Trick or Treat!

Three blind mice... three blind mice... see how they run...

Trick or treating in West Michigan requires a costume with warm hats, boots, sweatpants + about 10 other layers. It was about 40 degrees and sprinkling when we headed out.

Heather at Alaskan Knits made the girls hats. They turned out adorable and the girls will be able to enjoy them for the rest of the winter, she is so talented!

Can't you tell Sofia is just oozing with enthusiasm?

Some of the neighbors were confused by the girls' costumes. One girl asked why they needed the sticks...

I thought Sofia might have been cold... then I moved her glasses and realized she was sleeping. I guess she must have been comfortable.

After about 10 houses we called it quits. We headed out to Olive Garden (kids in costumes eat free :) and decided to stop and say hi to Craig's boss on the way. We ended up staying for a bit while the girls handed out candy. I think they enjoyed that more than trick-or-treating. They also loved all of her daughters' toys and hamster! and NO they don't need one for Christmas.

We finished the night out with some pasta, ONE piece of candy and off to bed. All in all it was a winner of a night. My favorite Halloween yet.

Sewing



Since it has been getting a little chillier lately Georgia has been incessantly requesting a robe. So after some searching I came up with... well nothing. Ok, 1 3T robe online for about $60. pssshh.

 

So I rounded up my sewing assistant... 

 

 

And we made a robe!

 

It turned out fantastic and in case you can't tell, she's in love with it.

1 down... 2 to go.

 

Thirty Questions - Day 8

Question 8 - What are 5 things you are passionate about providing for/contributing to your family.

These are all things I hope our girls always have in big and small doses.

1. Love.
2.Comfort
3. Stability
4. Health
5. Freedom.

Thirty Questions - Day 7

Day 7 - What are the 5 moments that cause you the most anxiety on a daily basis?

1. Nap time/bedtime. It is such a big responsibility to make sure everyone gets enough sleep... especially when that means the twins need  to keep a little quieter than a dull roar.

2. Shopping trips to Target - Ok, so I don't go there daily BUT for some reason this store causes my children to become possessed. They come unglued... maybe this is to save me money?

3. Cleaning - the house can go from neat and tidy to the next episode of Hoarders in about 60 seconds, or at least it feels that way.

4. Getting places ON TIME. I seriously hate being late. Without kids I would tell myself to leave 15 minutes earlier than necessary... with kids I feel like I need to leave about 45 minutes early.

5. Eating out. I have a love/hate relationship with eating out. It's nice but it takes a lot of energy to keep everyone entertained and try to make sure they each injest something other than lemonade. I love the waitresses that sense this and are on the ball, they completely make or break our eating out experiences. The lady with the cheese grater at Olive Garden is one of my heros :)

I have no words that could do this photo justice...



 

Rain

Imagine it has been raining ALL. WEEKEND. LONG.

and you feel trapped like rats... (or babies)



and you open the door and realize it's about 70 degrees out... and pouring, in the middle of October. Seriously? Is this fall or spring... Michigan get's so confused about it's seasons sometimes.

Then Georgia asks... "can we touch the rain?"

What do you do?

You say yes.

and you take pictures... from the dry porch.

"Can I jump in the puddle?" uumm... no, you might get wet. haha

"Can I touch the puddle?"

 Running laps in all of her "3 year old glory" When did we stop being impressed by rain and wet grass?

Taking in the neighborhood with Charlie.

You're welcome, Georgia. Now please don't tell me I "always" say no...

Go Tigers!

When Craig and I were in college we loved the Tigers. We would go to games on the weekends for $15 and  I would guard my baseball game food (nachos) from fly balls. Then they made it to the world series and everyone else decide to love them and now it's a little more difficult to get tickets... and we live like 3 hrs away. 

Even so... we are still cheering them on during the playoffs :)

Thirty Questions - Day 6

Question 6 - What is the most difficult thing you have ever experienced as a parent?


Uuuuumm... being a parent? Waking up at crack of dawn every morning? Ok, ok I know those don't count. The easy answer would obviously be Madelyn & Georgia's some what dramatic birth. Digging deeper...

