Sunday, October 31, 2010

Saturday Soccer

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Because I can’t get enough soccer, Zoe and I went to Landon’s game on Saturday. The game started at 12:30pm so it was actually pretty nice to sit out on the field. Quite a big difference from the night before at Zoe’s game!

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When Landon started playing, all he ever wanted to do was play goalie. It took a little while to figure out why, but I came to the conclusion that he didn’t like to run. A lot has changed since he was 4.

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Now that he’s 9, he doesn’t mind running. In fact, he now asks to play offense, which means running pretty much the entire time he’s on the field. The coach he has this year has really boosted his confidence and Landon is only getting better and better with each game.

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Soccer Playoffs

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While Landon skated his heart out at the skating rink, Zoe was freezing her tush off on the soccer field.

The regular season ended last week, but Friday was her playoff game. It ended up being a disappointing season end when they lost 6-0, but Zoe wasn’t in poor spirits about it. She loves to play soccer but is still able to see it as a game and not the end of the world when her team loses. I think that is probably the healthiest attitude you can have when you play sports. Getting upset and losing sleep over every loss could really get tiring!

I left Landon’s skate party after about 15 minutes so that I could get to the field to watch her game. I didn’t want her to have all the fun freezing to death! I didn’t make it to the game until the second half because I ended up getting a little lost on the way, but I did make it in time to see Zoe play, which I was thankful for, even as my teeth chattered so hard I was sure I was going to break them.

Since it was about 7pm when I got to the game it was pretty dark. Unfortunately that means my pictures didn’t come out that well. The only decent one I got is the one you see at the top. But, it’s proof I was at the game, freezing my butt off while I watched my girl play ball.

All Skate

This past Friday night was skate night for Landon’s elementary school. Once he heard about the event, it was all he could talk about. He learned how to skate a few years ago when his school had skate night and he’s loved it ever since. We don’t go that often, so getting to go with a bunch of kids from school is a pretty special treat.

 

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It was impossible to get a really clear picture, but I love how this one came out with him pretty much in focus and the blur all around him!

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He sure had a terrific time skating and I think I need to try to get him to the rink a little more often. I remember loving to go skating on Friday night with my friends when I was a kid, and it wasn’t all that long ago that Zoe loved to go too.

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Costume Parade

Landon had a really great week at school last week. He had 2 fieldtrips (one to a greenhouse and one to a planetarium), someone brought in cupcakes for a birthday party and on Friday his entire school put on a costume parade for the parents and to top it all off Friday was a shortened school day!

I didn’t get to go to either of the fieldtrips, but I was able to make it to his school’s parade. Some of the costumes were pretty great.

Take this robot for instance:

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And this sumo wrestler:

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I thought these teachers were cute too:

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Their sign reads “Fruit of the Loom Rejects”. Ha.

My favorite of all though was this cute little boy in a black spirit costume:

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He just has the sweetest smile...

A Warm Frieze Feeling

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When we were looking at this house and thinking of buying, one thing I knew was going to have to go was the nasty carpet.

The house has builder grade carpet and padding and it has seen better days. There are spots everywhere, and it’s quite disgusting. So, Tony and I finally broke down and called some carpet companies and got the entire top floor done. It may seem silly that we did the top floor which few people see, but trust me, the carpet in our bedrooms and hallway had to go. Plus, I want to do hardwood on the main level, but that’s going to be costly so it’s going to be a while. I just hope it won’t be too long because the carpet in our living room is atrocious!

And, just in case you’re wondering what the heck “frieze” is, it’s the style of carpet we chose.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Our Jack’s

Here’s how our jack o’ lanterns turned out:

My owl:

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Landon’s Haunted House:

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Zoe’s Dracula and Victim:

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Tony’s Skulls:

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And, Landon saw an empty milk carton in our recycle bin and remembered cutting faces into them once before, so he made a milk carton ghost this year too:

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Monday, October 25, 2010

Pumpkin Party Time

Yesterday we hosted our first ever pumpkin carving party. It ended up being pretty fun and I think we’ll do it again next year, only slightly different. I had no idea how long it would take for the kids to paint or carve their pumpkins, so I put 1-4pm on the invites and that was way too long. So, the first thing I’d change for next year is the length of time! (Landon and his friends were done in an hour, and running around crazy for the other 2 hours!)

Each kid brought their own pumpkin and we supplied the paints and cutting supplies. That part I wouldn’t change because everyone bringing their own pumpkins cut down on costs tremendously! We also had cupcakes, chips with salsa and apple slices with caramel dip. 

Easy peasy!

