Fall Fest

Tonight was the Fall Fest at Grandma & Grandpa's church. Here are the kids in costume!

I'll have to try for a video of David walking his robot walk on Friday.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

David's new cousin, Mason, is one week old today! We saw him for the first time in the hospital last Wednesday. David came home & found his baby doll (his "practice doll" from before Elizabeth was born). He's never named his baby until now. He named his baby Mason. He wrapped the doll up in a play silk and carried it around for a few days proclaiming, "Baby Mason is the tiniest and cutest baby ever!"

I can't remember exactly what he said, but David saw an AARP commercial on TV yesterday afternoon & last night started talking about getting his Medicaid card! Then suddenly he switched to it his Medicaid dune buggy! Who knew?!?!

Getting Ready for Halloween

Today Aunt Sissy asked me how David's Halloween costume was coming. So I thought I'd give some background & a sneak peek.

Back up to about a month or more ago. David started pretending to be a robot. I think it was after noticing them on Word Girl on PBS. Then when I asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween, he said a robot... in his monotone robot voice.... that he can talk in for hours... at... a... time.

He stuck to the story for weeks, so robot it is.

Now just yesterday I read on another blog:

So we haven’t been as creative as I’d always hoped- probably because the overdone robots made from tinfoil and cardboard boxes and the butterflies fashioned from a leotard and wings just didn’t seem unique enough – even if they were “homemade.”

Well, unique or not, David wants to be a robot. It was his own idea and nothing I put in his head. I was kinda pushing fireman, since we had all the stuff to put that one together. (And in my 3 years of trick-or-treating, I've never seen a single kid dressed as a robot.) So last week I got out the perfect size cardboard box that part of our chimney had arrived in and the trusty box of foil, and began to create a robot. And David asked for a red button on his chest.

David was so excited about being a robot! He keeps asking, "Is it Halloween yet?" And I would reply something like, "Not yet, but it's getting close. Kids are starting to get ready, picking out their costumes..." and David finished my sentence, "and moms are getting ready, making the costumes." I drew a quick breath and almost cried through my grinning. He thinks moms everywhere are busy making costumes for their kids. And that makes me proud.

So, here's your sneak peek, Aunt Sissy:

Complete with a big red button on the chest, right where David helped stick it, and dryer vent arms. It will be so much cuter when the cutest 4-year-old in the world is inside it!

If you're wondering, I did not make Elizabeth's costume. She's going to be a ladybug... of course.

Halloween Past: 2007 (bought David's cape & mask on Etsy & made Elizabeth's tutu), 2006 (bought his cape at the grocery store, but made his sash), 2005 (can't find pictures of it right now, but I made it - a piece of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese - it was really cute)

Birthday #5 this Week

Today Aunt Erin turns 20! (Dad's sister) Happy Birthday, Aunt Erin!

This is one of the photos that I took of her for graduation. I know it's an old photo, but it's a bit more flattering than the ones I took on Wednesday when she was in the hospital!

I don't know if Aunt Erin will ever see this, but we all wish her the best as she starts down her new path as a Mommy.

And this concludes our 5-birthday week.

Birthday #4

Happy Birthday, Grandpa! (aka my Daddy)

Birthday #3 for the Week & a Halloween Flashback

Today we celebrate my big sister's 43rd birthday! Also known around here as Aunt Sissy, that's her up there as what appears to be a black cat. It also appears that Uncle Bubba (left) must have just done something to scare me (middle). He looks guilty, doesn't he?

Thanks to Aunt Sissy, I enjoyed my 15 seconds of fame at the checkout at Jo-Ann's yesterday! I'm sure crafters around the world are in awe of Aunt Sissy as they read through Somerset's Holidays & Celebrations magazine. I guess it's been out for a while, but I just got my copy! I wowed the check-out girl at Jo-Ann's by forcing her to look at my photo in the magazine before I'd let her ring up the sale. : ) There's Jordann pointing to my photo on page 11.


