 30 seconds later I look over and she is laying like this on the floor. Do you think she was tired???

She is truly a funny girl! Tonight she got out of bed when I came home and we had a funny little conversation.

Jenna:; Mom, can I have some juice

Me: I will give you a small glass of water if you are thirsty.

(she then sees the pack of Oreos that were left over after our activity tonight)

Jenna: Okay, I just want a cookie

Me: Well, okay, just one.

Jenna: I sure like you mom.

Sweet-talker already...

Fine Feathered Friends and Fall Foliage

Today I dropped Jenna off at preschool and went to an appointment with Spencer and Kaden. Afterwards, we got in the car and went to run a few errands. Before I could get to the first place I was going, they were both asleep. So, instead I filled the time driving around and looking at all the beautiful trees--the colors are SO vibrant and absolutely STUNNING! As I drove by the mall, there were many of my fine feathered friends crossing after a stop at the Quick Lube. :)

I was SO glad I had my camera!! :) If I hadn't been driving I would have snapped pics of the whole flock--hilarious!

Love and Marriage

After some last minute planning and some absolute ANGEL FRIENDS, I surprised Brandon when he came home from school by having a sitter on their way and plans made up. My friend Jamie is a MASTER BEAUTICIAN (yes, this is TRUE!) and gave me an AWESOME haircut and makeup job--I felt so wonderful tonight. Our other friends, Casey and Brandon, babysat the kids so we could go out (and even had them in BED when we came home! Such a fabulous surprise!!!). We haven't had an official date since our anniversary in August, and tonight was MUCH needed.

I am reminded daily how much everyday life can make you forget how truly happy you can be in a marriage--I think that having a great marriage is really just about dedication--there are trials and struggles, but getting through those times and remaining devoted to each other is what makes things SO MUCH BETTER as you go. Brandon and I had a motto when we got married..."go team, go!" We felt like we were such a great team--and here several years into it, I still feel the same. I just sometimes need that reminder. I love these times to really see that again, the way I did when we were first married. It is so amazing how 2 hours alone can give us a new vision for the future. I feel rejuvinated!

We didn't have big fancy plans...but I knew Brandon had never been to the Hard Rock Cafe and that it was somewhere he would enjoy--so that is where we went. As we drove into Cleveland on the freeway, we just couldn't stop talking about how beautiful all the lights were and how absolutely BLESSED we feel to live here. We love it--we love the feeling of belonging here and being home. We love the lights, the trees, the beauty ALL around us.

We enjoyed a fun meal at the Hard Rock. For all who might consider going there, it is a neat place--probably not somewhere we will go again while are here (expensive on a student budget), but a fun one time experience.


There were all these painted guitars on display. We just took pics by one--too worried about getting home to make sure all the kids weren't terrorizing the sitters! :) But we would love to go back. It was a really beautiful building.

I actually can't believe Brandon and I are in a picture together. SOOOO rare...
We are now the proud owners of a Hard Rock Cafe glass---once you have paif $5.00 for a milkshare, what's another $2.00 for the glass?? Not sure what we will do with it...but it's ours. :)

I have been tagged again--

I have been tagged again--but this time it's a different set of "questions" so I figured I would share my thoughts. I actually like to reflect on my life like this sometimes...gives me a chance to put it down for posterity who I am and how I have become this way. :)

IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND HAVE A BLOG, CONSIDER YOURSELF TAGGED!
Here are the rules: 1. Each person list 6 facts/habits about themselves. 2. At the end of the post, the player tags 6 people and posts their names, and then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog for the rules.

1. I honestly LOVE living in Ohio.


2. I actually had a goldfish (named Charlie) that got ran over by a semi-truck. TRUE STORY! My brother and I rode our bikes to the store to get fish and were riding back with them in their bags, while holding the handlebars of our bikes. A block away from home, my brother dropped the bags and our fish went flopping. Some people ran out of their house when they heard us screaming and managed to save my brother's fish. As they were running out to get mine, a truck came by and...squish...big gold spot in the middle of the street. I was crushed!


