Happy Halloween

I really should give my kids candy more or expand their knowledge of different types of candy. They are into suckers and M&M's. Next year I am going to train them to pick the Snickers bars for me! They started out with a bang, and didn't last as long as I thought. I jumped ship to hang with my friend Anne after a few houses and sent Rob out with another dad with the wagon stocked with children and beer. The kids came back with some candy, but not near as much as I thought. I was hoping for more snicker bars. I think it was more of a leisurely stroll with a few stops. They were more thrilled to come pick me up and play with their friends than they were over their buckets of candy. We have fire chief Mason pictured with his fellow fireman Parker. Superman Sam is out to save the world, maybe from the Ellery Monkey.

Carving

Our annual pumpkin carving was held today. A bit later than what I originally planned, but fun. If you haven't discovered the little LED candle tea lights I highly suggest them. You don't have to worry about lighting the candle and the wind blowing it out or tipping over yadda yadda yadda. It actually has a flicker to the light to resemble the candle light. Ooo la la!
Mason picked out the scary pumpkin template and he worked with Rob on carving it. He is posing with his Jack-O-Lantern and giving his scary face as well.
Ellery went with a more loving approach and chose a cat template. She was excited it matched her shirt, she was unable to give me a cat face when asked. She went with posing instead and showing off her shirt next to her jack-o-lantern.

Muuuaahhhhhhhhh
(I always think of my friend Kim when I give the scary laugh. She does it really well and inspired me to try and I need to keep practicing.)

Pumpin Patch Last Call

We hit the patch one last time today, it was a gorgeous day. We couldn't waste it by staying home because we would end up working and doing projects rather than being outside and enjoying a non windy day here in NE. We met Elon and her parents and went all over the patch. Fun was had by all! I love the fall, my favorite season! I also love kettle corn and get it at the patch, til next year sweet popped corn!

School Halloween Party

Mason had his class Halloween party today. You are seeing correctly, that is Ellery in her monkey costume in the class picture. I am second chair as a room mom and also in charge of capturing class photos and sharing for the group. I did try to pull her out, but the group kept telling me to leave her. I decided rather than trying to corral Ellery with me, just let her join in on the fun. She was very well behaved and thrilled to be a part of the party. The first chair room mom was putting the kids into groups and Ellery started going with the first group without hesitation. She was so confident in her walking and determination no one questioned her. I guess if you walk with authority and confidence no one else will tell you No. I did pull her back and put her in Mason's group. I also caught the astronaut pushing and patting her monkey belly repetitively even though Ellery kept telling him "No Thank You". He was intrigued with her stuffed protruding belly that he either hugged or patted her. Mason enjoyed his party as a fire fighter. He didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Nothing to report other than a typical fun he had at the party, his sister took the attention for this one. She took it so much that the teacher, Mrs. Hirth, said we should make her a Valentine box for the Valentines Day party! I did finally convince him to take off his fire extinguisher accessory so he could enjoy himself a bit more. If you want to peek at more pictures of the party go to https://www.me.com/gallery/#100017
login and password: hirth.

More Big Pumpkins

We are loving the big pumpkins, well maybe not Bryson.

Bryson 3 Months

I can't believe the little man is already 3 months. He is changing and growing every day. He is really starting to coo and talk, and we have only gotten a few giggles out of him. He has also rolled himself over once, I am pretty sure it was by accident. He does enjoy his tummy time, but not for more than 10 min. He loves sitting in the bumbo and looking around. We usually pluck him in the center of what we are doing and he is thrilled by all the stimulation and action. He is also loving laying on his play mate and looking at all it has to offer. He loves to smile, actually he is either smiling or has a serious look on his face. I think he is going to be a deep thinker by the way he looks around and takes it all in with a look of a hint of scowling. It isn't uncommon for him to lay and play for 20-30 min. He isn't much of a napper during the day, but he is eating 6 times a day like clock work. His last feed is usually around 9:30 and he sleeps until 6,7, or 8. I am loving that! I just need to get to bed as soon as he is done eating rather than get things done around the house! He is a joy and a true gift to all of us, he really does complete the family. Sweet sweet little man!

Big-Bigger-Biggest Pumpkins

Cousin Cody came through for a visit and brought us some home grown pumpkins. Em R Sum Big Ens! He grew these up on the farm, and while he is rather proud he is a bit disappointed. He kept telling me these were planted 45 days late so you can only imagine how much bigger they could have gotten. We are proud of them and thankful he shared them with us! The kids really enjoyed playing on them!

