Halloween Fun

All I can say is the older I get the more fun I have at Halloween! Carol and I dressed up and went shopping, picked up Wesley from preschool and went out for lunch. Then when the kids got home from school we put on our costumes, did the proper make-up jobs and went trick or treating until our feet hurt. Every single time Wesley walked away from a house he was yelling, "Mom, I got Candy!" After awhile he was singing the "I love Halloween" song--an original; and finally he was literally dragging his bag behind him. Today he asked if we could go again after it got dark...sadly "No" He really didn't understand.


Colin, Owen and Wesley were Bears fans. Jed a Ninja, Christian was simply scary and Alaina and Emily were Cosmic Twins...how fun!
Look closely at Em's eyelashes...aren't they cool? She kept them on all night!

BEFORE




AFTER!



Yes, I did go out shopping and for lunch dressed liked this...it was awesome! We had such a great time! I wish I could figure out how to get my phone pics on my blog because Carol was awesome! Wish you all could see her green hair.
Laura says she vowed never to dress up again until she met me. She called at 4 saying, "I have nothing to wear!" Luckily I had gone to Carol's house and had like 8 wigs on my kitchen table for her to choose from. She said she was Billy Ray...I wish I had a Hannah Montana costume!
My little Ninja "Look at all my loot mom! I got the most candy of anyone!"

A belated birthday wish to Pigpen

Last Saturday we had Pigpen's birthday party. We had so much fun painting pumpkins, opening presents, playing with Lightning McQueen and meeting our newest cousin! We made a mess, we ate like pigs and had a hard time saying good-bye. Hope you enjoy this photo journal.






The foreman paints his pumpkin. Let me tell you Christian is very elusive and I have hardly any pictures of him because he is never around, so enjoy this one. And he's smiling too!


Wesley's whole pumpkin ended up this turquoise color...and so did my patio.



Em and her creation. She was the only one who ended up with a pumpkin with a face. She promptly and proudly displayed her pumpkin outside only to have it rain and the wash all the paint off. = (



Clara's pumpkin was a nice shade of pink. She wouldn't smile for me at all!








Becky and Noah!






Finally, Uncle Dan and all the Bierma cousins. Doesn't this just make you smile?


Happy Birthday my baby, my youngest, my buddy.
Love you Wesley!

Why?

Why would I ever have to hear this sentence?

The Philosopher "Mom, my car fell into the toilet!"
The Popstar "There's poop and a car in the toilet...GROSS!"

Me, "Remind me to ask for a new pair of salad tongs for Christmas.

Mom's William Tell Overture

I've watched this 4 times this morning and by the end I'm crying and laughing so hard...it gets me every time!

OMG Why didn't I think of that!

We went to Jen and Tim's last night for dinner...had a fantastic time! The kids are all getting to an age that they can play without constant supervision which makes for a nice night for the grown-ups. The Lampen's spared no expense when it came to the wine they brought out!

1, 2, 3, 4 expensive and brilliant bottles! BRAVO!





Well, after the night was almost done Tim suggests that we make smores over the fire pit...and then in an act of shear brilliance he gets out a bag of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups! What!?!?! Yes, he says, you CAN make smores with the cups!!! BRILLIANT! DIABOLICAL! INSPIRED!



Well, I never! It was amazing! I highly recommend trying this...it was truly a happy time!

Oh, fellow women if we could unite we could change the world!

Since I've graduated from college I've worked at many different places. Sometimes the organizations have chosen to pay me other times I've put in hours for free but the one thing that unites all of these experiences is that I've primarily worked with women. The women I've worked with have all been strong, smart, talented, some of them have been driven, crazy or haunted; others have been insecure or sad, unhappy or disappointed. I've learned that together we can care for each other in a way that no one else could, we could hold each other up and help each other get through hard times. I've learned that women together can solve a world of problems, we can make a community wake up and take notice, we can face any obstacle and overcome it with grace.

And when we turn on each other it can get really ugly. I've known a woman who committed crimes to get attention and was forced to leave her small children to serve her sentence, seen a woman leave her family in search of a love she could never find. I've been in friendships that I bared my soul only to have it used against me. I've had to say good-bye to a woman who first taught me how deeply connected friendships can be.

I wonder why we woman search so desperatly for relationship and connection only to feel so insecure in them when we find them. Why do we so vigorously protect ourselves from letting others see the true us? Why do we attack those we love to make ourselves feel important when we know that it will crush others? Why do we doubt the sincerity or commitment of the friends we find.

I believe that there is no one stronger in this world than a woman who is confident. Confident in herself, confident in her relationship with Christ, surrounded by other women to share her life with.

Together we can tear each other apart or together we can change the world. I wish we could learn to trust each other...only God knows what would happen then!

Rule #1 You can't go comando in IKEA

Have you ever found yourself confronted by an organization with rules that make no sense and been forced to obey against your will??? Well, that was my morning today...and I didn't go quietly!

We took a day trip to IKEA today and on the way I told Wes all about the great kid room they had there...he was very excited to try out this new "store school." We walk up to the counter and the lady behind it says, "Good morning! Does he have a diaper or pull up on?"

Yes, I answer cheerfully back...he is potty trained, but we have a diaper on him in case he has an accident.

"Well," says the lady behind the counter "If he is wearing a diaper or pull up he is not allowed in the play room. We have strict policy of no diapers -- no pull ups."

I thought this was crazy and proceeded to tell her that. Wouldn't it just make sense that you would want a child to wear a diaper or pull up if they might have an accident...wouldn't you want them to be protected...to protect the furniture and toys???

"No," she answers back..."diapers and pull ups are a santiary issue...if he has an accident in the ball pit we would rather just close the ball pit and wash all the toys...he may not be wearing a diaper if you want him to come in." Is this lady on crack?

"FINE! I say, I'll take him into the bathroom, take off his diaper and he can just go comando! I'm really getting ticked now!"

So I go and so just that...bring him back to the counter and there is a new lady there...waiting for me.

"Um, the girl that was hear heard what you were going to do and called our manager....he said that you may not bring him in here the way you were going to...he must be wearing underwear."

To which I answer back..."You mean to tell me that a thin piece of cotton between his bottom and his shorts is the only thing keeping him from entering this kid's room? Is a thin piece of cotton really going to make that big of a difference? Do you really pull open every child's pants to see if they are wearing proper underpants? Really...??This is the craziest thing I've ever heard of...I have underwear in the car...do I have to run all the way back to my car and get them now?"

"Yes mam...if you want to use this room."

"Fine" I said, "I'll just take him shopping with me." So, we start to go up the escaltor when my precious little man says, "Mommy, I want to go in there...I want to go on the slides!"

Ok then I think...don't worry..."I'M GETTING YOU IN!" No one is gonna treat my baby this way!!!

Now I have to run back to the car...have you ever been in IKEA? That place is a total maze...and it's impossible to get anywhere fast. But I do...I run to the car...of course I have no underwear in there...but I do have another pair of shorts...awesome...now he can wear these as boxers...BRILLIANT!

I run back in again, strip him down AGAIN, put two pairs of shorts on the poor guy and march him back yet again to the front desk. Now, I smell blood...if this woman doesn't let my man in I'm gonna tear her eyes out!

"Does he have proper underpants on now?"

"Oh, yes!" I answer "He has underpants on now!" Ha! If she only knew!!

He did get in and she was kind enough to give us an extra 5 minutes on our hour...big whoop!

By the time I actually got into the freakin store I was so irritated... but he did get in...don't mess with the mommy!