Us, lately

Some highlights from the past few months, in photos.

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This morning...

the girls snuck into our bed after Taber had left for work. Well, more accurately, Isabelle snuck into bed with me. Eliza prefers the couch, which is also in our bedroom. So, Eliza settled in on the couch and all three of us fell back asleep.

We were all awoken a little while later by my cell phone's text message alert. Isabelle heard it and said,

"Mommy, your ring is phoning."

Classic.

Pumpkin Patch 2009

Saturday, we went in search of the perfect pumpkin. We had to search (drive) far and wide for it, but we came home victorious. The weather was very fall-esque (read: cold and windy), but we had a great time as a family taking part in this quintessential autumn ritual.

Pre-feeding

It took some coaxing to get Eliza to let the goats eat out of her hand. At first she would just throw the food into the pen and hope the animals found it, but then daddy showed her the ropes and we got this...

Post-feeding

This shot is priceless - the animals' tongues tickled the girls hands as they ate which sent the girls into fits of laughter.

Mommy and the girls by another animal pen

Eliza atop a giant pumpkin. Kids were allowed to climb all over the pumpkin piles here, which made for dirty pumpkins, but happy kids.

Seriously? Both girls' eyes closed? Come on! I must've spent half the trip begging and pleading for these two darlings to look, smile, say cheese, sit still...and still this is all I got. Oh well, at least Taber can follow directions.

We ended up with one giant family pumpkin that weighed 36 lbs., one baby orange pumpkin for Isabelle and one teeny tiny white pumpkin for Eliza. I couldn't find my perfect pumpkin, so I'm settling for some of the smaller, homegrown variety. While Carmichael's Pumpkin Patch (171st & Mingo, in Bixby, OK) was decent, it made me miss the one we would go to as a family each year at the Big Red Barn in Santaquin, UT. For you Utah folks, go visit this pumpkin patch. And while you're there, if you wouldn't mind, take a hayride, enjoy the view, and find the perfect pumpkin for me.

Swimming class

We signed the girls up for swimming classes at the YMCA this fall. It's a 4 week program with 2 classes a week.

Their teacher's name is Mr. Mike. This is Eliza here - she wouldn't let go of Mr. Mike's arm - I was by the side of the pool as they were practicing and overheard him trying to reassure her that she would be okay and he wouldn't let go of her. She seemed a bit apprehensive about everything except for holding onto the pool wall. Isabelle on the other hand was quite adventurous. I would've never pictured their personalities developing this way.

Here they are after class was over. They were disappointed they couldn't stay and play. Another mom there asked me halfway through class if they were twins. A common question. I didn't think to ask her the same thing. I found out after class was over that the three other kids in the class were triplet girls...two identical, one fraternal. Their mom's name? Kim.

Weird.

One of the most exciting things about having the girls in this class for me is that I get to see them being independent, relying on another adult for instruction and growth, and socializing on their own with other kids. I know a lot of parents get sad as they see their children grow up, but the dominating emotion I'm feeling is excitement and anticipation at seeing each of them grow and develop into their own person.

Fun at the Fair

Friday night found us at the Tulsa State Fair. Taber was busy working so we went with one of my friends, Amberlyn, and her son Hunter. We had such a great time, despite the chilly weather, riding rides and eating fair food! Here are the highlights:

This was Eliza's favorite ride by far.
She had them spinning really fast.

I was scared to death on this one - not for me, but for my little (usually wiggly) 3-year-old in the swing in front of me. I was so worried that she would slip right out of the swing. I kept shrieking at Eliza, "Hold on, Hold oooonn!"

Can you understand my concern?

The only thing between her and the cement was one small rod in between her legs. But to my surprise, the girls seemed to really enjoy this ride. I was worried they would get up in the air and flip out. Instead, when we started swinging, they started giggling with delight. I'm glad I got to share it with them.

We saved the best for last. All five of us went up in the Ferris Wheel. This was a personal request.

Amberlyn and her sweet son Hunter

What $117.74 bought me today

A new fall wardrobe for my two little darlings, including:
-One super-cute green corduroy jacket
-2 dresses
-4 skirts
-6 pants
-11 tops
-3 pairs of pajamas
-2 wooden puzzles
-2 extra large Princess coloring books

I went to a huge baby/kid consignment sale for the first time this spring here in Owasso. It was like entering a whole new world. I found some great stuff for cheap. So when I heard about the fall sale, my ears perked up. I decided that I wanted to get more involved, so I prepared about 20 items to consign and also signed up to volunteer. Volunteering entailed passing out flyers and 300 postcards to local businesses and delivering a home-cooked meal one night for other volunteers who are working at the sale. No sweat. In return, you make 5% more on your consignments and you get to shop earlier than other people (which is key, I've discovered, in the consignment world).

Spending more than $100 on kid's clothing in one shot might seem like a small fortune to some, but if I had bought all that I did new, it would have cost at least double, or more, than what I paid. Each clothing item cost about $4. But that doesn't include the items that I consigned, from which I expect to get $50. Factoring all that in, I got some really cute stuff for the girls for about $2 a pop. I wish I knew where my camera is hiding so I could take pictures of my spoils. A majority of the stuff I bought came from stores like Children's Place, Gap, Old Navy, Carter's - some of my personal kid favorites - and I don't mention that to sound like a brand snob, but just to show that the clothes you can find at these sales are in style, cute stuff you'd find hanging on the racks in those same stores, but for a much higher price.

It's taken me three years to get to this point. Not everything I buy for my babies has to be brand spankin' new. I don't know how many of Isabelle and Eliza's brand-new shirts have been stained in the first few minutes of wearing them. I don't need or want that added stress in my life. If my girls spill on, rip, grass stain, or otherwise destroy an article of clothing that was handed down or bought for cheap, I can roll with that a lot easier than if it were new.

This is how I see it now (and you're free to disagree with me): Just as brand-new cars lose value the minute they're driven off the lot, brand-new clothes lose much of their initial value the first time they're worn, washed and dried, or get ketchup/grape juice/chocolate milk/various bodily fluids(etc. etc. etc. etc...) spilled all over them.

If you're a mom of young kids wanting to save some pennies, you should definitely check this website out.

3 year old logic

Last night before bed, Eliza said our family prayer.

Good opening. Great closing. However, the content of her prayer included only one misguided request.

Please bless the food.

They have had trouble with this since they first started saying prayers. I've tried to help them realize we don't need to bless the food when we're going to bed. I repeated this again last night and asked her to try again.

She sat there and thought for a minute.

Good opening. Great closing. Again, her prayer included a single request.

Please bless not the food.

I just sat there and giggled.

It's a love/hate thing

I love technology sometimes. Other times, I hate it.

Like the time our laptop crashed and we lost years worth of pictures. Years of my life stored on this little tiny machine, vanished in a matter of seconds. And not just any pictures, but pictures from our first year of marriage, from our stint in France; you know, irreplacable stuff. I learned a valuable lesson that day. Don't put 100% faith in technology - ever. Your computer does not love your pictures as much as you do. No sweat of its back if you lose your term paper.

Or like the time when I thought that it would simplify my life if I changed my email address. Now I just have twice as much junk mail to sort through.

Or like the time when I accidentally deleted our blog.

Curse you, google. Curse you.