A New Game

I wish I could get the video prior to this one to load, but I have been unsuccessful. Mason came up with a new game, it is basically tag, but you have to tag ones bottom. It was really cute listening to him explain his rules, but I suggested we change it to the hand game, and Ellery really liked that idea. She also likes to get her picture taken or video taken after Mason and hers turned out pretty cute as well!

A-S-S Popsicles

I thought I would make some pedialyte popsicles for the kids. They are now referred to as A-S-Sicles. Awful doesn't give them justice on how bad they taste. We have never tasted A-S-S, but if we did this is what we think it would taste like.
We have tried every color of the rainbow of gatorade to encourage Ellery to drink and she has refused them all. After tasting these, I understand why she refuses to drink anything I offer her. I feel terrible, I got the kids all excited to have a popsicle before bath time, so I made them get in the bath tub to eat them. They asked if they could have two and I said why not, of course you can. So they were double fisting the popsicles and Ellery tasted first and gave them back to me. Mason looked at like she was crazy for giving them up and then took one big lick of his and quickly unloaded them to me as well. I then took a lick and it was a double winking lick, TERRIBLE. Doesn't even touch how bad they were!

Ralph Continues his visit

I finally had to take Ellery to the Dr. today. She spent all night Thursday, most of Friday day and night tossing her cookies. She also refused to eat or drink. I am ok with her not eating, but she can't not drink. We hit the pediatricians office Saturday morning. They took some blood to the lab and we learned she had a bicarb of 13. A low number for kid not drinking so if Ellery didn't start drinking more we would land ourselves for another visit to get IV fluids. I really didn't want to do that to her, so I chased her with a syringe full of pedialyte or gatorade every 30 min to get fluids in her. It wasn't a pleasant experience for anyone, but kept her out of the hospital. She was very impressed by her "big" bandaid. They put a piece of gauze under the bandaid and she wouldn't let me take it off all until the end of the day. Oh, it was a stressful day!

Ralph

Oh me oh my! Ellery spent a whole night puking every hour. I was amazed at how fast you could teach a two year old to puke in a bowl/bucket. Poor thing. I was also amazed at how much could come out of her. What goes in must come out, but wow it looks like a lot when it doesn't come out correctly. She didn't get much sleep, went through tons of sheets, I finally just gave up and threw a towel over her bed along with on the floor to protect it. She didn't sleep much or very well, but I would find her in interesting positions when she finally did sleep. I have put some serious extra miles on my washing machine. Thank goodness you can't lease washers because I would have gone over my miles and then some over this ordeal.

Trunk or Treat

Mason's school had a trunk or treat for the kids. It is when people decorate the trunk of their cars and hand out candy as kids walk through the parking lot. They also had a mini fall festival inside the center as well. Needless to say the kids had a great time getting candy and showing off their costumes. Mason was fun to watch. He couldn't figure out how to get the candy if the person didn't just drop it in his bucket. He wouldn't let go of his fire hose and had to hold the bucket with the other hand, it was humorous watching him try to hold the hose and pick up a piece of candy and then try to drop it in his bucket. I offered no help in the situation, just found it amusing to watch.
Ellery was infatuated with Think 1 and Think 2. I thought this was precious of her checking it out. Cat in the Hat is a real big hit in our house and seeing real "things" was a dream come true for her.
Rob and I put on our cool do's for the evening. I got a chuckle when people would comment on his hair and I would say that is his real hair in a real serious voice. People who knew us thought it was hysterical while people who didn't know us didn't know how to react. Mullets give me the creeps, they are like train wrecks, you can't help but stare!

Halloween Preview

Bryson had no choice or input in his costume this year. His siblings wore the chicken costume and it is only fair that we captured him in the chicken as well. Funny how we bought it off the sale rack at Old Navy right before Halloween for Mason. Wasn't our first pick, but for a good price and in his size we couldn't resist. It has brought us joy over the years!
Next we have the repeat monkey. Originally Ellery wanted to be a clown. She has stated she wanted to be a clown all month long. I bought the clown wig, make-up, and a few accessories. She wore the wig around while I was looking through the closet to see what would work for clown attire. While looking in the closet, I found Mason's old monkey costume. I showed it to Ellery and the clown idea was dust in the wind. We now were dead set on being a monkey.
Next we have rescue fire fighter Mason. We have been through many ideas on what we wanted to be this year. We were going to be Buzz Lightyear, then a racecar/astronaut/firefighter. We then finally settled on just a fireman. When I asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween and the answer was consistently a fireman, that is when I decided we could make the purchase. He is thrilled and I found the inflatable fire extinguisher for him to wear and it just makes the costume. Too cute!
I didn't prepare myself for this year on costumes. I really thought I could have one more year on bending and molding them into a cute duo of some sort that I picked out. Salt and Pepper, Batman and Robin, King and Queen, etc. Thank goodness I have a few more years to bend and mold Bryson.

