Trunk or Treat

We had an awesome ward Trunk or Treat.  Two of my good friends put on the whole thing.  We had some super yummy food, crafts, frosting cookies, and tons of trunks and treats.  Anna was Princess Kate of England.  Way back in the summer when her and I were watching the wedding together I told her she looked like Princess Kate.  She loved that and said, "I'm going to be her for Halloween!"  I didn't think she would remember, but she did.  Aunt Cyndi loaned her her veil, and I bought her some big girl white dress shoes.   

She was in seventh heaven.  Baby H.  wore the chick costume that Anna wore at this age.  I was so excited for her to wear it because it is the cutest thing ever.  She actually liked putting on the costume.  

She ran all over the church and in the parking lot and looked just like a running baby chick.  She caught on to the trunk or treating right away. 

Anna sat with Daddy after once around to help him pass out candy.  I tried to sit down at our car after we had made the circle once, but she dragged me on. 

  She only paused briefly to have me unwrap a dum dum sucker for her, then she kept on going.  She finally climbed in the car, had me unwrap a tootsie pop, take off her costume, and put on a show.

Thanks to everyone who put on a great activity.  The Pattee family loved it!

Pumpkin Patch!

I love the pumpkin patch.  Fall is one of my favorite seasons.  The sunny skies, crisp air, beautiful fall colors-it is gorgeous.  I also love the pure joy of watching the kids play. We went with my friend Tracie and DSAMC (the Down Syndrome Association of the Mid-Columbia).   It was a great afternoon. 

Tracie, Mia and Big Anna

Baby H. is putting the cart before the horse, or dragging the pumpkin wagon around before we got our pumpkins:)

Finally, Daddy and Anna riding out to the pumpkins.

Baby H. wasn't too interested in the pumpkins, but she really loved playing on the hay trailer.

Guarding Daddy's pumpkin.

Anna found her pumpkin (the warty kind) and was so excited to show me she was running across the field to show me when she tripped and bonked her chin.  Here she is trying to be brave and hold back the tears for the picture.

We got our pumpkins and we're ready to go back.

Sisters in the hay bale maze.

Anna is over four feet tall!  I couldn't get Baby H. to stand against the sign.

Happy Labor Day!

To all you Mother's out there in all your many forms - Moms, Grandmas, Stepmoms, Aunts, Teachers, etc. - here is a quote I copied from Sarah at Clover Lane

No ordinary work done by a man is either as hard

 or as responsible 

as the work of a woman 

who is bringing up a family of small children; 

for upon her time and strength demands

 are made not only every hour of the day 

but often every hour of the night.

Theodore Roosevelt

My mother-in-law, sister-in-law and brother-in-law came this weekend to celebrate David's birthday.  Their gift to him was service.  They labored night and day all weekend long, and I feel like I live in a new house.  Thanks so much to them and all those in our lives who have labored for us and supported us through thick and thin.  We feel truly blessed.

First Day of School 2011

She was very worried last night.  I should have been more clear when we talked about 1st grade being the whole day.  Last night she asked,  "Will Daddy already be home from work when I get home?"  "Will it be time for my night-night show when I get home?"  Poor thing thinks she's getting home at 8pm.  We cleared that up, and I told her that she would be having so much fun the time would fly by and she would be surprised that the teacher was telling her it was time to come home.  So, I've been hoping and praying all day today that she really is having fun.

This is the farewell committee.  David came home from a meeting in town so he could stay home with Baby H. while I took Anna to school.

A little nervous.

A little goofy :)

My beautiful girl all grown up-I can't believe she is already a first grader.

Thank goodness for friends!  Before Sienna showed up Anna was glued to my side.

All lined up and ready to go.  She got a little quivery lip here, but held it together as they went in to class

This is her teacher Señora Lopez.  Very sweet.  

All the parents and kids - this area where they line up in the morning is for all Kindergarteners and 1st graders-thus the overabundance of parents :)  It was a very big and exciting morning.  Now what will I do with myself?  Somehow I think I'll be able to fill the hours.

 

Baby H's Birthday in April

 

Baby loved her presents and cake.  She is a true blessing in our lives!  I can't believe it has been a year since we first brought her home from the hospital.

Our Happenings in March

I thought I would throw all of our pictures from March together.

Baby H. is growing like a weed, and mostly happy as long as she doesn't have an ear infection.  At court the primary plan was changed to adoption.  It is only the first step in a long process, and things could turn around the other way, but we are happy to have a fist step :)

Anna continues to be the creative one in the family.  She created this robot costume after watching an episode of Curious George (which, by the way, she has decided she is too old for!-boo hoo for growing up too fast)

Mostly the girls love each other, but every once in awhile Anna thinks that Baby H. gets too much attention.  Can you tell she is thinking that in this picture?  Baby H. also knows she is pretty darn cute and uses it to her full advantage which you can also tell from this picture.