So congratulations, Aunt Sissy, on getting older and for the (not one but) two articles in the magazine! (Matchbox Advent Calendar & Holiday Matchbook Cards)

Birthday #2 for the Week

The second birthday on my calendar this week is my beautiful niece, Jordann!

Happy 15th!

I just couldn't help posting another picture from yesterdays birth day:

That's Mason again (born last night), but it reminded me of a story from Jordann's birth day.... The hospital was decorated for Halloween. I don't remember if I was sitting at the foot of my sister's bed or if I was looking over the bed side table or what, but my delusional sister thought my head was a jack-o-lantern and that there were pumpkins floating around the room!

Top photo by Aunt Sissy. Bottom photo by Aunt Jana.

I'm an Aunt!

OK, so I've been an aunt for 18 years, but now I'm a fresh aunt! My nephew, Mason, was born this evening after Elizabeth's bedtime, so we were at home. That's absolutely all I know. So if anyone ever calls me back with the details, I'll be happy to share them!

I did just get this photo sent to my cell phone, though! Planning my first aunt visit tomorrow morning and then I'll have more pictures! Yeah!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

When we got home this evening, the electricity was off. My first thought was, "Oh, we should go to Subway for supper!" Then I wondered if Subway had electricity, so I called... nope. So we sat in the dark & ate cold supper. Then we went outside to play. By then it was Elizabeth's bedtime. No night light, no white noise, hearing us talk in the living room and Grandpa's power supply beeping made it a little rough for poor EB, but she finally fell asleep.

David was fascinated by it all & just kept repeating things like
The elect-de-tricity went off.
The lights don't work, movies don't work, the computer doesn't work, the microwave doesn't work... Yikes, how did folks ever get along before electricity?!?!?

We enjoyed a game of Hi-Ho-Cherry-O by candlelight, then read books. Finally the power came back on & there was much rejoicing! Unfortunately, then it was time for bed.

While dining in the dark, I noted some things Elizabeth said:
Apple! Num-Num!
Urrrp!!! (fake burp) Meep meep! (excuse me)

All the while I was hoping the power would come back on in time for me to blog some Tiny Talk!

In other news, today was my 15.5 week check-up. I had gained 2 pounds, which is right on target for the first trimester according to the book. The heartbeat sounded fine and next month we'll have a sonogram. Hopefully he/she will cooperate and flash the camera like my other children have! Make sure to read about today's biggest event!

Thinking of Baby Stuff

So I've been thinking about what to register for with Baby #3. A couple of people have mentioned having a shower, so I might actually get one this time (didn't have one for Elizabeth). There are so many helpful baby items now-a-days to make practically everything easier, and ShopWiki makes it so easy to find them!

My wish list turns out to be a little different from everyone else's, though. With the exception of needing some new baby proofing items and a baby monitor, most of my wish list so far is cloth diapers!

Hey, while you're at ShopWiki, check out that Graco iMonitor Multi-Child Digital Baby Monitor! How cool is that!? I could put a receiver in each bedroom...

I Won, I Won, I Won!!!!!!

Happy dances all around!

I won the memory card
for my camera
that I can take on my 10th Anniversary trip!!!
Thank you, 5 Minutes for Mom!!!
I am soooo excited!!!

Now I just need to find someone giving away some snorkeling gear...

It's been a while, huh?

OK, I know. It's been a week and I missed Tiny Talk Tuesday this week. The house is just about ready. It's been pretty thoroughly cleaned by me, I installed the closet shelving, cleaned the windows (with some help from Aunt Wee) and the painter has been doing touch-up work this week. The electrician was supposed to finish this week, but in his absence, Dad pretty much fired him by doing the work himself. Too bad Dad can't dig & install a septic system... That's about all we've got left.

Waiting...

We missed the last 3 weeks of Cubbies for various reasons, but made it this week. I was so proud of David! Not only was he well behaved the whole time, but he was able to recite all 4 Bible verses, catching up on all the ones he'd missed! He got his Hopper patch (which he actually earned the last week we were there, but the teacher was out of patches) and 2 of his path patches.

