Look At Those Beauties!

Check out these cuties! We took some time this last weekend - well, actually, we took a lot of time! - to have the kids' pictures taken at Sears Photo Studio in Spokane. I bought the CD so I can publish and print the photos as I want. So here I am sharing them with you! These were a few of the best shots, though the kids are both very photogenic so there wasn't really a bad one. You'll probably be seeing one of these photos in your Christmas cards this year!

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for... gluten-free holidays! Yep, I was able to enjoy turkey and all the fixings (minus the bread stuffing) along with everyone else this Thanksgiving. My wonderful mother and fabulous sisters did some research and came up with recipes for gluten-free food and I gorged myself! I felt sick from overeating rather than from poisoning myself. Kind of a nice change - hee, hee!

The dinner was yummy but our weekend was even better. We really didn't do much other than eat and shop and play but it was nice to be in Spokane with our moms, my dad, Rod, Robyn and Erin. The kids came away feeling extra special!

As I write this, we are experiencing the first snowfall of the year. What excitement there was tonight! With all of about a quarter inch of snow on the ground, the kids prepped their snow clothes for tomorrow. In each of our backpacks we now have 2 pairs of gloves, 1 scarf, 2 hats, slippers for school and snowpants. Oh my! It sounds like a holiday song! Hopefully we'll get at least another inch or so. I might even have some pictures tomorrow! We'll see!

A Week of Birthdays!

Wow! What a week! It started out with a relaxing weekend of scrapbooking! Woo hoo! I know some of you are saying, "Ugh! I can't believe she'd spend a whole weekend scrapbooking!" I sometimes wonder how I do it also but I'm not going to question it too much. I got to spend 2 nights and 2 days at Sun Mountain Lodge scrapping away the days and nights! I did take a break to sit in the hot tub and to take a nice long walk. Otherwise - I was sitting at a table surrounded by other crazy (most of them crazier than I!) ladies! This was my birthday present from my parents. Couldn't have asked for anything more!

Sunday evening I arrived home to a wonderful dinner and a birthday cake (gluten-free!) created by my mother. She and my dad had come over to take care of the kids while I was gone. It was a fabulous weekend!

Dylan insisted I wear the sombrero like at Rancho Chico!

My yummy gluten free dessert! Chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and fudge sauce...mmmm!

Though there was no school Monday, I spent the day at work getting ready for parent conferences which were Tuesday and Wednesday. Long days! Very productive however.

I am now the proud parent of a 5 year old! I can't believe Lyndsi is 5 already! I no longer have any babies in the house. She's even old enough to go to kindergarten and next month she gets her kindergarten shots - ugh! Yes, Lyndsi had a birthday on Friday and a party on Saturday. We spent Friday at a cub scout pack meeting but made it out to dinner at a local Koala themed restaurant. They even have alligator toes and kangaroo ears! Lyndsi opted for old-fashioned grilled cheese :) The highlight of this birthday was the party on Saturday. We, and 16 other kids, went to the ice cream shop in town. This is a cute 50's style soda fountain place. The kids all made their own sundaes and Lyndsi opened more presents! Fun for all! I loved it because there was no cleanup at my home!

I made these little ice cream treat bags for the guests to take home with them. I got the bowls and spoons (all looking like ice cream cones!) from Oriental Trading Company and created a topping with M&Ms, mint candies and sprinkles. I was pretty proud of the final product!

Lyndsi with her birthday sundae. Look at those pink cheeks!

Halloween

Dylan - as the Great Pumpkin

Lyndsi - as a Fairy Princess Cheerleader (she thought of it all by herself!)

Another Halloween come and gone. Truth be told, despite my grumblings of busy nights and not enough time just being at home, I really do like Halloween. You really couldn't ask for a simpler holiday! Dress silly and go door to door collecting candy. Who am I to complain???

Anyway, both kids partied at school. Lyndsi's class went to two different nursing homes to sing Halloween carols. Dylan's (and mine!) class had an afternoon party complete with games, sugar and more sugar! The school day was hit with everyone. After a very quick dinner, all 4 of us went out trick-or-treating. We managed to hook up with a couple other kids - Reily, Max and Karina - and we went down to 4th street (our old neighborhood). Normally the street looks like a movie set on Halloween. Hundreds of kids mob the couple of blocks! This year seemed pretty slow. I think Wednesday night Halloween kept a lot of kids at home. We now have two buckets of candy .. mmmm...

Steve's soccer team is still going strong! They finished another game this evening though I don't know the results as Steve hasn't made it home yet. They play again on Wednesday and then possibly (if they win) on Saturday. These games are considered the pre-games for the State tournament.

Lyndsi will be 5 in two weeks - ack! - I can't believe it! She'll be getting her kindergarten shots next month. It doesn't seem right! This time of year always gets us talking about the kids as babies. They both love to hear stories about "me as a baby" in their words!

I am off to my 4th annual scrapbook retreat next weekend! Our former scrapbook store owner puts on this annual event at Sun Mountain Lodge each November. My parents gave me the weekend away as my birthday present this year. They are even coming over to take care of the kids while Steve is away at his soccer game. The scrapbook weekend is completely and totally relaxing and I look forward to it every year. Sun Mountain is a beautiful part of the Methow Valley and the lodge is pampering and comforting! Thanks mom and dad!

