Day 3: Perfection!

Something about 3 being a charm or perhaps it's the fact that he went commando all day? Either way, I don't care. Today, he got it! Cooper David went 6 for 6 today! He told us when he had to go and even went 2 times on his own. ALLELUIA!! Maybe we will even venture out of the house tomorrow...yes, I'll give him his pants and underwear back!

Day 2: No Pants Allowed

Second full day of potty training and still no success. I am no longer allowing Cooper to wear pants, which just kills him. He has never been one to run around in just a diaper, the boy likes to be covered up. But, after 3 times of peeing in his jeans today and 3 times yesterday, this mama is done washing pants. Maybe this will be a little added incentive for him. I got so desperate today, that I told him he could drive Dave's truck when he gets his pee pee in the potty. Dave overheard me and said, "drive it? I'll buy you one!"

I will now spare you all and not post anymore tormented posts about the angst of potty training until we have success! We've done it before, we'll do it again!

A concussion, a head cold and wet big boy pants...

Oh my, so Cooper is having a rough 24 hours. We started potty training yesterday, well after church and a nap, so today was our first full day. The poor boy's world has been rocked. The good news is, he's quite good at holding his pee...he knows he doesn't want to pee in his underwear. And, he's pretty good about going to the bathroom and "trying". However, he has not had any success putting the pee pee in the potty. Dave and I considered it a great success tonight when he ran to the bathroom because he knew he had to go....even though he didn't make it.

To add injury to insult, he gave himself quite a head injury playing basketball today. He was trying to make a lay up jumping from a foot stool. He went head first into the wall. I don't worry too much about his injuries since they are so frequent, but today did have me a bit concerned.

And, as if that weren't enough, he's never been this sick. He has a nasty head cold, cough and a little fever. I realized today, how blessed with health he's been.

So here's the little man with ice on his head, taking a nap (yes, I know, he shouldn't sleep after a head injury, but I was at the gorcery store and I don't think Daddy knew this). Don't call DHS!

There's a reason for that......

I've had a few followers of this blog tell me they are unable to comment on my posts. Well, there's a reason for that and if you have a blog you should consider the following...

When I started this blog I had open security and anyone could comment. For some reason, my blog showed up as "interesting" for spammers. I was getting spam comments from all over the world and in several different languages(lucky me). There are several reasons they do this and none of them are good. So, I've locked down that part of my blog. If you want to comment, you still can. However, I have to approve it before it will post. And, of course, you can always comment on my facebook page...or when you see me... or send me an email...or call me :)

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Today was our Christmas Day and it was great and exhausting! I've said it before and I'll say it again...moms and grandmas make Christmas look so easy! The gifts this year were a big hit with the kids. No surprise, the drum set was the most popular. And, Dave and I lasted until 4pm before we moved them to the basement! We got Cooper a Playmobil Mega Farm Set. Little did I know it includes 771 pieces that all needed to be assembled. We had to put the petals on the flowers, the handles on every bucket and even had to put the light bulbs in the light fixtures. It took Dave and me 3 hours. Good grief!!

All of that aside, we started the our day praising God for the birth of Christ and ended the day with a great service at church, lovely dinner and a birthday cake for Jesus. All-in-all, a great day. Now, off to the Handsakers to do it all again tomorrow!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

"Twas the night before OUR Christmas..."

Yes, tonight is our Christmas Eve. We started this traidition 3 years ago when we desired to have our own little Christmas, but still be with extended family on Christmas Day. So tonight was the night that Dave and I diligently got the kids to bed, wrapped their gifts and filled their little stockings. I'm fearful that this might be the year that Layla starts getting up at 5am, you remember those days!

We will wake up tomorrow, open our gifts, eat egg casserole for breakfast and stay in jammies all day and play with toys. We will then go to Christmas Eve service at our church and home for a big Christmas dinner. This year it will be pork loin crown roast, mushroom stuffing, roasted asparagus, spinach and strawberry salad and Jesus' Happy Birthday cake!

