Happy Halloween!

It was another great evening! The kids were super cute and good this year! It was fun getting them ready and taking pictures...no major fits or costume problems. Everyone was really happy! We went to the neighborhood parade and then trick-or-treating. Knox only made it to one house, and that was by force. He truly did not care for any of it. He kept saying, "Inside, Inside." He loves being outside, so I know he was truly unhappy. I don't know if it was all the commotion, costumes, or just being tired of his boots and hat. He just did not want to do it. When Maisy and Carson came home with their candy he really wanted a "treat". He had already bathed, so we put some silly glasses on with his pjs and went next door. He did say trick-or-treat once.

Carson was a show stopper with his original trashcan. He was so proud of his costume and crouched down on people's porches to pop out at them! So cute! Maisy was really cute in her little Spanish dancer/saloon girl outfit. Just great kids, great night, and great weather! Fun times!

We Bleed RED!

The Royals never gave us much to cling to. I think it is fair to say we are Cardinals fans now!

Jeremy and I went to Game #2 last week. It was a great experience! A little drama surrounded the tickets, but once that got settled, we had a fun night. It was really chilly and standing room only. Unfortunately it was a low scoring game. We lost that game too. Jeremy marked another event off his Bucket List. We had a good time together cheering on our hometown team...such a feeling of community and pride. Very cool!

Warrior Dash!

We survived! No wild animal attacks, insect bites, wanton behavior, or collapsing equipment! All of those things are mentioned in the waiver you sign prior to running, which is a little unnerving.

The dash today was so fun! Jeremy and I were both nervous going into the race. He was really concerned about his health, and is currently "sleeping it off". He said his body was "shutting down" a few minutes ago. He is so dramatic!

The terrain was rugged. The course was way out in the boonies. We ran the majority of the race through the woods. It was really rough footing with lots of roots, branches, hills and holes. Luckily it has not rained here recently, so everything was dry. With a good rain that course would have been deadly. The obstacles were harder than I expected. I don't like heights, so that was a mental challenge on a lot of them for me. There was a lot of climbing, balancing and jumping. 12 obstacles total, ending with the 30 ft cargo net, jumping fire, and mud pit. I will definitely do it again. Jury is still out on Jeremy...if he can get out of bed tomorrow, he might consider it.

PS-I beat him by 11 minutes....Just sayin'! :)

My Baby Isn't a Baby Anymore

Knox is 2! My heart is so heavy today. I am so happy that he is healthy, smart, funny, and all those doting motherly things, but I am so sad too! It officially hit me today that I will never raise another baby. There are so many things I love about babies, especially my babies. Holding all that hope, promise, goodness, innocence, beauty, and wonder one perfectly designed little body is an amazing experience. Caring for them and loving them is priceless. I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of having babies in my home and life. They have brought me to a place I dreamed of, but never fully understood. I still don't completely understand everything it means to be a mother. I do know that I am a better person because of it.

Knoxy, you have been a great baby! You are fun and happy, wild and bossy. You love to make people laugh and enjoy being naked or dirty. You adore your brother and sister, and I think you like me an awful lot too. Mommy always has to put you to bed. Daddy has really earned some points with you lately though, as he lets you stay up late and watch baseball when you are too scared of the "beep, beep" (smoke alarm) to go to bed. You love to read books and play cars. You like cowboys and animals. You are currently in a "nice/mean" phase where you look at characters' faces and tell us if they are nice or mean. You can be both...very nice or very mean. Rarely does a day go by that I am not hit or pinched by your little round hands. You pack quite a punch! At the same time, a day never goes by without you wanting to be held and kissed by Momma. You are struggling with being Momma's baby or big boy. I ask you daily and can never predict your response. I know some day soon baby won't be an option for you anymore. You will be too busy being big. But, no matter what, you will always be my baby. I love you, Big Boy!

A Busy September!

He loves those horns! He wears them all the time. He even wants to sleep in them!

First tooth

My household spies! So funny!

Soccer star! She scored 3 goals in the last game!

Headed to the rodeo...

Time is flying by! I cannot believe it is already October! That is my biggest complaint about working with kids...time goes too fast! The work week is so hectic that it seems I blink my eyes and another weekend is over and we are staring another 5 days in the face. UGH!

It is Sunday now. This is my stress day. Preparing for the upcoming week while trying to recover from the last always does me in, not to mention trying to have a social life or attending kids' sports. It is truly a crazy time. I cannot imagine what it will be like in 5 years when Knox is involved too. We have created a stoplight to gauge my stress levels so everyone is aware of my mood. It works out pretty good to keep us all aware of my fragile mental state. Now they even say, "Mom, are you at a red yet?"

There were a few significant events that have gone "unblogged" lately. I just haven't had time. Something has to give, and blogging has been one of them.

1. Maisy lost her first tooth. I was completely unprepared for it, not that it was early, I just hadn't even started thinking about it. One day she came home and said her tooth felt funny. Sure enough it was loose. Four days later, she pulled it at school. She didn't even tell the teacher, a friend did. She obviously handled that trauma well. That night she was really nervous about the tooth fairy being in her room, which I thought was cute. She decided to put her tooth on her nightstand because she really didn't want to wake up while he/she was in there.

2. Knox has started using the potty. He is a long way from trained, but went most of the day yesterday in his big boy pants. I am just completely unmotivated to potty train him. I know he is ready though. Maybe over Christmas, if he doesn't teach himself before then. Poor Baby! Literally!

3. Jeremy and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary October 6th. It was a very special weekend. I used what little time and creativity I had to write Jeremy a heartfelt love letter confessing the 5 things I love most about him. I put a lot of heart into it, and he appreciated it. He surprised me with a really pretty ring, champagne and strawberries at the hotel. I got him a new tv for the basement. It felt so good to buy him something with MY money. It was special weekend. I am proud of who we are and how far we have come together. I hope the next ten years are as blessed as these have been.

Below are some random pictures of the kids. They are growing up so fast. I truly can't believe it. Carson is getting really big both physically and mentally. It is fun to talk to him. However, he dropped the dreaded, "I don't believe in Santa Claus." on me the other day. We haven't had a private moment to finish that conversation, so I will have to report on that later. My heart sunk at the thought though. Maisy continues to baffle me with her daily confessions. She has a conscience the size of Texas and impulse control of a typical 5 year old...tough combo. Her honest heart has her confiding tidbits of her kindergarten experience that most mothers never get the chance to hear. In fact, I will start a blog entry on those to document her soul torturing days. It really bothers me. She worries way too much and typically convinces herself that there is something wrong with herself or she is a bad person. She is so hard to figure out! Then there is Knox. He is finally talking! He is repeating everything. While it is not all clear, you can figure most of it out. My favorite things he says are macaroni, balloon, buns, raccoon, and moose. He is wild, rough, and funny. He LOVES being naked and outdoors. Again, another bad combo. My poor neighbor girls have seen more male anatomy via Knox than I care to think about. I cannot believe my baby is almost 2!