The most difficult thing is not one specific moment for me. The only way I can think to describe it would be, finding my parenting niche. I had all of these ideas and plans for what kind of mother I wanted to be and for the most part they hold true BUT as the girls have grown (because they are SO old, right?) I have become a little lost in my goals and often find myself wondering what kind of mom I want to be now that I am here and in the thick of it.

I see other moms I admire and think "ooh I want to do that" only to discover, that isn't REALLY me and it doesn't REALLY work for our family. I try to trust my insticts while still learning and changing the things I do, the ways I parent and live when I see a better way.

I'm not going to lie, it's trying for me when I see those moms accomplishing what I want to be accomplishing. Exploring the world with their beautiful children who have just finished their organic lunch full of vegetables and tofu and thoughtful conversations. You know, the ones who still fit into their pre-baby jeans and have that well rested look and perfect hair... and clean cars. Oh how I want a clean car... one not covered in small fragmented pieces pf cheerios. Yes, I hate them and want to be them... but then I realize it's ok that my kids had a donut today. I forgive myself for losing my cool with them when they repeatedly demanded (fill in the blank) in shrill tones. It's ok that I look like a hot mess because I cancelled my last haircut appointment to go swimming with my kids. It's even ok that I have cheerio dust on my butt when I get out of the car.

Soooo... to sum it up. I think it is most difficult for me to forgive myself for not being a perfect mother, for not always knowing where I stand on the important issue but being able to give myself (and Craig) credit for exploring different options or choices to find what DOES work for our family. I know, no one is perfect.... but this is a pretty important job, this mom thing and I would like to be as close to perfect as I can get.

Thirty Questions - Day 5

 What are the 5 moments in each day that make you most happy right now?

1. Seeing the girls faces in the morning. Ok, so it may be too early BUT their crumpled faces in the morning are so innocent and snuggly.

2. Dance parties. I don't think I need to explain that...

3. Dinner time... usually. It's nice to all sit down together and enjoy the girls giggling, and sometimes even eating their dinner.

4. Bed time. Yes, there is the obvious reason also, more specifically about 15 minutes after the girls fall asleep. I love how relaxed they look while they are sleeping and I can hardly resist the urge to straighten their blankets and make sure they look comfy and cozy.

5. One on one time with each of the girls. I love being able to connect with each of them separately, whether it's a quiet game or book with Maddy or Georgia or snuggles from Sofia... even if it's only a few minutes, it makes my day.

Thirty Questions - Day 4

10 Things to Tell my Girls When They Are 16...

1. I love you.
2. You are NOT invincible.
3. God made us each good at different things. It's ok to excel at some things and be lacking in others.
4. You are beautiful. You are not fat. You are gorgeous and perfect just the way you are.
5. You won't be 16 forever... someday if you're lucky you won't be the center of your own world.
6. What you do today DOES matter to others.
7. It's OK if people don't like you. It's also OK if you don't like certain people. However, you should still treat them with the same respect.
8. Whatever you think is cool will change in about 20 seconds so don't waste your money (or mine) on it.
9. Take lots of pictures. It's fun to look back at them with your friends 10 years later.
10. Someday, you might just thank me for whatever it is you are angry about...

Thirty Questions - Day 3

The third question/prompt is... describe your relationship with your children.

Ok... so I feel like this is a little difficult to answer as the girls are all so young. I feel like I have a fantastic relationship with all three of my girls.

I love the newly developing relationship I have with Sofia. I love this age, EVERYTHING is so new to her which is rejuvenating in a way. Babies may be exhausting but when you watch their eyes light up when they see you, it has a way of reviving you. My relationship with Sofia is already so different from the relationship I had with each of the twins when they were this age. Even if you disregard the dramatic entrance Madelyn & Georgia made into the world they were still so much more demanding. I could literally feel my blood pressure rise when one of them would fuss too early during nap/middle of the night. Or a dog would bark within a 1 mile radius threatening to wake them. I couldn't just pick them up and carry along with my day (or accomplish anything) like I can with Sofia. As long as she is with me (generally) she is happy. I never had that with the girls. It may sound cliche (or whiny) but I missed out on so much with them, including breastfeeding. They never depended on me (and only me) like Sofia has. There are times (everytime she gets kicked out of the nursery at church/the gym/etc. for crying too much) when I wish she was maybe not quite as attached to me.... BUT if I'm really honest, I love it. It's pretty nice to be someone's everything and I know it won't last.

