{take a bite out of...}

I always keep a basket of fruit on my counter, like a good mother should, but in the past it has been in the far corner, and fairly unreachable. This past week I moved it to the center of the island--and this is what I've found...



Hmmmm. At least they didn't throw it away, right?

{fall favorites}

Some things just have to be done in the fall. I think my some of my most favorite traditions happen right now.

1. Cider mill & pumpkin patch

They are aplenty around here, and it's only a matter of trying to choose which one to go to! We always go once to pick pumpkins, and then several other times just to enjoy. We have our favorites, and my MOST favorite in particular is a little over an hour away. It's close to where we lived for grad school, and holds a ton of memories for us. Ryan has been going there since he was 2 years old! So, when we had the opportunity to go there this year, we jumped on it. It was a WONDERFUL day. The weather was nice, the sun was out, and it just felt like fall. We ate a yummy lunch, rode the train and the wagon, walked through a corn maze, watched apples being made into cider, had donuts and apple cider, and thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was perfect!!








2. Something warm...

My new favorite? It's called Autumn Punch, and is very similar to Wassail. Add the ingredients to your crock pot, and not only will you have something yummy to warm you up, but your house will smell divine! I found this recipe at allrecipes.com.

AUTUMN PUNCH

12 c. apple juice
4 1/2 c. pineapple juice
1/2 c. brown sugar
6 T. lemon juice
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 oranges
24 whole cloves

Combine first 6 ingredients in crock pot. Cut oranges into thick slices, then poke 4 cloves into the rind of each slice. Float oranges on the top, then place cover on crock pot. Warm through on medium-low heat, then simmer for as long as you like!!

3. Pumpkins on the porch



I love having pumpkins on my porch, and of course it's extremely traditional across the country. This year I tried something new, and I love how they turned out! They were super easy to do, and gave them a whole new look. For details, check here.

4. Fall leaves & country roads

The roads here are breathtaking. I want to just hold on to the view forever, and wish that the season would last just a little longer. (Not to mention winter is coming, which is a whole other story...) This is the street I live on--



5. Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

What a yummy fall treat this is, and a fall must for our family. A few years ago we decided to try a sweet version of our favorite pumpkin seed recipe, and this is what we came up with. They are sweet, crunchy, and delicious, and DEFINITELY worth the effort!

TOASTED CINNAMON & SUGAR PUMPKIN SEEDS

2 c. pumpkin seeds
2-3 T. butter, melted
cinnamon & sugar

Wash seeds well. Boil seeds in a small amount of water in a medium saucepan for 10 minutes. Spread out evenly on aluminum foil and dry well. Toss the dry seeds in the butter, then coat with cinnamon & sugar. Spread out on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 225 degrees for approximately 1-1.5 hours or until toasted brown.

TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

2 c. pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. butter, melted
1 1/4 tsp. seasoning salt (or table salt, if preferred)

Follow same directions as above.

Happy Fall everyone!!!

{liver and onions}

You'd think that was on the dinner menu last night, by the looks of it. In reality, it was just good, old-fashioned Potato Soup. That's normal, right?

I proceeded to asked Kate what things she liked for dinner. Her list? Ramen and Macaroni & cheese. If only I could make those things every night for dinner, my life would be a lot easier too!

However, I do believe in good nutrition (at least most of the time--there have been chicken nugget sightings at our house), but my efforts to introduce a little variety(and heaven forbid, some fruits and vegetables) have produced noses turned up, and downright refusals to eat.

It's interesting though--Kate and Ryan are the picky ones, while little Miss Emma is my fruit and veggie girl, plus everything in between. The girls have been given the exact same food at the exact same time since birth, yet their attitudes about food are vastly different.

So, what's a girl to do? I would love to hear your tricks of the trade, and how you handle picky eaters. I'm certainly not a short order cook, and I will only prepare one meal, but I don't like to see kids hungry, either.

Don't tell me I'm alone, here!

{194 pictures later...}

.....

and just for fun...the girls before church today-

{how twins are made}

We are 10 weeks, 1000 bottles, and 1000 diapers into their lives, and I am the luckiest mom ever!

In other news...