Gingerbread

When Layla was 2 she made her first gingerbread house with Mama Faye and we have now made one every year since. This year was Cooper's first chance to participate. I chalk it up as a success as we were able to get more candy on the house than in their stomachs!

Lolly and Super Coop

I'm not sure what has gotten into Cooper lately, but he's been full of love. Seriously, it's cracking me up. When I sit next to him, he wants to put his little arm around my back. If I've been gone he greets me with his usual hug and kiss and says, "Mommy, I miss you. I sad."

More than once in the last week he has asked Layla if she loves him. The other day her response was, "I love you and I like you." She had obviously gotten over the fact that Cooper dropped (threw) a 5 pound hand weight on her head.

Yesterday, while Layla was at school, he kept saying, "Lolly so sad. She cry at school. She miss me. Poor, poor Lolly." (I'm pretty sure she didn't give us a thought while at school)! When we picked her up Cooper said, "Lolly, you miss me. You sad at school?" She looked at him and said, "Uhm, sure buddy. Whatever you say."

Well, he's showing more sweet than spice these days and I'm going to enjoy it!!!

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Grandma and Grandpa with 5 of their 8 grandkids


Cousin Cheyenne, Layla, Cousin Paige

When Layla was around 2 years old, her favorite game to play in the car with Daddy was the word game. Dave would say the longest words he could think of and she would copy him. Like most first children (especially girls), Layla spoke full sentences, perfectly enunciated before she was 2 years old. So this was a fun game to all of us. At 2 1/2 Layla saw the movie, Mary Poppins, and fell in love. And, we were finally able to stump her with the word, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Mary Poppins has remained one of her favorites (we've watched it monthly for the past 3 years). On Saturday afternoon, we were able to see the Broadway production in Des Moines. What a treat! It was wonderful! Grandma and Grandpa Handsaker treated us all to tickets as our Christmas gift. Grandma is a person of great organization and detail. She went to the Civic Center to scout our seats when she bought our tickets. As a result, we were so close that we could have touched Mary Poppins as she flew over us and out of the theater.

Layla knows the movie by heart, so it was fun to hear her tell me everything that was different and to sing along to the songs. And, of course, it is priceless to see her face and reaction to all of the special affects.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for giving more than a Christmas gift; you made memories!

Road Trip

Dave's annual South Dakota hunting trip means one thing for the kids and me....road trip to Mama Faye's! This was the easiest road trip I've had with the kids. We've just hit that great age where snacks and DVD's make for 4 hours of silent bliss for Mommy!

We went to a movie (Tangled), shopped, ate out, ate Mama Faye's great cooking, baked and decorated Christmas cookies, did crafts, played games...you get the idea! It was relaxing and refreshing! Northwest Iowa felt like a frozen tundra and the kids were thrilled to see all the snow. The lake froze over while were were there and were thousands of Canadian Geese to watch and keep track of.

We treasure this sweet time with Grandma! The kids love that their blankets still smell like her house and Layla says it well when she says "Mama Faye is so missable!" Even Cooper, the man of few words, said to me last night, "I miss Granpa Faye(not a typo, that's what he calls her!). When Cooper go back?"

It's all fun and games until......

If you're a parent, you know there are times your kids do things that probably won't have a good ending. But, you give them your warning and let them figure it out. The "figuring it out" part can be tough. On Sunday, Cooper was sitting on the kitchen counter and said "I get down myself." I said OK and backed up. He jumped, hit the hardwood floor pretty hard, ended up flat on his belly and choked out an, "I did it!" Well, he did. Layla and Cooper made up there own game called The Hitting Game. Yup, you know how that ended up.

This is their latest. Cooper stands on the bed, jumps on Layla's back and they run through the house. I'm not sure how her skinny legs haul this 40 pound boy around, but she does. I'll let you know how this one ends.....