Landon and his friends set up outside. Most of the boys he invited painted their pumpkins, but he and one other friend chose to carve.

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Zoe and her friends sat at the table in the house to carve their pumpkins. They each chose a design out of a book to carve; they were pretty intricate, and they all turned out really cool!

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Here are the finished pumpkins:

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In case your wondering why Landon’s isn’t done, it’s because he wanted to do one of the templates like the girls did, so I told him I’d help him after the party…which we did. I’ll try to post pictures of them all lit up tomorrow.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Pumpkin Patch…sort of

We went out on Friday night to pick out our pumpkins. It wasn’t a “real” pumpkin patch, more like a parking lot at a local farm with a bunch of pumpkins, but it got the job done and the prices were good.

Either way, the kids got their pumpkins and were set for their party on Sunday,

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Under the Sea

Since the little guy is growing so quickly, I decided it was time for him to get a new toy. I remember Landon having a toy that was a mat and then had all these things that hung from arches above him. It really kept his attention, and before we knew it he was reaching up to grab the toys. So, when I went to the store to get Harper something new, I went with that in mind. But, I’ll tell you what, these things have come a long way!

Harpers new toy not only has the mat and arch with hanging toys, but also a light up, music playing thing on the side and little flaps on the mat part for when he’s older. This one is so nicely made and the toys can be moved around or changed really easily. So far, he’s really enjoying it. As a matter of fact, when Tony took him out from under it the other day he fussed until Tony put him back!

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As you can see, he really likes it…and, it looks like someone else likes it too:

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Friday, October 22, 2010

Mr. Smiley

It is so easy to get Harper to smile these days. He is always so happy to see us, especially in the mornings and after his bath. He just smiles and coos for the longest time!

What isn’t easy is catching those smiles with the camera. Every time we try to get a photo or film him with the video camera he is too curious about the camera to look at us and smile!

I was finally able to get a couple pictures yesterday though:

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Isn’t he sweet!? I wish you could see his dimples a little better…

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Newborn No More

Yesterday, as I was looking for Harper’s second outfit of the day, I realized that it was time for me to weed out the clothes that no longer fit him. My little guy is no longer able to wear his newborn clothes and has moved on to 0-3 months. He’s even wearing some 3 month clothing now!

As much as I knew it had to be done, pulling out all those sweet newborn clothes and packing them away was painful. Now that it’s done I don’t know what to do with it all. I’m not ready to get rid of any of it, so I guess it’s just going to sit in my basement for awhile.

You know…just in case.

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

1st Moments

It took me about 2 weeks to get this layout done, but I finally finished it!

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These photo’s were taken right after I nursed Harper for the first time, which means that he was only about an hour old when we took them. I can still remember this so vividly, like it was yesterday, not already over 2 months ago.

The journaling reads:

Although you delivery into this world was rather speedy, it was still long (and painful) enough that I was glad that part of the process was over. After the nurse made sure that your airway was clear, she promptly wrapped you in a blanket, put a newborn hat on you, and handed you to me. Your dad and I just stared at you for the longest time, taking in all of your features, silently congratulating ourselves for bringing a new, healthy baby into our world. I nursed you a little as we waited for all the paperwork to be filled out and while they figured out which hospital room we would spend the next 24 hours in. I was really surprised that they didn’t take you away from me right away as they had with your sister and brother. They let me and your dad hold you for the longest time, never rushing us; letting us bond with you and give you the love we were bursting to share. Just as your sister and brother before you, you are a dream come true, and I am forever grateful to have you in my life.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Pumpkin Party

We are going to host a pumpkin carving party this weekend. I’ve noticed that a lot of the bloggers that I follow do this and it sounds like fun, so I thought we’d give it a try.

I’ve given the kids 6 invites each with the instructions that they are to bring their own pumpkin(s) and any templates and carving supplies they may have to share. Now I just hope I haven’t waited too long to get the invites out and the kids will be able to come!

Here’s what the invites look like:

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Nothing too complicated especially since I just whipped them together this afternoon while Harper slept!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Family Photo

Yesterday I realized that we hadn’t taken a family photo since Harper’s arrival, so I gathered everyone up, propped up the tripod and we got a few new pictures:

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The Cutest Pumpkins Around

Yesterday a friend from high school and his family came over for a visit. They have a daughter who is about a month older than Harper. When I posted pictures of Harper in his pumpkin suit on Facebook the other day, Irina posted that her baby had been given the same kind of outfit…and that’s when I decided we just had to have them over!

Harper and Bella:

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Aren’t they just the cutest?