Soccer season started up again in Spring and Anna has become a super soccer player.  I don't know what happened between Fall and now, but she is more aggressive, and more coordinated.  She has scored a goal in almost every game they have played in this spring.  She is the player in the blue jersey in the middle of the picture.  (If you look closely, our old friend Chris Tano is watching the game-her daughter Abby was on the other team and is the number 8 yellow jersey standing in front of Chris)

This was a hilarious night.  Anna borrowed this Rapunzel (Tangled) doll from her friend Sierra (they are endlessly borrowing toys from each other (does anyone else have this issue?).  Some of Rapunzel's hair was purple if it is cold and normal color if it is warm.  Anna is trying to get it turn back to blonde in a cup of warm water.  We laughed pretty hard.

They do often play together well.  Anna would like to control Baby H. a little more than Baby H. would like to be controlled.  Can you see Anna is holding her head?

Aunt Penny and Grandma Linda came to visit and they painted Anna's new room (we moved her into the larger bedroom with the double bed and moved Baby H.'s crib into Anna's old room).  They did an AWESOME job, and I'm so thankful.  You can't see the color too well in the pic, but it is a beautiful light blue-kinda on the aqua side.  I will post later the finished room.  Thanks Grandma and Penny!

This really sums up Baby H.  a big toothy smile, and wild and crazy hair.  She has started to play with her pigtails with one hand and suck the thumb on her other hand when she is tired.  As a result, I can't keep the pigtails in.  It is not like her hair wasn't wild enough on its own without her help.

More smiles and crazy hair.  She mostly eats breakfast like this, naked and messy, cuz she's just going to get messier.  She found the orange and loved playing with it.  She even managed to bite off a little peel with her only two teeth.

This was the morning of St. Patrick's Day.  Although our front room often looks this messy, this was the aftermath of the leprechaun's visit.  They turned over furniture, put chairs on top of the table, left shiny candy, left green cups everywhere, and turned the milk green!  Anna loves it.  She does wonder why the leprechauns always seem to target our house and not her friends' :)

So that is our March in a nutshell.  Besides the crazy reoccurring ear infections, we are doing great.

Some Quotes About Motherhood

This last week I was reminded of my favorite poem in Spanish.  I read it for the first time before I was a mom, now it is even more precious to me.  The author of this poem is Gabriela Mistral.  She was a self-educated prominent Chilean educator, the first Latin American winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1945.  She never married and had no children of her own, but loved children and her nieces and nephews.

Meciendo

El mar sus millares de olas
mece divino
Oyendo a los mares amantes
mezo a mi niño.

 

El viento errabundo en la noche
mece los trigos
Oyendo a los vientos amantes
mezo a mi niño.

Dios Padre sus miles de mundos
mece sin ruido.
Sintiendo su mano en la sombra
mezo a mi niño.

Rocking

by Gabriela Mistral, post modernist Latin American poet

translated by Patricia L. Cummings

 

The sea, her thousands of waves
rock divinely.
Hearing the loving seas
I rock my child.

The wandering wind in the night
rocks the wheat.
Hearing the loving winds
I rock my child.

Father God, your thousands of worlds
 rock without sound.
 Feeling your hand in the shadows
 I rock my child.

 This is another quote I just read today.

"A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, 

a messenger of peace and love,

a resting place for innocence on earth,

a link between angels and men."

Martin Tupper

This last week the babe in our house hasn't always felt like a messenger of peace.  She has had a bad earache and been very unhappy.  We finally got some antibiotics and a steroid on Tuesday and she seems like a new person.  We are returning to the well-spring of pleasure that she usually is in our house.  I have felt since she first came to stay with us as a newborn that she was a link between heaven and earth.

This is another poem written by Gabriela Mistral in her efforts to inspire educational reform in the 1920's and 1930's.

Su Nombre es Hoy
Somos culpables de tantos errores y tantas faltas.
Pero el peor de nuestros crímenes
es abandonar a los niños,
despreciando la fuente de la vida.
Muchas de las cosas que necesitamos pueden esperar.
El niño no puede.
Ahora es la hora,
Se están formando sus huesos,
Se está haciendo su sangre,
Y se están desarrollando sus sentidos.
No podemos responderle "mañana".
Su nombre es "hoy".
 

His Name is Today
“We are guilty of many errors and many faults,
But our worst crime is abandoning the children,
Neglecting the fountain of life.
Many of the things we need can wait,
The child cannot wait.
Right now is the time his bones are being formed,
His blood is being made,
And his senses are being developed.
To him we cannot answer ‘tomorrow’
His name is Today.

Just some thoughts on my mind today.