A Look Back at Halloween

Since Thanksgiving is almost here, I wanted to get a few pictures posted from our Halloween fun. We really did have a good time and did a lot of fun things this year. Some favorite memories:

-Carving pumpkins- I love it, Tod tolerates it! After all the pumpkins were carved, we took them out to the porch, then realized that the door had locked behind us and we were stuck out in the cold. Even worse, Cole was in the house. Thanks to our trusty, resourceful neighbors for helping us get back inside!

-Parties, parties and more parties. The girls had a very fun Girl Scout Halloween party and also celebrated at school. I loved going to see them in the traditional school Halloween parade- brings back lots of memories from my elementary days.

-Trick or treating as a family on Oct. 30- our city's rule! It was a cold, blustery Iowa night, but we still managed to cover most of the neighborhood and get a ton of candy! This year we had the Cat in the Hat, High School Musical Cheerleader, Tigger (she insisted it was just a tiger) and a baseball player (who stayed snuggled in his stroller) We live in one of the best "trick-or-treating" neighborhoods ever- nearly everyone participates and lots of people dress up and decorate their porches, doors, etc.

-Tod's family came up for the weekend, and we had such a good time together. The kids loved seeing cousins Kayla and Leah and going to the trunk-or-treat at church- again more candy!!!

Pride of the Wapsi

We couldn't miss out on our yearly pumpkin patch tradition! October was very cold here, so when we finally had a free Saturday and it wasn't rainy, we decided to just go a head and go. I'm so glad we did. It was so fun to take the girls and Cole was a good sport too. I took one of my favorite pictures of him and Tod together. The girls favorite part was the blow up haunted house.

San Antonio Trip

So my blog has really suffered the last few months with things being so busy. Not many folks are probably looking at it anymore, which is fine. I need to do a better job of updating it though, because it is all that I have for a journal right now. As I look back on old entries, a blog is such a good record of what has been going on. So I am going to try to do better.

In October, Cole and I flew down to San Antonio to see my sister Katy. We were also able to see Melissa and her family as well, since they had come from Utah. This trip was amazing and so much fun! It was the first time for me to meet baby Sutton and baby Skye and for Cole to meet my sisters. I know babies don't really know, but it was so good to have these little ones together finally! We had such a nice relaxing weekend, going to Nick's football game, cooking, talking and laughing so much!!! It is so amazing to see your little sisters grow to become such wonderful mothers and women. They are incredible, and it is so hard to live so far apart. But the memories of this weekend will be treasured for a very long time!!!

(Tod did a phenomenal job with the girls at home...I really think they hardly missed me at all!)

Regan Goes to Preschool!

Regan is finally in preschool! She is having such a great time and wishes she could go every day. The first time I dropped her off, she just said, "Okay, bye mom". She has been a part of dropping so many people off to preschool and finally, it was her turn! She couldn't be happier.

Back to School!

Ashton and Jordan completed their first full week of school...and they did great! It's hard to believe that we have a 2nd grader and a kindergartner. It's always an adjustment for everyone to get back into the school routine...but we are all getting there. Regan has had a hard time not having her playmates around. She is excited to start her preschool next week. Cole has been enjoying actually being able to nap in his crib. As many of you may know, I also started "back to school". I am working on earning a masters degree in developmental reading at The University of Iowa. I am just taking one class each semester, one night a week. Last week was my first class, and I loved it! Here are some pictures from the first few days.

A Special Place

There is a place that is a special place, a place where you can swim in a puddle, help Grandpa fix a tractor, swing away the day, run around in pink cowboy boots, relax in a hammock with your sister, or check the chicken coop for eggs. There is always so much to do at this special place and it is full of love and memories.

We spent the last couple of weeks in Missouri at the farm, and we truly love this special place. I am so glad that the girls have a place like this to go to and have adventures. Thanks to Grandma Cindy, Grandpa Steve and everyone else for a great time!

The Littlest Cowboy

One of my favorite pictures from our Missouri trip...we just returned last night, and had such a wonderful time. Our "littlest cowboy" is 5 months old today. More pictures to come...

Four Months Old

Earlier today, I was thinking about the date, and it dawned on me...Cole is 4 months old today. Such is life for the 4th child. I still go back and forth trying to remember whether he was born on March 11th or 12th! Anyway, things about Cole at 4 months:

-He has discovered his hands and constantly has them in his mouth

-He is so slobbery and is always covered with spit- is that a boy thing?

