WestJet Christmas Miracle: real-time giving

I just had to share this today.  Life is crazy at the holidays around here ... and sometimes a little stressful, so it is easy to forget what 'Christmas Spirit' is.  J.D. shared this with me this morning and by the time it was over I had tears rolling down my cheeks.  This is Christmas.  This is what 'Christmas Spirit' is about, making wishes come true for others!  (and notice it doesn't have to be expensive or big wishes either ... just socks and underwear can make people smile in appreciation!)

Halloween in November!

 A few days ago, the town announced that Trick or Treating would be held on Friday instead of Thursday evening because of predicted storms.  We all kind of laughed at work about it ... I mean, really, when are they that accurate that far ahead of time.  Well, I wasn't laughing last night - thank goodness we weren't trying to Trick or Treat!  There was a record breaking rain fall last night and winds strong enough to knock down heavy patio furniture.  Today was a much better day to be out in the neighborhood!

Here are the costumes - Link and a Black Ninja and Miss Lilly as Mary Poppins ...

 This one is blurry, but so cute of her!

Last night we actually got to carve pumpkins - so all that rain was a good thing, otherwise I'm not sure we would have had any jack 'o lanterns this year.  Life is so busy!  Happy Halloween!

My favorite part of Fall Break ...

Fall break is now two weeks long.  I love it!  It is fantastic if you have a vacation planned for a week or so because then you have time to actually relax at home too, but when you are short on funds and have two weeks together and the weather turns from 70's to 50's, you start to look for things to do after few days  ... things close by and free!  There is so much to do in Indianapolis and close by that it is good to just be home and explore what you are surrounded by.  You never know what kind of gems you'll find right in your own backyard.

We found some things to do and we had a great time.  We used coupons from the summer reading program for a free round of bowling at the local Brownsburg Bowl.  We found a 'U Pick' pumpkin patch at a farm really close to our house.  It is great because they have an ice cream bucket, literally, on a card table in their front yard with a note that says 'leave an amount ($) that you think your pumpkins are worth'.  Which makes picking your own pumpkins so much more affordable than the commercialized pumpkin patches around here.  Love it.

 We went to Connor Prairie, which we already had a pass for and enjoyed the science area, made some fall crafts and got to visit the Apple Store, which they have every fall but we never have time to go check it out - the kids got caramel apples, which I thought would be so messy ... but they ate every bite of them, all the way down to the core and then licked their fingers clean!  I was so surprised! 

But, my most favorite thing we did was take a bike ride - on a trail - a long trail.  I figured out how to get the bike rack on the car, loaded all four bikes onto or into the car and we found a trail in Zionsville that was perfect for the kids!  Beautiful fall weather, changing trees, about 6 miles of trail and the kids did awesome.  We totally need to do this more often.  Even Big D was able to do about 5 1/2 miles - which for his kindergarten legs was amazing.
 



 I love it when we find something healthy, something free, something new and a little adventurous and something that everyone enjoys!  Apparently Indiana is a great place for biking.  After talking to some 'bikers' at work, there are a lot of trails, both paved and mountain trails in Indiana and it is a destination for a lot of bikers. 

I would love to check out some of the trails in downtown Indianapolis with the kids.  I went with some ladies from work for a bike ride there a few weeks ago and loved it.  We went just under 20 miles, had lunch in Broad Ripple halfway and spent a few hours seeing the city.  I really like spin at the gym, so I thought I'd enjoy biking ... just wish I had more time to fit it into my schedule.  I think seeing the city on a bike would be a great experience for my kids.  So, there it is - a goal for next year, 'Get the kids downtown for a few bike rides' and maybe 'Join the Indiana Biking Association and go on a few long rides myself, see what I can do!'

 Big D was pretty excited that we was able to pedal so far all by himself.  He was a trooper!  Isn't it gorgeous here in the fall?!  The kids are pretty cute too.

 This is the car all loaded up with the bikes ... I was just a little proud of myself for figuring that out all by myself and then not having any of them fall off as I drove!

We also worked a lot on our Halloween costumes.  I've been so frugal this year (yea!) - I think I spent a total of $5 on costumes this year.  We have made everything from stuff I had on hand, cardboard, or a few things that I picked up from goodwill.  And their costumes have all turned out great. 

