Halloween all around...

Like many past years, we seem to celebrate the holiday of Halloween for several weeks.  This year was no different.

There was the school fall festival, the Halloween party our adoption agency hosts and finally good old trick or treating.  The kids had fun at all of them.

 This month we made Halloween Cupcakes... they were frightfully delicious!

At the Halloween party hosted by our agency the kids got their face painted.  Can you guess what each kid wanted to have on their face? 

 Of course, she had to have Minnie Mouse on her cheek.  These days, EVERYTHING is about Minnie!

 Michael had to have swords on his cheeks... just one weapon of choice for his Ninja Turtle.

 And Gabriel choose a black widow spider to adorn his face.  He seemed pretty pleased.  

 While at the party, we just happened to run into the boys' case worker (not from our agency) who helped pick us to be Gabriel and Michael's forever family.  The boys didn't seem to remember Julie, but the moment I saw her, memories from our meetings together came right back.  It was so fun to see her as it has been almost 5 years. In the time since she helped us become a family she has adopted her own little boy.  It was nice to see her and catch up, while brief that it was.

 Also at the celebration there were several games for the kids to play.  Here they are pumpkin bowling.

 Another activity we participated in, in honor of the Halloween holiday was the carving of our pumpkins.  The boys believe they are fully grown up now, and can do everything by themselves.  Just one example of this is that they both insisted on carving their own pumpkin.  We hesitantly and reluctantly gave in.  It wasn't long before our fears became a reality as Michael sliced his finger open.  After fixing up his wound, he was back at it, but much more willing to let Dad and I help. Sometimes in parenting I've learned, you have to let them make their own mistakes... even if it results in your fears coming true.  (Thankfully, it wasn't that bad of a cut, just enough to scare him into letting us help).

 Here's an after shot of their creations.

Last Friday on Halloween, Isabelle's school had a Halloween costume parade and party.  While Isabelle doesn't normally go to school on Friday, he teachers invited her to still participate.  I thought that was a great idea, because then I got to go watch too.

One of Isabelle's little friends at school is Maya who just happened to also dress up like Minnie Mouse.  Below is a picture of the two of them moments after seeing each others pretty costumes.  It was so cute as they continued to hold hands, smile at one another, laugh and say, "Maya Minnie Mouse, I'm Minnie Mouse too!"

 Also on Friday afternoon, I got the honor of getting to do my cousin Alicia's make up.  She had to spend her Halloween at work but to make it fun, they let their employees dress up.  I'll be honest, when she asked me to do her make up, I was a bit nervous, I consider my make up skills to be far inferior to most 13 year old girls.  Seriously.  So when she asked me, I quick studied up on YouTube how to apply make up and then together we did our best to recreate the look she was going for.  If I can toot my own horn for a second, for my first attempt at Halloween make up, I don't think it turned out all that bad. I guess her co-workers and customers agreed too, as she ended up winning the costume contest at her work.  Pretty cool, I say!

While Gabriel, Michael and Isabelle could hardly wait to put on their costume, I couldn't let Jack feel left out.  Why of course I had to dig out his own turtle costume to wear.  Jack wasn't so impressed and after several looks of, "Can't I just go as a dog?", I decided to let Jack go as himself...a former spoiled dog now second fiddle (maybe even third or fourth) to three kids.  Jack don't be so sad, you'll always be our baby.

 Finally, (as the kids said), it ws time to get ready for actual trick or treating.  I decided to give a try to curling Isabelle's bone straight hair.  I worried she wouldn't sit still long enough and if she jerked with any sudden moments, I risked burning her; so I was VERY careful.  I let her (and Michael as you can see) pretend to put on make up.  Michael took my eye liner and started drawing all over his face.  First he drew a mustache and then he drew the shading as if he was going to play football.  While he created a masterpiece on his face, I gave Isabelle a powder brush and let her go to town pretending.  It was great how still she sat.  She'd look in the mirror, pretend to put on powder and then say, "I pretty mom."  Lord help me, I think the princess stage is here.

 I was really happy with how pretty her curls turned out and when I asked her to turn around look at me, my first thought was, "Oh my goodness girl, you look like you could be in a child pageant."  Thankfully I would never cut it as a pageant mom so no such luck there.

The boys were pretty satisfied with their looks as well.  Imagine Michael making a silly face.  No, that's not my kid.  He's never silly!  Oh and Gabriel decided to dress as a football player underneath his ninja turtle costume.  

