Challenging times to say the least, but still so much to be thankful for. . .

Forgive me if I get a little personal in my post this time, but this fall has been a very difficult one for my family. So many things happening all at the same time that we wonder what will happen next: an uncle diagnosed with cancer, a cousin involved in a serious motorcycle accident, another cousin going through a sad divorce, and just this week a cousin losing her first baby at only 3 weeks old to a rare disease that affects only 1 in 1,000,000. Then there is my own family: my sister who is just 15 months older than me had emergency surgery this week to remove a flesh-eating bacteria from her abdomen that the surgeon explained could have taken her life if left untreated, and my younger brother who was involved in an accident on-site at work that severed a tendon in his right hand leaving him on disability for a full month.

All of these things could be overwhelming and all-consuming if I didn't understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful that I know about our Savior and the love he has for us. I know that through his help and the help of our Heavenly Father, we can get through anything.

Now, to post my blessings: my family, my husband, my three sweet children (and a fourth on the way), the gospel of Jesus Christ, the scriptures, the power of prayer, my home, my country (a land of plenty), the freedoms we enjoy. The list could go on and on.

Sure, life is challenging, but the blessings definitely far outweigh the difficulties. And, it is so wonderful to know that there is One in charge who knows the whole picture, and He will give us peace and assurance in difficult times.

The Past Month

This month has been so hectic--life has just taken over! There is so much to catch up on.

First, Aunt Angela stopped by for a quick visit, and the girls tried a lovely technique that their dear mother taught them on trying to get people to stay when you don't want them to leave. . .

The girls loved their first trip to the American Girl Boutique and Bistro. They ate in the Bistro with the dolls, had their dolls' hair done, and loved looking around the store and spending their allowance. It was a dream come true for them!

Next, changing weather means lots and lots of fall leaves to rake and jump in! So much fun for the little ones!

And, Halloween: Karlie dressed up as a Colonial Girl, Abby was Padme from the Clone Wars, and Nathan was our little bat. Brandon and I went out on a limb and dressed up as a "Bun in the Oven" and "the Bunmaker". Of course, we had Abby take the pictures, and she did a great job for a 6-year-old, but you don't get the full effect of our costumes. We attended several parties and went trick-or-treating at least 3 times before the holiday was over! Nathan didn't want to wear his costume at first until he discovered it meant people gave him lots and lots of candy!

Brandon and I also had the fun opportunity to go see "Wicked" at the Fox Theatre. We really enjoyed it, and we appreciate Laura for organizing this event. We especially appreciate Angela for taking the kids to the Fernbank museum while we enjoyed the show!

My Girls

On the way home from my parents' house on Sunday, Abby kept asking me how to spell words. I thought nothing of it--she was happy and was busily writing. Later that evening, I found her composed song in the kitchen. She has given me permission to share it:

Get It, Come On

Get it, get it, it's time.
Get it. Come on.
Come on on on on on.
Let's go down stairs.
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
Ya, ya, ya, ya.
It's time to get it.
Get it ya.
Get that dog.

(she loves the suspense that you can't figure out that she is talking about a dog until the end):)

Not to be outdone, Karlie composed her own song Wednesday night. Here it is:

BARRACUDA
(Karlie Version)

It's a deadly creature ure ure ure.
Eating fish and fishbones, bones, bones, gross!!!
We know who that creature is.
It's a not so good creature.
You don't see it every day.
Oh yes, you don't see it every day.
Oooo, barracuda.

(Karlie says she was inspired by the Guitar Hero 3 song, Barracuda).


Another funny thing the girls did happened last night when daddy let them have a slumber party on our floor. I told them they could talk and giggle for five minutes before they went to sleep. They were really enjoying themselves, and I could hear mentions of "witches" and "potions" in between giggles. They finally spilled the beans to me that they planned on putting potions in my underwear in my drawer after school today. I think I should be very frightened!

Karlie had a birthday, shout hooray!

Due to some pretty nasty morning sickness these past few weeks, I am seriously behind on my blog. Yes, we are expecting #4 on April 19th to all who don't already know (we're excited)! But this post is really supposed to be about Karlie's birthday, which was on September 7th.

Because her birthday was on a Sunday this year, Karlie ended up getting a whole birthday weekend. It started on Friday evening with a special birthday swimming activity where she was allowed to invite 2 friends. We went out to Kedron Pool and swam and had a picnic dinner. She requested that her friends bring their pajamas with them to change into after swimming for a "pretend sleepover". She enjoyed her horse-themed cake, and she loved the time she spent with Natalie and Ellie.