3. Next year I want to participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure--my mom has had cancer twice and it is very near and dear to my heart. I may just be a walker, but I still want to be involved.


4. I love to get in bed before Brandon does, spread out accross the bed and snuggle with his pillow for a few minutes. It is SO comfortable...although he accuses me of liking his pillow more than him. :) Not true...obviously.


5. I am an avid coupon-cutter. I will always, no matter how much money we make, cut coupons and aim for free (within reason...I don't think of myself as a complete cheapskate! Just like bargains.)

6. I regret getting the degree that I did and not going for what I wanted to do--I really want to go back and get my degree in graphic design and photography.

How could I forget??

In the wee hours of the morning I was up with Spencer, and really didn't get back to sleep--so when Brandon got up for the day I begged for 20 minutes of sleep, which went FAR too quickly. Ever had that "I have been smashed in the head with a sledge hammer" feeling? That was how I felt. As soon as Brandon left, I heard Jenna tell Kaden, "let's go check on mommy so she knows it's morning". Thanks kids...I obviously got up. By that time we hurried and got ready, fed the kids and threw them all in the car to head out for preschool. I had just thrown some clothes on knowing I would "officially" get ready as soon as I got back.

Well, we came back and Spencer needed fed, Kaden needed a nap, I took care of a few things on my "to-do" list, Spencer ate again, I posted a blog, called someone, etc...and then it was time to pick Jenna up. We all piled in the car again and went to get her...came home, had lunch, fed Spencer, played with the kids, took some phone calls, made some appointments, had snacks, fed Spencer...on and on...

It is now 3:00 p.m....and it just hit me. I never got ready for the day! I never took a shower or put makeup on...never got clean clothes on...I completely spaced it. How could I forget such things??!!

Anyone else ever had this problem??

So, I called a time out, put the kids in their rooms and am off to the shower...

My brilliant idea

There are very few ideas that I have that I feel would ever win the $100 submission prize money in a parenting magazine...and while I am certain this idea wouldn't, I think I am onto something!

You see, Jenna LOVES to drink. For as long as I can remember she has been able to down 8-12 full sippy cups of liquid a day. Well, between sippy cups for Kaden and Jenna and occasional bottles for Spencer, I get REALLY irritated when I am in the middle of something and I hear the words "I'm thirsty". It means I have to drop everything and go fill up a new sippy cup--and then a few minutes later she is done and wanting more.

We usually use the disposable sippys--and just don't dispose of them when done. :) They happen to come in a few different colors. SO, my idea is this: I am going to color code their sippy cups (Kaden=yellow and orange, Jenna=purple and red) and fill 8 for Jenna each morning with different drinks (juice, milk, water). That way she can go to the fridge (she is old enough to get in it now without causing trouble) and get her OWN drinks!!! Oh how brilliant!!! Am hoping this will cut down on my mommy-do list... :) We usually wash that many cups each night anyway and there are no tiny plastic/rubber parts, so it isn't tons of extra work--worth it to me if it means she can help herself sometimes. :)

Caramel Apple Creations

I just have to preface this post with a picture of our smiley guy--Spencer. He was kind of grumpy during our apple night, but I couldn't resist this picture taken earlier that afternoon. I love seeing how the simplest things make him so happy...it is truly amazing to me how one so young and new to life can already love so much.


Every October around Halloween we have a caramel apple bar--pull out all sorts of toppings and dip our apples for a delicious caramel concoction. We had some friends over for Family Night last night and we had a nice warm dinner--yummy steak soup, garlic bread and salad and followed our meal with our caramel apple bar. I am not sure what went wrong, but our caramel was NOT sticking...at least not to the apples. It stuck to everything and everyone else. :)

Needless to say, they weren't the most attractive things you've ever seen. But hey, we aren't boxing them up and charging $10 per apple, so why not enjoy a little mess???