Saturday was a big day as we spent 5 hours birthday partying. And we didn't even make it to both parties we were invited to! We joined family & a bunch of 8- & 9-year old boys to celebrate D&E's cousin Alex's 9th birthday. There was a bounce house with an obstacle course & slide...

And David picked out Alex's birthday present - a set of "light savers." David could hardly wait for Alex to open them. Alex was very sweet to oblige his young cousin by engaging him in combat.

Then while getting ready for church today, I discovered that while I've been busy this week, my tummy has been growing! So here's a belly shot at 15 weeks with baby #3.

Aunt Sissy and Uncle Bubba have been bragging on their tomato crops. (Please, check out their links!) I thought I'd chip in with a tomato brag, too.

My husband is a bit of a chef (when he wants to). Apparently, a fire station he was at recently was staffed with a bunch of firefighting gourmets and one of them mentioned a recipe that sparked his interest. I had recently read about it myself: Insalata Caprese. And yes, it was tasty!

Sorry for the fuzzy picture. After the fact, I discovered a tiny little fingerprint on my camera lens! With a little twist, this would be the perfect treat for the adult table at your Halloween party!

A smile for the dancer

OK, I admit I'm not up on a lot of things, so you may have seen these videos before. Tonight while reading up on living sustainably, I found them. And I just wanted to share a smile for the dancer. He opens my eyes to how big our world is and how small it is at the same time. It's the same reason that the parade of countries at the Olympics makes me cry, and by the end of the first video I saw (which is the last one here), I had tears in my eyes. Enjoy & I hope you smile, too.

Friday's Big Event

Oncor finally got the electricity connected to the house!!!

My Red Washing Machine!

OK, I admit it. I've been drooling over the red washer & dryer at Lowe's for months. This is the GE model, called Metallic Red. The Samsung model is called Tango Red. How cool is that?

I think the Samsung is what I've been seeing in the stores. But high efficiency, energy star and all... that's an expensive machine. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. And I'd have to have a matching dryer, too.

So over the last few days, I've been working on my own washing machine, a.k.a. utility sink. And now I am quite proud to say that I do have a beautiful red washing machine in my yellow laundry room. And it pops! What d'ya think???


The diaper bucket will sit there between it & the cabinets. Won't that be glamorous?!?! Now I'll need to come up with some beautiful artwork to hang over it.

I'd like a 4GB SanDisk Card, please!

I've been thinking that I should probably get another memory card for my camera for our 10th anniversary trip to the Virgin Islands, when low & behold, 5 Minutes for Mom is giving away some!

I had to enter a video in the SanDisk YouTube Contest in order to enter the 5MFM contest, so here ya go (my favorite part is the end):

This was several months ago, but I still love it.

Tiny Talk Tuesday & a Halloween Scare

David, who's all boy, was looking at his leg in the car the other day & I heard him saying, "And there's a scratch, and there's a chigger, and there's a smudge..." This caught my attention, so I turned around to see him pointing out some bruises on his legs.

With this new TV converter box, we now get the channel Qubo. One of the major advertisers is the Pancake Puff Pan (a very convincing commercial - of course, I want one, now!). Dad came into the kitchen while David was talking about the Pancake Puff Pan. So I said, "Hey, David, tell Dad how easy it is to use the Pancake Puff Pan." So David started out, "The Pancake Puff Pan is easy to use; just pour and flip! Kids love pancake puffs! " It was really cute to hear him selling the pan.

An old friend of Dad's sent him one of those emails that has you watch a video that ends with a person suddenly jumping out to scare the pants off you. Really funny when you see people opening it on America's Funniest Home Videos. Not so funny when your 4-year-old is watching over your shoulder. David's freak-out lasted about 30 minutes. He was able to calm down as we watched 101 Dalmatians 2, but then had a relapse.