 Isabelle's final look.  I can't help but ask, "Where did my baby girl go and when did this beautiful little girl arrive?"  Doesn't she look so big?  

After all that preparation, the boys put their masks on (which completely his their make up masterpieces), they picked up their buckets and soon enough we were off.

 Trick or Treat... here we come!

As usual, we followed our normal neighborhood route and tried our best to keep up with the boys who always seem to be a full block ahead.  Isabelle LOVED trick or treating, especially with her friend Isaac, who lives next door.  They are the same age and went hand in hand from door to door.  When they'd get a piece of candy, they'd look at each other, laugh uncontrollably and then say, "Let's go again Isaac."  It was so precious.  

After walking well over a mile and filling their buckets to the brim we decided to turn back to home.  As we were just about to head inside and call it a night, we got a surprise.  The lovely firefighters from just down the street, brought out their big truck and brought trick or treating to our front door.  They turned on the sirens and flashed their big lights.  They were so kind, they let the kids climb in the truck and handed out candy.  Just another reason why I'm so impressed with those heroes that save lives everyday.  

How often can you say firefighters came to you on Halloween to bring you candy? 

 Well, I guess our kids can say they have.  

 Within minutes every kid from the street was down in front of our house posing with the firefighters.  Definitely a Halloween memory that won't be forgotten.

 Halloween 2014 was definitely a great one!

Until next time,
Angie

Turtles and a mouse... Trick or Treat!

With Halloween less than 48 hours away, I figured it was okay to post pictures of the kids in their Halloween gear.

The boys, after watching the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles decided that is exactly what they had to be for Halloween.  And Isabelle, she of course is going as her favorite character of all time... why Minnie Mouse of course.

The kids have been pumped and ready for Halloween for a few weeks now and have already logged several hours in their costumes.

Here are a few shots from some dress up time a few weeks ago.  I figured I had better take their picture then, because I know they will be so hyper on Halloween, that getting them to stop for a picture will be too difficult.

Yep pretty much her favorite mouse in the WHOLE world.  Although Mickey isn't too far behind either.

Here's Isabelle's reaction to seeing her dressed in her costume for the first time.

Yes there was several minutes of jumping up and down and screams!

And then we had to hold each of our other Minnie's and take a picture with them.

 After Isabelle modeled her outfit, the boys came out of their room fully transformed into Turtles.  They were immediately ready to take on any and all enemies they could find.

Here they are practicing some of their "totally awesome" moves.

 COWABUNGA!

Dad couldn't resist jumping into the action to take on the two fierce, and action fighting turtles.  

I'm looking forward to Halloween as I realize it isn't going to be too many more years before Gabriel will be too old and won't want to dress up. 

So I'll cherish this one and watch in wonder as our 2 turtles and one little mouse venture out on their quest to collect as much candy as they can.

Oh what a fun Halloween it should be!

Until next time
Angie

Mr. hip hopper

Last week, Michael's little friend, who happens to be a girl, invited him to attend her hip hop dance class with her.  It wouldn't be false to say Michael may have a little crush on her. So when Bella asked him if he wanted to try out hip hop, it was a sure thing answer... YES!

In talking with Bella's mom, I learned she has been taking dance classes since she was 2 1/2.  She takes 6 classes a week and is pretty much trained in every type of dance.  In all the dance lingo and performances her mom was sharing with me that Bella has completed, I wouldn't be surprised to hear she'd be performing on Broadway in NYC in the next year.  SERIOUSLY!

Now for Michael's history in dance.....  _________________.

Yep that's it.  NOTHING!  Don't get me wrong, he's been known to bust a move at a party or two, but as far as the hours of professional dance training he's had; there's none, zero, zip nodda.  Michael's never let intimidation stand in his way, so when the dance studio doors opened and 15 professional dances flowed through the doors, he held his head up, walked through and with an open mind learned a hip hop routine, like he was an old pro.

Meanwhile, Gabriel, Isabelle and I stood outside with nerves (at least Gabriel and I had them) in our stomachs.  Gabriel said, "Mom, I can't believe Michael's actually going to go this.  Oh my, he's so crazy."  Can you tell which one of the boys is more reserved?

The class started and Michael loved it!  He followed around as good as he could and when he had no idea what to do, he freestyle danced like no other.