-He has the cutest, most kissable cheeks

-He hates to be left alone and wants to be where the action is

-He stills loves to sit in his bouncer seat

-He giggles, laughs, snorts and smiles...a lot. We will do just about anything to get any one of those reactions.

-He is ADORED by his sisters.

-He is starting to sleep for longer stretches at night.

-He knows how to roll over but really hates when he gets stuck on his belly.

-He loves to be cuddled.

-He has definite "tickle spots"- upper legs, armpits, neck and belly

-He has lost a lot of his hair, but has a long patch on top and around the back of his head

As is typical for our family, we have invented yet another strange nickname for Cole. We started out calling him "Little Man" but that morphed into "Manny" and that has become his name for now.

We love "Manny". Not a day goes by without one of the girls saying, "I'm so glad to have Cole in our family." I couldn't agree more.

Coach Pitch for Ashton

This year Ashton was in coach-pitch softball. Although, she was hesitant at first, she ended up really enjoying it and doing very well. She also had a great coach- her daddy-o. They had a really good team- cute kids and eager to learn! I loved going to watch her play and seeing the progress the team made through the season.

Jordan's T-ball

We just finished Jordan's first season of t-ball. She had a lot of fun and did really well! I loved seeing her enthusiasm and how her confidence (and ability) increased as the season progressed. She is such a good sport and easy to have on a team.

Take me out to the ball game!

Last Friday night, we took the whole family to the River Bandits baseball game. It was a gorgeous evening, perfect temperature and so much fun. The stadium is beautiful here, overlooking the Mississippi River. After the game, we stayed for the fireworks. It was a really fun night. I am still getting used to having 4 kids and even small ventures feel like great accomplishments, especially when everyone has a relatively good time! Cole wore his "uniform" for his first official baseball experience.

Today

To Mom:

I am thinking of you today. Could it really be possible that you left us 9 years ago? In some ways, it seems like only yesterday...in other ways, it feels like forever.

I am thinking of you today. Amidst the laundry, the fussy baby, the giggling girls, the cleaning, the errands...my thoughts keep drifting back to you.

I am thinking of you today. I am remembering all the good times. I am smiling about childhood memories and crying about the end that came to quickly.

I am thinking of you today. I am wishing that you were here to see your grand daughters and your grandson, to know your fabulous son-in-law.

I have a lump in my throat today as I think of you, but today I allow myself some extra time to remember...and I just might take a walk, chat with a stranger, tickle my kids, smell a lemon, call a friend, or listen to some jazz music, because these things remind me of you.

And even though it is painful, I never want to forget...you...amazing you. Thank goodness, we have eternity to look forward to.

(I wish I had some more recent photos of my mom in digital format, but I do not...this picture was taken in 1980- before Katy bug joined our fam in 1981. I'm the one in the boots!)

Three Years Old

Today we are celebrating another June Birthday! Our Regan-Roo is turning 3. What a girl she is. Even though she has is our 3rd girl...she is truly her own, unique person in every way. We love her so much and she adds so much to our family. I am thinking back to the June morning when she was born. The day before, I had been so miserable...it was the first time ever that I had actually gone to my due date. Also, we had already been to the hospital twice during the last month for false alarms. During that day before, I went scrapbooking at a friends house, then went with Tod to pick out new appliances for our house. When I look at our stove and fridge, I am always glad we got such nice ones because at that point, I so didn't care about all the fancy features! That night, we went to pick out new carpet for the house, and I felt so yucky. When I woke up in the middle of the night because my water broke, I was overjoyed knowing that this baby would actually have to be born! Regan was born at 9:24 the next morning on my parents anniversary. Her sisters were so excited to welcome her home, and I was thrilled to have another daughter.

Today, it's all about Regan. We made pancakes for breakfast (her favorite) and Tod is going to come home early so we can go to Chuck E. Cheese's. Then it's cupcakes and presents for our girl...I am so excited because we bought her very first bike. I can't wait to give it to her as she has been asking for one for months.

Regan has taught me so many things, and as a parent, I have grown in many ways. Who would think a tiny girl could be so powerful? I love you, Roo. Happy Birthday!!!

Missouri Pictures

We went down to Missouri over Memorial Day, and I wanted to share a few pictures from our trip. Although we found that travelling with 6 is indeed a lot of work, we had a really good time. We just loved being on the farm and spending time with Tod's family. Jordan loved relaxing, Regan spent her time swinging, Ashton climbed the hay tower in the barn, and Cole practiced sitting in a saddle for the first time.