30 October 2008








Now, the only thing next Tuesday will be about for me is my baby turning 6! Whether "my man" wins or not, I'll be a little sad come Wednesday morning.


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29 October 2008

On Your Mark, Get Set...

This morning was the Boosterthon Fun Run at Addison's school. Bryan and I figured she'd run about 10 laps, but she completed 26! Because we knew she'd only do about 10, we felt confident pledging to pay $1 per lap for her. Oooops! Now we'll be shelling out over twice what we'd planned! I must say, I got a little worried at breakfast today when she told me that she and one of her classmates were the only two in her p.e. class not to have to walk when they practiced for the run.

It was a fun fundraiser and I'm hoping the school meets their goal of $20,000 so there will be no more fundraisers this year. If our $26 helps meet that goal, I'm all for it :)

And, just so you don't think I'm bragging, let me tell you there were kids who met the "lap cap" of 35 in kindergarten. They were the ones wearing their Brooks running shoes and Saucony running shorts. (Seriously, I didn't even know you could buy running shorts in 5T!)

One more confession: I thought long and hard about buying her some running shoes. I even found a 25% off coupon at FootLocker Kids. I'll blame that on the former runner in me. That's also what I'll blame my eye rolling on after the announcer told the kids, "Repeat after me; It's okay to walk." Uhhm, no. It's called a Fun Run! And, on the fact that I was proud of her for not taking a water break. Water's for wimps! Oh, I'm kidding. I'm kidding.

This is how Libby felt about cheering for Sister early on a chilly morning.

Getting loosened up for the run
Making sure her pants stay put - that's what you have to do when you have a little tush :)

Cracking your knuckles always gets the jitters out
Don't let the relaxed form fool you. She was lapping those people!

Here she is lapping someone else!

Libby was so thrilled when someone finally "high-fived" her!

The cool-down lap and a smile.

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26 October 2008

just a little early

Last weekend, Nana had a surprise for us...the kids all came out of her room dressed in these Aggie overalls. They are really just the cutest things! (If you want your own custom overalls, even if you don't bleed maroon, go here.) It's not too early for us to decide to send them to A&M, is it?!


Trying to get 5 kids, ages 5, 4, 3, 20 months, and 7 months to sit still for a good picture is nearly impossible. I think we're missing one...

Here she is...happy to be sitting in her brother's lap!
Lib is tall enough to lean out the window in the treehouse now!
Rachel's turn...


Ethan was thrilled about something :)

Look at those faces. Someone threw the ball over the neighbor's fence.
Nana let Addi wrap up in her great-great grandfather's quilt and Addi loves it. Addi is still curling up in it everyday.



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23 October 2008

She lives to aggravate

At supper tonight, Libby wanted to pray. It went like this:

"Dear God,
Thank you for Addi...L-L...I mean...I wanna start over.
Dear God,
Thank you for Libby, and Addi, and Levi, and Daddy, and my dog. Amen. And, thank you for God. Oh, and Mommy. Amen."

So, she naturally mentioned her sister's name first and then remembered she's supposed to bother her sister, so she had to change her prayer to mention her own name first. That is how she is. She likes to aggravate everyone, but, especially Addi. Addi will get so upset and that just satisfies Libby to no end. I see fun times in our future with these two.

As for me, I'm really not sure what to think about being an afterthought :)


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22 October 2008

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the pumpkin patch last October in North Carolina



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16 October 2008

Pumpkin Patch


Well, it was like 95 degrees and the pumpkins had been trucked in and the trailor hay ride wasn't running, but it gave me a bad craving for some hot chocolate anyways.

We took the kids to a "pumpkin patch" down the road on Monday evening. It was just a little one in the field next to a church, but with our October schedule and still adjusting to toting 3 kids around, it was the best we could do. Plus, the girls don't really remember donning jackets and driving to pumpkin farms while we lived in North Carolina. Thankfully, they don't remember feeding farm animals, grabbing potato sacks and flying down enormous slides, getting lost in hay mazes, and seeing a tractor pull us out to the fields full of pumpkins. There was none of that at our local patch. But it did have a bounce house, a mini hay maze and a trebuchet. Oh, and they scattered hay all over the ground for effect. Note to self: Don't wear flip-flops to the pumpkin patch next year even if it's still 87 degrees at 7 pm.