For 60 minutes Michael beamed with excitement as he concentrated on learning new steps and following the routine.  As it ended he took a picture with his friend and the dance instructor and strutted out.  He said, "Mom, I had so much fun and the teacher made me feel so good about myself."  

I was proud of him for trying something new, for being such a good sport and for enjoying it as much as he did. Sometimes Michael lacks confidence in himself and doubts his abilities, but not in this.  He took on the challenge with confidence and an open mind.  That right there is what I was most proud of.

I'll leave you with a snip-it of Michael's hip hop dance moves..

Until next time,
Angie

Ed Reed has to come to my birthday!

In less than 18 days Gabriel will turn 9.  I can hardly believe my first child is going to be 9!  Yikes!  To think I'm a parent of a 9 year old scares me.  I don't feel like he can be that old.  In some ways it seems like yesterday I turned around and he was 4.  Where have the last 5 years gone?  The answer... way to fast!

In preparation for Gabriel turning 9, he's been talking about what he'd like for a birthday party.  In keeping with our theme of VERY low key birthdays, I'm not even sure you can constitute what we were planning (pizza and play time at the park) to be a party.  In any account, Gabriel heard that it was his birthday and immediately had a plan for what his birthday was going to look like.

Gabriel has insisted on inviting several NFL players to his birthday party so they can, of course, play football.  This afternoon, he started listing off to me all the players (many I have no idea who they are, and from what team they play for) and what positions they would play.  Soon enough he had listed off at least 10 players and then was satisfied.  He almost had a real team ready to play at his party.

He asked, "Mom, can I please invite them to my party?"  I thought, what harm can there be in inviting them.  Personally, I think it is really cute how excited he was to think about the idea that an NFL player could possibly come to his party.  So to his computer he went and soon enough he was Googling "Ed Reeds address."  For those who needed an insight into who Ed Reed is, he is Gabriel's favorite player, on his favorite team, the Baltimore Ravens.  I think he is some sort of safety or something like that.  Gabriel adores him.

In between helping Michael get his spy gear together and Isabelle a drink, Gabriel started shouting for my help.  Mom- I can't find his address, but I found his phone number.  Why don't I just call him?  Now I'm okay with writing a letter, but I'm not okay with calling numbers to try and get a football player on the phone to invite to my son's birthday party (which really isn't even a party).  I told Gabriel, we can't call him.  To which Gabriel responded in typical 8 or 9 year old fashion, "WHY NOT?"  After several rounds of bantering back and forth about why or why not to call Mr. Reed, I finally said, "Gabriel, today is Sunday.  Its family day.  Ed is probably spending time with his family."  It worked.  He said, "Okay Mom, but if today was Monday, we would call him right?"  Maybe.  End. Of. Conversation!

We settled upon the agreement that if Gabriel really did want to invite Ed Reed to his birthday, he's have to go about things the old fashioned way, and write him a letter.  So that's exactly what he did.

Dear Mr. Ed Reed,

I love it!  I will ask my mom if we can even play tackle!

And the "Please call my mom first."  

As he wrote the letter, he stopped midway through and said, "Mom, do you think he could come for a few days to play?"  I don't know Gabriel, he's probably very busy.  Gabriel, now talking in a whole octave higher than his normal voice, wildly excited announced, "Mom, can I ask him if he'd like to stay overnight? Wait- where would he sleep?"  Oh I know, he can sleep on the air mattress."  I stopped sewing, looked up at him, and just smiled.  Maybe Gabriel, you never know.   To which he responded, "REALLY MOM? HE COULD STAY?  THANK YOU SO MUCH MOM! THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST BIRTHDAY!"  I couldn't break the biggest bubble of excitement that was spewing out of his mouth.  I just had to let him live in the moment.  

He continued on, now moving onto addressing the envelope to send his letter in.  He even used a purple envelope of mine because of course it is one of the Raven's colors.  

As he wrote the address on the envelope, he asked me what the name Eye of the Hurricane Foundation meant.  It was the name of Ed Reeds charity.  I explained that the goal of the charity was to help people who are less fortunate. See, the Eye of the Hurricane Foundation was the only actual address we could find for Mr. Reed.  Knowing it was a long shot, we decided sending the note to him there was better than not sending it at all.  Minutes after sharing what the charity was for, Gabriel ran off to his bedroom and came back with a dollar.  He then wrote the following on the card...

