Fall is here!

Well I have written this several times in my head over the past few weeks but am just getting this down on "paper". If only I could have some sort of recorder in my head that will transfer my thoughts into this blog I would be set! Wait, maybe that isn't such a good idea.... :)

Halloween has come and gone as well as all the candy we collected. Grandma Ellen & Grandpa Jerry came to visit the weekend prior to the holiday to bring the kids Halloween treats as well as some fun and totally unexpected things for mom and dad. Noah got a special little stuffed black lab puppy as his big surprise. The puppy's name is Ebb--as in 'Ebony'. Grandma & Grandpa used to have a black lab named Ebbs that Noah adored. When Ebbs passed, Noah clung to a little stuffed black lab at their house and so Jerry and Ellen thought it would be nice for Noah to have another one at home. Noah loves little Ebbs and now not only sleeps with Little Blue (Noah's special penguin at home), Ebbs is snuggled in there too! Kennedy got a little black cat that she, of course, calls Colonel (as she does ALL of her stuffed cats...and random cats at the zoo or pet stores...or at friends' homes...) and most recently she has been putting him as well as all,--and I mean ALL, of her animals, as well as dolls "to bed" on the dining and kitchen floors. She covers them up-head to toe with a cloth placemat..... When I first saw it I thought it was rather disturbing--like a bad scene in CSI. But then she explained they were taking naps.

Phew.

A tad off the subject there but you get the point.

On the Wednesday before Halloween we carved Noah's pumpkin while Kennedy painted hers. I baked the seeds and to our surprise the kids LOVED them. Noah wanted me to save some of the unbaked ones so he could plant them in the yard....(silent pause)....thank goodness he forgot about them and they have magically disappeared since then. I don't know if it would actually work but I just had a fear that next year there would be a huge pumpkin patch in our yard. I love pumpkins and all but only once a year and I love it that you can toss them out when finished with them.

Trick or treating went well, it took us an entire hour to walk 2 blocks but Kennedy had a blast. We stopped at 2 blocks only because Kennedy was complaining of being tired which is ironic because Dad was carrying her the entire way. BUT! It was fun! She was dressed as a little angel with a halo and everything. She looked so sweet with her blond hair and big brown eyes... She wasn't too sure what to think about all the kids in masks and she still talks about our 11 year old neighbor girl who had a mask on dressed as Teen-Wolf.... She was NOT impressed at all... Noah was trick-or-treating in Ankeny this year and was of course, a race car driver. His bag of candy was filled to the brim and he had a blast. I was trying to remember when I quit trick-or-treating as a child....I am sure it was a sad day as I love candy but probably was going through that difficult time when I was "too cool" to trick-or-treat. Hopefully it will be a long time before trick-or-treating will ever get old in our house....It is just too much fun! Now if we could just get everyone to pass out magical calorie and fat free candy. Wouldn't that be heaven?

I think I just answered my own question.

Yes, it probably could only happen in heaven.... Oh well. I guess I can look forward to that some day!

A historic event happened the following week with Barack Obama being the first black man to become President of the United States. Although a very exciting time for some it goes with a very nervous time for others. Truly that would have been the same had the roles been reversed anyway I suppose! I have never been one to jump on the bandwagon of politics...siding on one side or the other just because of a particular party and unfortunately (and believe it or not considering all the media attention) I did not follow the candidates close enough to talk intelligently about the matter. I do have to say that by default and influence by my husband I was leaning towards a particular candidate....the one that did not get nominated. I can't say that I was 100% heartbroken ONLY because I did not follow the debates close enough. My reasoning was that because Barack was chosen he must have been doing or saying something that people liked. Some of my very close and very intelligent friends voted for the man so I can't say that a certain group or minority ruled the election... I don't know...this is such a touchy subject that in the end it boils down to faith. At church the previous Sunday Pastor Mike made a very bold move and based the sermon on "What Does the Church Say About Politics and Religion". Although I think the church was waiting for Pastor Mike to tell us all who to vote for or to crack some secret code that was in the Bible about the 2008 election.... he did not. He told us that whomever was chosen was put there by God and we should just have faith as well as respect.

Hmm...interesting concept. So simple...so true and so humbling for most of us. My husband laughs and rolls his eyes when I remind him of this but at this point what are you going to do? Sit and stew about it or embrace it and have faith?

Side note: "Embracing" things is my new concept aka 'positive spin' on dealing with things completely out of my control. These are a few of my new found daily affirmations still in the works of being believable by myself but most definitely showing progress towards...

