Sleeping Vampire

This was what we saw last night as we checked on the girls before Nate and I headed to bed... a sleeping vampire.

Apparently, Haven really liked the fake vampire teeth she won at our playgroup's Halloween party.

Pumpkin Flasher!!

I had to dress up for a costume party that was held at a friend's house in our neighborhood. What does a 8 month pregnant gal do for a costume?!

I went as a Pumpkin Flasher... lurking in the dark shadows awaiting her victims to flash the obscene belly pumpkin.

I did get props for creativity! =0)

A sweet moment...

I caught a sweet moment the other day as Haven showed Parker how to use her Leapster. Parker loved being able to play with a "big girl" toy! I love catching these little moments in between the more frequent snatching toys out of hands, complaining of each other's teasing, crying episodes.

The shampoo and baby powder containers now join the markers in the gun safe...

I am just sitting down after cleaning for two hours. I did this a lot today.

This morning I found a thick layer of pink goo in the girls' bathtub and an empty strawberry shampoo container laying on the bathroom floor. This wasn't a huge surprise knowing Parker's personality and tendency to make messes. Okay... so, I now need to put up the kid's shampoo. No biggie. Only $2.99 wasted.

I must be a slow learner because tonight I realized I should have done this to the baby powder. I was visiting with a friend downstairs tonight when Haven yelled for me to come to her room (she and a friend were having a dance-off in my bedroom). I climbed the stair and walked into a white haze. The powder was thick in the air and I quickly opened up the windows just to get a fresh breath. I tapped on the window screens and a puff of white powder smoke blew into the air outside. A white film was covering EVERYTHING. Parker had managed to shake, squeeze and pour out the ENTIRE container of baby powder. I had just opened this a few days ago too, so it was full. Parker looked like a little ghost - white hair, white face, and a white room. My little Casper. I am so thankful my friend, Tara, was with me because she helped with with the vacuuming while I attended to the comforters, rug, furniture, clothes, walls, toys, Parker in the tub....

And all this happened after the sweet child care workers at the women's Bible study today told me what a good little girl Parker was and how she showed "leadership qualities!" She sure did show some initiative tonight as she used her leadership qualities to discover a new use for baby powder. I sure hope she discovers the cure for cancer one day to make all of this work worth it.

I was so in shock and sidetracked to how I was going to clean up the whole mess, that I didn't think about taking pictures.

The farm life

We did not foresee that this would be our last meal on the farm with Papa Otto when on a Monday evening we all gathered to celebrate family coming together. Four generations were present as Papa Otto lead the large group (he was always in the front of the buffet line) in a Prime Rib dinner. Two days later, he passed away and went home to Jesus. What precious timing. I so am thankful God allowed us one more memory with him as a family - just like many, many years of summers, Christmases, Thanksgivings, Easters... We were all able to attend the funeral and see first hand the love and respect my Papa Otto held in the farming community and town of Havre.

We all enjoyed a week of farm life:
Hunting, golfing, shooting stuff - enjoyed by Nate
Resting, not cooking, shopping, eating good food (especially the desserts), loving on my nephew, Crew, who I met for the first time - my favorites!
Riding the 4-wheel, visiting the horses, playing with cousins - Piper & Cameron, chasing the puppies, playing "Go Fish" - what the girls loved best!

However, we all came back with nasty colds and a little out of sorts being that we were sick and not on much of a schedule. It has taken me a week to get us all well again and have Parker back on her sleep schedule again! I refer to this stressful time of readjustment (which is often met with resistance and includes lots of discipline) as vacation detox. THUS the reason why it took me a while to write this post!

WHEW! We are packed...

We are off tomorrow to see family in Montana: Nate's parents, my parents, aunt, uncles, cousins, brother, sister-in-law and baby Crew!! We are all so excited. I knew the bulk of the work would be trying to pack us all up for Fall weather (it is still 75 degrees here). This meant digging out warmer clothes for Parker and trying on every pair of jeans Haven owns to make sure they still fit. This may not seem like a lot of work to the outsider, but to a 30 week pregnant gal, I was working up a sweat running around the house trying to make sure we had everything ready to go!

