6 Halloweens

This post is for my kiddos.
A lot has changed in the past 6 Halloweens since we have moved to CA.
And every year is more and more fun.
A stroll down memory lane...

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

 2014

Favorite Five: October

October was AWESOME. It is my favorite month. 

And this year RSAD (reverse seasonal affective disorder) did not get the best of me…I think I have officially adjusted my expectations. It's still summer in October, I get it now.

These are my favorite 5 pictures, not because they are great pictures (they aren't),
but because they documented great things.
Things like…

A totally spontaneous surprise outing to see Disney on Ice with the two big girls.

Abby did a kids triathlon in our neighborhood. 

The event was for grade school kids (and Sam couldn't do it due to something else going on), and I questioned if Chris should bring Abby on account of the fact that she can't swim very well, and can't ride a bike (2/3 of the race - hello!). Well, they didn't let that stop them, and some floaties and a scooter made it possible. She did awesome!

 We celebrated our "golden anniversary" this month…12 years on October 12th. 

We got away for 2 nights (first time in 3+ years…THANK YOU Grandpa Bob and Grandpa Janet!). The first day of our weekend getaway we surfed and the second day we sat...
right here.

I did my first sprint triathlon since having kids. My splits were surprisingly similar to my times before kids, but my body DID NOT respond as it used to after races. I "did something" to my shoulder and I am still paying for it two weeks later. Apparently I am at the age where you can't go all out (without having trained properly) and expect not to suffer a consequence. Despite my little injury, it was super empowering to finish the race, and my cheering squad was a welcome sight (even though they missed the finish because I told them the wrong time to come  - ooops). I thought I was doing this race "for me," but I realized how important it was to me for my girls to watch their mama do something challenging.

This was just a regular day, driving to the YMCA. They keep things interesting. They make me smile.

A glimpse of Nashville

We just got back from a Fall Break trip to Nashville to visit my sister Jenny and family

…PLUS sister Katie and family were able to come too. 

We had about 40 hours together, the 14 of us, which was short, but deeply cherished.

Here is a quick glimpse. I had a lot of time on the plane ride home so I went a little collage-crazy here...

Cousin time was totally priceless. Jenny brought us to an amazing pumpkin patch that has officially ruined all pumpkin patches, ever. I wished I was a kid. It was a joy to watch our 8 play together.

And little Lydia…all I can say is, she fits like a glove, just one of the gang. We are blessed to call her family, blessed she belongs to this crew. It is almost impossible to imagine that a year ago she was a cute mystery on a tiny photo. We love you Liddy Lou! We can't imagine our family without you!

We enjoyed spending time in Jenny and John's huge backyard and wonderful home, which they (mostly John) have transformed one room at a time over the past couple years. HGTV should have filmed it.

Perhaps my favorite memory from the trip was sitting on Jenny's screened porch one night with my sisters, bundled in blankets, and reading Tina Fey's Bossypants out loud, laughing until we cried.

We had San Diego daytime temperatures, and some beautiful Fall color was just starting. 

THE TREES! Oh, how I love the trees! The little taste of Fall filled me up.

 More cousin pictures. 

I am certain that the sibling affection between us sisters trickles directly down to our kiddos. Feel the love.

Lenny and Jenny Designs got a last minute spot at the Franklin Pumpkin Fest so we had the bonding experience of helping them set up their stuff (late at night) and visiting them in their tent (all day). They sold lots, made great money, and learned that people really LOVE Nashville (because the Nashville signs were the big sellers of the day). Click the link above for their Etsy shop.

After Katie and fam headed home we had an extra day and half with the Leiningers.
We enjoyed a neighborhood walk, a beautiful drive (where I almost hit a deer), a trip to the Nashville Zoo (where you can pet kangaroos - how cool is that!?!), and got to celebrate John and Micah's birthdays.

 For years I have focused on how sad I am that I don't live by my sisters, and all that we could be experiencing if we lived closer and could live daily life together. But recently I realized I needed to change my focus and instead be simply, and profoundly, THANKFUL. Thankful that I have not one, but two sisters who are my best friends, who married awesome men, who are wonderful mommies, who are women I admire and look up to and so thoroughly enjoy. I try to just stop there now. All is a gift. Truly.

