Remember Halloween?

Pre-trick or treat activites included

making 'pooky 'piders - woooooooo

a quick photo on the porch

a spin around grammy's garage on your fav trike
Then they were off!

treats for tricks looking cute

Flynn's joke,

"what's a ghost's favorite treat?

I-Scream - AHH!"

(ice cream)

and, the loot

Thank God for Sisters With Vacant Houses...

It almost makes me forget that you went off & left us.
Almost.

The advantage is that when your girl wants a 'camp out' party, and you wake up & it's snowing & freezing (literally) outside, you can move the party indoors - even though you let her invite 10 friends & their families.

Flynn had such a great time & was truly honored to have her buddies celebrating with her.

When she walked into Gi's house & saw the long table, she squealed.

Then she saw the livingroom decorated & saw, "Ohhh, I love it."

She started raising each gift. We laughed & said, "why is she doing that??"

Indoor movie (vs the outdoor one we had planned)

Did I ever mention that Jeff's favorite actor is John Cusack?
And that Flynn is a daddy-pleaser??

I think it's no coincidence.

I Don't Recommend

Going to the Dollar Tree,
when it's downpouring,
in Adidas flip flops,
with socks,
during naptime.

Did I just write a haiku?

My Baby Girl

Don't remind me that in 5 short days, the first baby I grew will be FIVE YEARS OLD.

She is more delightful that I could've ever imagined, and with cuteness to match.

I try to hit the pause button everyday.

MIA

Why?

• House went on the market this week, I think officially it was Tuesday.
• I'm babysitting the CUTEST baby girl in the world this week. She's so much fun, but the thrill & excitement has added to our week.
• Did I mention keeping the house clean, while three little sweeties play & make messes?
• Flynn's birthday is coming up....and we're going to celebrate this weekend.
• In addition to the regular stuff I have going on each week (work, being a momma, being a wife, being a friend, loving my church), Flynn switched preschools (another post about that at another time) & Gabe started preschool!
• I think I can say this, as I don't think he reads the blog, but we're planning a surprise party for my FIL's 60th bday.
• Did I mention keeping the house clean?
• Some finalities in switching over winter clothes.
• Home repairs.
• Making a cake (under the supervision of baker-to-the-stars, Renee Casey...let me know if you're in the STL area & I can hook you up) for the camper bday girl.
• operation Christmas child, shoebox stuff

Forgive me if it's another few days until I'm no longer missing in action....just action.

Her Fasting Was Not in Vain

Hey MeMe..Today I took my Bible outside and prayed hard. God brought me to alot of scriptures & the one that spoke to my heart the most was Psalms 103:3. It's a very powerful verse. Meme, God really spoke to me today, He told me that he was going to heal Flynn. Every scripture that God gave me talked about healing & that He never rejects us or ignores us. One said that His hand is always stretched out whenever your in trouble or you need Him. Mattie told me that we know He will do it, but it may take a while... maybe a year. Maybe right now. We need to keep believing.KK

Bubs the Preschooler

Dear Bubby,

I have no photos of you starting your very first day of preschool today. This time it's not because you're the second kiddo & sometimes the second, third, etc., kiddo has way less photos than the first. This time it's because you weren't supposed to start today.

You see, it was supposed to only be Flynn's first day. And you were supposed to start next week. But when we went to your room-to-be to meet your teacher-to-be and check out the things that you'll be playing with & learning, well, you ran right in. You sat right down. You listened to the story being read & said, "Me have that at MY house!" And then, you yelled to me (standing in the doorway, watching your every move), "BYE Mom!"

And I look shockingly at the teacher & she laughed & said, "I think he wants to stay! He can if you want."

I didn't know what to do, so I looked at her & said, "Are you SURE?" (& what I was really doing was asking MYSELF if I was sure). And she assured me that it was no problem.
Then I looked at you, taking it all in. Looking so big in your fresh haircut. And so, I filled out the necessary paperwork, promised the director another check, kissed you & told you to be a good listener, and headed out the door.

WOW, it is SUPER quiet without the two of you. It's only been an hour but I already miss you.

