Embrace

To give myself some time to more fully appreciate real life I'm taking a small blogging break. It's been a weird week as my husband was in the ER last week.We are glad it's nothing serious, it's Bell's Palsy. Which means the right side of his face is paralyzed - temporarily! It should resolve in a few weeks but I'm on over load for some reason.

Happy, no. Thrilled, no. Ecstatic, no. There isn't a positive enough word for what I am that he didn't have a stroke, doesn't have a tumor or MS or any other life altering/threatening issue. Just adjusting to what this is and praying it too shall pass...

In the mean time I'm just embracing my laugh lines, (and family a bit tighter) and making more! More laugh lines that is - not making more family members or anything ;)

Guess What???

My daughter took her very first unassisted steps while the two of us were away last weekend! It was fun.

I honestly missed her very first steps but a bunch of my very good friends saw them!

The beautiful fall days seem to by flying by lately between yard work, trips to orchards and curling up by the fire drinking tea. I just love fall!!!

Pumpkins, pumpkins!

Pumpkins

In between smiles!

The chickens!

The cutie pumpkins!

And she goes on and on...

After some wheat-free yummy peanut butter cookies (low sugar and honey sweetened) were baked and the sun shone in it was up to about 68 inside but now I'm cold again! We just might have to turn the heat on tonight.

Tried two new recipes for dinner Sesame Chicken Bites (but I left out the sugar - of course!) and Quinoa Pilaf and they both turned out very good. I do need to try not to plan two new recipes on the same night, it's hard to get the timing down. It all worked out though.

Thanks so much for all of your game suggestions I want them ALL! For now we got Sequence For Kids and Boggle Jr. and I have about 9 more on my wish list, maybe for Christmas! It's been fun to have other games to play!!

I totally think October is going by faster than September did! I must have learned something from those 30 days, because I'm still menu planning, using or freezing leftovers and budgeting better! Imagine that behaving like a grown up and everything - 'bout time!

Well wasn't this just a bit of randomness...hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'll be up in the mountains at a retreat with a bunch of gals from my church. I'm taking the baby, but the boys are on their own!

61 and 28

That's what our indoor and outdoor temps were when I got out of bed this morning. I am cold.

Do butterflies hibernate? I'm thinking it would be nice to. Now, if only I could convince my kids it's heavenly to stay in bed on cold mornings instead of being so hungry at 7:18am. ;0)

I think it's a good morning to go bake some cookies!

Grab your parachute!

The other day in the car my son kept saying...

Mommy I really, really want to eat some jump food!

All you need is...

Love, love, love is all you neeeeeeeeeeeed!!! A sleeping baby never hurts either! Funny, I ended up taking this on the last official night I put her to sleep in our bed - it took forever too!

Last Thursday we started putting my daughter to sleep in her crib instead of our bed. While it has been a transition, night number three was the worst and it seems to be smoothing out. I'm always hesitant to say for sure though because they change their routines so quickly, once I get used to it I'll have to adjust.

For me to stay sane and get enough sleep with a new born co-sleeping is the only way, but there becomes a time when I need an evening with my husband without having to nurse my daughter every hour or two (thirteen and a half months seems to be the mark.) So down she's been going. We still care for her - I'm not a big fan of cry it out - so we go in and lay her down.

Yes, she starts to do the Stevie Wonder (as my husband calls it) she sits leaning against the side of the crib bobbing her head around like you or I would dozing on an airplane. At least she lets us lay her down and then settles in to sleep.

Following after her brother who used to fall asleep with his arms and legs hanging out the front of the crib with his forehead resting on the jail crib slats, but he was older and a much lighter sleeper so he would wake up at anything. I have no idea where my kids get their stubbornness from!

Oddly enough, she seems to sleep better, initially, in the crib. She sleeps for 4-5 hours in her initial stretch each night so it seems to be the right time to begin this transition.

Now, as soon as I'm in bed all bets are off, if she fusses it's back to our bed so that I can nurse her back to sleep and get some myself. Seems to be working for now, we'll see how it goes.

Game Craziness

I'm curious what your favorite board games are? I am SO very sick of Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders (pulling my hair our with boredom) that I've decided with some of the money my kids got for their birthdays in August I'm going to buy a couple new board games. What should I get???

My son likes to play his "big games" (board games) everyday. The card games, uno, go fish and old maid, he enjoys almost as much. I just saw on the uno box that it's 7+ but he does fairly well (kicks my butt!) He is only 4 but most of the games for that age group are so dreary for me! I'd really like your opinions, what games do your kids like best??

9 Quart or 2 Kid Canner.

If I could really bottle them up I would!

Not really them but you know, everything about the stages where they are right now. Mmmm I just love them SO much!