 

 This picture is a hint for Miss Lilly's costume ... the big reveal for my siblings will come on Halloween :)

Growing Pains

I'm crying today.  I don't really know why it hit today, versus any other day - maybe its hormones, but today my heart hurts a little.  It's hard to be a mom.  I didn't know it when I was pregnant with Master S, but I soon realized it - as soon as my delivery didn't go as planned with him.  The 'hard' had started.  It's hard to do the day in and day out of crying, feeding, napping, sleeping, cleaning, feeding, diapering, playing, interference running, scheduling, baby craziness.  Especially on little sleep.  But, today I am missing it.  I want to pull back the moments of playing with trains, coming up with things to entertain, watching clouds on our backs at the park, going on walks and pointing out the beauty around us, going to the mall just to get out of the house and share a soft pretzel with a happy child (well, maybe a happy child after we got the pretzel ...let's be real here!).  My home is empty during the day, and when I am home, it is so quiet it is hard to be here by myself sometimes.  As much as I hate working full time right now, it is probably a good thing, as this crying is not really pretty on me.  I look at my children and want to desperately hold back the growing up, stop the furious speeding train that growing up is, as it escalates down a hill that just doesn't ever level out before adulthood and responsibility and all the difficulties I know are ahead for them.  They are amazing children and they will be amazing adults, but I want to enjoy them just a little more than I am.  I want to hug them, to surround them with love and happiness.  I want to be a better mom and patient with their growing, not trying desperately to catch up to them all the time.  So, I'll sit and cry for a little bit longer, and maybe when they get home I'll use a softer voice, smile and wrap my arms around them a little more and cherish the moments, even if they are 'hard', because what makes motherhood hard, also makes it worth being a mom. 

Yorgason Wedding

 Cousins are awesome!  And with 11 of them on my side (with one on the way), getting them all together for a wedding was super exciting.  They had a great time playing, running, swimming, twirling, getting all dressed up and traveling together.  It was a whirlwind of a trip, but so totally worth it! 

 Uncle Kameron got married to a beautiful bride, Emily earlier in August which provided the opportunity to get all the cousins together.

 With a sibling in Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and me in Indiana it was a great week of travel for everyone, but we managed to all be in the same place for the wedding in Bountiful Utah and then got to be all together at my parents for one glorious night in Boise, ID for the reception.  Hoping that the next time we are all together it will be for the very purpose of just being together!  And that it will be longer than just a few hours in the same house!

The receptions in SLC as well as Boise were beautiful and there were so many people I hadn't seen in so long it was great to catch up and kind of crazy to realize how much older everyone is, including myself!  So good to renew friendships and relationships with people I love and have had influence on my life.

 Here are the boys hanging around at the temple before pictures.

 This is a oh so happy family getting our picture in the sun ...

 Love this picture ...

 And this one ..

 All the grandkids on my mother's side ... look at all those cousins! 

 

 

The Cucumber and the Chicken Wire

Someday I'll have time to write a parable about 'The Cucumber and The Chicken Wire".  There are so many applications and possibilities ... It's unfortunate encounter with a chicken wire trellis - which was actually built and put in place to provide support, but somehow didn't help this particular cucumber as much as it could have ... someday I'll write about adversity and the ability to grow even amidst difficulty and the fruit that comes from perseverance (because this cucumber tasted great once it was cut from the fence).  But, not today, because this cucumber is a direct symbol of my life right now and time is fleeting ... my children are growing and I need to make dinner!

 Aug. 1st and school has started!  Jr. High for Master S.  I think he jumped out of bed when his alarm went off this morning.  I did not ... he catches the bus way too early for my 'still want to be on summer schedule body'!

 Kindergarten and 3rd grade ... so I am officially without children after these two get on the bus.  Where did the time go? 

 Miss Lilly got a haircut with bangs for school this year ... she is currently in love with it.  We will see how long that lasts, as actually doing her hair will be become a daily requirement with bangs.  It is cute - kinda weird to look at her and feel like I'm looking in a mirror, one that reflects a much younger me with lots of memories of elementary school flooding back.

This guy, was so excited he could hardly contain himself.  Not a worried bone in his whole body!  He Could. Not. Wait. to get on the bus!  I had to go for a run once they got on the bus - had to do something to work out those emotions bubbling up.  Counting the hours 'till they get home and I can ask about every-little-detail!