I love you Bubby. But please slow down on the growing up thing. Okay?

Love,
Momma

House Hunters part deux

I accidentally left some off...

From the eating area:
From the bar:

From the "Upper 90":

From the "Lower 90":

Thoughts from the Backseat

Today, after a VERY long day, we were on our way home when my girl chirps from the backseat,

"Hey, you know Grammy has a trash can in her car."

"Wow, that's a really great idea."

"Yah, it hangs from the back of the seat."

House Hunters

Oh what a pain. What a pain. What a pain.
BUT, it did force me to take photos (for the listing) & I've always wanted to document how my kiddos' first house looked.
So, here ya go....

From the kitchen:

From the livingroom:
From the desk in the basement (playroom):

From Bubby's bed:

When you walk in Sissy's room:

A Giveaway with Sole

One of my friends named Kim (there's more than one!) has started a new 'project' called STL Moms. You'll see her button on my sidebar as soon as I get my act together.
Anyway, go see her website & enter a cool contest for some kickin' kickers.

Blogger is being a butthead & won't let me hyperlink, so here's where you need to go:
http://www.stlmommy.com/2008/11/see-kai-run-giveaway.html

Good luck!

She's Not My Buddy

She told me so.

She said something cute & clever & I laughed hysterically & said,
"Ah Sis, you are so funny. Are you my buddy?"

"No Mom. I'm not your buddy.
I am your girl."

Last Night We Ate the Elephant's Hind-Quarters

...and it ended up being more than one bite.





Actually, it was enough to make me not want to eat, literally.


I do not like buying a car. ESPECIALLY, from a dealership. And am not a fan of haggling & doing the dance with the sales guy,


"Can you do better?"
"Let me go ask."
"That's all you're giving us on our trade-in?"
"Well, I can go up this much, but I can't go any more."



He brought up the check engine light (yah, about that...). And I brought up the weird smell in the car we were buying.


He brought up the economy. Jeff brought up the year of the car we were buying.

We just kept thinking about our frequent trips to the mechanic the last few months. Heck, I think that Jeff single-handedly financed the mechanic's daughter's braces. And, it was a bit too much when we drove up at the shop the other night, & there was a monument built in front of the garage, it was a black jetta. Engraved underneath was the word, "sucka".

Just kidding.

But not joking about the frequent trips & often breakdowns.

Back to our tango with Keith (aka Kenny Rogers) the bearded salesguy.

3 hours later, my blood pressure was setting a world record, my cheeks were rosy like Santa's, & I was begging for a diet dr pepper.





So, at bedtime, up we drove in the 'new' ride. I told Jeff that his grandma would be proud of his new car.

"Eat the Elephant One Bite at a Time"

That was Jeff's advice each time I'd have a mini-anxiety attack this week. As today the house goes on the market & I can't even begin to describe the insurmountable heap of 'stuff' we removed from various rooms & pushed into the garage (hoping it will grow legs & walk away?) for later storage.
My problem is that when I do something, I can't just do it the way Jeff would... he would just do it. I have to do it perfectly. Go through each thing, be sure we want to keep it (why store something you really don't want?!), and put it in a box that makes sense. So when it comes out of storage (hopefully in a really short amount of time when we're in a new home!) it will be with its brothers & sisters that it would hang with anyway.
Today my task is to take photos of each room for our listing. Do you think photoshop could edit out a mountain of clothes, a few boxes, a million train tracks & train pieces, & a cornucopia of 'items' that just don't have a place??

PS We're not moving far; just about 20 minutes up the highway, closer to 'everything'. When we moved out this far, we didn't realize that we'd never establish a community out here. We never changed doctors, work, school, church..... and it will just make more sense, all the way around, to be close to our 'life'.

On Behalf of her Cousin

I am taking a break away from home-listing preparation (moving & boxing stuff up) to brag on my youngest niece...

...who is fasting from dairy, on behalf of Flynn. As she deprives herself from an ingredient, found in most foods, she thinks of Flynn & her struggles, & prays for Flynn.

Pretty selfless for a 12-year old, don't you think?

