Trick or Treat....

Halloween was great. First, Henry's class had a party. He was a pirate and since he was snack person, he got to be line leader, too. I also got to bake for his class. Yay! Claudia was a little less into the dress up. She wanted to be a "neigh neigh horse." Okay, fine. I found a great costume for 90% off. She wouldn't touch it. I then found a homemade horse costume at a thrift store. Nothing doing. So, we threw a hat, boots and pink bandana on her and thus, a cowgirl is born. Max decided to be Hayden Fry. He is a Badger at heart, but I do believe he is starting to bleed black and gold. As for me, I paid homage to the wayward soul who filed the false claim about me for (gasp) baking in my home for profit. Yes, I was an inmate at Kane County Jail, serving my time as the jail chef. Thanks for the idea, buddy! LOL

As for Halloween night, it was another great reason to get our group of neighbor friends together. We went trick or treating in our 'hood first, of which had two homes that gave treats to both children AND adults. We grown ups left with a Miller Lite. That's what I call neighborly. Then we all gathered at our friend's house for a pot luck and lots of fun. Man I love them! It was a great night, and one we won't forget. enjoy the pics!

In other news:

1. I love my job. It's really fun, and it's so great to just do something that is creative and low stress. Now if it could just pay those pesky student loans back with this extra income....

2. We got to spend last weekend in Iowa City for the football game. Granted, it was a tough pill to swallow when the QB got tackled and thus hurt his leg and is out for the season. Our hearts go out to him as he led his team in the second longest winning streak in the nation. Aside from that, we did enjoy seeing some great friends, family, and a play. :)

3. Finally, I'm still trying to lose weight. I'm at 25 pounds, so 25 more and I'll be ready to decide one of two things: Start running again for real, or have another baby. Guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

You'd think I'd have more to say since it's been awhile (or maybe I've said to much? ha ha), but that's all for now. Have a great couple of weeks!

October Review

Well, let's see:

1. Henry absolutely loves school. His experience has been really wonderful, and our minds are made up that Catholic school is the right fit for the kids and our family. There is just something about your kid coming home and earnestly talking about the importance of giving love to all who cross your path. An important lesson.
2. Claudia also loves school. She loves art and play dough in particular. Oh the difference between boys and girls! She also enjoys getting me to herself for an hour--at least I think she does! I know I love that time together.
3. I have been losing weight. Currently I have lost 18 pounds and people are starting to make comments that they notice, which is very rewarding! Plus I got to finally shop in the non-fat section for the first time in years yesterday!
4. So why was I shopping? Because I got a job. Finally. My streak of "black balled-itis" is officially over. O-V-E-R! I will be working at night and on the weekends, opposite Max's schedule, which will bring in a second income while not having to pay childcare. What will I be doing? I'll be a photographer at JCPenney's. I'm very excited about this as it's something relatively creative and something I truly enjoy. If I'm going to be away from my family, at least it's doing something for which I have a passion!
5. The Hawkeyes are #1 in the Big Ten! It's been such a fun season this year!
   

You all have a fantastic couple of weeks. Happy Halloween!!! Enjoy the pics of my babies. I love them so.

What Boys Do

Boys cheering on football. They were shouting, "Go Pack GO!" The Eagles and Chiefs were actually the ones playing. Who cares though, just another excuse to jump up and down yelling like crazy.

Have I mentioned lately that the Iowa Hawkeyes are awesome? No? Well they are. Have a good week!

Fall Cometh

Autumn actually starts in a week, but all signs are a go:

1. Hawkeye football started with a bang! Oh, and all the other college teams also began the season, but they don't matter much to us. Haha. I suppose it would also mean NFL began, tonight, as the Bears and Packers play. Currently the better team is winning.





2. School started. Was a bit of an adjustment, for Henry it's hard to stop in the middle of his day and go to afternoon school. For Claudia, her life rarely exists without her big brother, so she misses him while he's away. Otherwise, they do love it, and we're glad they have started.






3. Finally, it's apple pickin' time. We picked a couple pecks (hee hee, fun to write) today. The kids loved eating the apples (they each had, count them, FOUR apples today). So, we made apple crisp from scratch this evening. It was yummy.




----Happy Fall!----

Callie the Cat

Introducing the newest member of our family, Callie the Cat. A short hair tabby mix, she might remind some people of another cat I once loved. Callie is calm, easy-going, and only meows in the car on the way to the vet. Something about her however reminds me of my Puppy cat who I loved (and only I loved). LOL
We did not expect to adopt her, but on a whim during a rainy day we went to visit a pet store. The new baby animals were all so cute, and on our way out we noticed an area for animals in desperate need of adoption. One look at Callie and I decided the kids and I needed to have a visit with her. We went back for two more days, and decided she was there for us. She is between 1 and 2 years old, and her prior owners dropped her at the doorstep covered in mats and flees. Look at her now, she is beautiful.

Over the summer we spent some time with a neighbors cats while they were away and Henry continued to talk about having a pet of our own. We knew he was getting to be old enough to treat a pet with care, and he has shown himself thus far to really be good for her, and she for him. He comforts her and tells her it will all be okay, and that she can sleep with his mommy. He tells her he has left food for her in her bowl, and if she wants, he can show her his toys. It's so sweet. Claudia tells her hello frequently. Callie is not quite comfortable yet for my two year old!

That's it on the feline front, have a wonderful week!

Happy 2nd, QP!

This past weekend we celebrated our Q-P's 2nd birthday with most of her little friends. It was her first official party with her buddies! Below is a picture of her getting ready to go outside to play in the water. We had a bunch of water activities, rice crispy treats that the kids decorated, and bikes to ride. Perfectly simple, perfectly fun.

Here Claudia is blowing out her candle on her cake. It was fun, and we thank everyone for being part of her big day. For more pics, please click HERE.

On another note, we have a couple weeks until the kids start their preschool/pre-K programs at church. I'm getting ready for them to get back into the grind a bit, and I know Henry is starting to get a bit bored and ready for some structure at school. I'll still have them both every morning, and Claudia only goes one morning a week, but it will be nice to get re-activated! LOL

Bullet List Baby

Okay, let's see here. Been nearly a month, so let's just bullet this! :)

• Claudia can now count to 10.
• Henry has entered this super cool era of doing more responsible things such as putting away his clean laundry and helping set the table. And for now, he loves it.
• We have had many visitors this summer, my mom, Aunt Brooke and Cousin Braxton to name a few. It's been such a fun summer.
• Claudia has learned all her colors (well, several--chartreuse doesn't count), many shapes, and her sense of humor is growing wildly. She will do just about anything to get a laugh.
• My mom is having hip replacement surgery in a couple weeks so I'll be going back to Iowa for a few days....alone. Very weird.
• Claudia turns 2 in just a few days. They grow up waaaaaaay too fast. Can I stop them? Please?
• We took the kids in to see Millennium Park and Buckingham Fountain last week. They fell in love with the city, just as Max and I once had. We're going back this coming Friday for Claudia's birthday. Going to LP Zoo and then watching the planes practice for the AW Show this weekend. Claudia will probably chase pigeons while Henry screams of excitement while watching the fighter jets. Good times.
• Summer has been a blast with our friends and neighbors. We couldn't ask for more awesomely cool and kind people to surround us.

Here is a video of Claudia dancing at North Aurora Days last week. Notice how dizzy she gets as she's saying, "I wanna dance, I wanna dance". Tee hee hee.