I got a call Thursday night that I have been waiting for for several months. I had been dealing with some stomach issues and finally went to the doctor in September. After blood work and an upper endoscopy, I now have a diagnosis! I have celiac disease which means my body doesn't tolerate gluten. In fact gluten wreaks havoc on me! The disease can affect your joints, skin, digestive system, hair, neurological functioning, you name it! Long term it can cause lymphoma of the intestines and other fun things! However, the good news is, it is completely curable!! If...I stay completely away from gluten. Did you know that gluten is found in - well - everything! So, if anyone reading this has any helpful hints I'd love to hear them! Right now I am feeling a sense of relief that I have an answer to all of my problems, problems that I have always blamed on arthritis, hormones, motherhood, whatever. However, when I feel the pangs of hunger and realize I don't have anything snacky that is gluten-free, I do feel twinges of panic.

Steve just arrive home and his girls lost in overtime. Sad for them - No more soccer, yippee!

October Days

Yep, it's late and I should be in bed... Oh, well. I'll be starting out the week tired! So what else is new????

Only one more day of soccer! Lyndsi has her last practice tomorrow night. Dylan's last game was Friday night. Whew! I made it through another soccer season! Steve still has several games to go but I think he'll survive also. His girls didn't do so well yesterday. With a 4-0 loss they won't be taking state but they still have a chance to particiapate in the tournament. Pretty sad for all of them.

I took this picture of the Okanogan River the other morning. I couldn't resist! This is what I drive by every morning when I take Lyndsi to preschool. No one can say that I don't live in a beautiful part of the country. I love our river!

Steve continued work on the deck. He now has pegs up for the pickets. It's looking so good! I can't wait until next summer when we can bar-b-que and sit out there. We also borrowed our neighbors' riding mower today to mow and mulch all our leaves. Wow! What a trip! What normally takes all day took Steve about 30 minutes. The lawn looks better now than it has for a year! Of course Steve thinks we need riding mower now. Can't say I disagree!

We finally took some time this evening to carve our Halloween jack-o-lanterns. They were monsters! Our beloved Mrs. Baker gave each of the kids their pick of her pumpkins this summer. Little did we know how big they'd grow! It took over an hour to clean and carve them! What fun! Yep, the kids hit the showers when they were through. Dylan did all of his own carving and Lyndsi even cut out one of her own eyes (on her pumpkin that is!). You can tell which one - it's the little bitty eye!

I'm not sure what Dylan was doing here but it was too good to pass up the photo opp. At one point he stuck his head all the way into his pumpkin and was almost stuck for good!

With Halloween on Wednesday, the kids are hyped! They can't wait to get out trick-or-treating! We usually go to our good friends' The Cheesemans' for a party but we're all taking a break this year. Amy is busy with her online classes and everyone is busy with other things so we'll party again next year.

No New Pictures But an Updated Slide Show!

I don't have any pictures to add today but I did update the slide show to the right. Take a look at some of the pictures!

We spent the day with Nana and Papa today. They came over last night. It's always fun for all of us when Nana and Papa come over. We went to Dylan's soccer game and then spent some time shopping.

Tonight was the homecoming dance. We won't mention the football game last night (last I heard, the score was 77-0. Ouch!)! Anyway... back to the dance. Steve chaperoned and the kids and I went along for a while. Both kids wanted to wear their best clothes - Dylan in a tie and jacket and Lyndsi in a sparkly red dress! Steve and I were very underdressed in our jeans!

Still working on the deck!

HarvestFest 2007

Ahh, the lazy days of fall....WHATEVER! I don't think we have all been home together before 7:00 pm since August! Soccer is fun to watch - it's work that gets in the way! Steve's soccer girls have had a fantastic season so will continue on into playoffs. Their last league game is Thursday but they begin District playoffs next week. Dylan has 3 more games and 2 practices left. Lyndsi has 4 practices. What will we do with ourselves in November?

Last weekend was our town's annual Harvestfest celebration. It was combined with the Centennial and our 3rd annual Autumn Leaf Run. The kids and I have participated in the run for 2 years now. Last year we completed the 5K with the help of a stroller. This year, not feeling up to pushing that bulky thing, we walked the 1 mile route. I'm proud to say that not only did we finish but we all ran about a half of the mile! You may be thinking that I'm proud of the kids for doing that - wrong! I'm proud of myself - hee hee! Running is not my thing!

Dylan and Ruth also took part in the Kiddie Pet Parade. Ruth was a little less than eager to be with all the dogs (yes, she's a strange one!) so gave Dylan a little trouble. That just gave me the chance to walk alongside Dylan and Ruth in the KIDDIE pet parade. Yippee! I'm pretty sure I was the tallest kiddie there!

We stayed around town buying apples from the Farmer's Market and pumpkin bowling for pumpkins before meeting friends for lunch. The weather was bright and sunny and perfect for a harvest festival. All in all it was a great day!

The beauty of living in a small town is getting caught up in the hype of homecoming. This coming weekend will be the Homecoming football game and dance. We will be attending both, as fans and as chaperones. We've been here long enough to look forward to seeing the kids who make it back to town for the events.

I hope the weather holds for one more weekend as I have great plans for working in the yard. I don't like the icky mess of stinky leaves after the snow flies!

Soccer Princess and a Photo Shoot

Soccer has started with a vengence! Monday - Lyndsi, Tuesday - Dylan, Wednesday - Lyndsi, Thursday - Dylan, Saturday - Dylan. I'm pooped! Though I do love sitting in the brisk evening air, cheering on the devoted players. Lyndsi was so excited to finally start soccer! She's been waiting for "Monday" for about 2 weeks!

Today was picture day at school and I couldn't resist snapping a couple of pictures of Max and Dylan in their 7 year old finest! They looked so cute sitting on their desks next to each other! They both have the long "soccer hair" going on. Not sure I'll ever get Dylan to willingly get a haircut again!