The purpose of the trip is to see my Papa Otto whose health is failing and will soon have his other foot amputated due to diabetes. We hope this time spent with him and the rest of the family will be special for everyone. Looking forward to capturing some memories on the camera. Stay tuned...

Haven - the snow princess

Auntie Julia (Bruce's sister) came down from Sherman Oaks this last weekend with a carload of books, play dresses, felt board and appliques, toys, stickers... it was as if Haven's fairy god mother arrived! Auntie Julia dressed up Haven in a snow princess dress she brought for her and took a few pictures of Haven.

Palm Springs

My view in my bathing suit, looking down:

This is how Parker says "CHEESE!"


This place is HOT! I can't believe it was 8:30 at night and 95 degrees. Seriously?! That is why we hung out poolside while daddy did some work nearby. We were able to have fun Labor Day get-away with the girls, and our friends, The Barnetts.

Can I just say how wonderful hotels are?! I don't HAVE to make the beds, pick up the crumbs on the floor, clean up the bathroom, wipe down the fingerprints... I am VERY thankful for one night away from home and a quick break from the duties of housekeeper.

Leukadia/Encinitas Farmer's Market and Art in the Park

This morning we decided to have a family day and enjoy the local activities and beach culture. We made our way to the amazing Leucadia/Encinitas farmer's market and then to the vendors selling their artwork on Highway 101 this morning for the Leucadia Art in the Park.

My favorite item we purchased at the market: organic fruit and Kettle corn.
Nate's favorite item he took home: organic dry Jack cheese and flavored hummus (Calamata olive and spinach & feta).
Haven and Parker's favorite treat: the lady bug balloon bracelets the "princess" made them at her booth.

Obviously, there is something for everyone. What is amazing is that this farmer's market runs all year long. Yeaa!!

We love Pizza!!

Last night was home made pizza night. I tried a new recipe and we found a new favorite!

Here is the recipe:
Favorite pizza dough/crust (we used Trader Joe's pizza dough)
Favorite BBQ sauce
Shredded Mozzarella
Thinly sliced Granny Smith Apple
Diced Grilled Chicken
Crumbled Goat Cheese
A sprinkle of chopped Parsley

Bake at 450* for 12-15 minutes

Brain Puddy

I don't know if you remember when you were pregnant (if you are a female reading this post), but I feel like I am suffering from major brain meltdown... I can't spell correctly, speak correctly, my memory is deplorable and looking at Nate's Scrabble game on his ipad gives me an instant headache. My pregnancy really has made me dumb. I think this is a serious condition that should have a medical term so that I can explain my behavior when I can't find my keys ANYWHERE while I am actually holding them in my hands (this happened today). Seriously, this is debilitating and embarrassing.

I can get use to this...

We found out that our neighborhood gets together every Thursday night for dinner and campfire on the local beach just 10 minutes from our home - how fun! And, they were fun, gracious families who all have kids for our girls to hang with. Sitting there, eating my sub-sandwich, taking in the view and sunset, I realized why San Diego is the place so many flock to for vacation. Yet, this is just a Thursday night routine for our neighbors, something they do all summer long (weather permitting). Now, we get to join in on the fun!

I do feel so fortunate that we have lived in some beautiful locations. We have learned to love and appreciate the mountains and rivers of Missoula, Montana to the ocean shores of San Diego, California. The beauty of God's creation!

I do need to get used to the sand. It gets everywhere and a bath is always a must for the girls after the beach. And, I am sure Parker's diapers will be more "grainy" these next few days... but, it is a small price to pay for memories on the beach!

Wild Love

My girls love to wrestle and play "Monster" with daddy (the act of running around to escape the Tickle Monster). I caught them in the act today and had to capture their wild spirits at play! They are so much fun to hang out with. Sure, it is tiring and they require lots of work BUT it is all worth it when you see the love they have for their mommy, daddy and each other. Their smiles are infectious.

And, then there is our 3rd girl inside my belly (25 wks). I wonder what little personality she will have...

Princess Camp!

Haven was in her glory this week. This was her first camp experience and she now wishes princess camp was every week! She was in her element each day from 9am-12pm. There was special music, crafts, princess story time, dress-up, drama and more. What fun!

I took these pictures of her grand finale - the presentation for the parents and families!