Maybe our relationships are so good because we miss each other and can't see each other enough. Maybe if we lived near each other we would have calendars filled with family events and little time or need for friends. Maybe the depth of each of our local and church communities and friendships in IL, TN, and CA is a special byproduct of NOT living near family. Who knows? But maybe.

Like a friend of mine says, "I choose thankful."
Yes, I do.

Favorite Five (x2): September

Apparently September has been a photogenic month.

I couldn't even remotely limit it to 5, so here are 10 happy shots from life in September.

From Labor Day weekend. Thank you to our friend and host Deyl for this priceless picture of Abby.

As a Midwestern Mama I feel warm and fuzzy seeing my kids shuck corn.

Are we 7 or 14? She recently realized she could listen to music "privately."

This is a whole house fan. It is AMAZING. I can't stop talking about it.

If you don't have and don't want to pay for air-conditioning, you should get one of these fans installed.

My children no longer sweat all night. Cool air now blows in our windows. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

Call this great company: http://www.mygreenhomedesign.com

First day of pre-preschool. Carrying the bags is her favorite part.

Have I ever mentioned we have a dog? She is 9, her name is Bailey. She is very tolerant.

This girl.

First organized activity for our big 4 year old. 

Abby has always been a "kicker" so we are hoping soccer will channel all that leg energy.

Annual Oktoberfest in our neighborhood.

Playing school in the Secret Garden. This place continues to be a hit.

What a fun month September has been. Now on to my favorite month of October!

Favorite Five: August

August has been a BIG month. I feel like I say that every month :)

This little one turned TWO.

This is NOT what summer camp looked like for me growing up.

 First day of school. 2nd grade and 4 yr old PreK.

 Never gets old. Ever.

 We closed out the month with a special trip to Santa Barbara to see friends. 

These 5 girls had a great time together.

Midwest Summer Trip

Every summer my family gets together for a week. It is one of my favorite weeks of the year, hands down. It is wonderful to simply be together, and the location is almost irrelevant to me, although we have enjoyed each other's company in some fun places…Illinois, Georgia, San Diego, Disneyland.

This year we returned to Door County, Wisconsin. My parents owned a cabin there for 10 years, but the cabin has been sold and we haven't been back since 2008, so this was a return to a very special place. We have a lot of memories in the darling little towns that make up the peninsula of Door County: Jenny and John got engaged in Peninsula State Park, Katie and I were waitresses in Fish Creek one college summer, I came up to the cabin in Egg Harbor with my high school prom group, and there were countless family visits and reunions of all kinds. Door county is wooded, rural, surrounded by water, and sprinkled with small towns that have a Cape Cod-meets-Scandinavia-in-the-Midwest feel. It is pretty magical.

It was a full and fun 11 day vacation adventure back in my homeland, not restful, but joyful.

Here is my Top Ten from our time in the lovely Midwest…

#1 The first two days at my parents house were a big highlight for my family of five. Those days included: the mini car, zipline, tree house, visits to neighbors horses, breakfast over the campfire, big trees, lots of grass, time on the back porch, and San Diego temperatures. It is a kids' paradise there.

 

#2 An afternoon with my Grandma. We got to spend an afternoon and evening with my sweet Grandma, and my Illinois aunt, uncle, and cousin. It is such a treat to have time with the extended family I grew up with. It is still so very strange to see my Grandma without my Grandpa, but she is doing well. We all feel my Grandpa's absence, which makes it even more special to have four generations of family together when we get the opportunity. I love that my kids will have memories and pictures with my grandparents.

#3 One of the biggest events of this trip was Lydia's baptism. What a joy to be able to all be there for this significant occasion in her life. In general, spending a week with Lydia was a highlight. Now that she has survived her first family vacation it feels like she is officially family! Little Lydia is happy, loud, rough, tough, warm, loving, REALLY smart, a super clear communicator (even without many words), a phenomenal hugger, and in general, a joy to be around. Sweet Lydee - we love you!

#4 Once in Door County we enjoyed a lot of biking. We brought a few bikes, and rented the rest. Our rental house backed right up to a huge state park full of bike trails. We could bike to the beach, bike into town, or bike for an early morning coffee. It was so fun to not need cars for local outings.

#5 Two days at the beach. Thanks to the brutal Midwest winter this past year, there was still ice in Green Bay in May (very unusual), so the July water temperatures were much colder than normal, but still doable. We rented paddle boards, my parents brought their canoe, and we enjoyed our time on the water.
#6 Grandparent time. I love just watching my parents with their grandkids!