The Measure of a Man

When I see my kids held by others or playing with other kids, I realize how physically big they are getting. I think it's that I see them in comparison to another. I had to take a picture of Cooper sitting on Layla's lap because I was really struck with just how tall he's getting. I know I shouldn't be surprised, our kids have always been in the 95th percentile or more for height (sorry Layla, your chances of being a petite girl were gone when God decided to you would be conceived by us)! But, just look at this big boy!

Reviving a Tradition

Here is the fun thing about decorating for Christmas this year....instead of getting it all done inspite of the babies, they are now old enough and help me get it all done. I mean really, truly help. I got the tree up, lit and decorated in no time. When I was growing up, I have fond memories of stringing popcorn and cranberries for our Christmas tree. So, I took a chance that the kids were old enough to give it a try. And....SUCCESS! Friday, with Mama Faye here and Roger Whitaker Christmas CD playing, we strung popcorn and cranberries. I love creating and reliving Christmas traditions! And, the kids are so proud of their work.

Family Fun

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I truly love it. We always get a 4 day weekend, we eat yummy food and hang with family. There is no stress in Thanksgiving. There's no programs, plays, parties, events, massive gift buying, etc. It's all about giving thanks and being with the ones you love.

We were extra blessed this year to host the Kellen side of the family at our home. The cousins had a great time and the 5 oldest cousins just played, played, played! We only heard from them when they were hungry or had a "show" for us to come and watch. They camped out together Wednesday and Thursday night and just enjoyed each other. Louis (9 months) and Ava (4 months) don't know what they were missing, but are sure to be in the mix next year!

Sam, Henry and Layla got to go bird hunting with Dave and Uncle Ben Thursday morning, which was a new experience for Layla. She loves to watch Dave clean birds when he brings them home (I know!) and has been patiently waiting to get in on the action since she was 2. I think she enjoyed it, but was very cold!

This weekend we will go to an ISU game, hang with friends and get Christmas decorations up. 'Tis the season and I love it!

Independence

The way they were....


The way they are...

Something very nice has happened in my house. The change has been so subtle, that I can't even pinpoint when it happened. There is a growing independence among my children and I LIKE IT! Don't get me wrong, I still make mental notes every day of how fast this time is going and I still measure each of their hands against mine when I hold them. And, yes, I still inhale deeply every time they sit on my lap after a bath. I truly treasure these days. But, I don't want to be the mom of little ones forever.

Today I celebrate that I go to the bathroom alone. Did you hear me? ALONE! They can totally get themselves in my truck BY THEMSELVES and BUCKLE THEMSELVES! I shower alone with no interruptions and my kids prefer to play with each other, rather than me, IN A DIFFERENT ROOM THAN WHERE I AM! Here are a few comments I heard over the monitor today while the kids played downstairs.

"Seriously brother, I don't want to wrestle or you'll mess my hair up and then your mom will have to redo it." (YOUR mom???)

"Lal, Cooper no like. You stop. You go time out!"

"Brother, you're not supposed to put that in the toilet." (Yup, independent play time was over when I heard that one!)

A Whistle and a Tie

My Grandma Leona taught me to whistle. She was beautiful, industrious, and always up for the unexpected. It was sitting at her work table in her flower shop when I finally got it. I think I was Layla's age. Layla never met Grandma Leona. Her funeral was the morning Layla was born. But, Layla loves stories about Grandma Leona. And I love telling them, she was one of my favorite people.

Since telling Layla the story of how I learned to whistle, Layla has been working diligently. In the last week, not only has she learned to whistle, she can now whistle songs.

The other skill Layla's has been working on is tying her own shoe laces. Today was the day! She tied her own shoe laces twice. And really, I'm not sure who is more excited...her or me!

"Cannon in the hole!"

Do you notice little phrases and sayings your kids pick-up....but not entirely? Like Layla used to call a hair rubberband a hairberband. I still find myself using the word from time to time. Layla also combines the word annoying and ignoring to make annoring. Cooper, well, he has too many to mention! But soon, the whole family adopts these funny words and sayings.