So we pulled out David's Cubbies book and read some of the stories and worked on his Bible verses. Seemed like the best way to change what his mind was on. In the book, Ernie Elephant got a new Better Butter Batter Baker, which he uses to bake his Most Delicious Peanut Butter Cookies. Of course, that led us to the kitchen where we pulled out the classic, Betty Crocker's Cooky Book.


I never noticed how they spelled cookie until I loaded the picture on the blog. The newer versions don't spell it that way. Huh. Anyway, visit Not Before 7 for more Tiny Talk. And if anyone out there has a Pancake Puff Pan, let me know what you think of it! : )

Date Night at the Movies

I forgot my camera for our date night. So here we are in the theater on my cell phone! Dad wasn't smiling because he was trying to figure out how to get his phone to take a picture and I didn't give him any warning. It's really hard to take a cell phone picture of yourself in the dark!

Anyway, the kids had a great time with MawMaw, staying up 'till the wee hours of 10:30pm! Yes, even Elizabeth was up that late, but she was having a ball! No problems going to bed tonight!!

And Dad & I had a great time doing whatever we wanted without having to worry about the little ones. For example, we walked by a fountain in the mall without any fits about not staying & getting in it. We walked past a playground without stopping. We ordered what we wanted to eat instead of what came with a side of something that one kid or the other would eat. Dad tried alligator! I wasn't that brave. But I did change up my late night coffee order - instead of my usual decaf white chocolate mocha - I got a seasonal flavor, decaf maple white chocolate mocha! Whew! That was a stretch, but it was tasty!

And the movie... Wow. We don't see many movies in the theater. Maybe 2 or 3 tops in a year. I might tell people it was good afterwards, but when I left Fireproof I felt like I wanted to go out into the world and force everyone I know to go see it.

It hit home in so many ways. It was so real that it could have been us once upon a time. This is real world stuff, and the world needs to see it.

If you've ever struggled in your marriage, go see this movie. If you're perfectly happy in your marriage, go see this movie. If you're divorced, go see this movie. If you ever plan to get married, so see this movie. If you're a firefighter or married to one, go see this movie. If you're alive and breathing - Go see this movie!

And from a firefighter's prospective - Dad liked it, too. Station life was accurate and we both noticed 2 things during a fire scene that "real" firefighters would have never done. We stayed for the credits and noticed that they listed names of their FD consultants and also the names of the firefighters where they shot the movie.

So, we had a great date night! And I can't say it enough - go see Fireproof!

There's my Pumpkin!

There's my pumpkin on the front porch of my house that I don't live in yet!

Boo, Aunt Sissy!

Aunt Sissy - I instantly thought of you when I saw this in the October issue of Parents Magazine! Looks like they used some of that eyelash yarn around the edges of their Halloween banner. Too cute!

Time to go to the Movies!

My mother-in-law called the other day & said, "I was thinking it was about time for you & 'Dad' to go out for an evening - for dinner & a movie again. It seems like it would be a good time with a lull in the house... and it's been a while since I've seen David & Elizabeth."

Doesn't everyone love my mother-in-law? : ) Of course, I didn't argue with her! So we're working towards Saturday for a date night! And just in time, too. Now I need to find a theater that's showing Fireproof.
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Interviews at the Fireproof Screening from Gina Conroy on Vimeo.


So doesn't this just sound like a movie that we all should be supporting? Thanks to my sister for tipping me off to it!

Alright, I found several area theaters showing the movie - go find one near you.

Happy October!

We are entering my favorite time of year! (ok, one of my favorite times of year, and that photo is from last year.) As promised, I have a pumpkin sitting on my new front porch! We don't live there yet, but by golly, my pumpkin is there!

If Mr. Builder, or anyone else for that matter, has a problem with it, I'd be most happy to deliver a pumpkin to your front porch, too.... though not quite as lovingly as I placed my pumpkin!

I coughed so much today that I lost my voice. It sure is hard to parent when the children in the back seat can't hear what you're saying!