happy almost halloween!

You'll see more pictures after tomorrow, including the boys, and lately it's been lots about Abby, but that's just because most of my day is spent only with her....

Anyways, today at preschool she had a music performance; they sang 3 Halloween songs, and below is the shot of her doing the actions to "if you're scary and you know it, make a face," .....she was pretty much growling while making this grimace. It was pretty darn cute.

also, we've gone through SEVERAL ideas of what she wants to be for Halloween, and she keeps changing her mind. we settled on Hawkeye cheerleader, but not until after Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Unicorn (and how does she even know what that is?). ugh.

extra padding

well, along with the new biking hobby has come a bit of a problem....bike seats are really uncomfortable. which leaves the tailbone hurting.

until, clearance sales happen and we score these awesome, PADDED seat, bike shorts!! Who knew I would ever wear these?? I would have been the last to suspect it. But I tested them out yesterday and they truly make a world of difference. I could now be a spokesperson for padded bike shorts! what a riot!

abby's "guys"

I've been wanting to post about this for awhile now, but until the other day, I hadn't the opportunity to catch a photo to accompany the post.
Abby's motherly nurturing side is shown by the affection given to her "guys". She really doesn't play with dolls much at all; for her, it's her stuffed animals that she mothers and plays imaginative role play stuff. she's given them each a specific name (that everyone in our house is expected to know), all of them talk, of course, and when I snapped this picture, she instructed me that her "guys" were napping and I had to tiptoe and be quiet.

She was especially delighted when I got her the miniature (beanie baby size) match to one she already had, Whiskers. I got it as a gift for her on her first day of school, and told her Whiskers had a baby. You can't imagine her excitement! She named it Kelsey, as she had just met a girl in her class named that. It's so cute to see her acting out real life, and often I hear her say something to her "guys" only to realize myself, 'oh man, i said that to her,'....I better be careful!

FROM L TO R: Tabbies, Barley, Elly, Kaia, Simba, Zoe, Marshmallow, & Kelsey

FROM L TO R: Brownie, Budderball, Neigh Neigh, Whiskers & Lovey

so brave

Ever since Abby shattered her tooth last year, and had to endure the subsequent removal,(without sedation), she has been terrified of going to the dentist. I have been amazed, and saddened by how well she remembers the traumatic (for both of us) event. The time prior to this most recent visit to the dentist when I told her we were going, she replied, "to the scary guy in the yellow shirt?" NO!! We didn't go back to him, we went to the family dentist that we all see. But I couldn't believe it. It had been at least 6 months and she still remembered vividly. Poor thing.

Well, so 2 weeks ago both boys went to the dentist for check-ups and cleanings. Abby got to sit in with Matthew and watch the whole procedure, which made her decide that she's a big girl and she can do that!

So we went the following week, and what do you know, she did it!! It was one of my prouder moments as a mom; watching her little self sit in the big chair, reclined, and very agreeable to let them do what they needed....polish and all! Huge progress!!

pretty pretty princess

abby's favorite game, and so fitting for her ;) is pretty pretty princess. endless games are played on most weekdays when the boys are gone. i have to remember to enjoy this while it lasts; as most times it's requested, i am less than thrilled about yet another round....i do, however, usually oblige. For the princess, you know.

adventurous spirits

i don't need to say much to accompany this post. most of you will find the picture alone amusing enough. we've taken up a new hobby recently with some friends; mountainbiking. i know what you're thinking, 'but you live in iowa,' and it is quite deceptive but believe me when i say that the mountains of iowa are plenty for now.

it's really fun though, and great exercise. the other day we all went out; the moms went first, and then the dads, and when they got back they took the big kids of the group on a novice trail. the kids absolutely loved it and are pretty convinced they're ready to move up to a more difficult trail, from green to blue; i'm pretty sure we're sticking where we are for now!

abby's new look

yesterday i took abby to get her haircut.
she has been saying for awhile that she wants it short. we would remind her that meant no pony or piggies, and she would say, 'that's fine, i don't like ponies,' which is true. she never likes me doing her hair; she just wants a barrette in every day.
jason was even more apprehensive about us cutting it than i was. he loves her in a ponytail, so that was making him a little sad.
she persisted though; everytime we talked about it she insisted, 'i want to cut it.' the morning of her appointment, i suggested again, 'let's leave it long,'....to her strong-willed little self again insisting that she wanted to cut it.
so we did.
it looks pretty cute. and it'll grow. it certainly fits her personality.
here's the outcome:

some of my favorites

I was sorting pictures in my folders on the computer today and was just loving looking back through some older ones...I thought I'd share some with ya'll, as I haven't been blogging long, so everything you see is current. All of these that I've chosen are just some of my favorites, or favorite times we've shared as a family. And I can't believe how fast it has gone. Watching these on a slide show is how I feel most days; like it's all moving past so quickly; wish I could 'pause'.

you get a line, i'll get a pole

a favorite activity for the boys to do with Jason has been going fishing at the pond here in our neighborhood. Ben, especially, has always loved fishing, and now he loves it even more because they have such luck down the street.

They pack up poles, bait and tackle; Jason carries it all, and the boys ride bikes down a block and "sink some worms," as they call it.

The biggest fish they've ever caught have been caught at this pond. If only we'd known!! We could've saved ourselves many a trip to the lake, and have since we've discovered the fish in this pond.

Today, Ben caught a 19 inch bass!! Of course, I was home cleaning, so I don't have a picture to show you, and I've already let Jason have it for not taking the camera. They measured it against his arm, (from fingertips to armpit), before throwing it back, and then pulled out the tape measure when they got home to then measure his arm. Sure enough, the length of his arm, 19 inches. AMAZING!! Maybe next time they'll have to measure against his leg! (Uncle Brian, can you believe it?? Ben says you have to come straight to our house when you get back since your pole is here, then you can go fishing RIGHT AWAY!)

for laura s

well, great minds think alike, they say....

Abby got this new nightgown, suited perfectly for her, as it reads on the front

"goodness; s'mores - made fresh daily".

Of course, she loves it, and immediately told me when wearing it for the first night, "mom, i even love s'mores more than laura s*!%@ does." She wanted to go to Minnesota for you to see this nightgown; I told her we'd take her picture to give you. I think it's so funny that you two have this funny special quirk. I've not known two other people that love s'mores so much as you do. Too bad they don't make one of these nightgowns in your size, Laura!!

let's go hawks?

Well, not the greatest season to try becoming a Hawk fan, but the kids don't seem to care!

We had lots of Hawkeye fun this weekend anyways....

Friday night the Homecoming parade: it's one of our favorite activities all year. We go early and stake out a spot, grab dinner and eat on the curb, and then play football/catch in the street while we WAIT! good times.

Saturday we decided last minute to take the kids tailgating. No one we went with had tickets either, but boy, they still had a setup! They parked cars Friday night to get a prime spot, and then Saturday we hung out there for both breakfast and lunch. When the hawks were getting killed at halftime, we all decided the fun was over. 7 adults, 11 kids. lots of football playing, lots of fun.