Why fast? I will include an article by Dr. Bill Bright (Campus Crusades for Christ International):

Why You Should Fast
By Dr. Bill Bright

If you do not already know of the power and importance of fasting, here are some very important facts:

• Fasting was an expected discipline in both the Old and New Testament eras. For example, Moses fasted at least two recorded forty-day periods. Jesus fasted 40 days and reminded His followers to fast, "when you fast," not if you fast.
  
• Fasting and prayer can restore the loss of the "first love" for your Lord and result in a more intimate relationship with Christ.
  
• Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God (Psalm 35:13; Ezra 8:21). King David said, "I humble myself through fasting."
  
• Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.
  
• The Holy Spirit will quicken the Word of God in your heart and His truth will become more meaningful to you!
  
• Fasting can transform your prayer life into a richer and more personal experience.
  
• Fasting can result in a dynamic personal revival in your own life-and make you a channel of revival to others.
  
• Fasting and prayer are the only disciplines that fulfill the requirements of II Chronicles 7:14:
  "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
  
• If you fast, you will find yourself being humbled as I did. You will discover more time to pray and seek God's face. And as He leads you to recognize and repent of unconfessed sin, you will experience special blessings from God.

Not everyone should fast from food. Some can not go without it for various reasons. If you'd like to fast about an important issue & are one of those people, choose something to give up. Now, if you hate liver & onions, don't choose that as the item you are giving up. Give up soda, or coffee, or something that you heavily depend upon. So that you are reminded several times a day of that which you are fasting for.

And expect to see results!

Tagged ...updated

Tagged by my blogpal Beloved Mama!

Well, since I have vowed to myself to not to read or watch anything else about the election, here goes a little game of randomness...

The Rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.

2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).

3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).

4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.

5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

1) In 5th grade, I owned a pair of YELLOW parachute pants
2) I rode a dirt bike until I was probably 14
3) I try to act tough but am quite the sensitive person with my heart always on my sleeve
4) I think I'd be really good at kick-boxing
5) I have a SEVERE fear of heights, yet managed to reverse-bungee, parasail, & fly over the Swiss Alps.
6) I was usually the class clown going through school

wow, I am so discombobulated tonight, I published that, then later realized I never finished.

And I am breaking the rules & inviting anyone to be tagged...
go ahead, it'll take your mind somewhere other than politics...

History

Obama wins US election, to become first black president
AFP – Americans elected Democrat Barack Obama as their first black president Tuesday, handing him an historic …
WASHINGTON, (AFP) – Americans elected Democrat Barack Obama as their first black president, handing him an historic victory over Republican John McCain, television networks projected.

If I Could've Fit the Beach at Carmel

in my suitcase, I would've brought it back to Missouri.

Because, Carmel, I [heart] You.

More On The Boardwalk

This is the "front" of the Santa Cruz boardwalk
Flynn, Mattie, & Vanessa (see the amusement stuff behind them)

She did end up getting pretty soaked & riding around on the boardwalk in her skimpies

(with an American Flag beach towel wrapped around her legs)

Maybe one of these days, I'll take a good picture

Her highlight of the Santa Cruz boardwalk,

COTTON CANDY.

PS See the stroller she's sitting in?

That's the Zustiak's stroller (one of our friend-neighbors).

They were good enough to loan to us, as our last umbrella stroller

bit the dust a couple of months ago.

It was perfect for our trip, especially the airport, as we had good walks between gates (layovers) & 2 of the 4, she was asleep.

I'd push her to the gate in the stroller, she'd hop out (or be carried out),

then, the gate attendant would check the stroller in,

and it would be waiting for me (among a few wheelchairs & other strollers)

when I stepped off the plane in the new destination.

Only when we got off the plane (her asleep) in good ol' st louie,

the beauty wasn't there.

Nada.

Nothing.

So, I waited & people looked & I waited.

And was instructed to go to baggage claim.

Not there.

So I was instructed to go to baggage claim office.

And file a claim.

What's worse than losing luggage?
Losing someone else's stroller.

So, that night, I didn't go to sleep.