This summer I noticed Layla doesn't call a cannon ball jump a cannon ball. When she jumps off the side of the pool or dock with her knees tucked up she yells "cannon in the hole!" She calls it a cannon in the hole jump.

Brother has picked this up. No matter what he's jumping off of, including the couch, he plugs his nose with his fingers and yells, "cannon in the hole." Yesterday, Layla's bed was the dock and the two of them were doing cannon in the hole's for an hour.

Another Thirty-Something Birthday

Layla keeps forgetting how old I am (thank you, baby) so she keeps saying "Mommy's thirty-something." I wish she were saying I'm twenty-something, but I had barely married her dad in my twenties and she didn't come along until I was already in my thirties. So yup, she has only known me as thirty-something.

Dave is out of town today, so we celebrated my birthday Saturday with my brother and his family. It was fun to spend time with them and share my cake with my sister-in-law as her birthday was just 1 1/2 weeks before mine. Dave made a great birthday supper for us...grilled steak, crab legs, green beans with brown butter, fettuccine and spinach salad. Darci was right, we had a food hangover Sunday morning. It was worth it!

This morning started with both kids waking me early so they could tell me happy birthday, we stayed in our jammies until 10am watching The Music Man (a new favorite of Layla's), we got a picnic lunch at Trader Joe's and headed to a little lake for a picnic. The highlight for the kids was feeding bread to the fish and geese. The highlight for me is it was 70 degrees! That doesn't happen very often when you have a November birthday and live in Iowa! Thanks family and friends for making this a great birthday!

His First Crush

I've always said that if a 2 year old can have a crush, Copper's would be on Tayia. Tayia is a favorite babysitter and friend of the our family and Cooper always gets a little goosey at the mention of her name or the sight of her sweet face.

Yesterday, however, I think she was replaced. I walked into Layla's room to find Cooper holding a Barbie and passionately telling her, "I love you Barbie." This wasn't a little boy holding a toy he was excited about. This was a little man, serious and in love. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or take it away before he started making out with her!

Retained?

Dave and I have always taken the kids to vote with us. Yup, it's not really the easiest route, but we feel like it's of great value. And here's the interesting thing....Layla remembers voting with me at a church when she was 1 1/2 years old (which I had actually forgotten about since we haven't voted there since) AND, this year she asked me if we were voting for Barack Obama and John McCain again. Proof they are never too young and they are always paying attention!

This year, when Layla asked me why we vote, I explained to her that it's a privilege. She was very perplexed when when I explained to her that there was a time when your skin had to be white and you had to be a boy to vote. She processed on that one for quite some time.

I also explained to her that voting is my chance to decide who gets to be boss. She processed on that one for quite awhile as well and then asked me if we were going to have an election in our family. I decided not to pursue that conversation. It's been a tough week and I doubt I would be retained!

If I were a Professional Blogger....

...I would have long since been fired! Wow, what a crazy last two weeks. The Pumpkin Ranch is officially closed for the season and I'm not exactly sure what to do with myself this week. I'm giving myself little pep talks like, "Yes, you can just sit down on the couch and read the paper while Cooper naps. Do it, do it!" It's been a long time since we've had free time! We truly enjoyed our first year in the pumpkin business and were incredibly blessed with a great crop, amazing staff and CUSTOMERS! We are already making our plans for season 2.

What's the Little Man to Do?

