Pumpkins, corn mazes, scary ghouls...Halloween is almost here!

Gruesome ghouls along the maze of maize.

Leaving the pumpkin patch with our find.

This little bit could pull the wagon and the pumpkin all by herself.

I can't wait to try making one of these next year!

And laying a finger aside of her nose...

Somebody's watching you...

Do you ever feel like somebody is watching you? I often feel like this, even if I am by myself at home. The other night, after all the kids were tucked in bed, I sat down to read in my comfy chair. I rested my eyes for a moment, looked up and saw these little men watching me:

Adorable girls' clothing giveaway!

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

What adorable clothes for little girls! I hope I win the raffle! Hop on over to the above link to see more and to see her incredible Halloween costumes!

I WISH I could be THAT mom

Photo by Peter Arndt on www.mountainproject.com

I try not to worry...but I do. I try to pretend that it doesn't bother me to watch my 8 year old son run across our busy urban street to fetch his ball, but it does. I try to refrain from crying when I see my 5 year old son fall down, hold his breath and turn blue, but I can't.

So this past weekend, when we visited Devils Lake State Park in Wisconsin, I tried to pretend that I was THAT mom...the one that encourages her kids to run ahead and tackle any challenge they find, no matter how dangerous. You see, Devils Lake is a midwestern rock climber's playground. The park is filled with cliffs and boulder fields. The boulders look as if they have just tumbled out of a truck minutes before rather than millions of years ago.

For two little boys from the Midwest, THIS is mountain climbing, THIS is heaven.

For ME, this family outing was 3 LONG hours of toturous worry and nausea.

Somewhere at the top of this boulder field is Joey. The guy in the navy blue shirt was a REAL rock climber--he used rock climbers' vocabulary--words that I have never heard before.

For Joey, sheer bliss. This photo was taken when he reached "the summit" with the zoom on my autofocus camera maxed out. I would not have been able to see his excitement with my bare eyes.

Sammy was okay going up, but needed a bit of help coming back down. The look on his face gets progressively more fearful. The first two photos are going up, the last photo, coming down.

This is more my style--all three of my little ones within arms reach!

Lily's 2nd Birthday

Happy Birthday Lily! What a special day you had. You love to get dressed up, so we looked for an extra special dress for you to wear on your special day. Since it had a cupcake in the middle, Mommy decided to have cupcakes for your birthday dinner.



You took your time and tried to eat that frosting-laden cupcake like a little lady.



But you know, you can only do that for so long!



I guess you decided that since it was your special day, you would finally let someone besides Mommy and Daddy hold you without crying. What a wonderful birthday present from YOU to Grandma and Grandpa! (and to Mommy and Daddy!)


And to Auntie Jen!

Happy Birthday sweet girl! We look forward to another year of smiles and surprises!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILY!

I will post more later. (I am preparing for your birthday dinner!) But I wanted to post a picture of you doing what you love to do most at age two--play with your tea set. Happy Birthday Lily!

Lily's New 'Do

In preparation for Lily's two-year photos, I wanted to get her hair cut into a bob just like the adorable little pixie at http://www.tomiawithlove.blogspot.com/. Having two boys and wickedly curly hair myself, I thought it would just be a cinch for the stylist to cut her her into a bob style. He asked me all sorts of questions, like "how long?," "longer in front?," "to frame her face?" I just thought, "come on, isn't a bob a bob?"


Apparently not. Immediately after the world's speediest haircut (it couldn't have lasted more than 30 seconds), I regretted my decision to get her hair cut. Or at least, I regretted my lack of preparation for the haircut. Perhaps it should have been longer...perhaps just longer in front...

It's now a few days later and I think the haircut has grown on me (although I think I'll like it better when it's grown a bit more on her as well...longer that is!)


Here's my own little adorable pixie just a few days before her 2nd birthday!

Sensational scarves!

Finally...some cool, crisp autumn weather! It makes me think of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Speaking of which, if you are interested in starting your holiday shopping a bit early, check out my friend Laura's shop on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=57775

Her scarves are absolutely beautiful, hand-felted scarves. The pictures don't show the incredible texture of the scarves. The top right scarf is made of silk and felted wool, so not quite as warm if you are looking for the perfect gift for someone in a warmer climate (or yourself). The top left photo is a felted flower which would make an excellent adornment to a plain coat, hat, or sweater.

For sewers, Laura also sells pin cushions.

Check out her site!