Instead, I had an anxiety attack about losing the Zustiak's stroller.

And the next night too.

Then, Thursday, someone called & asked for me to describe the stroller again.

It was still in Denver (our last layover).

I had a bad feeling about that last gate attendant.

A little too chatty with the passengers.

So the stroller was on our front porch that afternoon.

And on the Zustiak's front porch an hour later.

I guess that's not too bad,

I've flown about 200 times in my life,

and that was the first time anything's been lost.

My Little Pumpkins

....carved their pumpkin the other night

they voted for a "mad" face....and then Gabe did NOT want the jack a lantern to go outside

speaking of Gabe, he still insists that he wants to be a pumpkin for Halloween,

"Me not be dragon, ME BE PUNKIN!!!!!!!!"

I explained that we only had the dragon (dinosaur?) costume. But it wasn't good enough for him. He crossed his long arms as far as they'd reach & put on a scowl (not unlike the jack o lantern's).

Should I tell him that in 10 or so years he'll thank me?

Greetings From Sunny California

My body is in shock, enjoying the sun & weather in the 80's...then an airplane's trip later, my toes are frozen & my heat is cranking.
Did you know that in my sister's area, no one even has a/c or heat? How nice would that be on the electric bill? Of course, what you save on that, you are spending on everything else.
My computer had a virus & while I was out of town, Jeff & our good neighbor-friend & computer guru cleared off the computer & I don't have any photo editing installed right now. So, these photos are huge & straight-from-the-camera, but I couldn't wait any longer to share some.

This could possibly be my favorite sightseeing place of the trip.

Carmel. The beach is gorgeous, no wonder all the stars own a home there on the coast.

Such a diverse landscaping...
red plants, rough sparkly rocks, large kelp washed ashore,
huge cliffy rocks, big cold waves, fog & mist....

Papa was a designated Flynn-carrier.

The Fab Five taking in the sites (& later getting soaked by a wave).

My 4th of 5th time to the west coast & its beauty awes me everytime.


The Mission at Carmel.
A church built in the 1700s.

Flynn had a huge audience for all her flips & somersaults.

Left to right:

Nessa, KK, Hannah, & Flynn

Aunt Gi won't be here for Flynn's celebration this year. And since we were with Gi on her bday, she & Flynn made a cake for them, as well as Uncle Dan whose bday is the day before Gi's.

Flynn loved putting everything in and on the cake that she wanted (sprinkles, sparkles, you name it).

These are at the beach in Santa Cruz. It was the boardwalk, the one you always see in tv shows (roller coaster & sky travellers on the coast). But cold & the water was freezing. Flynn is used to the white powdery beaches that she plops down & builds a sandcastle at.

What a fun trip. And a great opportunity for Flynn - to not only see "her girls" but to see a different part of the country. And her first airplane ride! (pics on that later)

Thanks Aunt Gi for the fun vacation! We are counting down the days til we see you on Christmas!

For Documentations Sake

Surely not to complain or anything...

Flynn has pretty officially outgrown her naps. Sniff-sniff.

It's been at least 10 days since she took a mid-day siesta; despite my prompting. And I can't even get her to 'rest'.

So, on this, the month-eve of her fifth birthday, she's dropped yet another tie to babyhood. And is more than 3/4 of the way through her preschool era.

Flynn, if there's anything you should quit doing, it's tinkling at night. Would you be willing to trade the nap-thing for that? What if I threw in a piece of candy corn??

Not to Rub it in to the Fam & Friends Here at Home

But this will be the weather on our trip....
Tonight: High: 90°/Low: 48° SUNNY
Tomorrow: High: 83°/Low: 50° SUNNY
Saturday: High: 75°/Low: 49° SUNNY
Sunday: High: 77°/Low: 50° SUNNY
Monday: High: 73°/Low: 48° MOSTLY SUNNY

Missouri's 5-Day Line Up...
Today: Rain. High 57F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Additional rainfall may reach one inch.
Tonight: Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Low around 40F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Tomorrow: Overcast with showers at times. High 56F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Tomorrow night: Chance of a shower or two during the evening, followed by partly cloudy skies late. Low 34F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Saturday: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the upper 50s and lows in the upper 30s.
Sunday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the low 30s.
Monday: A few clouds. Highs in the low 50s and lows in the upper 20s.