We all had a funny time trying to get the first bite into our apples...I cheated and tried to just cut a small piece in mine so I could get a good bite, but got the big thumbs down from everyone...so I too had a sticky mess on my face. :)
Jenna had to "help" everyone. I think we all ended up with tons of sprinkles...those were her favorite things. Beegh and Randee (our friends) were so nice to let her "help" with their apples too...

Yummmmmm.....

Sweetest Day

I meant to write and wish everyone a Happy Sweetest Day on Saturday. Concerned that you missed a holiday?? Well, believe it or not, you did! Apparently there really IS a holiday called Sweetest Day...kind of a spin on Valentines Day (I can see any male reading this feeling the pressure). They have cards, ballons...things that ACTUALLY say "Happy Sweetest Day"... So, I did a little search to find out about it. It turns out that it really started as a day to increase candy sales. Hmmmm...kind of funny. Check out more info at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetest_Day

So, what did I do on MY Sweetest Day?? Well, aside from our little Halloween Party at church, I enjoyed a fabulous kid-free lunch at Olive Garden with my wonderful friend Jane. You see, Jane is technically my landlord--but I much rather consider her my friend. Our personalities just clicked the first time we met and it is always so enjoyable to spend time with her. I am truly so lucky to know her and feel truly lucky to be in our situation...I mean, how many other people honestly are good friends with their landlords??? :) Good times, Good food, Good friends...that made it the sweetest day for me! :)

Losing her identity: The story of "Pink Baby"

Jenna has this little pink bear that she got the day she was born from someone in Brandon's family... (either grandma or aunt...they came together and both were bearing gifts, and quite frankly it is a blur now.) It has only been recently that she has completely taken to this bear and named it "Pink Baby"...not bear, not animal...baby. Okay, fine. She does everything with this bear. She needs to eat, sleep with her, get dressed, etc. Well, last night at the party, Jenna won a dinosaur in one of the kiddie games. She lost it as soon as she got out of the car, so with the help of the car headlights, it was found in our overgrown lawn.

Sometime between the hours of 9:00 p.m. Sat evening and 4:00 a.m. today, "Pink Baby" has lost her identity and given up her title to a 1 1/2 inch pink dinosaur. Jenna woke up in the night LOOKING for this pink dinosaur (who apparently had gone to sleep with her). She came to me for help saying it had fallen begind the bed. Now, I love my children dearly...but I am NOT about to look for tiny plastic animals in the middle of the night when complete furniture arranging in involved. I helped her get back in bed and told her we would look in the morning. (this really didn't help much...she was crushed without the new "Pink Baby". I gave her the old "Pink Baby" that I found on the floor by her bed...hopefully that will pacify.

What a day...already

Learning as I go...

So, last night we had a Halloween party at church. I was recently called to be in charge of the activities--so I was over this shindig...

Last night I learned a few things...

1-There need to be more than 2 people on your committee (especially when one of them is YOU) -- this was out of my hands at the time...but this will all change today!

2-Even though people volunteer to help out with the kid's booths/games, have a backup crew because they will probably flake out on you.

Really it came down to realizing that there is a TON of work involved and that having people involved is EVERYTHING. I have always helped out with activities, no problem. But all of a sudden I had to really think of every little detail (many of which were forgotten!) and there was little crew to help. I spent every minute of that party running around, cleaning up, trying to figure out how we should do things...I didn't get a single picture of my kids in costume. It was really unenjoyable, to say the least. I was overwhelmed and in tears at the end of the night. I am hoping I took the brunt of the negative feelings about it, and that others at least had a half decent time. :)

Was it a success? Hardly...but it wasn't quite a failure either. It was more a way to work out some kinks and hopefully lead to a more successful event next time...

The upside, the kids did look pretty cute in costume...Kaden body slams everything with his puffy spider costume and Spencer was cute as a bug...literally. :) Jenna was the happiest little ladybug around--most of the time.

On to new parties...

It's a small world...