-Jack has an inguinal hernia, and will be having surgery on October 23rd. I know it's a fairly routine procedure, but I still worry about him being so small. Wish us luck!

-They officially slept through the night last night! From 10pm-8am they were asleep in their beds...and so was I. I'm really hoping it's going to be a trend. I feel like I can do anything when I have sleep.

-Ryan is playing the cello! He just got his instrument yesterday, and I love to see him so excited about it.

{it's good to be prepared...most of the time}

The boys had their 2 month appt. today. Preemies are measured on the same percentile scale as a full-term baby, so it can take them awhile to "catch up". At their first appointment, they were both in the 5th percentile across the board. At 6 weeks, they were about a pound apart. Today, at their 2 month appointment? They are now 2 1/2 pounds apart, and Henry is pushing 13 pounds (80th percentile across the board)! There is a reason we call him "Hank the Tank", and Emma has dubbed him (all on her own) "Bubba".

My first thought? All those darn clothes sitting in the drawer, all the same size, that I bought on clearance...thinking I was saving money by buying ahead.




I'll let you guess which one is which...

{late for church...reason # 155}

That's right. Twister. I was in bed, not feeling well, and so Rick stayed home from his meetings to get the kids ready. They took a small detour. Ryan was the cameraman, and captured quite a rousing game--even Henry was participating. It was a little different than my usual strategy, but hey, ignorance is bliss.

P.S. I too, am quite impressed with the girls' outfits. I'm just not sure of they picked them out, or if Rick did.

{the first day}

Finally. The moment that they've been waiting for all summer as arrive. (It was also a highly motivating factor in the potty-training process, since the beginning of the year!) The girls' first day of preschool was today, and it had been much anticipated. They were up early, dressed, and ready to go in PLENTY of time.

I was so excited for them, because I knew how much fun they were going to have. Ryan went to this same preschool, and we love the teachers and the school. It was surreal though, as I was driving away, when I realized how big they were getting, and how fast. I better stop typing now. I might just start to cry.



The girls brought these caramel apples to their teachers this morning--it's a fun twist on the traditional "apple for the teacher". I used sticks from my yard instead of the usual Popsicle stick, whittled down to a point at one end so it would go easily into the apple. Yum!

{ballerinas}

I was 6 or 7 years old. Just imagine a shiny-blue-fringy-stretchy-sequiny costume, and the song "Uptown Girl". It was my debut performance, as well as my finale. With my interests lying much more with sports (and my talents as well), I traded in the dance shoes for shin guards and cleats. I was a tomboy, through and through.

Fast forward 20+ years, and two cute little girls later. To my surprise, I went a little crazy when they were born. Bows, flowers, bracelets, clothes, shoes...I was more girly than I had ever been in my life. Last fall, I got on the waiting list for the dance teacher I wanted a full year in advance, just to make sure we got in.We even went on a special girls' shopping trip to buy ballet shoes, and have been looking forward to their first class all summer.

So, today was finally the day! They were dressed and ready to go almost 2 hours before we had to leave, and they kept on asking when they could put their shoes on.

Once we got there, I realized there isn't much cuter than a group of 3 year olds on stage--lifting their arms, pointing their toes, and learning how to curtsy.

So, who knows if this will be something they love to do, or if they want to continue. Maybe they will want to trade in their ballet slippers for another type of shoe, and if they do, I will be just as excited about that.

But for now, I am relishing all the pink, tutus, and ballet slippers. Who knew girls could be so much fun?

{the nursery...and other randomness}

I finally finished the nursery. Almost. I have one more smaller half wall that needs something, but that shouldn't take too much time. It's in our loft-like bonus room and doesn't have much wall space, but I love the simplicity of it. It's exactly what I wanted.



Other random items:

*Ryan is at his first Scout campout tonight. One of us may need to go get another job to finance his Scouting...it cost a small fortune to get everything he needed. He is super excited though, especially when I told him he needed to pack clothes that it didn't matter if they were stained, ruined, or burned. "That could really happen??" he asked. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything about that.

