Check it Out....

My neighbor Keli has a blog (as if you didn't know). She thinks her blog is WAY cool so she got a blog button made. The blog button would be that little square box on the right side of my blog that reads, "NOTE TO SELF". If you click on it, it closes out my site and redirects you to her site. She's sneaky huh?

Anyhow...she has given me a hard time because I didn't race to the computer and put her "button" on my blog the second she got it made. She told me that I was a horrible friend and if I didn't make it up to her, she would stop teaching me the art of canning. So PLEASE, if you want a good laugh, click on her button and read what she has to say. She really is funny. Sometimes.

Welcome Baby Ryder!

Congratulations our good friends (and old roomies) Kevin and Anneliese! Here is new baby Ryder born on October 27th. He is ADORABLE!

What She Said.....

Link here for today's post. Thanks Keli!

A Tricycle Built for 2

Here is Madison and her little friend Taryn zipping around our court on Madison's Tricycle. Madison looks like she is concentrating so hard!

Independence

Independence. This is something that we have been working on lately with Madison. And until recently, Madison has shown no independence whatsoever. It has been a constant, "mommy do this, daddy do that". Lately though, she has started to do many things on her own. She will get her own snack, pour her own cereal, turn on the TV, and so on. This is a good thing right??

So this morning, Madison insisted on picking out her own clothes for school. This was one of those things that is hard for me to let her do. When she goes out in public, I truly make an effort for her look presentable. And when I say presentable I don't necessarily mean a poster child for Gymboree but decent. Anyhow....when she told me proudly that she wanted to get dressed all by herself, I bit my tongue and let her do it.

If you could see all the detail on the clothing, you would clearly see that nothing goes together. BUT, since my camera is poopy..........

Oh yeah, she got her own breakfast today as well. Salt and Vinegar potato chips.

It's Official!

Madison has officially moved into a "big girl" bed!! YAY! No more crib or toddler bed. She now has her very own FULL SIZE bed. It's not very comfortable (at least to my liking) but for someone who is used to a crib mattress, this is pretty darn neat! AND the best part? She is now sleeping through the night. Check out this post if you don't remember the drama we have been going through at night time. Here are a couple pics of her new bed and her first night in it:

Live Ins

For past week or so, There have been two sparrows that like to fly into our garage. They usually like to sit (perch?) on top of the garage door when it is open but as soon as we come into the garage they quickly fly away. Unfortunately, this has not been the situation the past 2 days. Now, when we come into the garage, they just look at me like I am intruding. Apparently, they have gotten pretty comfortable. Oh yeah, and they have a soft little place to sleep when they are tired. Take a look:

I'm not sure I like sharing my garage. There are going to be real problems if they start pooping on our stuff.

The Dreaded Letter

This morning when I dropped Madison off at school, I was pleasantly surprised as I saw 3 little boys run over and give Madison a hug. I smiled to myself thinking how cute! I left school one happy mommy knowing that my daughter had made friends at school.

That giddy feeling sort of changed when I picked her up after school. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that Madison has made friends. She constantly tells me stories on the car ride home of what she and so and so did at school. But the hugging thing?? Yeah...read on.

Today after school, Madisons teacher Ms. Erin handed me THE letter. You know the one titled:

*NOTIFICATION OF HEAD LICE*
(small typically tan colored insect that lives on the head and feed on blood)

The head lice wasnt in Madisons classroom, however, the sibling of the little girl who has the lice is. I just cant imagine one sibling having lice and the other not. SO, I will be checking Madisons head daily to make sure that no little insects start nesting in her hair.

Ok, end of post. The more I write, the more my head itches. UGH.

A Haircut At Home

Here is Cayden. Getting a haircut. From Home. By neighbor Keli (who is a picturaphobic*). Watching Yo Gabba Gabba on TV and eating Fruit Loops. Sounds fun huh?

*Afraid of seeing self in photos.

And since Keli is one of the few who checks my blog on a regular basis (and comments), I have to oblige.

And yes, the Fruit Loops are COMPLETELY covered with hair.

A Meal Fit for a Dog?

As Fly Season comes to an end, Bear has been coming out of Pat's closet more and more. Not only is it nice to see our wonderful dog again, it also makes doing the dishes a much easier task. Tonight while putting things back into the fridge from dinner, I noticed that Pat's "special" beef and pork meatballs were still in the vegetable drawer from last weeks spaghetti dinner. A perfect treat for Bear. Isn't he cute?

