Happy Halloween!

I have to admit that I really don't get into Halloween. It's not my favorite holiday, so I don't put a lot of effort into my kids' costumes. The only thing that really excites me is seeing how much fun the kids have dressing up and going trick-or-treating. I've had more fun with it this year because of the Cherubs-like music group I do every Thursday (I'm calling mine MusicMakers). I had to buy all sorts of Halloween paraphernalia and really get into the ghosts and goblins stuff with the kids. I try to channel Adrienne and her fun and enthusiasm when I'm interacting with the children - it really is fun to be a child again when you let yourself go.

Anyway, here are my sweet kids in their costumes. They got to wear them in the morning to storytime at the library, and John and I took them around the neighborhood after dinner. It was fun to trick-or-treat for the first time in our new house. We introduced ourselves to the neighbors we don't know yet and had fun showing off the kids in costume to all of their surrogate grandparents (the majority of our neighbors).


Katelyn insisted on being Spiderman again this year, so I had to buy a costume since last year's was borrowed from my cousin. I just love the muscles! I wanted to find another superhero costume for Carter, but this one was super cheap, and so am I. He was pretty excited, though. All day he kept saying, "I ti-guh!"

I have to include a picture of my one and only Halloween decoration. I have had to fight John for my right to keep this on our last two moves. It's the "bowl" I use to hand out candy.

You have to try this

I'm sure by now you've all seen the movies you can create on JibJab. If not, you have to try it. You can paste your own heads into the clips they have and it's hilarious! This is what your kids will look like watching a movie starring themselves. Click below to see my kids' favorite.

http://www.jibjab.com/starring_you/receipt/1842849

My baby is 2

Carter turned two last month! I took him to Kiddie Candids to get our annual I'm-a-cheapskate free picture, and I can't believe how old he looks! I purposely chose a picture that shows off his missing front tooth, since that was a pretty big event for us this summer.

Carter is getting so big! He talks a ton - sometimes I can't get him to stop talking. And he makes me laugh all day with the funny things he says. Katelyn has a collection of coins that she carries around with her, so there's often money on the floor. Anytime Carter sees a coin, regardless of denomination, he says, "Wook mom, fif-teen dawas!" I don't know where he got fifteen, but that's what everything is. We went to McDonalds last week, and now he asks all day, "Go to McDono's mom?" He also points to every wall in the house and says, "Pain dis waw, mom?" He's seen us do nothing but paint for months now. Oh, and I love that he sings now. He sings Twinkle, Twinkle all day and the way he pronounces the words is adorable. He also loves to ask, "Guess what, mom?" He doesn't understand that he's supposed to tell you something when you ask him "What?" so he just moves on to the next person and repeats the question.

Carter adores his big sister. If she's not in the room, he's asking where she is. He wakes up before she does, and when she comes walking out of her room in the morning he goes into hysterics yelling, "Katie's awake!" He wants to do everything she does. He even goes on the potty now. He's not potty trained, but at least once a day he tells me he needs to go. He can take off his pants and diaper and get himself up onto the big potty. He delights in flushing when he's done and then climbing onto the stool to wash his hands like his big sister. (We got him underwear, but he refuses to wear it, and he's really not ready, so we're not pushing the issue right now.)

One of my favorite things about my little boy is how lovey he is. He always asks for hugs. If he hugs one of us, he has to hug everyone, so we'll be walking into a store and he'll say, "Hugs, dad. Hugs, Katie. Hugs, mom." He has to get a hug from everyone at least once, then kisses, before he'll stop the cycle. He's getting more independent, and insists on walking most of the time, but when he's tired he'll come up to me and say, "Hode you, mom." He stretches up his little arms and this means that he wants me to pick him up. It just tugs at my heartstrings.

Of course I can't help but get nostalgic on my kids' birthdays, so I've been looking at all of our pictures of Carter from the last two years. I thought I'd share a few with you.