*It is amazing the things you learn when you take your 3 year old girls with you exercising. For example:

1. Cattails look like hot dogs.
2. They can't make it 1 mile (sitting in the jogger, mind you)without stopping at home for a snack. Must be hard work to sit and enjoy the scenery.
3. I can sing "I'm a Little Teapot" 10 times before being totally out of breath. It also looks really funny to any cars that might be passing by when you are demonstrating the spout and the handle.

*Cuddling is a good thing.


*Kate informed me that the way she tells the babies apart is that Henry has the biggest head, and Jack has the littlest head.

Hmmmmm. She's right.

{big day}

I love the first day of school. I loved it when I was young, and I love it now. There is just something so exciting about new pencils and binders, choosing an outfit, packing a backpack, seeing your friends again, and getting a new teacher. It also marks the beginning of fall, my favorite season of all!

Unfortunately, it wasn't the morning I would have wished for Ryan today, because I spent the early hours of the morning in the ER with Henry, who was running a high temp. After getting home at 4am, I wasn't super awake at 7am, but by the time he left, I was ready to do my motherly duty and take the his picture per tradition. I think we'll have to re-schedule the big breakfast for tomorrow!

Today is also a big day, because it's our anniversary! I have to laugh, since there isn't much difference in how we celebrated when we were first married, and now. In the beginning, we were poor students that couldn't afford much. Now we have too many kids! :) We did get to celebrate last weekend when we got away without the kids for a day, and it was wonderful. I'm also banking on next year...

Happy Anniversary babe--it's been an amazing 14 years, and I'm looking forward to many, many more.

Yikes! Weren't we young??

Then:



Now:




And yes, I did search for a picture of us together, but those are hard to come by.

At least one that I approve of. :)

{hide and seek}

Tuesday was one of those days. My schedule was packed all day long, and I still had several items that evening to attend to. I had meeting at 7pm, and Rick was supposed to be home around 6:50pm so I could get out the door. He called, saying he would be late.

I was sitting in the truck, ready to back out. As soon as he came up the driveway, I was off with a wave.

When I got to the meeting, I turned my phone to vibrate. After it was over, and on my way to my next appointment, I checked my messages. The first one I listened to was Rick's frantic voice, telling me he couldn't find Henry. He had searched the whole house--every bed and bedroom, the pack 'n play, the swings, their crib, and any other place he could think of.

I checked the next message. He had just gone to check and see if the car seat was in the mudroom, just in case.

It was gone.

Oops.

I forgot to tell him I took Henry.

I guess that's one of those details you shouldn't leave out.

{5}

I am the mother of five children.

I am the mother of five children.

I am the mother of five children!!

I just kept counting them today, over and over. We had our first outing as a whole family today, when we packed up our vehicle and went to church. Every time I turned around to look, I was surprised. I really don't know why--I was there at all of their births. :) For the first time, it seemed really real.

Maybe it's because I never planned on having this many. Rick and I always talked about four kids--it seemed like such a nice, even number. But once we had Ryan, and then had so many infertility issues, I had finally resolved in my head that we would have one child, and if were lucky, two. It took me such a long time to get to that place, that I'm having just as hard of a time realizing that I have exactly what I've always wanted.

Maybe it's because just over three years ago, I only had one child. One. One child, and a car.

Maybe it's because I'm not old enough to have this many kids, right? Because I feel like I'm in my early twenties, at least.

All of this aside, I am deliriously happy. I have five beautiful children, ones I have waited and wished for. I know how lucky I am, and I wouldn't change it for anything. Life is good.

First day at church!!

{blessing}

The boys were blessed last night, at home. We couldn't bring them to church just yet, and with my parents leaving this morning, it was the best option. It was wonderful. Really, really perfect. It was a sweet moment, and I'm so glad it worked the way it did. Unfortunately we were so busy after the blessing that I didn't get many pictures, but thankfully I took some of the boys before we went downstairs.

Here are some other recent pics...

Jack:

Henry...I love this pose. He sleeps like this often.

Henry, eating Jack's head! He is our hungry boy, and EATS like crazy, He is already up to 5-6 oz. at a time, and just turned 3 weeks old.

Two sweet boys.

It's amazing, isn't it, how much your life can change in just a short period of time. Already we can't imagine our lives without these two in them.

Also, just a public thank you to my parents---you are the BEST. We couldn't have made it without you, truly. We miss you already.