boo.

We had a few events this year for Halloween! It was busy and fun. It made the last half of the month all about Halloween. Ethnie was a princess and Emmett was an Uglydoll. I tried to decorate the front porch a bit:

notice Emmett trying to get out

The darn squirrels ate all of our pumpkins. I know there are certain sprays you can buy to cover the pumpkins with, but most of them hurt the squirrels and I don't want that to happen. So, we bought some more and decorated again! It was fun anyway and Ethnie loves the paint markers. She and I decorated while Emmett took his afternoon nap. What do you think?

We attended a Halloween party at our church one night and the kids had a blast. There were lots of activities, snacks and a 'trunk or treat' in the parking lot at the end of the party.

princess (an old flower girl dress of mine!)

uglydoll

Ethnie's twin friends, Violet and Piper, had their 5th birthday party over the weekend and we all went. It's a pretty big production! They make it an annual 'boo bash' with adults and kids. Ethnie knows the girls from her class. We all had a nice time.

Halloween bag making

our neighbors, Bettine and Ella

caramel apple making

waiting to hit the pinata

Just realized I didn't even get a shot of the birthday girls....:(

hey, mom...

Yesterday morning, what actually felt like the middle of the night, Emmett woke up crying because he had a wet diaper. I went in the kids' room to change his diaper. After I was done, I was rocking Emmett and Ethnie wakes up suddenly out of a dead sleep, and in a raspy little voice says:

Ethnie: Hey, mom...
Me: Yes... (why are you awake?!)
Ethnie: Did you know bats sleep upside down?
Me(trying not to laugh): Yes, I did. That's pretty cool, huh?
Ethnie: Well, yeah, but if they sleep upside down, they're gonna fall.
Me: We can talk about it later, ok? Just go back to sleep.
Ethnie: Ok mom.

Love this girl. Super cute moment.

welcome fall.

 

I feel like we have been so very blessed this year with the warm weather lasting as long as it did. Wearing shorts in October was beyond fabulous and, yes, I proudly wore white after Labor Day! I wish MN would leave its public pools and beaches open according to the weather! It would have been nice to take the kids swimming in September. 

Fall has been busy for us so far. Matt is really busy with work and school. I recently started a flexible part-time job doing office work. Plus, the kids and I have been doing many activities together. We recently went to Country Sun Farm in Lake Elmo. It has a greenhouse full of things to buy, petting zoo, hayrides, corn maze, jumper and small haunted house. The kids had a great time and we bought some gourds to take home and decorate. Unfortunately, since this post the squirrels have gotten to most of them. 

 

Ethnie decorated this one. It took her awhile!

 

The kids had some friends over on Saturday so I took the opportunity to take some pictures.

 

Oh, this boy! He is so much fun at this stage. He's walking everywhere and feels so liberated. He is now 15 1/2 months old.

 

wait for me!

 

bubble gum, bubble gum, in a dish....

 

my little man

 

my pretty girl

We hope you are all having a great fall!

oriental kale.

 

Aren't these pretty? I picked them up at the farmer's market last week and had to post them. Technically, they are not even a flower, but I love them. They do not smell the best, but make for a fun accent. Oriental Kale!

minor surgery.

Yesterday, I went to the dermatologist to have two cysts removed; one from my forearm, the other from my scalp. I've had them for a few years, but recently they had gotten larger and painful. Matt took the day off for me so I could go in without the kids.
I didn't think much of it when I got there; no biggie, right? I didn't start to get nervous until the doctor leaned my back in the chair and started numbing my arm. Yikes! My whole body started trembling and I couldn't relax. Other than giving birth, I've never had any major surgery so this was all new to me. Although I couldn't feel anything and the nurse and doctor were very nice, I was still a little freaked out. The whole event only took 45 minutes. If any of you are interested, I took a video of the cysts in jars after they were taken out. The one in my arm was the size of a marble. So gross!
When I got home I felt pretty good. Life went on as usual until about 6:30 PM when the numbness had worn off. I felt as if someone had cracked a baseball bat over my head and lit it on fire. Crazy how such a minor surgery can cause major pain. Just lifting my eyebrows made the pain worse. I didn't think much of my arm until I took the bandage off to clean it. I have never had stitches so seeing them freaked me out and caused me to start crying. I made Matt do the rest so I could lay on the couch and focus on not being in pain.
It has now been over 24 hours since I had the cysts removed and I am feeling better. The head-lit-on-fire feeling has gone down to the feeling of having a massive bruise; a bit more tolerable. My arm is less swollen and only hurts when I bump it or carry Emmett, which is pretty much all day long. Tomorrow should be better...

over the river and through the woods.

Over the weekend, the kids and I went up north to visit my family. We had a great time!! Matt was not able to come with us because of work, class and studying. Sometimes, I forget a few luxuries of being a stay-at-home mom - an open schedule.
We were able to visit both of my parents and my grandparents. The weather was fabulous and the kids had a blast. Emmett was fussy at times because he has 3, yes 3 teeth coming in at the same time. He was a trooper. Thanks, mom and dad for the fun weekend!
I got some great shots:

we love you, Nana!

Ethnie had fun playing with Elsa.

coloring with grandma

taking kitty for a walk

golf in the yard with grandpa

Emmett trying to catch kitty

matching buds

helping grandma rake

cute boy

Nancy and I took the kids to Amazin' Pumpkins in Pequot on Saturday. It was really cute with a petting zoo, corn kernal box, lots of pumpkins, an inflatable jumper, live band, and pumpkin throwing contest.

little cutie

Ethnie picked the smallest one to bring home.

So far easing into fall has been a breeze! I will definitely remember this fall for years to come. It has been beautiful. The warm temps can stay all season if you ask me.