I have been looking for a new desk on Craigslist--while I like the one we have, I just can't keep Kaden from crawling behind it and flipping switches, playing with cords, and climbing on it all the time. I finally found an armoire (that LOCKS--just what I need!) on Craigslist and called the owner about it. She asked where I lived and I told her the general area. She mentioned that her daughter had just bought a house in this area--off of Broadview (one of our cross streets). She said the name started with a C, but she couldn't remember...I said we lived on Clearview--she said "YOU'RE KIDDING! That's the one!" After a few more details--Jokingly I asked if her daughter had 2 dogs and a new patio set...hehehe...which ended up being TRUE because we discovered that her daughter is my next door neighbor! How completely RANDOM is that! This woman lives 20 minutes away from me, and there are a LOT of people in this area. But somehow her daughter lives next door. :)

SMALL world!

Snow?

It was a balmy 72 degrees here today...I can't even comprehend how some of you are talking about SNOW!

We will see winter someday...

GO TRIBE!

I will be honest in saying that I know relatively little about Sports. It has really not ever been very important to me. I went to my occasional high school sports game and a few select events during the college years, but mainly I went to visit with some friends...not to watch a game.

But lately, I've started to experience "the change". You see, Clevelanders have some AMAZING sports pride--they post their signs all over the place and have barbecues for every game...we always know what team is playing/when there is a game because we will be out and about and everyone is wearing red t-shirts (and I am serious when I say EVERYONE). At first, I thought they were really quite ridiculous with their carboard signs all over and crazy red t-shirts. The giant Indian poster in their windows, the writing on their cars--all of that seemed COMPLETELY out of whack. I really wondered if they thought the team was going to be driving by and see their sign, and somehow feel inspired to win.

But all that has somehow gotten to me like the flu in the middle of the winter. I have found myself having strange feelings of TRIBE PRIDE. I went to the store last night and saw all these baseball shaped cakes with the words "GO TRIBE" scribbled on top. And I ALMOST bought one! I hadn't even seen a single GAME and here I was going to buy an overpriced sports-themed cake! :) But since I feel a part of the team now, I decided the kids and I will make one today--we watched part of the game last night until we were too tired.. (shortly before 10:00 p.m...are we getting old or what?) and then hit the sack. But I practically RAN outside this morning to get the paper to see if we won! What is happening to me??

To expound on how LITTLE I know about sports, I thought it was all over since they lost last night. I saw the visions of "tribe cake" and painting our freashly picked pumpkin white and red like a baseball, going down the drain. Thankfully, Brandon came to the rescue and informed me there is still time for the Indians to go to the World Series. :)

GO TRIBE!

I drove around the neighborhood like a crazy stalker this morning to get some pics of Cleveland pride...

I am sure glad for an excellent zoom lens--I am sure people would have been really concerned had I pulled up in front of their house to snap some pictures!
My favorite example of pride is actually on a giant blow-up vampite Tigger in someone's front yard. He is holding a handmade sign that says "Go Tribe"--but when I went this morning he was deflated...waiting to rise up this morning and shout his pride once again. Will have to try to get a pic of that later today...

The leaves are finally really startig to change color! It looks so pretty here...

My precious little ones

WHEW! Here they are...all together. Amzing what it takes to get them that way! :)

A day in the life of children

Kaden thinks stacking things is SO fun now. He escaped into the kitchen and we found him stacking all our canned goods from the storage shelf.

Jenna plays dress up ALL day long. She had just come home from preschool and was playing and doing a fashion show for me. She went back into her room and I got busy doing other things. A while later I realized I hadn't hear her for a while. So, I went to find her.

There she was in her bedroom wearing her Sleeping Beauty dress, holding her little pink bear...fast asleep.

Earlier in the day Kaden found out how to open my hall closet and moved my file box to stand up so he can get into the drawers on the top shelves (I intentionally put them high so nobody would touch them...very funny!)

What a guy!

Chocolate popsicles

This afternoon we went out with some chocolate popsicles. The kids had quite the time!

Kaden ended up with his all over his face...

Jenna PAINTED the table with the drippings from her popsicle...yummy....