Seeing Gabriel's eyes light up with excitement that just maybe his dream of meeting his favorite player on his birthday was oh so enjoyable.  While we discussed the fact that chances are he probably can't make it and that he shouldn't get upset if he doesn't come, Gabriel was not going to let any odds take away from his excitement in the possibility, that it could be a possibility.

 Before sealing up the envelope Gabriel realized that just in case November 5th didn't work for Mr. Reed to come, that he knew the invitation was open for any time.  He scribbled down a note about when else to come and then folded up the note and put it in the envelope.

Tonight as the kiddos got ready for bed Gabriel became insistent that we take his letter to the post office right away.  Not tomorrow morning before school, but tonight, so that tomorrow morning it would be one of the first letters sent out on its final destination.   Dad obliged and without hesitation Gabriel jumped in the car, letter in hand, ready to personally deliver his letter to the USPS.  

Just a few minutes ago they arrived back home and Gabriel, still on his excitement high, announced he can't wait to hear if Ed can come to his party.  

While the chances are greater that nothing will become of his letter to his favorite player, I was not about to stop him from doing it.  See, there is something special children have, and that is the belief that anything is possible. As adults, I think we can get too bogged down with the realities of life that we stop taking chances; we stop putting ourselves out there.  Whether Gabriel hears back from Ed Reed or not, isn't the main message to remember (although it would be pretty cool don't you think). The main lesson to be learned is that you should never stop believing the impossible isn't possible.  Its amazing what a little bit of effort, a lot of heart and mental determination can produce.  

Well done Gabriel,  keep shooting for those dreams.  Who knows, maybe an NFL player will come to your birthday.  Stay tuned!

Until next time,

Angie

I run by myself...

A few months ago, I decided to resume my love of running.  Back in BC times (in this case, before children), running used to be a larger part of my life.  Back then, I ran for fun, I ran to try and stay in shape, I ran for stress-relief and when Jarrett got sick, I ran to keep it together (or maybe I should say, to "TRY" and keep it together).  And then, when we became parents, running became the last thing I thought of.  Actually, for the first 2 years, I don't even think I thought about it.

As we settled into becoming parents and life developed a new routine, my heart and my mind started longing for the joy I found in pounding the payment.  So here and there I started running.  By here and there, I mean I'd tell myself I was going to start running regularly again. And for a couple of days, I would.  Then, life would happen and my plan would get side tracked.  There always seemed to be something else that demanded my time and attention, and while I could have gotten up earlier than the kids and gone out, the truth is, I was exhausted.  I felt like I had nothing left to give, not even to myself.

Seven months ago, Jarrett and I had a heart-to-heart, and in our conversation, I shared how I needed to bring running back to my life. I needed it to be a constant, a commitment I made for myself, to myself.  I needed it.  As Jarrett always does, he supported me and said he'd do what he could to make running a daily part of my life.

I started running and then I signed up to run a half marathon.  I knew if I didn't sign up for an actual race, my pattern of start and stop running would continue.  By committing to a half marathon, there was no way I could stop.

Now, many months into my continuous running, I decided it was time to blog about it.  I purposely waited because I wanted to prove to myself that this time was different.  There was no stopping.  While life was going to keep throwing things at me to tempt me into stopping, I wasn't going to let it happen.  And I haven't.

Each morning for the last 6 months, I wake up well before I'd like to -- most mornings, before the sun has risen -- and I commit.  I put on my running shoes and I pound the payment.  Man, is it glorious!  I run by myself but I never feel alone.

As I turn the corner onto the road near our house, I cross the street and connect to the canal.  While some mornings I see white tailed bunny rabbits or a couple of ducks swimming, every morning I see the same (or what I believe to be the same) humming bird.  The moment I jump onto the canal, I am accompanied by a hummingbird, always flying above the canal and usually between 5-10 feet ahead of me.   Even as I cross the street and continue onto the canal ahead, the hummingbird stays ahead of me.  It's almost like a beacon of light guiding me on the right path.

I noticed it earlier this summer, but it wasn't until just over a month ago, when the sun started rising at a later time, that it became so apparent to me that I wasn't alone.  Running in the dark, by yourself, in a isolated canal, isn't the smartest decision. I tell myself that each and every morning.  With my heightened awareness of my surroundings, I became extra aware of movements, even the slightest ones.  That's how I came to realize, that my running partner, was with me each and every morning.