It was so great having them over and I’m really hoping that we’ll be able to get together again sometime soon.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Landon’s Room Remodel

It took awhile, but Landon’s room is finally getting some much needed attention. My biggest dilemma for his room was finding the right kind of shelving to hold all his “stuff”, and man does he have some “stuff”!

We finally found what we were looking for at Ikea:

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See all his “stuff”? The bottom two shelves are holding all his very important Lego creations, while the top two shelves have his trophies, piggy banks, and a couple of toys. The shelves are already looking a little too busy, but I do have plans for a few of those things…just haven’t been able to get around to it yet.

Here are a few pictures of the rest of his almost finished room.

His bed and the skateboarder wall art that Meme gave us:

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His dresser and art work he made in school:

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Bookcase and writing board:

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We are all really happy with the way his room is turning out. Now I just need to get him some curtains…but, I also found a really cute new comforter set I’d like to get him. One day at a time, right!?!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Routine

It has become routine that Landon and Harper have a little time together in the morning while I get things going in the morning. While Landon watches Sponge Bob, Harper lies next to him watching what his big brother is doing and stretches his legs. Landon will hold his hand and stop to talk to him every once in awhile and Harper rewards him with a coo and smile…it’s incredibly sweet.

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This picture got me thinking about our lives and how basic routines are such an integral part of a smooth family life; at least for my family.

When I think back to what life was like before Harper the only thing that really stands out is how routine our lives had become. I wouldn’t say our lives were boring or lacking in any way, but we had all just settled into our lives, everything running according to plan.

Now that Harper is part of our lives, we’ve had to give up a lot of our old expectations and routines. Since we are such creatures of habit it has been a little tough, but I am beginning to see new routines emerging.

Out of all of us I think Zoe’s schedule has probably changed the least. Her life is so busy there really isn’t room for change. She goes to school, then soccer practice or game, then home in time to do homework and sleep before it all starts back over again. Landon’s life has changed too, but mostly he has just had to become a little more independent. Not a lot different than before, but I just expect him to try to help himself before asking me to do something for him. Tony gets up one of the 2-3 times Harper may get up in the middle of the night, so I think Tony’s biggest adjustment has been getting less sleep…that, or having less time to play whatever video game he’s currently into. :)

My schedule change has been pretty dramatic. Last year at this time I was volunteering quite a few hours at Landon’s school. I had tons of time to work on scrapbooking projects. My house was always pretty much in order, (which is a far cry from what I would say about my house right now!) and life was just moving along. Now I’m always playing catch up. Catching up on sleep, t.v. shows, laundry, blogging, cleaning the bathrooms etc.

When I’m not catching up, I’m attempting to be “in the moment”. I am trying to enjoy all the complexities of our daily lives like Zoe’s soccer games, Landon’s spelling words, Harpers cooing and smiles, and Tony’s tales of life at work. All those bits and pieces of life that seem to slip through the cracks are the one’s I’m attempting to cherish because I know that all of these things that make my life what it is today could change at any given time and will change as we all grow as a family.

So, no matter whether my day goes off without a hitch or hits a few unexpected bumps along the way, I am finding beauty at every turn.

Life is good.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

2 Months

My little peanut is 2 months old today!

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He’s becoming more sociable every day. We all love to sit and talk to him and relish every coo and smile. He’s breast/bottle feeding about 5 ounces every 4 to 5 hours, and at night he’s been sleeping for 4-5 hour stretches, which is nice.

He’s growing like a weed and I’ll be taking him to the doctor tomorrow for his 2 month check up. I’m excited to see how much he weighs, but I dread taking him in there to get his shots.

Wish me luck!

Lighting up the Sunroom

One room of our house that gets used a bunch is the sunroom. The sunroom has become the place where homework is done, breakfast/lunch/dinner is eaten and board games are played.

The only thing we didn’t like about the sunroom was the lack of light. Not natural light obviously, but overhead light. During the summer when the sun was out until 9pm it wasn’t much of an issue, but now that the days are getting shorter, that room isn’t very usable past 6pm. We were even eating dinner by candlelight some nights!

We decided we couldn’t wait any longer and we called in an electrician to install a new fan and light. Since there wasn’t an existing light it was a lot of work, but the results are totally worth it!

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I chose an all white fan/light unit so that it would just blend into the surroundings. I didn’t want it to be a major focal point, and I think I achieved the look I was going for!

Tomorrow I have a guy coming out to give me an estimate on fixing all the drywall damage left behind:

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The work in this house seems endless!

April Fools Pranks

The two little kids made me laugh yesterday morning.  I was upstairs getting things ready for school when I heard them talking about how ...