I'm not sure what is going to become of Cooper David when he can no longer go out on the 4-wheeler and pick pumpkins with Dave, ride in the tractor out in the field, ride his bike up and down the driveway or work next to Dave for hours on end in the barn. When Dave puts his shoes on, that's Cooper's cue to get his on. Cooper knows that if Dave has his AgriGold shirt on, he can't leave with Daddy. But any other shirt, there is no discussing it or even asking. Cooper puts on his sweatshirt, his work shoes and his baseball hat. He patiently stands and waits by the door as Dave goes back through the house at least 3 times getting things he's forgotten. Cooper loves to work. And, when Dave's not home, he still goes out and finds work. One morning, I found him out on the John Deere tractor with one of the pumpkin wagons hooked to the back. He had driven down to the barn and filled the loader with gourds. He stopped every few minutes and moved the gourds from the loader to the wagon and back to the loader. This particular morning he drove the gourds around for an hour and a half. I guess Layla and I are just not as exciting as driving in circles with gourds.

**Exhale**

That's what I did tonight, as I snuggled into bed with the kids for movie night. Dave's on the road, so I decided it was a perfect night to get in jammies, pop some popcorn with a side of M&M's and just exhale. As we layed in bed, limbs all intertwined, I looked at my kid's sweet silhouettes and thanked God for a quiet moment. My heart swelled as I watched rough and tough Cooper reach over and pat Layla on the shoulder and wrap his little bare feet around hers.

We are heading into our last weekend of the season at The Pumpkin Ranch. We're running regular hours plus a night corn maze Friday and Saturday night. So our last weekend is going to be a fun and busy one. I've also heard talk from the company's president about picking and shipping a semi load of pumpkins to a cannery in Illinois. So, I think we maybe a little farther from being done that I thought! It's been a great season. Although I'm ready to give my kids my full attention again, I am going to miss it.

"Oh Toodles!"

The Pumpkin Ranch has given our family more adventures than I will ever be able to blog about. What crazy, busy, fun it has been! This past weekend was the Madison County Bridge Festival in WInterset, which brought us our busiest days yet. In preparation for this past weekend, we spent last week adding pumpkin launchers and hay rack rides...in addition to the normal weekend prep stuff.

As part of that prep, Dave got a very big truck stuck in mud. I had to get in the tractor to try pulling him out...didn't work (and no, I don't know how to drive a tractor). When a friend, with a larger tractor came, he tried. The kids and I were sitting in my truck, off to the side watching and praying. When the larger tractor still didn't work, I said, "Oh man, what are we going to do?"

Cooper answered by saying, "Call Oh Toodles." The he put his cupped hand up to the side of his mouth and yelled, "Oh Toodles, where are you?"

If you watch Mickey Mouse Club House, you get this. If not, Oh Toodles is who Mickey and the gang call if they need help figuring something out. Oh Toodles brings the gang 4 options of tools and they pick the one that is appropriate to solve their problem.

After our friend's tractor failed and I had to get back in ours, hook both tractors up and try again, I really was wishing I could just call Oh Toodles. Did I mention I don't know how to drive a tractor? But, two tractors was the key to success.

Never Keys

We had a busy day around The Pumpkin Ranch today. Tomorrow is our official open and there was a lot to do! Since we had over a week of rain before Friends and Family Day last weekend, we were barely ready. So this week was another big push to get all of the stuff done we wanted done, not just the stuff we needed to. So, I worked on displays, baked goods and 1000 little things. This meant the kids and I were outside most of the day.

Towards the end of the day, when we were all tired and were pushing hard to get the last of it all done, Dave jumped up in the tractor and....no keys. He jumped into another tractor and...no keys. "Cooper, where are the tractor keys?" Dave yelled and Cooper knew exactly where they were. He dropped one set down into the gear shaft and the other set he burried in rocks.

Cooper saw the frustration in both of us as we worked to get the set out of the gear shaft and he kept daying, "Sowwy Dod. Doddy, Cooper sowwy." You just can't stay mad at that!

Of course, Cooper and I had a long talk about how he is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER to touch any keys.

Tonight, when I tucked him into bed his prayers were this.."Help doddy's twactor, Jay's twactor, Brad's twactor and the nevo, nevo, nevo keys. Aaaamen!"

Not quite sure he got what I was trying to tell him!