I'm sure some expert on hummingbirds could give me an explanation for why this bird greets me every morning and leads me down the path and back for the several miles I run.  But in all honestly, I'm not really interested in hearing an experts reason, I have my own belief.

My grandmother Virginia was a wonderful woman.  She deserves, and at some point will get, her own post on this blog.

My grandmother was the picture perfect image of what a grandmother should be.  She always gave of herself and did everything she could to make other people's lives better.  I was lucky enough to get to spend a lot of time with my grandparents.  After kindergarten, I'd get to go to my grandmothers house where she'd make me my favorite lunch -- Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup with melted butter.  Because I only liked the noodles, she'd then strain all the noodles out of the soup and put it on a separate plate.  There are so many stories of her kindness all through my years, I could go on and on.  I can still hear her voice sometimes when I pick up my phone to make a call.  Every time she'd call, I'd answer and she'd say, "Hi Dear, do you have a minute?"  Oh how I'd love to get one of those calls again.

My grandmother love all things but some of the things she liked the most were birds.  She had several bird feeders at her house which she'd keep plumb full, to make sure the birds knew they could always count on her to provide their next meal.  I remember many times helping her and Grandpa fill the bird feeders with the thistle seed, those would bring the yellow finches (one of the really pretty birds you could find in Iowa).

A picture Grandma took of a yellow finch outside of her back window.

She had bird plates she collected that surrounded the walls in the top of her kitchen.  When we were little, we'd have lots of conversations about the birdies outside of her window.  In fact, in a book my grandmother left me about her favorite things, she said her favorite poem was the one about the little birdy.  It goes something like this...

Once I saw a little bird

Come hop, hop, hop;

So I cried, "Little bird,

Will you stop, stop, stop?"

And was going to the window

To say, "How do you do?

But he shook his little tail,

And far way he flew.

As a little girl she'd sing me this poem over and over as we watched the birds outside the window in her kitchen.

And that's why I don't feel alone.  The moment I see the hummingbird, I immediately think of her.  I have conversations with her in my mind as if she's on the phone calling just to check in.  I reminisce about the many good times we got to spend together, and I think about what she would say, what advice she'd give, in helping me with some of the challenges motherhood brings.

While I know it sounds silly to think that the hummingbird who greets me each morning and leads me down the path, is somehow connected to my grandmother,  But, if I'm being honest, I really think it's a sign.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm a believer in signs.

As I run alone in the dim morning light, I can't help but feel a sense of comfort, of peace and of reassurance that while I'm running by myself, I'm not alone.  I miss my grandmother each and everyday.  I can't help but wish my grandmother was able to meet my children, to see that I was given the gift of being a mom. I know she would have been happy just to see me so happy.

Running has given me the gift of finding a part of myself I felt I had lost when I became Gabriel, Michael and Isabelle's mom.  It gives me time to process the million and one things that happen in our days and reminds me that I'm stronger than I think I am.  I look forward to it now for many reasons, just one of them being a little birdy that seems to wait for me to step on its path.

This image itself, is worth getting up early for.  

Bright and early (or dark) each morning, I run by myself to give me time I need to regroup, to recharge, to wipe the slate clean and start over fresh.  I consider it my time because it is something for me.  When I started running, I wanted to do it to feel better, to get back into shape.  Little did I know I'd get so much in return.

I run by myself, but I never feel alone.

Until next time,
Angie

Go Hawks!

Football season is well underway and I haven't found the time yet to post a picture of our little cheerleader cheering on her Hawks.  

Last year I put Isabelle in the following outfit and thought, "my doesn't she look so sweet?".

  This year when I put her in it she said, "Mom, I'm so pretty!"  

Isabelle, I agree whole heartedly! You are beautiful.  

While our Hawks suffered a really sad loss a couple of weeks ago to that other state school, we still cheer them on and bleed black and gold.

Here's Bellie admiring herself in the mirror... She was trying to figure out how to see the back of her skirt.  

Never mind Dad's shirt in the background calling for me to iron it. 

Here Isabelle decided accessories aren't all they claim to be, so off went the necklace.

and minutes later, off went the bow and headband.  And soon, my Hawkeye photo shoot was over.

Oh well, we'll still cheer for our favorite team.

Go Hawks!
Angie