Congratulations Axe Family

Congratulations Meg and Joey. We are very excited for your family and can't wait to welcome Samuel Robert ourselves. He is absolutely beautiful and lucky to have you as parents. What a miracle!

Good Friends

We met the Gendrichs at Jacobus Park today. They are our old neighbors who we haven't seen in quite a while. Jenny had her third baby boy 2 months ago and it just hasn't worked to get together due to illness or busy schedules. Braden left the house today chanting, "Own is my best friend, Owen is my best friend!" He was very excited to say the least. We arrived at the park at the same time and our boys (Braden, Owen and Nate) took off playing! They had a blast together up and down the slides, through the tunnels and running all around! Olivia did her own thing and as soon as Jenny would let me I borrowed her newest bundle, Luke. He melted in my arms and fueled a baby fever in me! :)

I come away each time I am with Jenny, which is much less often than we both would like, with renewed zest for life. She makes me smile, makes me laugh and feel good about the world. I leave with new ideas for parenting, living green, and with plans to be a better person. I adore and admire her greatly.

Thanks Jenny - Owen - Nate - Luke. We miss you and hope that we can find some time to get together again soon.

Exercise your right to VOTE!

Regardless of your political affiliation, I hope you exercise your right to VOTE today. Obviously I'd encourage you a bit more if you were voting for a certain someone!! Hehe But really - we have an opportunity today to make a difference in the world in which we live. Rosa Parks taught us long ago that one person can make a difference ... so no matter where your allegiance lies, head out to the polls and participate in life.

GO OBAMA!

1st Playdate

We had our first official "playdate" today with a little boy from preschool. His name is Benjamin. He came over for lunch and played for about 2 hours then went home and the boys went down for their nap. It was really fun, they did very well together. I think they played with every toy we have both outside and inside in that 2 hours! Busy boys and a busy mommy!!

Who Knew?

Who knew that Tom and Jerry was so funny? I was finishing up my meal for meal co-op tonight and Steve was getting started on his work so Braden settled in to watch an episode of Tom and Jerry. I have never heard such giggles and have never seen his face full of such delight before. It was hilarious. He was cracking up with a grin from ear to ear and belly laughing. I love hearing and watching him have so much fun. Ahhhhh...to be a kid again!

Book Club

I feel so lucky to be part of our book club. I absolutely love getting together with this particular group of ladies and talking about books - drinking wine - eating yummy food - and reflecting on life. We talked today that we've been meeting now for 3 years! Lexi, who has an astonishing memory, is compiling a list of the books we've read. My all time favorite is, "Eat, Pray, Love," but I've truly enjoyed them all. There was only one that I didn't finish, "Memory Keepers Daughter" and I think that happened sometime around Olivia's birth ... minor excuse!

We meet about every six weeks and have gotten the whole routine down to a science. We meet at someones house and they provide the goodies. The person who hosted last chose the book and brings the questions. We start talking about it we liked it or not and then move on to the questions ... we do actually talk about the book! Of course we go off on tangents and some of us are more outspoken than others but always come back to focus eventually. It's always enjoyable, we laugh a lot, and although some conversations are light and airy, we've all shared part of ourselves at one time or another which has given us a connection.

Our next book is, "Water for Elephants," which I plan on picking up tomorrow and can't wait to dig into. Thanks ladies - for another great night and thanks Lexi for being such a great hostess. We meet next at Ryan's house in early December.

Update...Our booklist from day 1 is:
In Her Shoes, How to be Lost, The Amateur Marriage, The Poisonwood Bible, Carry Me Home, The Glass Castle, Case Histories, The Pact, The Painted Veil, The Night Listener, Tortilla Curtain, Memory Keeper’s Daughter, Amy & Isabelle, Lost & Found, Before I Die, The Almost Moon, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Confessions of Max Tivoli, Eat, Pray, Love, Whistling in the Dark, The Godmother, Water for Elephants.

Pretty amazing huh! In looking back I stand corrected...I have missed three books. I didn't finish The Poisonwood Bible, The Memory Keepers Daugher, and Amy and Isabelle. I've thoroughly enjoyed the other 18!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween this year was really fun. Braden is at an age where life is exciting no matter what you're doing. His boundless energy and curiosity make what could be a ho-hum experience an adventure.

Steve took the day off Friday as did Judy and we had a houseful! Judy and Darrell got to our house just before lunch. We had soup and sandwiches and then put the kiddos down for their naps. It was amazingly beautiful outside. In fact, one could have easily thought it was a summer day in mid-June. The sun was shining and the air was warm.

The afternoon was spent cleaning up the yard. Darrell helped Steve put up a rabbit fence around some bushes that they all but killed last winter while Judy and I cut back plants. My parents arrived mid-afternoon and helped us as well. My dad helped supervise :) and my mom helped trim the bushes. It's crazy how much they grow in a year and how nice it looks when you trim them with the electric saw. I remember thinking the same thing last year and wondering why I waited until late fall. I'll have to remember to do it earlier next year and enjoy the clean lines during more of the summer.

When Braden and Olivia woke up we played in the front yard. They LOVE when their grandparents are here. Braden especially loves to get his "Bapa" going - running, chasing, hiding, wrestling and anything else physically exhausting. Olivia, as usual, tried hard to keep up, running behind her brother.

Before getting ready for trick or treat we had a great dinner! We figured it was one of the last times we had to grill out so we grilled hamburgers and veggie burgers! We also had a really yummy salad with dried cranberries, blueberries, almonds, and grated parmesan, boiled red potatoes and spinach-artichoke dip. YUM, YUM!

Kristin, Evan and Andrew joined us for trick-or-treating. Braden was a BLUE Power Ranger, Olivia a Rooster, Evan and Andrew - the famous Buzz Lightyear. The women and kids headed out to collect candy while the men held the fort down. Being that it was so beautiful outside, Steve pulled a chair out and read the paper on our front porch while greeting the little ghosts and goblins that approached.

The neighborhood was quite decorated. I realized that Steve and I need to step it up next year - our jack o lanterns and few other decorations pale in comparison to some of the houses down the street. Braden and Evan took off running. They were so excited and loudly said, "Thank You" to each person handing them a treat. The conversation mostly surrounded who had more candy when in fact they had the exact same amount! :) Andrew kept up quite well and Olivia spent most of the night in the stroller.

As we were nearing home I decided to let her out of the stroller and she headed up to a house. She was delighted that someone gave her a treat and didn't want to leave. She had figured out what this trick-or-treating was all about and she wasn't going to let anyone stop her. When we finally got home I gave her a mini-twix bar and she then attacked the treat bowl. She got my sweet tooth I guess. It was hilarious.

We put her down for the night fairly soon after we got home and Braden enjoyed digging through his bag and eating way too much sugar but hey - isn't that what Halloween is all about? I clearly remember dumping out my whole bag and sifting through picking out my favorite things to save for later. My mom would then put all of our candy in these huge gallon jars on top of the refrigerator. I would sneak pieces when I could since she would only allow us to have a little at a time. At this point for Braden I don't think he's sneaking the candy - it's more Steve and I!!