I am delighting in watching my children grow and develop. They fight a lot now, but for every minute of fighting, there's a minute of enjoying each other so much. Katelyn reads Carter a story almost every night now. They'll sit on the couch together while I get ready to put them in bed. It's so sweet to hear Katelyn's version of the story they've chosen, and to see how attentive he is while she turns the pages. I love being a mom.

Happy birthday, Carter!

This is how I want my life to be

It's 9 pm. My house is clean, my children are asleep (thanks entirely to my awesome husband!), and I've got laundry going, not because I'm behind, but because I'm trying to stay ahead. John even has a closet full of ironed shirts to choose from. I worked out on the elliptical machine this morning, read to the kids, spent the day doing little activities with them, walked to the park (with Lucy - yeah!), did the grocery shopping, and made a yummy dinner. I wish every day could be like this, but for me, that's a pretty lofty goal.

I know that we all feel the same pressure that has been weighing on me so much lately - to be the perfect wife and mother, a "mother who knows" and can distinguish between "good, better, and best." My biggest concern right now is that I'm letting my children down, that I'm not nurturing enough. I am trying to figure out how to be the best possible mother to them. I'll get into this more later, but it explains why I have gone almost a month without posting to my blog. I'm trying to find the perfect balance in my life between taking care of my family and doing things for myself.

Now with that said, I have some things to catch up on. Happy reading!

Happy 35th, Sweetie!

In honor of my cute husband's 35th birthday, here are 35 of my favorite things about him:

1. John delights in playing with the kids, and they love it more than anything!
2. He’s the smartest man I know.
3. He is the ultimate optimist.
4. He has a green thumb, and has turned our dead, dry lawn into a lush carpet of green.
5. He is very modest – he’ll hate this list!
6. He shares my love of nice shoes.
7. He’s always on time (unless I make him late).
8. He’s a cautious driver.
9. He pretends that every meal I make is the best he’s ever eaten.
10.He always lets me choose the restaurant when we go out.
11.He loves to learn. This has led to 3 post-graduate degrees and a ton of student loan debt, but it will be worth it someday!
12.He’s a very talented writer.
13.He’s always trying to make me laugh – and usually he succeeds.
14.He’s passionate about fishing.
15.He makes waffles almost every weekend.
16.He spends time with me every night, no matter how tired or busy he is.
17.He never complains when the house is a wreck.
18.He’ll make a fool of himself if it will make me laugh. He once put on a ridiculous outfit and walked all the way across TJ Maxx to find me. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life!
19.He is the best travel companion. We have awesome memories of trips to Mexico, Europe, New York, and Boston, to name a few. My favorite memories are of the Czech Republic.
20.He is a very thoughtful gift-giver.
21.He watches stupid t.v. shows like The Bachelor with me, just so that we can spend time together.
22.He loves movies!
23.He’s a very sharp dresser.
24.He is so handsome! I have thought he’s the best-looking man in the world since I first laid eyes on him 12 years ago.
25.He is very health-conscious. He works out regularly, and is better at eating healthy than I am.
26.He supports me in everything that I do.
27.He is a hard worker! He comes straight home and gets to work on the yard and the house, then studies until the last hour of the night, which he spends with me.
28.He loves great literature, and has influenced me to read great things that I may not have otherwise.
29.He writes poetry for me.
30.His car is always immaculate, inside and out.
31.He loves his mother – he talks to her almost every day and would do anything for her.
32.He babysits my friends’ children so that I can go do things with my friends minus the kiddos.
33.He’s very athletic. He takes the kids running regularly. He’s also an excellent golfer and a great snowboarder, but he rarely does these things because they cost money and take him from his family.
34.He’s a loyal friend. He still sees his best friend from high school and keeps up with people he used to work with.

35.He always puts his family first.

I love and appreciate you so much, hubby. I hope this list doesn't embarrass you. I just wanted to share with everyone what a wonderful guy you are. Happy belated birthday!