"I will embrace this estimated bill we received instead of whine about it"
"I will embrace this cold weather"
"I will embrace the fact that my heating bill will be through the roof soon"
"I will embrace the cat throwing up fake grass on the floor....again..."
"I will embrace my home never being AS CLEAN as I expected it to be"
"I will embrace this fat-laden sugar cookie with a ton of frosting on it"

Things like that... "Self-therapy" nonetheless...

Anyway. So, yes, politics and a new President. I think it is exciting to have change coming --change is always good for the better in some way, shape or form. In the meantime we have ceased working on our basement and are building a 30 foot deep bomb shelter in our back yard. I'm kidding....with the lack of rock that Hubble keeps fighting us to put down in our spillway the thing would wash away anyway.

On the pregnancy front I am on week 20 headed to week 21 in just a few days. YAY! I am half way there! We have our ultrasound next Tuesday to find out the sex of the baby so after that the shopping will be UNLEASHED. Now I just have to find some good hiding spots so the grandmas and sneaky cousins do not find what I buy in search of the answer to the big question.... Girl or Boy? We (at least I) have made a pact not to tell anyone. We do have names picked out and most surprisingly have agreed on them! Again, at least I have anyway... :) Seriously though, the girls' name was easy but the boys' we were struggling with. Dain actually came up with the name and it is not one of those other crazy Norwegian names he came up with that kids would have a hay-day with! The name is still Scandinavian--both of them are--but they are very nice.

Noah and Kennedy both seem to think they are getting a new brother so file that one in the back of your brain for when the time comes if they are right!

I can't say enough how well this second trimester is going! It is going so well that I even thought "Why, I could do this again!" Dain is hoping it is my hormones or maybe a slight temporary brain defect because he is totally not on board for that...I think at this time it would have to be immaculate conception if I were to ever be pregnant again if my agenda doesn't change! I am sure as my waistline continues to disappear and the swelling gets worse...the bloating....the fatigue...the extra weight....---did I say I wanted another one already??? --anyway, maybe I am getting ahead of myself and should just enjoy this while it lasts. Two more months from now I will be praying the calendar skips ahead to April insisting on induced labor I am sure. :)

I was just looking at the calendar and realized we have 40 days left of Christmas shopping. Or, if you are like us it is 42 because we forgot something. Wow. WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?? :) Although I absolutely love this time of year I also dread it because from Labor day on it flies. Thankfully I started Christmas shopping a bit this summer and have stashed things away. It always makes it easier on the wallet come the actual holiday time. Now we just have to get it all out, sort through it, take the things back that are no longer of interest to the children and continue the shopping! :)

In lieu of the holiday season we all put up the holiday decorations last weekend. I love how pretty and warm the decorations make the house look and feel. I have been burning the Christmas cookie and spice smelling candles almost daily. You can't help but want to snuggle up to read a book while drinking hot cocoa by the tree or watch a Christmas movie with the kids. I have also had this rather strong desire to bake and --get this--learn how to knit. I have a good friend who is in a knitting group that promises to teach me how. I would love to be able to learn how to knit the kids blankets and scarves...maybe even some doll clothes like my mom used to make for me when I was younger. My friend thinks that I am in my 'nesting' stage because I have been trying to toss out or organize everything along with becoming Miss Suzy Homemaker but I just think there is something relaxing about knitting. Dain's grandmother made these terrific afghans for the kids before she passed last winter and it is just something about those blankets the kids adore. Maybe because they know someone made it for them...maybe it is the love they can feel in it...maybe it is just warm--I don't know. I think there is something about a homemade gift like that... I have one quilt that my great grandmother made for me and I think it is the softest, warmest and most beautiful quilt I have ever seen. Knowing how up to the age of 92 she fumbled her nimble fingers over that and other quilts and doilies she made... Just something comforting about it.

Before we get to Christmas though, we need to get through Thanksgiving which is exactly two weeks away! I am so excited to have family over as well as be with family in South Dakota! I am hosting a dinner on Wednesday night with family and friends in the Des Moines area and then the next morning or even that evening, depending on the weather and how tired we are, we are headed to Sioux Falls! I always questioned WHY for the love of all that is holy my father used to wake us up at 3 in the morning to get in the car and drive to far-far away for vacation. Now I know. It is so they did not have to hear: How far is it? ...Where are we? ...I have to go to the bathroom...My brother keeps hitting me...My sister is taking up all the room...I'm hungry...I'm thirsty...I have to go to the bathroom...I want to go home...Are we there yet? I have to go to the bathroom... Leaving very late or very early so the kids fall asleep is pertinent to keeping ones sanity. Lesson learned! Anyway, I am very excited. I love getting everyone together and watching the kids play and laugh. That's what it is all about!

I am sure I forgot something to write about even though this was long-winded. Again, if I can just figure out a way to record my thoughts with all of the proper editing tools in play I would be set! Until next time.....