Skyfari

Thanks to our friend Stacey, we have a picture to share of us on the skyfari.

A is for Adventure

Oh the adventures we can have at the zoo. A is for adventure...they put a new Skyfari in at the zoo. Ellery spotted it and requested to ride. I was shocked that she stuck with her decision. I put Bryson in the sling and hopped on for a round trip Skyfari ride. (it is like a ski lift ride but around the zoo so you can see the animals.) The kids loved it! I have to admit it is a bit freaky riding high over the animals at the zoo and not having your kids buckled in. If they were rambunctious kids they could have easily squired away and plundered into the leopard lairs. Yet in all of the adventures to be had or not have, it was a gorgeous fall day to spend outside at the zoo.

Love to Swing

This is who should be in the swing.













This is who I sometimes find.

















This is usually who is in the swing. The girl loves to swing. I am shocked that the swing is holding up for how many times I have had to shooo her out of it. They need to make a swing for older kids that can hang on the door frame. I would never get her out of it.

Sweet Boy

Each stage brings me more joy than the previous one and the stages we are in are pretty joyous, so I guess I just have a joyful life! Blessed Blessed Blessed is what we are!

Mason has come up with some funny statements. I didn't write them all, but here are a few of my favorites from this past week.
*Mommy may I have a no picture piece of paper aka a blank piece of paper.
*Look mommy they got a new house. (his response after a fresh paint of coat was applied to a house)
*Mason's way of asking for a favor: Mom would you be nice to me and take my dirty socks and put them in the laundry room for me?
*After having a really bad day and explaining to the kids that mommy is cranky and doesn't know what she needs. Mason states he knows what I need and came and gave me a hug. Talk about tear jerker!

Sweet Girl

This is her "nooohhhh" face. It is her your being silly mom and you should stop. I think she is adorable in pig tails, I always seem to capture my favorite pictures of her in them.











This is Ellery's "Please Mom" look. She says it in the sweetest voice that is hard to resist.

She Thinks My Tractors Sexy

Mason likes the older girls. Brielle celebrated her 5th birthday recently and all Mason has talked about was how he wanted to turn 5 before her. I explained the process of only having a birthday once a year and you can't skip ahead or say you are 5 when you aren't. I think the conversation went well and the concepts sunk in? I guess only time will tell. He now asks how much longer til his next birthday or it is July yet mom? I also date myself and give away my roots on the she thinks my tractors sexy. Being from western Kansas one didn't have a lot of choices of radio stations and it wasn't uncommon to find yourself listening to the country ones. Remember this is pre ipods, pandora, and cd players coming standard in cars. I didn't have a cd player in my first car! I don't do listen to country now, but I listened to a lot back in the day. Brielle and Mason still have a great connection and that could be a song he could sing her. I think he is adorable on the tractor.

Bryson Chuckle

I wish I could have caught it on camera, but Mason let out a chuckle today. More like a squeal followed by a big belly laugh. Not so funny thing is that he was looking at me when he found something oh so funny??????
None of the other kids were big belly laughers, I hope Bryson is!

Vala's Fire Pit

We rented a fire pit at our pumkin patch and invited friends out to roast hot dogs and smores. It was a perfect night and fun was had by all. *Note: Mason's first official "girl" friend, Brielle is sitting beside him.

We hit the pumpkin patch earlier this season, but didn't take the time to watch the pig races. Mason was devastated about it and even shed a tear. We made sure to watch the races this time. They pick kids to represent each pig and the winning pig's representer receives a pig nose. A friend of mine took the kids to the races a second time where Mason was picked and his pig one. We are now proud owners of a pig nose.

My little piggies from youngest to oldest.

Diaper Check

Mason still loves holding Bryson, the newness is not wearing off? He does however freak out when Bryson relieves himself while he is holding him. If I wasn't standing right beside him I think he would have jumped up and tossed the baby in fear of getting stool on himself. Bryson has been known to have big blow outs and leak stool out. No one is a fan, but Mason is really squeamish about it. In Mason's words. Ewwwwwwwwwww

Love the Kitty

One would think DC would bolt the other way when she sees Ellery approaching. I think DC secretly dreams of her life prior to dogs and kids. She is a good cat, she has her claws and tolerates this? I guess any attention she can get these days she'll take, poor thing is just desperate.

