Thursday, October 30, 2008

Pumpkin Festival 2008









It was hot this year, but we couldn't miss our annual visit to the DBG's Pumpkin Festival. Colin chose his pumpkin first, and Nate took a long time choosing the perfect pumpkin. We thought Lydia would be more excited than she was, since every time we walk past pumpkin decorations in the store she goes crazy. It was a busy weekend, between the party and pumpkin patch and me having to prep for my first class in almost 8 years -- but it was fun and everything was accomplished.

Click here to look at last year's pictures!

5th Annual Halloween Party

Luke Skywalker and Jungle Power Red Ranger





For the last 5 years, we've hosted a kids' Halloween costume party. This year we had 24 kids attend. Everyone has lots of fun and every year I'm thankful we have a large yard!

Walking with a Dog, Kids and a Stroller


Walking with a Dog, Kids and a Stroller is my new post over at Prevention.com.

Beulah is a good dog and has learned to walk with the stroller very well. Her coloring has come in now that she's older and she is full of energy.

Posted using ShareThis

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Lydia at 18 months

Here's our sweet princess sitting in the tree in front of our house. She is smart, independent, friendly, and full of energy.

When she gets into something she shouldn't and she's caught, she'll start blowing kisses (in hopes you don't notice she's emptying the trash can, for instance.) We recently had to put a lock on the pantry because she would pull Tupperware from the lower shelves to use as stepping stools to reach the higher shelves. She does not think the lock is a good idea at all.

We think she's a big girl, until we meet toddlers 4 or 5 months younger and they're taller than she is. She's perfectly proportioned, however -- right down to her Buddha belly.

She loves to read books, and prefers books with real photographs and/or animals. According to her, every animal growls, but we're working on teaching her a wider range of animal sounds.

She loves to go places, and when you announce you're going "bye bye truck" she is the first one at the door. When we come home with packages, she is adamant that she help by bringing bags into the house (a lesson her brothers should learn!)

She is not a picky eater. She is willing to try anything, and likes almost everything. Tonight she enjoyed a bowl of chili with a side of applesauce. She thinks everyone should share their food and drink (especially their drinks) with her.

She runs like crazy and climbs like a monkey. Overall, she's doing great.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Autumn Fitness Goals

Over at Prevention, I shared my Autumn Fitness Goals. Do you make new goals each season? Click on over and share your goals in my comment section!

I know this picture has NOTHING to do with exercise, but it's one of my favorites. It's from our pumpkin patch visit a couple years ago. Amazingly, Colin actually chose his pumpkin first this year (but he did trade it out later for one that was lighter and easier to carry.)

I'm still working on saving my photo database. Hopefully I'll be back posting new pictures later this week.

Posted using ShareThis

Thursday, October 23, 2008

lack of pictures

I have to apologize for the lack of pictures. My photo software decided that 35G of pictures was too many and I've been trying to back up and ensure that I don't lose any of my pictures so I haven't added any new ones to my computer. I hope to have it straightened out by early next week so I can update with Halloween party pictures, pumpkin patch pictures and more.

If you've ever thought of using mozy.com for online backup, be aware that 35G can take over 7 days to upload. I'm thinking my connection stinks.

And just a note - I'm happy to receive Shutterfly gift certificates so I can print more of these pictures and not leave them hostage on my computer. Just in case anyone was thinking of getting me a gift.

Frugal Pain Relievers

Over at Prevention, I wrote about ways we save money on pain relievers. Writing this post made me realize that I need to make some more rice packs for our freezer . . . now just to find the time to make them!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

love of sleep

If you know me at all, you probably know I love to nap and sleep. Over at Prevention, I wrote a post about how I get a better night's sleep. I didn't mention how Bo & I used separate blankets for more than 10 years so we wouldn't fight over the blankets at night. LOL!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

What are you handing out for Halloween?


Over at Prevention.com, I talked about how I buy candy I don't like to hand out to prevent me from eating it all :) What do you give out on Halloween?

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Sweet Potato Fries

I love sweet potatoes. This recipe is a simple one that you can scale bigger if you need. Only me & L eat sweet potatoes around here, so I usually make fries with one or two potatoes.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Video of Lydia

Someday I'll learn to edit video, but here's some raw footage of Lydia from tonight. She's doing a funny thing with her tongue in parts because she has SIX teeth coming in at the moment and the new teeth are bugging her. And, yes, her bangs need trimming. I actually trimmed them after her bath, which happened after this video.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Who's That?

If you're a fan of Calvin and Hobbes, you may recognize the costume . . . (dressing up in dad's clothes to appear taller / older?) Yes, he's been reading a lot of Calvin and Hobbes these days.

Posted by express command of the giant walking Pooh

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Helping Dry Skin


With an annual relative humidity rate of 28%, dry air is a constant in Arizona. I wrote about ways to help avoid dry skin over at Prevention.com

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Skin Cancer Awareness

I am trying to instill habits in my kids at a young age to protect them from skin cancer when they are older. Read my post over at Prevention to see what I encourage!

This picture of Colin was from the summer of 2007! I didn't realize how much he's changed in a year until I looked at this picture.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Busy busy days make for restful nights




Sorry for the lack of posts lately. It's been go-go-go around here and I just haven't picked up the camera. I was doing some other work last night that needed a picture, though, so I took a moment and snapped these shots of my sleeping babes.

See that blue seahorse in the corner of Lydia's crib? NEVER buy one for your babies as it plays music forever and goes off whenever it wants to, including the middle of the night. She absolutely adores it, though, so it's not going anywhere.

Colin has had that Pooh since his very first Christmas (thanks, Uncle Matt)

And, Nate has clutched Mickey almost since birth. I need to sew her face back together yet again today. I'm surprised there's any cloth left, but I'll do my best to pull together what's there.

Friday, October 03, 2008

What Does Autumn Mean To You?

Over at Prevention, I wrote about the changes that come with autumn in our home.

And, as a side note, did you know that Christmas is 12 weeks from yesterday? That doesn't sound like very long, does it?

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

oatmeal, yum!

Over at Prevention.com, I posted a recipe for slow cooked oatmeal. It's the perfect energy boost in the morning, and leftovers can be refrigerated and microwaved to make the yumminess last a few days!