As a mom I try to be a friend at times, but a friend who demands respect. I want the girls to know that I love them and I like them but we are not equals in this house as they are growing up. There are times when we are all silly and crazy together which is fantastic as long as the girls know when it's time to stop and listen.

I try my best to see Georgia and Madelyn as individuals and notice, appreciate and love their differences.

Georgia needs to be reassured more often than Maddy. I always need to explain to her that even if I tell her NO or she is in trouble for something it doesn't mean I love her less. On the other hand, I also know that the way to get Georgia's attention is to tell her what she did hurt my feelings or made me sad. It goes so much further with her than just reprimanding. She is the one I go to for snuggles. She is more sensitive and I try to remember that... BUT she is also a little actress and already knows how to manipulate others. She knows when to ACT shy or sad to get what she wants from me and others.

Madelyn will often tell me exactly how she is feeling and what she wants or needs. She pushes my buttons in different ways than Georgia does and she also connects to my heart in different ways. She tells me the best stories. For the time being she is a bit less sensitive and more interested in butting heads with me than Georgia BUT she is also one of the happiest little girls I have ever met. Her happiness (especially) in the morning is infectious and has a way of making anything look better.

These 3 girls (and Craig) are my favorite people in the world. I hope as they grow into women they can appreciate and know that. I am not quite sure how to anticipate what the relationship with three teenage girls will be... I know my relationship with each of them will continue to change and grow and evolve as we all grow and I love it.

We try to take the girls out one on one... even if it's just for a trip to the store. It's amazing to me how different the twins act when they are not together. A new more independent aspect of their personality appears. So, this morning it was Georgia's turn to go out with Daddy and get some bagels for breakfast. While they were gone I made Maddy a frothy hot chocolate with my new espresso maker.

One of the few things I appreciate about it getting cooler out... snuggly mornings with something warm to drink.

Pumpkin Patch

We headed out to Wells Orchard today to get some pumpkins to carve. I kind of underestimated how chilly it was outside so we didn't last long. 

I tried to capture Georgia's face as she was trying to pick up each pumpkin but it didn't really work out.

Sofia picked out this one :) The pumpkin stopped her (momentarily) from pulling her socks off. I will never understand why babies insist on taking their socks off.

When we went inside to pay we ended up with some apples. They had special bags of smaller apples for kids.

It was a quick and fun trip. Trying to figure out if we should carve the little pumpkins or paint them...

Drool & Smiles

Thirty Questions - Day 2

Day 2 - Describe a typical day in your home...

6:45am - Craig is up getting ready for work and the twins are generally up and wander into our room and snuggle for a bit. On a good day (after Sofia has slept through the night) I am up and getting around... on a REALLY good day I am up before everyone, enjoying the quiet house and some uninterrupted coffee.

7:45am - By this time Craig is gone for work and Sofia is up. The girls play while Sofia takes her bottle.

8:30am - The girls and I have breakfast together.... and coffee for the lucky ones.

9:00am - Clean breakfast off of Sofia and get her dressed. The twins love to help. Georgia often tries to convince me she can change Sofia's diaper. Oh how I wish it were true. Sofia goes down for a nap while Maddy & Georgia get dressed and play outside if it's nice or watch Elmo while I do laundry. It's really difficult to keep them quiet enough for a naptime. I can't wait until this baby no longer needs 2 naps.

10:00am - We wake Sofia up and head out for swim lessons, storytime, tumbling, errands, the park or anything else that comes up. If we stay home in the morning the girls play and I can maybe sneak in a load of dishes... and hopefully some coffee.

Noon - Lunchtime for everyone! We like to get downtown to have lunch with Craig once a week or so or just eat whatever we can find in the fridge.

1:00pm - All 3 girls are down for a nap. Woo hoo, it's party time! OR time for me to figure out what's for dinner, catch up on emails/blog, phone calls, cleaning and finding something for dinner. Occasionally I sneak in a nap or a show on the DVR.

3:00pm - Sofia is up. We play and read. It's nice to have some time alone with her. She loves to chase the cats around and look at books. Or just crawl all over me, drooling.