Cafe Mason

We found Tiernan's Pub and also Cafe Mason while out in San Fran. We now have a goal to find a Bryson or Ellery restaurant.

Tiernan's Irish Pub

What are the odds, really. For those of you who don't know, Rob was in LOVE with the name Tiernan. I am lucky Bryson wasn't a girl because I think we would have had a major disagreement on what to name him(I made him promise that if something happened to me I wouldn't wake up to a baby named Tiernan). I should have taken a video of Rob to show his excitement. It was fate we found the bar. We were off the eat on the wharf and taking a cab when I decided in route to switch our drop off to Ghirardelli Square. I wanted some chocolate to eat after our dinner. On our walk back down to the wharf we passed the bar and of course we had to capture the moment. *Note Rob turned the stroller so we couldn't see Bryson in it, I secretly thing he wanted to pretend it was Tiernan inside the stroller just for a bit.

Happy 9th Anniversary

The big niner for us this year! We opted out on buying gifts this year and used this trip to San Francisco as our celebration. We have celebrated by exploring the city and having wonderful dinners out every evening together and sleeping together in a luxurious hotel. Where I don't have to clean, cook, or do laundry.
If you don't want to hear my mushy love talk just move along and quit reading now.
For those who don't know Rob I can give a quick run down on why I love him so much. It is hard to believe that we have been married for 9 years and known each other for over 12. Wow time really does fly by.
He is a man who loves his family in all aspects. He is very loving and probably the most patient person I know. He had been extremely patient with me over the past 9 years and if anyone knows me I am sure no one would use the word patient to describe me. He has a very long fuse where I have a teeny tiny fuse. He rarely loses his cool or lets angry lead his life or decisions. I am very grateful he lets his fuse burn while helping me keep my fuse from blowing. He tends to live by the rule if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything. He is so non-judgmental and I hope this is something he passes onto our kids. He is even steven a bit reserved, but not shy. He is your friend the minute you meet him and has a hard time saying no to helping you out. He is good at whatever he tries or picks up in athletic abilities to having useless knowledge in his brain. He moves at a pace where he thoroughly enjoys life. If we want to stop and take a detour it is viewed as an adventure rather than an inconvenience. He teaches me things I never thought possible, shows me how to think and view things in a different light, and loves me unconditionally. I thought I loved him so much 9 years ago, but as the years go by I fall deeper in love. He shows me how to love in a way I never thought possible and for that I am forever his.
He is a confident man who grabs you by the heart and you better hold on tight because he has a lot of Love to give! I am proud to call him my HUSBAND!

Muir Woods and Sausalito

While Rob was busy with is conference I took a bus tour to Muir Woods and Sausalito. I was able to walk through the woods and see the 700-1000 year old redwoods. They were spectacular and it was such a peaceful walk. Bryson was awake for most of the walk and what a beautiful view he had. I wish I could have been pushed around on my back looking up at these magnificent trees.
We left the woods and let me tell you the signs looked like something Ellery would draw. Hair pen turns and squiggly turns and luckily I got on the small bus instead of the big tour bus sized ones. I am not sure how the large tour buses go through those turns. I am just glad Bryson and I were on the short bus!




















We then went to Sausalito. There is a peace to Sausalito as well and I hear it was a wonderful place in its prime. The view is spectacular and the shopping was fun, but I think Internet really hurt some of these unique shops. It was fun looking at them, but it wasn't anything you couldn't find on the Internet. You can even get great art on the Internet now. What they did have was a Chinese massage parlor right on the strip of shopping. I pulled the stroller in so fast I could have given Bryson whip lash. I signed up for a 30 minute foot rub and I would have done more, but I had to be back on the bus in 30 min. I didn't get a "happy" ending, but I was in heaven being rubbed by big strong man hands.

Chinatown

Bryson and I headed to Chinatown after we hit the more traditional shops in Union Square. I was in a scarf buying mood and found some beautiful scarves for a really good deal. Bryson started crying in the process and the dealer started clapping her hands loudly and speaking to Bryson in Chinese.
I also was told to check out the fortune cookie factory. Bryson and I headed deep into Chinatown to find this factory. Since they used the word factory I was thinking it would take up a bit of a city block. I was wrong..After getting lost due to the fact that I was looking for a "factory" and I was deep into Chinatown where no one was speaking English or understanding a word I was saying. We are talking funny mystery things were hanging in the windows. I finally found a family whose 5 year old boy did some interpreting and put me in the right direction.

