trick or treat...smell my feet

sometimes i wonder where the time went. wasn't it just yesterday that ryan and jen, chris and april and matt and i would hang out late into the evening. not a care in the world. well, maybe a small concern about what time we had to get up for work the next morning (but nothing a little coffee wouldn't fix).

tonight was hilarious ...ryan scouring the house looking for something to give the trick or treaters, he settled on pringles and nutra-grain bars (not as bad as the lady who handed out toothbrushes. NO JOKE!) ...speed pizza eating so we could get out trick or treating ....walking around the mclaughlin's neighborhood trying not to get run over by ninjas, fairies, spider-man and whatever that girl was that i am still trying to figure out ...settling in at ryan and jen's stealing maddie's candy ...watching aubrey eat nerds off the floor and watching logan climb up EVERYTHING.

we sat around for about an hour after the festivities just chatting, marveling at how big the kids were, how much they've grown and how fast it went.

i am happy that we are all still friends... our lives have changed quite a bit in the past few years and i am sure that they are going to change even more. but my hope is this is just the beginning of many fun times to come and i am glad that we get to share the joys of parenting together.

a post from aubrey

look people i don't ask for very much, a warm place to sleep, something to eat now and then, a couple of toys, and a little attention...

but come on! give me a break!.... now you are dressing me up like a chicken and subjecting me to the misery's of pumpkin girl over here. what is that awful noise that she is making...is that crying? do i sound like that? really? wow...sorry about that. anyway, as i was saying, a chicken really? i kind of thought of myself as a ballerina, a princess or perhaps even dare i say a pop star. but a chicken?!? you do realize that i am putting this into the recesses of my mind and intend on bringing it up in a therapy session about 30 years from now.

the little munchkins

obviously i didn't get the memo.... cute, girly disney costumes are the way to go. our little chicken looked adorable anyway. at least we didn't go with our second choice "frankenbaby". that would have been a little awkward.

i am so in love....

my matt.... for some strange reason today i cannot stop thinking about him. now i know the "perfect wife" (whoever she is) probably does not stop thinking about the one she loves, but me, i find myself to busy with all the other things to stop and miss my husband. don't get me wrong i cannot wait until the end of the day when he walks through that door... but mostly i find myself ready to say "here your turn" as i hand off aubrey.

this morning he crawled back in bed with me just to cuddle (and sleep in a little more, i am sure). he got up before he had to leave for work to change the baby's diaper and lay her back in bed. he took up all the cups and what not upstairs... (this may not seem like a big deal to many people, but it was to me). he kissed me and left to go to work.

i started thinking ...i love the way he always kisses me goodbye in the morning ...the way he doesn't complain when i ask him to fix the blankets, get a glass of water for me and turn out the lights before bed ...i love that he cuddles with me before he falls asleep ...i love that he encourages me to try new things and dotes on me just a little when i complain and say i can't ...i love that he doesn't let me quit ...i love that he is creative and artistic ...i love that he is outdoorsy and adventurous ...i love that people look up to him ...i look up to him ...i love that he can do the thousand things that i wish i could ...i love that he has a quiet spirit and that sometimes he just needs to be alone to recharge ...i love that he loves us so much that he takes the time to recharge ...i love that he is looking toward our future and sees good things for us ...i love that he works hard ...i love that he has made spending time with us a priority ...i love that he desires to grow ...i love that he desires for me to grow ...i love to watch him with aubrey ...to see how much they enjoy eachother ...i love figuring out this parenting thing with him ...i love that he (and i) don't really have it down, but he says that that is ok ...i love that he is patient with us as we figure it out ...i love him "just because".

Camping Cutie

This weekend was our Annual Camping Trip. Each year a group of friends go up to Sullivan County, PA for some biscuits and gravy, beautiful views and fellowship by a campfire. This year the Tudors & the Enns joined us for the first time.

Sad to say, Aubrey didn't make it to the sleeping in the tent part, well, for two reasons...One, it was 37 degrees and two mom accidentally left her bottle back at the cabin. Ooops. So she got to sleep inside a warm cabin with Grammy and Pappy. Funny first time mom and dad have gotten to sleep in and it happens to be curled up in a tent on groundpads.

We did get to take her on a hiking trip to Butternut Run and had the joy of changing the baby in the woods. Nothing like changing a diaper and trying to keep your kid from ingesting leaves and rocks at the same time.

We weren't to successful with the second part, I still had to go fishing in her mouth for choking hazards.

All in all though a wonderful time with friends....

On Fields

On fields o'er which the reaper's hand has pass'd
Lit by the harvest moon and autumn sun,
My thoughts like stubble floating in the wind
And of such fineness as October airs,
There after harvest could I glean my life
A richer harvest reaping without toil,
And weaving gorgeous fancies at my will
In subtler webs than finest summer haze.
Henry David Thoreau

Highland Orchards

Matt, Aubrey and I went to Highland Orchards last weekend (after camping) to go apple picking. The weather was just starting to cool off and I couldn't wait to sink my teeth in to their amazing warm cider doughnuts.....

Aubrey got a chance to pet the goats at the petting zoo....She posed for a picture on top of some precariously placed pumpkins.... She even got to help with picking some apples. Actually, we picked the apples and she snuck some leaves into her mouth when we weren't looking.... Found it stuck to the roof of her mouth.




We spoke to a woman on the ride out to the pumpkin patch and she made some sort of comment along the lines of "we take our kids all these places and they don't even remember." It made me sad for a minute.... but then I thought to myself.... She may not remember being 10 months old and picking apples.... but I will. And it makes my heart smile.




I have come to the realization that home is not a place.... or a building, but the traditions you make, the memories that stay with you and most importantly the people who love you.

Happy Fall!