4:00pm - The twins are up by now and all 3 girls play together while I get dinner ready (on good days... or maybe they scream at each other and go to time out a few times). We play lots of music and the girls like to run around and be crazy about this time of day (lots of screeching and laughing and pretty much... chaos) When I'm done with dinner I try to do a puzzle with them or some books or get out the dreaded play dough... I seriously dislike that stuff.

5:30pm - Craig is home from work and it's time for dinner.

5:35pm - The girls start begging for ice cream.... (Sofia whines and protests her dinner so I assume she is also begging)

6:00pm - We go for a walk, head to the Y to swim, go shopping or just spend some time together at home... sometimes we give in and walk to the corner for ice cream.

8:00pm - Time for Sofia to get to bed... jammies, bottle, a book and a song and she's off to bed. Georgia & Maddy get pajamas on, brush teeth, vitamins, prayers, inhalers, books and songs.

9:35pm - Maddy gets up to go potty.

9:40pm - Georgia gets up to go potty.

9:42pm - Georgia needs a drink.

9:43pm - Georgia has a booger in her nose (not kidding... she actually JUST came up to me with that one)

9:50pm - I tell the girls to be quiet for the umpteenth time... this time it actually sticks.

*variations of bedtime stalling include but are not limited to:

Georgia bit my finger.
I can't see my blanket.
I can't find my stuffed                   .
My pillow is lumpy.
My feet are cold.
I'm all done.
My belly hurts... I need to go to the doctor's.
There's something in my eye.
There's a cat under the bed.

11:30pm - Bedtime... I whisper a quiet prayer that I won't need to see my children for at least the next 7 hrs.

So there it is, a day in our life... Although, I feel like, as with snowflakes; no 2 days are the same around here.

Tomorrow's question is: Describe your relationship with your children.

Thirty Questions - Day 1

So here we go with the October challenge. 30, daily posts about our family...

Day 1 - 20 Random Factoids... this was a lot more difficult than I anticipated. I almost changed it to "10 Random Facts" haha

1.   We eat dinner together, at the table with no electronic distractions EVERY night... (99.9% of the time)
2.   We have 2 cats.
3.   We love ice cream.
4.   We have 1 dog (a great dane/border collie mix) also known as a mutt.
5.   If our TV is on it is probably playing Micky Mouse, Elmo or more recently Doc McStuffins.
6.   The girls all love peas... I hate them.
7.   The twins share a room, Sofia has her own room and the toys have their own room.
8.   We play at the park A LOT (this colder weather is making me sad)
9.   We love to swim and play in the water.
10. We do "time outs" as discipline.
11. Craig and I met in college and have been married for 5 years.
12. I drink so much coffee the girls make it for me with their tea set.
13. We read a lot of books and LOVE the library.
14. Craig and I both volunteer with older students (6th graders for me and 10th graders for him) at our church.
15. The girls thoroughly enjoy visiting the Dr. and ask to go ALL the time. I have no idea why. I think they're weird.
16. The girls and I don't drink pop... we're still working on Craig.
17. We don't sleep in.... (shocking I know)
18. All 3 girls nap for a couple of hours in the afternoon... I will probably cry when this is no longer true.
19. We are toying with/investigating the idea of homeschooling the girls.
20. The girls think new batteries can fix ANY problem.

Tomorrow's question is.... describe a typical day in our house.

Sketti!

If you have ever watched "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" on TLC then you know what "sketti" is. If, like me you are much too sophisticated for such foolish TV (ok, I may have accidentally turned the show on once...) Here’s the recipe: 1 tub of Country Crock fake butter, 1 bottle of ketchup, mix together, microwave, pour over spaghetti, eat. Oh it makes me nauseated to just type that. 

Anywho... we did NOT have "sketti" but instead Sofia had her first taste of "stab-able spaghetti" as my friend Jenni would call it... also for the record I'm pretty sure Jenni wouldn't eat "sketti" even if she was dying.

Yay! Real food!

 hmmm.....

I like it!

Sofia then reminded me why we make babies eat red sauced food items naked as she crawled out of her seat and across her lunch... I think I need some more Oxy Clean.

WittleBee

I just used this website WittleBee to order a box of clothes for the girls for cheap.