I headed up this "shady" alley to find the factory. Note the fancy graffiti.

It was a tiny room and very hot inside. I had uncovered Bryson because it was so warm and I woke him up. The Chinese lady inside started telling me "baby cold, cover him up" then went into a clapping fit and speaking to him in Chinese to comfort him. Must be something about clapping at a baby in the Chinese culture. I would love to know what they were saying to him.

This is how the fortune cookie is made. It comes off this hot press and the lady pulls the flat cookie off and puts the fortune inside. Then she folds it in half and then folds it over the metal bar and places it in the tray to cool. I was allowed to write my own fortunes and put them inside the cookie for only 50 cents a cookie. What a deal. I was shocked the factory was so small. She has a nice view of the graffiti in the alley.

Blue Grass Festival Take 2

Rob had official conference meetings today so Bryson and I were left to explore the city on our own. I decided we would hit the Blue Grass Festival again. My line up consisted of Indigo Girls, Randy Newman, Elvis Costello, and Patti Smith. Rob was jealous that I was going to get experience all these artists in one day without him. Bryson and I hit the public transportation circuit and made a few friends along the way. I should have taken pictures, but I failed to take any except when I was skipping out a bit early. See the sea of people, it was outrageous and tons of fun. I did learn that over 750 thousand people attended the event last year on one day. Also, Warren Hellman is a financial guru and gives this festival to the city every year for free in celebration of his birthday. This was the 10th year. My first acquaintance I made was a man named, Tim, openly gay and in his 60's. We had a great conversation on the bus and found out we were both heading to the same stage to start our day. He felt compelled to walk with me and show me the way. I didn't have the heart to tell him I knew exactly where to go, but it was nice knowing he was so willing to help. It was a shocker to him that I was from Omaha, NE and venturing out into the city on my own with a small child. I didn't ask him why, but I assume he stereotypes the midwest and pictures me being barefoot and pregnant. I did run into him a few times and it was fun saying "why hello Tim". I next met up with some hippies. I think they might have been some of the original hippies from the 70's just living like it is still 1977. I found a picnic table tucked away in the corner and used it as a changing table and was sitting with Bryson enjoying the music when the hippies joined us. They openly took out their marijuana and placed it on the table and rolled themselves a fat one. They were well mannered and offered some to me, I declined and pointed to the baby. They also would go into the woods to smoke it so Bryson and I didn't get a contact high. Oh so very thoughtful of them. We were also joined by an old man named Bruce who was carrying his body weight in cans of alcohol he bought at the nearby quickie mart. I really should have taken a picture of the eclectic group we made. It was a great time listening to the music and enjoying conversations with my new acquaintances for the day.
Lastly, my public transportation story. The bus would get packed on the way to and from the festival. I learned that it gets so packed that they the bus doesn't stop at other stops unless someone is getting off due to the fact we are packed in like sardines. I decided to walk through the park and get on the bus prior to a few other festival stops so I could get a seat since I had Bryson strapped to me. I was successful and by the 3rd stop the bus was filled. We are cruising home and not having to stop much due to full capacity when we stop all the sudden and the driver dons on big black gloves and pulls a crank on the back of the bus. Bad news, our bus broke down and I am supposed to be meeting Rob. I allotted enough time for a non broken bus. We all get off the bus and some people start walking to a different station immediately. I keep hope that a bus will come and not be as full so I can hop on, wrong. When the fifth bus passed without even a brake, I decided to get creative and walk off the beatin path a few blocks and hop on another bus. I have no idea where it is taking me. Rob was texting me and asked where I was and how much longer I would be, and I responded with I am on an adventure. My adventure worked out for me. I ended up on the other side of the street from where my original bus would have dropped me off. BONUS, I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. Plus I was only a few minutes late in meeting Rob. That is because I didn't stop by the hotel to freshin up

Wine Country

We were going to rent a car and drive up to wine country, but then decided to do the tourist bus trip. We could sip our wine without dumping because we could walk back to the bus to take us to our next winery. We just carted Bryson along. We did get a few high fives along the way along with strange judgment stares from people. We hung with the high fivers over the staring people. We hit a few winers both quaint and small along with big and commercialized. We were able to taste in both Napa and Sonoma. It was a great day. We also ate lunch in Yountville where they have a wonderful bakery. I stood in line for a good 10 min and it was well worth it. It is called Bouchon, and they have a signature chocolate treat called the Bouchon that is to die for. I am thinking about ordering something in the mail just to get another tasty treat, I'll have to look to see if they even offer this option.