By the way, I took pictures of the kids in the sandbox, but they came out blurry. So today you have to settle for a doggie post.

A Visit to the Dentist

Today Madison went to the dentist for her 6 month check up. This was her 3rd visit. However, this was the first time the the dentist used the super fast, super loud, super spinny electric toothbrush. Madison found this quite traumatic and cried for 3/4 of her cleaning. No picture today, but I am sure that you can all use your visualization skills to imagine this one. I'm pooped.

Pumpkin Seeds

Today Madison and I baked pumpkin seeds. Since Tuesday when she got a pumpkin on her class field trip, she has been begging to bake the seeds inside. So, today while Cayden was napping, we did a little pumpkin carving and pumpkin seed baking! Take a look:


I have to say that this recipe was SUPER good!! Here it is if you are interested. Thanks Monica from Homespun Heart. Let me know what you think if you try it. You can leave a comment :)

Sugared Pumpkin Seeds
2 c. pumpkin seeds
1 egg white mixed with 1 Tbsp. water
1 c. sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. salt

Mix seeds and egg white mixture. Add remaining spices and mix well. Spread on greased baking sheet and bake at 275 degrees for one hour stirring every 15 minutes.

Pity Party Post

Today I have decided that I am going to have my very own pity party and completely feel sorry for myself as I write this post. So read on as I drowned in my sorrows.....

Yes, I have been completely unmotivated to blog lately. If you are one of the few who follow along, then I am sure that you have noticed my posts tapering off. Here is why:

1. My camera sucks. It doesn't take good pictures anymore. Over the past few weeks, I have grabbed the camera HOPING to capture the cute, silly and sometimes stupid things my kids are doing but to no avail. I'm sure this has to do with that fact that it has been dropped several times by both myself and the kids....but regardless, its poopy and I need a new one.

2. My fellow blog readers.... YOU DO NOT COMMENT ON MY BLOG!! I really want you to comment. I need the ego booster that my blog is not boring and its worth reading. So comment and I will feel the motivation to write. Thanks! :)

3. I originally created this blog as a way for friends and family to keep up with the daily happenings in the lives of Cayden and Madison. However, many of the closest people to me (I won't mention names Dad and Kamp) rarely check it. AND, guess what? I know it! See that cute little map at the bottom of the blog? If you click on it, I see a list of everyone who has visited. Thankyouverymuch!

Ok, so I'm done for now....I will try to take a cute picture or two with my poopy camera and post tomorrow. That is, IF you all start leaving encouraging comments!

Canning Adventure #2

From this:

To This:

And I did it all my myself! I must say, I am pretty proud of my canning skills. Despite the dingy looking apples (which is what you get when you pick them off the ground), the applesauce is pretty darn good!

Apple Picking We Will Go

Today Pat and I decided to take Madison and Cayden apple picking. Madison was SO excited! But, because I have a crummy (hint hint) camera, all of my pictures of her came out blurry. Poop.

So apparently, Apple picking season is over? When we got to the farm, all the apples had already dropped from the trees. There were however, lots on the ground. So we picked through what was there, and we were able to scrounge up 2 bagfuls that were not rotten, holey, or ant and bee infested. It kind of ended up like an apple scavenger hunt. And all that mattered was that the kids had fun.

Maybe I will can the applesauce. Look for a later post. Maybe.

Girl Talk....

Setting:
7:15 AM. Me, sitting on the floor in the family room holding Madison's school clothes. Madison has just gone upstairs to take off her jammies in order to come get dressed for school.

Madison: (stomps down stairs completely naked and sits on the bottom step. She puts her hands on her cheeks) SIGH.

Me: What's Wrong?

Madison: SIGH. (hands still on cheeks).

Me: Madison, What's the matter?

Madison: (looks down at chest) I want to have big boobies like you and Nana.

Me: When you're a big girl then maybe you will have big boobs too.

Madison: OOOOOOk.

Correct me if I'm wrong (not you Keli), but isn't Madison a little too young to start explaining puberty, the birds and the bees, and all the details that go with it?

They Arrived!!

Remember the See Kai Run Shoes that I won? Well, they arrived yesterday in the mail!! Here is Cayden sporting his new oh so cool shoes! Oh and a big HAHA to all you skeptics out there. :)



Sorry for the quick post, but it's late, the kids are tired, and Cubs are playing. I promise a "un" boring post tomorrow.