Her weekend continued on Saturday with a "sneakout" date with her mom to Barnes and Noble. She was able to spend her birthday money on the American Girl dog, Coconut, and she even used her own money to buy books for her brother and sister. Then, she enjoyed hot chocolate in the Cafe at the bookstore.

On Sunday morning, Karlie opened her gifts from her family, had special breakfast of pancakes (with candles, of course) and watermelon, and spent lots of time reading her new book. She loved being sung to at church, and she really enjoyed all of the birthday calls she got from grandparents and aunts and uncles. All and all, she had a wonderful 9th birthday! Happy Birthday, Karlie! We sure love you.

Nathanisms

This past weekend we went to Auburn to celebrate both of my parents' birthdays (Mom turned 69 and Dad is now 72), and my girls also went to their first Auburn Football game (more on that later). Well, Nathan loves to be the life of the party, and he had much attention from all of his aunts and uncles. Grandpa received a classy birthday card of a chimpanzee with his finger in his nose, and Nathan was very impressed by this card. He called it a "gorilla", and any time his uncles/sisters/aunts/cousins asked him what a gorilla did, he would stick his fingers up his nose to much approval. Got to love the influence of the relatives. I figured he had forgotten this little trick until we were at his laptime class at the library today (laptime is a class for 2 year olds and their parents). The teacher was singing the "name game song" with the class, and when she got to Nathan, everyone started laughing. I figured he just had a funny expression on his face, but when I looked down, there he was, sitting with two fingers up his nose. I was so proud!

Another funny thing Nathan did today happened at breakfast. Abby's kindergarten class put on a play last year titled "BUGZ". Abby dressed up like a butterfly, and all of the kids were dressed up as some insect or another. One little boy was a maggot, and he would periodically come on stage and say "I'm a maggot". Ever since Nathan saw the play, he likes to repeat that one phrase "I'm a maggot". Well, he was saying that while eating his waffles this morning, and his daddy thought that he would teach him to say "I'm a chic magnet" instead. He wouldn't say that for daddy, until we were on the way to bringing the girls to school. All of the sudden, he looked over at Karlie and said, "I'm a chicken maggot." So, there you have it, my son, Nathan, the chicken maggot. Got to love him.

School is back in session--not yippee

Am I the only mom out there that gets grumpier when school is in session? I mean really, I'm already missing the summer and how easy-going I was. Now, as soon as the kids get off the bus, it is nothing but stress until they are sound asleep. And, as soon as that alarm goes off in the morning, it's nothing but grumbling and crying until I get them safely to school. I don't like being this kind of mom, but the persistence of the bad moods is getting to be a little bit much.

This morning started out fairly decently. For the first time in a week, Abby didn't cry that she didn't want to go to school, and they both got ready and we were out the door 5 minutes early. Then, as soon as we exited our subdivision, we realized that traffic was backed up all the way to our subdivision. To make a long story short, it took us 40 minutes to get to school due to the interstate being shut down and everyone taking the highway as a detour. I was able to shake that off and take a leisurely walk with my pal, Amy, and have a fairly decent day. Then the girls got home. And the crying began. Did you know I'm the meanest mom in the world because I make my kids do homework? The homework they are supposed to do would only take 30 minutes if they would just buckle down and do it. But, instead, they have to spend an hour crying about not wanting to do it. By the time I get them to finish homework (and, I admit, there was a bit of yelling today on my part before they finally did their work--at least they were in agreement with each other at how mean I was), do their nightly reading, pick out clothes for the next day, pack their lunches, make and eat dinner, go to the church for activity days, and get them bathed and in their pjs, there is no time left for just having fun with them.

Sigh! I really do miss summer. I'm already counting down the days until Thanksgiving break.

Now That I am Officially 35, I Need Your Help

It's official--I'm old! What a fun birthday! I got to eat lunch at Olive Garden with fabulous friends (thank you for arranging it Amy), and then Brandon, the kids and I had our first experience at a Hibachi for dinner. The kids thought it was so much fun watching the fire, having food tossed into their mouths, and seeing the great show that our cook, Raymond, put on. Surprisingly, they loved all of the food and did a great job with their chopsticks. Of course, I took no pictures, so you'll have to take my word for it. So, many of you have mentioned that now that I am 35 I need to come up with a new name for my blog, so I am asking you for ideas. Let me know in the comments section what "Almost 35" should be renamed! Thanks for your help in advance!