Lauren and Chloe have always had a creative imagination and still like to dress up, just not as princesses anymore! Tonight found them engaging Noah in a loud and wild version of super heroes- the super savers, yes, they made up the name. They tore around the house "saving" people from fires and all sorts of disasters.
It's funny how the things we did as children that tormented our parents have a way of making a second appearance with our own kids, home layouts in this example. Before my parents remodeled last year they had a fantastic loop that circled through the formal living room around to a TV room and through the kitchen. As kids we used to whip around the loop chasing, yelling, being extremely obnoxious I'm sure. I remember Mom saying, "Quit running around the circle!"- more than once. Fast forward 20 years and here I am with a loop in my home. It circles through our sitting room and through the piano room. Although it is much smaller and doesn't boast those awesome swinging doors that we would bang so hard on my growing up loop, something about it screams to kids, "Run, run around me as fast as you can making as much noise as humanly possible!" It was fun to see them all play together, Noah loved wearing a dish-towel cape. I'm afraid we haven't seen the last of the super savers. Hmm, wonder if they could save my tomatoes? So I suppose in life what comes around goes around, literally, around and around and around and around and.......
super savers...
making me sad...
but not sad enough to actually try to salvage or cover the poor beauties. In my almost ready to give birth state the garden has kind of fizzled. I did dig out the carrots today though. Maybe looking out the kitchen window and seeing all the plants ruined by frost will motivate me to get out there and clean it up. The not-so-fun part of gardening, it's hard to see the season end...
earrings!
Yesterday was supposed to find Cody and I at our childbirth "refresher" class, but two women went into labor-the nerve- so it was canceled. My Mom was already in route to babysit so instead we all had lunch and then we girls went to the mall and boys went home to nap :)
I'm not too much of a mall-girl, I just get my business done and leave, but it was fun to mess around since it had been so long. We passed Claire's and the girls were again begging to get their ears pierced. We'd discussed it earlier, but the topic always seemed to not be brought up again and life went on. But this time I thought it might be time, good timing too since Noah was home, since we waited in line forever. They both said it hurt worse than they'd expected. I believe Chloe's words were "it hurt like your ears were being cut open." Such drama. Such drama.
It was just another one of those moments when as a mother I saw them grow up just a little bit more before my eyes. Like their first official haircut when they were 2, or seeing them chat on the phone with a friend. It's exciting and hard to take all at the same time. The bottom two pics are cell phone pics, (thanks Mom!)
That night we went to the symphony which performed Saint-Saen's Carnival of the Animals. I love that they're old enough to go with me and that we have a symphony here in town. Thanks for the fun memories Lauren and Chloe!
fire and wedding gifts...
That title got your attention right? I guess it's time to end your sewing session when your iron starts sparking and the cord falls off in your hand. I've had issues with this iron for awhile now, it's burned a few holes in several pieces of fabric so I wasn't too sorry to see it croak. They-whomever they are- say deaths happen in threes. The first to go was my tea kettle last week. Every morning I brew a big pot of pregnancy tea to sip on all morning. Had Noah not lost my whistle I would have heard it when I went downstairs to paint. TWO hours later the phone rings and for once I decide to race-as fast as my pregnant belly can- upstairs to answer it. (It's always a toss-up, an important call or another "who are you voting for this election," blah.) It was a counselor in our R.S. Pres. Luckily nothing worse than "Oh crap!" came out since she and Noah were hearing my discovery. Poor little thing, I couldn't detach it from the burner. The whole conglomeration went into the trash. I'm now the proud owner of the shiny kettle you see here, with a built in whistle I might add for us multi-tasking folks who forget we're brewing tea.
The second mishap was also just not paying attention. After making a delish peach pie which leaked all over the bottom of the oven and then not cleaning it up and turning on the oven and cooking the burned remains a second time, I reached inside to lift up the hot coil??!! (mental lapse) with a hot pad of course and completely burned the pad. Noah screamed "fire" and I quickly dunked it into the sink. Very disturbed, he wouldn't even touch the torched thing.
And then this morning, he again had to see the iron incident and has been telling and re-telling how the iron "shoots fire." Hope I haven't scarred the guy.
And how all this relates to wedding presents... Cody and I registered at a local small town furniture/appliance store. Among our gifts were this $10 iron. I could wax sentimental and think about all the cute dresses and other things made with it's help, but I'm just mostly glad I can get a new one now! Anyway after nine years we finally got a new TV stand last week also. I thought I might try to re-purpose it somehow as a night stand for Chloe, but at that point I just wanted to see it gone, terrible I know. It got me thinking of all the gifts that have come and gone sooner that others. Our can opener for instance, died the first month. Is that a bad omen for your marriage? I've been through several mixers and blenders also, maybe I'm just a brutal cook, or are things just not made like they used to be? I do know where my mentality stems from however, and that is my childhood. My Dad, bless his mechanical skills, was able to fix anything. I grew up using my parents green wedding mixer, a wired together toaster and an old yellow can opener. When each one died the phrase, "Didn't we get that for our wedding?" always seemed to follow. So I knew my parents had either been married a super long time, or the long life of small household appliances was somehow equated with a successful marriage. Well, Cody and I bombed out in that aspect, but I think our marriage is successful regardless! So here's to using it up, wearing it out, but hopefully not burning it up!
welcome October...
Happy fall, happy halloween, happy conference weekend. The girls have been out of school since Thursday and it's been enough days that we're almost all back to sleeping in, good thing school starts tomorrow! It's been nice to have them home, although they have needed something to keep them busy. Every year we go through the same issue. Lauren and Chloe would love to have a yard with tons of holiday decor for EVERY season of the year, me, not so much. We found a few fun crafts to do that I thought actually look cute. I know where they get there craft itchy though, so I can't complain too much, plus it's always fun once we get going. They still want to do a witch out front on the tree, we'll keep you posted.
I took less than 10 pictures in September, how pathetic. The camera didn't have batteries and I was seriously too busy to even worry about it. Our basement has been upgraded to "functioning" status. The first night we all rolled around on the new carpet like pigs in mud. It's been wonderful. The girls are back in their rooms and just a few details are left here and there to truly finish it. I feel like it's such a race against the clock, or this baby's clock! We pulled up carpet in the baby's room and will finish painting baseboards and getting a nice rug on the hardwood. Noah finally has a bed and he loves it. At bedtime after reading he says, "cuddle me Mom." Man, melting my heart like butter! That little guy is sweet.
I really loved what Pres. Monson was saying this morning, loving your children and all their messes because they grow so quickly. I see that just a little bit already in my life, eight years has flown by. I laughed and then felt kind of shocked when he talked of the elusive time of life when we can do whatever we want, it may never come :) I sometimes think how nice that will be, but as I look around me at people from all stages of life I realize that no matter what age or stage you're in, life is just plain busy in different ways. So I guess the challenge is to find a little bit of time now and then when we can do whatever we want, or life will march on and will be over before we know it. Good stuff in conference this weekend. I appreciate a refreshing weekend, home, with family, no church :) and uplifting messages. More later, hopefully not so much later...
guest author...
(Corrected for grammatical errors-which were few I might add :)
"Once upon a time there lived a girl named Katie. She loved to tell stories but no one liked them. Once day she decided to make a wand. But the wand could only take her places. So one day she made a wand, it took her to the mall. Why she made the wand was so she could find someone who liked her stories. One day her pet dragon came and said that he had found someone who had always wanted to hear one of her stories. So she got on her broom. The girl had yellow hair and freckles. When the girl saw her coming she ran inside and came out with her family. Her whole family looked like there dreams had come true." Ms. Lauren Hansen