No Girls Allowed

That will be the theme around here all weekend, as Flynn & I (along with Papa, Nana, & Nessa) take off tomorrow for a long weekend with Gi & the girls in C A L I F O R N I A ! Flynn's first ever plane ride (yes, I am nervous) & the first time any of us have seen my sis since June (new record for that by the way).

Flynn made a "California Chain" & it's short now! She is so excited, she can hardly stand it. She asked me yesterday if Aunt Gi will cry a happy cry when she sees her.

This trip will be monumental in a few different ways:

• Flynn's first plane ride
• Outside of hospital stays, this will be my first time away from Gabe or Jeff for longer than 24 hours
• In our entire marriage, this will be the first time Jeff & I are more than 30 minutes apart for the night (I've only left him to go to an overnight ladies retreat in St Louis)
• Flynn's first time going west of Missouri
• The first time Flynn & Gabe will be apart more than one night
• The first time someone other than me will care for Gabe for an entire day

I am a little worried, about having an extremely allergic kid up in an altitude really far from the nearest hospital -- unreachable via ambulance. I am scared I'll give her a snack on the plane that she's suddenly allergic to. Or that there will be cross contamination somehow (despite my plan to wipe down everything within arm's reach of her).

What I'm not worried about is Gabe, as he will be in Daddy's charge.

What a great feeling. To know your kids have the absolute best father in the world. Seriously. These kids couldn't be luckier, for they were chosen by God to be put into a family with a daddy who is so loving, so caring, extremely patient, & very Christlike. Add to his spiritual attributes are the skills & talents he has. How lucky can a kid be to have a dad who is a teacher?? Every moment becomes a teachable one. And something as simple as playing in the backyard becomes a science lesson. Not only does he have knowledge, but know-how. He knows how to talk to kids, knows how to manage a kid's behavior, & knows how to make life fun.

So, I might as well just make this a brag-on-Jeff post. After all, there's plenty to say. I think the best thing a daddy can do for his kids is to love their momma. And love on their momma. And the only thing that might make Jeff pass by his kids when he walks in the door, it to beeline to me to give me a 'Honey I'm home' smooch.

I know there is never any doubt in my kids minds that their parents are in love. They sense the commitment. And what a feeling of security for kiddos in this insecure world.

He's happy to tuck in, read a story, & do a bedtime prayer. He cuts their veggies just like they like'em. He knows to remove the valves on the sippy cup when putting them in the dishwasher. He can install a car seat like a pro. He's an advocate for Flynn in every situation.

When this weekend became a possibility, Jeff could've insisted that I take Gabe. He could've insisted that we not go until he could be along. He could've been fine with it with a list of stipulations, which included him not making any sacrifices or arrangements. But he didn't. He was excited for us. And went right to work, helping me brainstorm who could watch Gabe when & where. On top of that, he was downright excited that he & his boy were going to get some serious one-on-one. When at the last minute, I proposed another possibility that would mean him not taking a day off work for Gabe, he was quick to stop me, "I was looking forward to spending the day with Bubs though."

Honey, you might have had a dead battery in your garage door opener, but when it comes to being a dad, you work perfectly every time.

Conversation on the Way to Dance

"Mommy, what does 'that sucks' mean? Is the 'gadage' sucking something? Does it sound like it's sucking?"

Is it okay to say icky words in front of your kids when you're locked out?

Only My Luck

only dumb luck...

So, if your husband leaves you the "broken" car for the day and tells you to ONLY go to dance & come back home (as that's only 3/4 mile away) so that the car doesn't ignite,

be sure to NOT get locked out.

Also,

make sure your boy has underwear on before you leave for dance (& get locked out)

because he also has tumbling & that would be pretty obvious that he's gone commando.

And,

make sure he doesn't pull his pants down & urinate by the car

(notice a trend here?!)

because then the neighbors might have 2 reasons to call DFS.