If you use the coupon code "septsteal" you get the membership for $14.99 instead of $39.99 and apparently you get a $10 credit for being new.... I was already a member so I didn't get that :( You can cancel your membership anytime.

I've never used them before so hopefully it's some cute stuff... worth a shot. Just thought I would pass this on to all my mom (grandma/aunt) friends out there. Could be a good deal...

The October List

For the month of October I've decided to do something a little different with the blog. Yes, there will still be lots of cute photos of the girls being their crazy selves but....

I recently stumbled upon this post where a woman decided to post an answer to a question about herself everyday. I thought this was maybe not a unique idea but interesting and thought for a micro second about including it in the blog, then I realized the world doesn't need to know my most embarrassing moment and I'm not sure I need it recorded for the girls to see later in life. THEN I thought what if I tweaked her list a bit and ended up with a list of things/questions/posts pertaining to our family. Now that is something worthy of a keepsake. Sooooo here is my updated version of her list:

THE LIST:

1.   List 20 random facts about your family
2.   Describe a typical day in your current life.
3.   Describe your relationship with your children.
4.   List 10 things you would like to remember to tell your girls when they are 16.
5.   What are the 5 moments in each day that make you most happy right now?
6.   What is the most difficult thing you have ever experienced as a parent?
7.   What are the 5 moments that cause you the most anxiety on a daily basis?
8.   What are 5 things you are passionate about providing for/contributing to your family.
9.   List 10 people who have influenced your parenting skills.
10. If you could be completely candid, what would you tell a friend expecting to become a new mom?
11. Describe 5 parenting related pet peeves.
12. Describe 3 fears of parenting you still have or had before you had children.
13. Describe 5 weaknesses you have as parents.
14. Describe 5 strengths you have as parents.
15. What would you be doing if you weren't a stay at home mom?
16. What are your 5 greatest mom moments?
17. What TV mom do you admire most?
18. What has been the most imperfect mom moment you have had to forgive yourself for?
19. If you could invent an appliance what would it do?
20. Describe 3 traditions you want your children to remember/carry on.
21. If your children could each have one superpower, what would it be?
22. Where do you see your family in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
23. List 5 hobbies you want your children to try.
24. What word or phrase do you wish your children didn't know/say?
25. What is the most disgusting part about being a mom?
26. What popular parenting notion do you think the world has most wrong?
27. What is your favorite part about being a mom?
28. List 5 ideas/parenting convictions you have already abandoned.
29. What is your "mom mantra"
30. List 10 things you want your daughters to remember when/if they become moms in the future.


You can find her original list HERE The post is currently circulating Pinterest as "30 questions to ask your spouse." Which could be a fun activity...

Mommy's Birthday...

Yesterday was my birthday. The day started out with a fantastic brunch (that I didn't have to make) and some time to play with my new camera. One of my favorite subjects was more than happy to help me out.

I swear she gets cuter every single day.

After those pictures I realized I set the date incorrectly, oops. 

We headed downtown to have lunch (that I didn't have to make) with Craig and then lots of time to play and make the playroom look like a tornado (or 3) went through it... which of course is the only way you can tell you have played successfully.

The girls showed me their "flips" and some new dance moves.

We even played a few rounds of the ever popular game "Sofia get you!"

Which evolved into a less popular game known as "we don't want Sofia to play with us..."

After some dinner (that I didn't have to make) we at cake, sang happy birthday for the 100th time and called it a night.

and yes, Sofia stole frosting AGAIN! Luckily the next birthday in this house is hers and I have a feeling she will be ready for cake.

this is what happens when you eat chocolate cake with your hands instead of your fork...

While all my birthday wishes did not come true (the magical house elves never showed up to clean my house and finish all the laundry needing attention) I did have a fantastic birthday spent with my favorite little ladies! Thank you for all the happy birthday wishes, cards and gifts in the mail! There's something exciting about coming home to boxes on the porch... and who doesn't like opening a box of birthday treats? Even if I did have to share some candy with the girls. I love birthdays and the special message they carry. What better way to make someone feel loved than by celebrating the day this world went from being without them to a world with them in it. The girls must have told me happy birthday 50 times and I swear it was cute each and every time.

A big thank you to Craig for making my dreams of not having to prepare a single meal all day come true... (dreams do come true) and for the lovely new camera.