#7 Cousin time. These 8 kiddos love love love each other. This year we had ages: 8, 7, 6, 4, 4, 2, 2, 22 months. Whoa nelly!

#8 Cherry-picking. Door County is known for cherries, but I don't think we have ever hit the time right to be able to pick cherries as a family until this year. The kids loved it, and when we were back at my parent's house my mom and sis turned those cherries into a lovely cherry pie (a cherry pie full of cherry pits…because that is what happens when you have 2 year olds pit the cherries - yikes!).

#9 Watching the 3 "babies" together.  My sisters and I always secretly hoped that all three of us would have kiddos the same age. Well, here they are, our 2012 babies (April, August, and October). These three were a riot together and kept us on our toes. We will never forget the year we had three 2 year olds, that's for sure.

#10 Simply, FAMILY. We never see each other enough, so we cherish our time together deeply.

 

My best friends for life.

My favorite picture of the trip…

So thankful for so much.

All is a gift.

Hannah is TWO

My baby isn't a baby anymore. She's TWO today. I'm totally in denial.

As we celebrate her life today I want to document a few things about the baby of our family so we can remember her sweet a kooky ways at this stage of her life.

Hannah is queen of facial expressions. The picture above perfectly captures her signature face…her coy look…she does this face all the time. She plays shy and will then break into a smile and embrace whoever she is trying to fake out. She's a lover. She gives the best hugs. She likes to make us laugh with her facial expressions, especially her surprised face. This girl is a character.

I had this strange expectation that because the third girl in my family of origin was mellow and easy going, Hannah would be too. NOT SO MUCH. Apparently we don't make mellow and compliant children (I can hear our parents laughing now). Just like her sisters, this girl is on-the-go, energetic, very curious/up to no good, spirited, and spunky. She is also squirmy (I honestly don't think she has ever cooperated for a diaper change), she's a very good climber, and she is getting FAST (and loves to run away from us). Hannah is quite good on scooters and skateboards and is always wanting to try a bike. One of her favorite antics is to sneak into the garage and hide under the car - yes fully under the car (yikes!). This little chickadee keeps us on our toes.

Hannah loves her sisters. "Abby" is usually the first thing she says when she wakes up and whenever her sisters are at school she will constantly say "Abby? Abby? Abby?". We are pretty sure she uses the name "Abby" for both sisters and we can't get her to say "Sam". She wants to do whatever her sisters are doing and is thrilled when she is included (which is definitely not all the time).

I am very happy to report that I finally have a Mama's girl. After being rejected by Abby for the better part of her life (when given the choice between Mommy or Daddy), I actually smile happily when Hannah only wants Mama at bed time. Thanks Hannah-banana…I will always be happy to put you to bed!  That's not to say she doesn't LOVE her Daddy. Her enthusiasm when he walks in the door at dinner time is amazing…big eyes, huge smile, full speed ahead running into his arms…or leg.

A few other fun facts about Hannah: she loves the pool, but isn't so sure about the ocean...she hates loud noises, especially trucks...she was a terrible teether, but is a great sleeper/napper...she wishes she could walk around with her pacifier and two blankies all day long...she has just recently taken a liking to dolls...she is currently obsessed with cows and inquires about them daily ("A cow?"...this started a few weeks ago after seeing a dancing Chick Fil A cow on the street)...she has beautiful brunette curls in the back and has never had a haircut...she doesn't like to be held for more than 30 seconds (except by certain friends)...she loves dressing up, is NEVER ready to get out of a bath, is very independent and strong-willed (3 for 3 there), can wriggle out of most shopping cart seat belts, and she has the best belly laugh when she is being tickled.

Hannah completes our family beautifully. As the oldest of three girls I never imagined having a family of three girls myself. It is such a wonderful treat to raise and watch these three grow as individuals, and in their relationship with each other. Aside from a love for God, one of my deepest desires is that my girls are best friends. The other day when I picked them up from childcare at the YMCA the staff member said she'd never seen sisters who love each other so much. Made my day! Hannah is so lucky to have such wonderful big sisters to look out for and love her. We are so lucky to have this little lady in our life.

We love you sweet Hannah. 

Happy birthday! 

Here is Hannah's birth story which I will always enjoy re-reading every August 6th.
And some reflections from Hannah's first birthday and her birth announcement.