My Dream is to Be in Commercials

When I dropped Layla off at school yesterday she turned and said to me, "Mom, something great is going to happen today, I can just feel it in my bones!" And, when I picked her up, she said something great did happen, Abbie got to be the Top Banana. That's a 5 year old for you, they can always find something GREAT!

Today, while painting Layla's fingernails, I asked her if she thought something great was going to happen today. She replied, "Well, there is something really great that I want to happen today, it's my dream."

"Your dream?" I asked.

"Yes. My dream, but not like a dream you have a night, a dream like something you really want to do."

"Really?" I said. "What is your dream Layla?" I'm a little surprised by all of this. We've never really talked about our "dreams". We've talked about what she would like to do when she grows up, but never "dreams".

"Well mom, my dream is to be on a commercial and I know I will be someday."

"What will you be doing in the commercial?"

"I will be dancing. I don't know what I'll be selling, but I'll be dancing, mom."

All I Ever Needed to Know....

...I have learned from my children! Like the fact that when I get tired I talk in a mad voice, but it's a soft mad, so that doesn't really mean I'm mad. Layla informed me of this one today. Or that I now know what my stern look actually looks like because it is reflected back to me in my son's face. Or the fact that bajillion isn't really a number because there's no number in it. But, if you say 1 bajillion, then it's a number. Yup, they are a wealth of knowledge!

Today, I received two lessons from Layla. Not necessarily new lessons, but good reminders.

We were driving to school and Layla said to me, "Hey, mom! Did you know that Adam and Eve hid from God and so did Jonah?" She is studying Genesis at school and we just read a book about Jonah at the doctor's office this morning. I could tell by the way she said it, she had been mulling those stories over in her mind and had just had that revelation!

"Very good Layla," I said. "Do you remember why they hid from God?"

"Because they disobeyed God and were scared. But you can't hide from God. He always knows where we are and what we're doing."

"You're right honey," I said.

"But when we're sorry, God will always forgive us. He loves us that much! That is really cool stuff."

Yes, it is!!!

And tonight, when saying prayers together while I tucked her in, she reminded me of another important lesson. She prayed, "Thank you God, for giving us this whole earth. You told us in Genesis 1:1 that you created the heavens and the earth. And we love you for that God."

I was so moved as I listened to her pray scripture for the first time. Not just recite a memory verse, but pray it.

Hard Stop.... Soft Open

Dave and I planned a soft opening for The Pumpkin Ranch yesterday. The goal was to have friends and family out to show them the business, thank them for their help and support, and give us and our team a chance to work through our systems and training.

Throughout this whole process, we have been continually reminded of how good God is. He has supplied all the resources we've needed and has been in every detail. Praise Him!

I was blessed to speak at this on Friday night in St. Louis and doubly blessed to have Dave accompany me. We left St. Louis at 4:50am Saturday and were out in the barn at 12:30pm Saturday. There was NOTHING in place when we started, but by 10pm Saturday night, and with the amazing help of my mom, we were able to pull our retail space together. Then, with the help of pickers and staff on Sunday, we were able to get all of the details in place for our soft opening at 2pm, which was the hard stop to all work. We had a lot of fun and were even able to get aerial photos of the 5 acres corn maze.

We hope you all come and see us this year at The Pumpkin Ranch. Go to our website for more details www.thepumpkinranch.com. We are already scouting pumpkin patches across the country for ideas to add next year....so stay tuned!

It's Go Time

Wow, we are now running a frantic pace to open The Pumpkin Ranch in a week. Crazy! The kids had another fun night outside. We picked a patch this weekend so Dave went ahead and mowed it. The kids got to run free in the 2 acres right behind the house. They haven't been able to do this since May, so they thought it was pretty cool. They loved "investigating" the "smooshed" pumpkins. Here are a few pix from the last 2 weeks. We've battle through a lot of rain, but the kids don't mind...as you can see.

I'm not sure if the kids will be relieved or disappointed when November gets here and this is all over.

Remember Me?