Also,

when you ask your girl to grab her medicine bag & her dance bag,

be sure that she didn't accidentally grab her LUNCH bag instead of her dance bag

(which looks very similar)

because --

you COULD get locked out

then there would be no way of getting her dance bag

and she'd have no tap shoes or ballets.

and your husband wouldn't be able to help

because he would be 45 minutes away

with an expected return time of after 10 pm.

Remember,

no driving anywhere else

to kill time since you're locked out

until after 10 pm.

That would be unlucky.

(PS "Grammy saved the day!" Gabe said very clearly as she came to our rescue with a battery to replace Daddy's yucky battery in his garage door opener. Thank God that Grammy was close, taking "Woocy" to the groomer. Thank God Grammy saved the day & changed our luck.)

If You Get a Call From My Neighbors

and they tell you that Gabe walked outside this afternoon, pulled down his pants, & urinated off the porch,

don't believe a word they say.

Speaking of Backsides

About halfway through this video you will thank me for sharing it with you. And so will 'purple bunny'.

Opinions are like Backsides

Everyone has one -- and they all sm- well, I'll let you finish that.

And that's about how I feel lately. Like if someone else tells me what they think about something I do, feel, celebrate, eat, wear - or what my child wears, I think I will scream.

If I get another email about why you don't celebrate Halloween or have another person tell me that they're shocked my 4-year old daughter chose to dress up as a little orange, purple, & black witch*, I might cough in your face (incidentally, I'm also a little sick).

I always told my 3rd graders, "MYOB" (mind your own beeswax) & maybe I should bring the phrase back?

So, let's dig into it. Convictions that is. And talk about whom should be convicting whom. And how everyone has a line they don't cross (conviction) & how finding one other person to perfectly share your convictions is about like finding 2 matching snowflakes. As close as Jeff & I are to being one person, we don't even share the same convictions. And while I have lots of "easy-to-measure" convictions (legalism?), I fall short in lots of internal ways (perfectionism, judgementalism, impatience, over-sensitivity, unreachably expectantivism - I know, not a word). I will do some things that you won't do. You will do some things that I won't do. We all have dirt under our rugs somewhere --- some people sweep it further, others don't. God sees the dirt. Some other people see the dirt. And some people have such perfect rugs (the ones with gold tassels) that no one even suspects a fleck of dust lays under there. But it's there.

I just think it's extremely interesting that some people are so proud of their convictions that they want to share them with as many people as they can. Even more interesting when they share them with others who share the same convictions.

What if one day I 'decided' that the color blue was un-Christlike. And so, I got all the things out of my house that were blue. And then I blogged & sent out emails that were about the evils of the color blue. And that's about how I feel about some of the things people tell me they THINK are wrong. I'm like, "good for you that you are being proactive about something in your life that you think is unhealthy for your walk with Christ." But I'm also thinking that I don't see a thing wrong with blue & even after going back into the word & researching 'blue', I don't find anything that convicts me about that color.

I honestly am not bothered after someone passes judgement about a conviction I don't share. I just figure that I just need to pray for them, that they'll feel bad about being judgemental.

Maybe I should send out a mass email about that.

Just kidding.

*Just so we're clear, only one person said something.

I'm Starting To Feel Like They're Teaming Up On Me

I brought them each their drinks, both had OJ.

Flynn wasn't happy,
"Ohh, I wanted milk. Hey Bubs, what's in your cup?"

"Onjoooce."

"Hmm, didn't you want milk??"

In Remembrance

A few months ago, I blogged about the hurt of losing a baby.
Today is nationally declared PREGNANCY & INFANT LOSS AWARENESS DAY.
In searching for this banner, I came across a couple of videos. This one blew my mind! What a bold Christian & how awesome that through her miracle, she will save many lives. Pretty cool that it was on Fox News.
This video is NOT for the weak-stomached, or in my case, the weak-minded, as I cried at each photo. It's a bit amateur, I expect a young person made it, but none the less, the photos & bits of info were quite informative. I read about & hear about abortion & think of the little life that was once inside me that I wanted so badly to keep, but lost. And I just can't understand.