The kids had a good time and that's really why we even left the house. They both picked out little pumpkins and decorated them with markers, glitter, and ribbons. They also named them. (Are they such girls or what?) Libby asks every morning if her puntin grew the night before. She's convinced Addi's grows each and every night because it's still aliiiiive. I wonder who filled her head with that idea?! We also have a bigger pumpkin that needs carving. While at the patch, I nagged repeatedly mentioned Daddy would be carving the big pumpkin with the girls. I'm sure Bryan's had it on his mind ever since and has already carved (no pun intended) out time to spend on such an enriching and bonding activity with his precious daughters who think the world of him. But, it isn't done yet, so I'll post pictures once our jack-o'-lantern is completed. I do, however, have a picture of Ahmi and the Other One. (I totally can't remember the name of Addi's pumpkin. Ahhh!)
And, yes, I've filled my hot chocolate craving, but writing about it is making me want more!
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14 October 2008

a lighter fare

This is one of my favorite soups. Now, I am not a big pumpkin pie eater, so don't think you have to love pumpkin pie to enjoy pumpkin soup. I make it at least every couple of weeks from October through March and then at least once over the summer. It is something I make just for me. Bryan doesn't care for soup. I shouldn't say that. He likes soup fine so long as it's full of beef or chicken and is accompanied by a steak or chicken breast!

Today, with Addi in kindergarten and Libby at preschool, I re-made this soup with pleasing results. I substituted some of chicken stock with water and the heavy cream with half and half and plain, nonfat yogurt. The taste was the same and the texture was only slightly thinner. Honestly, my tummy sometimes protests to the richness of this soup's original recipe. No complaints today!

Note: I also substituted homemade applesauce for the Granny Smith apple only because it's what I had on hand. If I have an apple next time I'll opt for it. Although the applesauce tasted fine, I really prefer the crunch of the apple.

Lighter Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 fresh bay leaf (I use dried)
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I use half)
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 tsp. hot sauce
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
28 ounces pumpkin puree
1 cup half and half (I bet any milk would also work here)
1 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
1/2 tsp. fresh nutmeg (again, I use dried)
(for the relish)
1 Granny Smith apple, finely chopped (or applesauce!)
1/4 red onion, finely chopped (optional, in my opinion)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped (I usually don't take the time to chop these)
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. honey (my applesauce has a little sugar in it, so I deleted the honey today)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions
Heat a soup pot over medium high and add oil and butter. When butter melts, add onion, celery, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper and saute until onion and celery are as cooked as you want them. For me, that is until the onion is soft and maybe starting to turn a golden brown. Add flour, poultry seasoning and hot sauce. I use a whisk here to get the flour good and coated with the fat in the pan. Let that cook for a minute or two. Then whisk in chicken stock and water. (It is important to whisk this in or you'll never get the flour to un-lump!) Bring to a bubble. Whisk in the pumpkin in large spoonfuls until incorporated. Simmer for 10 minutes or so. Add the half and half/milk and whisk in the yogurt. Add the nutmeg. To assemble the relish combine the apple(sauce), lemon juice, cranberries, chili powder, honey, cinnamon, and/or onion.

It is delicious and perfect for a fall lunch or add a salad and turkey sandwich and you've got an easy supper.


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10 October 2008

Too easy meme

Carrie at Three-Girl Circus tagged me for this super easy photo meme. All I had to do was go to the sixth picture in the sixth file of my photos and post it.

I'll do that now...

Oops! That was an "after" picture of our bathroom at our old house. Who wants to see that??! Why do I even still have that?!!

I'll go to the seventh picture in the seventh file like Carrie had to do also. Here it is...

Nope! You don't want to see that one either - even worse! It's a "before" picture of our old garage! What was I thinking a) taking a picture of our garage and b) uploading said picture to take up space on our computer?!

So, I'll try the fifth picture in the fifth file.

We have a winner!



Sweet Libby Lu at 9 months eating black-eyed peas. If only I could have that little one back for just an hour to snuggle and kiss those sweet cheeks. These days if I try to kiss her cheeks, she turns her head and yells, "Stop KISSING me!!"

Okay, so that wasn't really that easy after all! (Maybe if I would edit my pictures once in a while :)) Even so, it's easier than having to think up something write about. I tag DeeDee, Becky, Ashley, Elysa, Andrea, Shana, and Lisa. And anyone else who has writer's block :)

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03 October 2008

I DO know this

Little future mommies spend the first part of their lives being right and the next bit being told they're wrong! And the cycle continues...

My 2 that keep me straight arguing over who's right!


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Look who's sitting

Sometimes he still loses his balance when he gets too excited at what he's doing!
I had to include this eyes-closed shot because I love the smile :) (Indulge me...I'm his momma and he's my baby and it's my blog. I took many more shots of this exact same picture. At least, I didn't post all 23! Not really. On the 23 part.)

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