My name is Jennifer and I used to blog! I feel like I'm living 4 different lives and only blogging about 1...the kids!

We are just two weeks from opening The Pumpkin Ranch. It has been a ton of work, but it hasn't been unbearable or undoable. It has been challenging and hard, but it has been filled with adventure and fun for the 4 of us. Today we picked with a crew of 10 and it was the first project we did sans kids. We had their favorite babysitter out for the day and didn't tell them where Mom and Dad were going. Otherwise, we wouldn't have made it out of the house without them. Layla and Cooper love playing in the barn. We've had days that we've been out there 10 hours and they never get bored. I LOVE seeing them imagining, playing, and building. One of my greatest joys as a mom is to see them running free and joyful.

The best part of my day today was the last hour of picking when we hit the 2 acres of gourds, squash and specialties pumpkins. So fun! And tomorrow, when I'm not so tired, I will post pictures of them. But for now, I'm putting this old lady tired body to bed!

Prayers Gone Astray?

My kids' prayers keep getting longer and longer every night. To me, they are going a bit astray, but I'm sure they are music to God's ears. After all, He does care about ALL areas of our lives!

Cooper must hold my hands and prays: "Tank Jesus for Mommy, Daddy, Lolly.....dogs, tractor, pumpkins....mommy's truck, daddy's truck...trailer, mower... deer, Louis's, Gamma, Pop-pop...jammies, b (blanket)....AAAMEN!"

Layla's prayer starts the same every night. "Dear Jesus, please don't let me have bad dreams or good dreams or even think of dreams. Thank you for helping me not think of monsters, sharks, alligators or snakes."

Then, tonight, she continued with, "Thank you for Mommy, Daddy and Cooper. We love everyone Jesus, even the people who speak Spanish and French and other languages I don't understand. I still love them. Even though I can't tell them because they speak other languages. Jesus, why do they speak other languages? Well, we love them. I love you Jesus. Please let all the babies know I love them too." I love how she has her eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration as she prays.

A Club Chair in the Kitchen?!

Yesterday I had to face the fact that all house projects are on hold for the next 8 weeks until pumpkin season has come and gone! I'm talking all things but the necessities. One of these things that I'm letting go of is the constant picking up and reorganizing of toys. If you have little ones, you know what I'm talking about! Every week I'm taking downstairs toys back downstairs, every month I'm emptying the kid's rooms and putting sets of toys back together. It is never ending! Letting this go gives me a little anxiety, but mostly a sense of relief.

BUT, Cooper started doing something today that I just can't let go. Something that causes me to go back to my picking up, reorganizing tendencies. Cooper has started moving furniture. I don't mean shifting it. I mean moving it from room to room. Most of our first floor is an open floor plan with continuous hardwood floors. All our furniture has those felt pads on the bottom so the legs/feet don't scratch the floor. This makes moving furniture pretty simple...a little too simple.

I found a leather club chair from the living room in the kitchen, a rattan sitting chair from the living room OUT ON THE DECK, and the chairs from the kid's table in the basement in our bathroom ON A DIFFERENT FLOOR. I'm amazed at how quickly and quietly he accomplished these tasks!

And so, the reorganizing continues for this mama. I can let go of a lot of things, but a club chair in the kitchen is not one of them!

No doubt this was the mischevious little smirk on his face as he did his moving!

ISU Through and Through

Last night I wore my ISU football t-shirt to the gym. Nothing was meant by it, it was just the t-shirt at the top of the pile in the drawer. I walked out of the bedroom, Layla saw me and decided she wanted to wear her ISU jersey to the gym. Cooper saw Layla in her jersey and he decided he wanted to wear his jersey. So, off we went to the gym in our head to to ISU gear. After school today, they changed into their jerseys again. Yes, we are caught up in the excitement of this weekends game. And, we are going to enjoy the excitement and anticipation until 2:35 pm Saturday when the game begins and we get smoked! But until then.....GO CLONES!!!!