Halloween 2015

Boy do I love Halloween! One of my favorite things to do is decorate the house all spooky and dress up as something that is not me. And I've passed on this love to my kids. They've loved dressing up as things since tiny little tots. This year, I opted for what my kids call "Nanastein". I got the idea from one of the kids' favorite shows, "Home Improvement". The main character dresses up as...well...basically it's Frankenstein's mother-in-law. Alex wanted to go as a New York Jets football player. Abby was a mermaid. And of course, Evie wanted to be a fairy princess. Josh, as it seems to be the norm, had to work and doesn't like dressing up. My mom went trick-or-treating with us and brought Milo to tag along on the lengthy trek around the neighborhood.We also did our annual pumpkin carving. Four of them!

We were blessed with a very clear and warm(ish) night. Jackets were plenty and I even remembered to bring hats and gloves just in case it got chilly. They came in handy as the night wore on. Back in the day, my dad would stay at the house and hand out candy. With all my effort in decorating, I can't just leave without offering some candy to wayward trick-or-treaters. So I left my bowls out on a hay bale with some creepy music playing. It was cleaned out by the time we got home.

The kids made out like bandits! Their buckets were overflowing with goodies. We found a great area last year that nearly every house hands out goodies. And the decorations are awesome as well. Once we walk the area, I take the kids back and let them free-roam the van while we drive around our own area where the lights are much fewer and far between. They jump out and run to the houses and jump back in the van. Actually, I think they love this most because I don't make them buckle up. (Shhhh! Don't tell.) It was a fantastic night and we all had a blast. I already have plans in the works for next year's costume. Happy Halloween!

Big Winner

Alex won a major prize! Him and Abby wanted to participate in a contest that they heard about at the state fair for the state's Department of Transportation. They were to design a poster promoting the Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day in a hopes to stop distracted driving (AKA - cell phones and the like). They were each in their own age division and one day I came home to a big surprise waiting for me on the answering machine. Alex won his age division in the south central region of our state. Awesome! He won a new bike, bike helmet, giant poster of his drawing, and an assembly that would present it to him at school. And guess what I found out a day later? Abby was runner up in her division! My kids have some mad art skills, apparently. So proud of both of them. I wish I had copies of both of their designs, but the odds of winning this were so small that I didn't think to take a picture of them. Bad mama! Oh well. Live and learn. I'm still one proud mom! Sadly, he can't ride the bike due to his injured foot. The office said, "He didn't injure it from biking, did he?" Ha!

Alex's 9th Birthday

My oldest kiddo just turned nine years old today! That means, that he is officially at his half-way point until college years. What the heck?! I was trying the other day to picture nine years ago. If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can picture it clearly. He was a big baby boy, and super sweet and innocent. Fast forward a year and he's toddling around the house getting ready for his baby sister to come along. Time started flying the second he was born. Now he's nine and probably just a few years from outgrowing me. He's only got about 10 inches to go! Heck, we already have the same foot size.

For his birthday this year, he wanted a New York Jets football cake. Once again, I was happy to oblige. Not the hardest cake I've ever made but he was super excited about it. He wanted to have a bunch of kids over, but he was happy to just have a couple of friends. We had a fun time with some of the cousins and then had cake, ice cream (soy for the bday boy) and, of course, presents. I'd love to say that he gets harder to shop for the older he gets, but that would not be true. He has so many interests and obsessions that it's nearly impossible to get him something he doesn't love. He finished his monster collection with The Bride of Frankenstein and The Phantom of the Opera and got a nice castle to play with them in. He also got a couple of those neat hover toys that take some crazy practice to fly. All in all, it was a fun day.

As for Alex now, he's a fun one. He's a heavy reader, staying up way past his bedtime regularly just to get a few more pages in. He's bright kid with a big imagination and great art skills (hereditary?) that he uses often. He will play every sport possible and is excelling at them these days, making more and more goals/scores. He's got a big heart and it breaks easily. He's all boy, but I've seen him break at the slightest things. Which, naturally, hurts my own heart. When he gets in trouble (not as often as I feel like it is), then he is very good at punishing himself before I even get the chance. He's a great kid and I'm so proud and blessed to be his mom. It's been an amazing nine years and I love watching this kid grow up. Happy Birthday, Alex! We love you so, so much!

Bummer

It started out as a normal day. Alex was excited to have birthday cupcakes delivered that afternoon to his class. It was Friday and just one day before his birthday. I got to the school, carrying a big pan of cupcakes and as I'm leaving the office (checking in) I see Alex coming into the office to see the nurse. The kid was barely holding it together. I could see the tears forming in his eyes. He was limping pretty bad and I knew he was hurt. I walked him down to the room and he was in some pain. By the time he got to the room, he had his foot elevated and iced. Now, keep in mind that this kid has injured himself a lot, but to date, nothing too serious. I didn't think to check his foot out at the moment. When I came back to the school to pick him up, just half an hour later, the kid could barely walk. I had to carry him on my back to Mandy's car so that she could drive him home. (He weighs 75 pounds, for crying out loud!) When I got him in the house and decided to check the foot, I couldn't get his shoe off because of the swelling and pain. It was huge and blue! I took him straight to the doc and they said that he needed an xray the following morning. The xray came back with too much swelling to see a break, but at his age, the healing is the same. He was prescribed a walking boot. Poor kid. What a bummer birthday. He also had to miss his soccer game the following day because of it. He was pretty upset, as he is pretty awesome at playing. I felt bad, but I seriously had to carry him to the bathroom and everywhere else because he couldn't walk at all on it. Thank goodness for that walking boot!

Fall Festival 2015

We try to make it to my old town's fall festival every year. This year was no exception. The kids really enjoy it. Heck...I enjoy it too. It's hard not to. It brings back a lot of memories for me. It kicks off the candy season as well. This is the first of the constant supply of candy in our house that lasts through Easter. I think that we've had some unusually great weather the past few years. There were several times when the weather was bitter or rainy and ended with crying kids with bright red hands and frozen faces. I'm glad this was a good year for it. Good times had for all. I hope to continue this family tradition as long as possible.

The Last of a Legacy

Back in 2010, I lost my precious Daisy to old age at nearly 22 years old. That’s pretty old for a cow, of course. Sadly a few short years later, her first daughter, Duchess, fell and couldn’t get up. She was rivaling her mama in age. Then there was one. Bridgette. She was Daisy’s other daughter. With Daisy, she became so thin and fragile that the winter sucked the very life from her. I had promised her one more warm, spring day. She didn’t make it. Duchess slipped and fell during a very cold day and it was her undoing. Mom and I both promised that we wouldn’t let Bridgette die in misery. This past year has been hard on her. She started to lose weight and we couldn’t get it back on. Her teeth were all but gone and cows need teeth for roughage. Even though there was light in her beautiful eyes, the light was cloudy and she was tired. She creaked when she walked and her body wasn’t digesting food anymore. We gave her one more summer but knew that she would join her mama and sister in the green pastures of Heaven by summer’s end. I went over the night before and said goodbye. My last beautiful Jersey girl. I cried so hard. I stopped by my Dad’s grave on the way over to talk to him about it. It was a rough night for me. But I knew it was right. She wouldn’t have survived the winter. The vet agreed. I will miss the sandpaper licks on my legs, the head butts, the warmth of their caramel fur on a spring day. I will miss it all. I dream of the day when I can start anew with a new herd of beauties. Until then, I can only say to rest in piece my sweet girls. The last of the legacy is no more.