Dan and I had a nice weekend with Gemma and Brecken. how different it is to have 2 kids who sleep in and occupy themselves for hours at a time.
they do have one similar characteristic as sadie and laken---they can't sit beside each other without poking, kicking, hitting.....and they are even worse then the little ones at times.

Brecken got his heeleys that he has been wanting and wasted no time in breaking them in. we had a huge lunch at a chinese buffet (brecken's choice), did a little shopping, and rented the hulk to watch while eating our chocolate fondue--we dipped bananas, strawberries, marshmallows, and pretzels.....
I drove them home on sunday and picked up sadie and laken from grandmas. what a short weekend it was.

I love this tree

laken

recently Laken has developed an empathetic side to his personality
anytime I say ow or hurt myself in anyway Laken is at my side--"mommy are you otay? are you otay?" next he places his hands on either side of my face, looks me deeply in the eyes and plants a big kiss somewhere on my face
I can't get enough of this

one of my favorite things about fall........................

littles are going bye-bye

Laken and Sadie are going to spend two nights with grandma and papa this weekend--this kind of stay is old hat for sadie--she has been spending the night there since she was 6 weeks old.
Laken on the other hand is a different story--he was fussy and had colic has a little guy so absolutely nobody wanted to watch him for any length of time.
he has slept in dan and my bed maybe 2 times in his life. he loves his crib and his structured life with naps and bedtime--
I am a little apprehensive as to how the visit will go--it is not like grandma can call me and have me pop over--we are 3 1/2 hours away
but if it goes really well this may open doors for more visits and a real live vacation for mommy and daddy
crossing my fingers....

happy birthday brecken

My little man is 8 today--how the time just disappears

I still remember my water breaking about 8 am on Sunday october 22nd--8 years ago. I woke up in the am to go to the bathroom and I started gushing fluid everywhere--kind of freaky when that has never happened before--I took a shower while nathan called my doctor--we went in and I got hooked up and started the labor process only to have a c-section about 6 o'clock at night--I remember it was a rainy, dreary day and a perfect day to be inside having a baby:)

brecken is my sensitive child--he feels for everyone and is just a little empathetic guy. He loves his puzzles, reading, games..and can't find his shoes EVER--I love you Brecken

pumpkins

what happened to October? I blinked and it was already three quarters of a way over--and we had yet to make it to the pumpkin patch. Sadie had gone with her preschool class but it just wasn't the same....so on tuesday sadie, laken, and I went to seven oaks farm to check out the pumpkins......laken found a pumpkin just his size

photo contest entry

My favorite subject to snap pics of lately--(besides the kids) is nature--flowers, trees, anything outside..

the foliage outside right now is just amazing--and I am going to be snapping my little heart out this week

I passed!!

I passed my motorcycle endorsement course!!! two grueling days of learning everything about motorcycles including turning, stopping, weaving, swerving, changing gears, and on and on.....My head is so full of knowledge aboutit all: never swerve and brake at the same time, you should always coast over slippery surfaces like ice or oil, 70 percent of your braking power comes from your front brakes.......................
the class I took was through team oregon--amazing the amount of stuff you can learn in about 15 hours.
5 out of the 12 people in my class failed--they actually told one woman they highly recommended she stay off all motorcycles forever:)
I really stressed about not passing--with my hubby being a motorcycle expert and all--how embarrassed would he be if his wife wasn't coordinated enough to ride with him.
whoo hooo--one more thing to mark off my to do list---7 million more to go!

flying south

sometimes I wish I could fly south for the winter. although winters are mild here I still am a sucker for sunshine and clear skies.
I just happened to have my camera out to witness these geese making their way to warmer weather.
money is tight--I want to say screw it let's go to cancun but we are trying to be responsible these days and not spend money..

my little monkey loves to climb the lamppost outside of our house--she has actually made it to the top already....

new baby niece

my big sis had her baby today at 7:45 am--7 lbs and 21 inches--why they would induce at 9 pm at night is beyond me. the poor thing was in labor all night and got no sleep...

her name is tentatively anna

happy birthday baby beem!! congrats robin and jesse

unloading dishwasher

Laken helped unload the dishwasher--he was so proud

I love to blog but just have had an aversion to doing it lately--it is true therapy for me tho--so i need to get back into the groove

life is so busy-- with gemma and brecken back and forth this weekend, robin just had her new baby, work is getting busy with flu season starting and on and on.....

brecken will be 8 this month--he is such a happy, carefree little guy--no worries, hardly any responsibilities, and 2nd grade is a breeze for him..

I love fall--it is my absolute favorite season--we got our fall decorations out this weekend--lots of pumpkins, orange, scarecrows

the scent of the month for yankee candle is pumpkin spice--it is a small piece of heaven

the leaves are changing, there is frost on the car in the morning, i have pulled my sweaters and long sleeves out and put the summer clothes into tubs. daylight savings is around the corner--looking for yummy soup crockpot recipes

FALL IS HERE

Laken and I have a bedtime ritual every night--I wrap him in his choo choo blanket and carry him upstairs. He turns on the hall light and mommy and daddy's bedroom light. next he proceeds to jump on our bed for about 2-3 minutes--ending in jumping into mommy's arms. last night I was preoccupied with something else while laken was jumping on the bed--laundry or something evil like that. when i came back to carry laken to bed he was nowhere to be found....

the little guy had crawled into his crib by himself and was just so pleased with himself. almost 2 1/2 and never has crawled in or out of his crib by himself.
then again he wanted to crawl out by himself this morning.
looks like a toddler bed might be in our future......

My time in Iowa had come to an end. I am going to get up tomorrow morning at 3 Am and drive my rental car and myself back to Omaha and board a plane back to my babies in medford. bittersweet--I loved spending time with Robin and the kids. they are truly a joy to be around. Robin's due date is today--needless to say she is not contracting or having any labor signs.

I will miss the birth of my niece which makes me truly sad. I wish I could be here for robin --our kids would benefit from growing up knowing each other... it is what it is

we are planning a fall trip next year to see each other. the tetons---well pictures and more when i get home. I abhor flying so think about me in the air if you will.....