Little Warrior

This little man is a trooper. He's had double ear infections for about 8 weeks now, and, other than his poor sleeping habits, you wouldn't know it. We have tried three different antibiotics in this time, and the verdict is in: we're headed for tubes. And as soon as possible. Like maybe this week or next.

All I know is if the kid can smile this brilliantly with all that going on, it's going to be even more amazing when he feels 100% well.

I'm doing well. November is a quick one, eh? Seems it was just beginning a moment ago, and now we're halfway through!

I just love this time of year. I'm taking advantage of the energy I feel. In the past week and a half, I've organized, ordered and received 733 photo prints from the last 8 months of life with four kiddos. I've sorted the kids' shoes. (This task should be in caps and boldface for how essential it had become.) I've organized the photos for my fourth pregnancy scrapbook and envisioned zipping through it in a session or two. I've reviewed and critiqued the first proof of a new design and theme for this very blog. I've been able to spend time at work catching up on things that had been neglected during the event-heavy October. I've gotten a nice leap on Christmas shopping. And I've spent truly quality time with each of my four children and my husband. If I can do all that in two weeks, I must be in pretty good shape.

Oh yeah, and I started an arm workout for my best friend's wedding... which is in ten days. Think it'll help? Ha! I'm also writing my maid of honor speech in my head, which is a great way to start something you really care about writing.

And, finally, I'm working on my own little Thanksgiving project. I'll tell you more about that one next time! Keep reading.

Something More

We're full throttle into Halloween weekend around here. The pirate, Power Ranger, dinosaur and Mickey Mouse are all ready to go. I, Spider Girl, have a full slate of events scheduled this weekend, not only of the Halloween variety but of the wedding and baby variety as well. Joe Dirt is still out from last night's partying with the boys.

The pumpkins are carved; school parties are done. Now all that is left is a special family kid Halloween party and Trick-or-Treat. But along with that comes the opportunity to be something else, something more or something different.

And, after we're done with all of this, we get to enjoy November, a beautiful girl's 8th birthday and a gracious Thanksgiving celebration of blessings, family and food. And, oh yeah, after that it's a month of family, good food, shopping, friends, and some of the best days of the year at Christmas.

So it's no wonder that we love this time of year! Here's to fall and family and friendships and the act of weaving fun into everything. (Photos to come.)

Be safe out there tonight. Be yourself, but be something different, something more.

Right Where I Need to Be

Ahhh, life. I'm happy, busy, stressed, tired, loved and blessed... usually all at once. I am holding on to my reasons, my job, my blog, my dreams. I trust that I am exactly where I need to be.

Where I needed to be this past weekend was Lake Tweet. And the Waterford Fair. And, on Friday, saying goodbye to a cousin gone too soon.

Summer is ending. This weekend marks the back-to-school part of our annual happenings. I'm ready. It was a good summer, but I'm always happy to welcome fall. We still camp, we still have those rare days when we're all in the house, bored with each other or ready to pull our hair out with the housework. Those things are part of my summer too, and part of my life. And I'll still do these things, no matter the season.

Fall brings cooler temps, crisp air, the apple and leaves scents I love. The mums, the Octoberfest, Halloween, the celebration of the birth of my first babe, Thanksgiving. Yes. I will admit it, as if it isn't already known: I'm in love with fall. With the feeling of promise that "back-to-school" brings and the anticipation of the winter holidays.

It will all be here soon enough. But tonight, let's take another look at summer. All photos from Lake Tweet!




Stay tuned, as I'm scheming and planning for tomorrow night's second annual "Back-to-School Feast" and hoping to pull off another sweet sendoff for the kiddos.

Now, I need to get where I need to be: in my bed with my hubby with all my chicks safely sleeping in our nest.

Hitting the Brakes

I have been absolutely clobbered by how fast life seems to be going lately. My little girl, who will be seven in a couple of weeks, is less than a foot shorter than me! And I'm not short. Max is becoming a little man and teaching me the names of farm machinery we see working in fields as we hurtle down the highway in the Mommy-mobile, which always has someplace to be ten minutes ago. Colby is trying to master the English language, but so far only has "dada," "mama" and "puppy" down pat. He is working on saying "Lily," which sounds more like "Yiyi."

And every time I look at the calendar, I do a double take. October 20th already. (It's actually a very cool date: 10.20.2010.) I'm determined that life won't be what happens when I'm making other plans, as the saying goes. I'm loving fall, planning a birthday party and reveling in the anticipation of my three favorite holidays--Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas--all lined up in a row, like the gifts they are.

And I'm taking time for photos like these. I'm sharing them and bragging on how cute these little people are. And, finally, I'm starting to picture that puffy, perfect, gorgeous face of the newborn I'll welcome this winter.

In spite of it all--the long days at work, the endless sibling squabbles, the awkward carries of toddler, belly and bags from the grocery store--I am so GLAD. I mean it, truly, when I say to my children, my reasons: You are worth it all.





Peace to you and yours.

Time Marches On

I snapped these photos of the kids last fall. While we're still not quite to this stage of crisp air and fallen leaves, I feel it coming soon. These three are all a year older and less innocent, and we have another one on the way.

Speaking of the baby, I have begun to feel my flutters! On Tuesday, while eating lunch at the counter in a Chinese restaurant by myself, I felt a ballet of movements very low in my belly and realized, Hey, that's the little one. I looked around and was tempted to tell the stranger to my left, a woman who probably would have reacted happily, but convinced myself not to blab. I'm trying to get better about not sharing random information with strangers.

Again tonight, I felt those flutters. Hello in there! We're actually hoping to find out, via ultrasound, what we are having later this month. This will be the first time we've ruined that delivery room surprise, but I'm excited to know early!

As for the kids who are out and about, Lily got a burn on Sunday after touching the pressure washer Shrek was using on the decks. It was tough; she cried and screamed off and on for three hours. But I've deemed the burns second-degree, have been taking great care of them all week, and think they look like they are healing well.

Mr. Max had preschool orientation last night. This morning, he made my day on the way to the sitter's when he said, "Hey Mommy. Did you know some busses don't have noses? Some busses' noses are squished!"

Finally, Colby has a cold or something, which we'll diagnose at his check-up in the morning. But he's a happy, happy guy most of the time!

So, time marches on. As the song goes, everything changes, everything cha-e-an-ges.......