Coming To An End.......Very, Very Slowly

Summer is winding down, very, very slowly. We aren't letting go just yet. The kids are still in summer mode, Lex is sleeping late, Lo refuses to get dressed and I'm sleeping as much. as. possible!! Soon our days will start at 6:30am, and end at 8pm. We are not looking forward to it. What I am looking forward to is our schedules returning to normal. All this floating around, being lazy and getting nothing done is driving me a bit nuts. I'm going to enjoy the last bit of it though, soon my kids will be older and want to be with their friends more and more, and will be home less and less.

Lo starts dance class next month. Just once a week to start, but I'm pretty sure that once she gets a taste of it she will want more. I'm pretty sure I'm going to need a second job though. :) She's just so excited to dance dance dance!!!!!!! She dances around the house in her ballet outfit, dances when she should be in bed, and dances till she drives her brother crazy. Oh to be young again. :)

My middle child has grown from a little boy into a BOY. It seemed to happen overnight. All his adult teeth are growing in, he engages us in deep conversations about life, science and all things gaming. He's a very confident young man who isn't afraid to ask for help, and is quick with the pleases and thank yous. He stays up late watching videos on space, sometimes I have to remind him that he cannot stay up till 4 in the morning. He's only 8, not 15 yet. :)

Me~

Getting Into The Christmas Spirit....

It usually takes me a little bit to get into the spirit, but I get there. It's usually around the time we put up our tree.......

We picked out our tree Saturday. Lex and Lo insisted on going back to the same place we've been going to for years. We have limited space so I told them it couldn't be too big, tall is ok though. 

While the kids were with their Dad Saturday night Todd and I put the lights and ribbon on. My Christmas spirit kicked in big time. So looking forward to having all the kids here and seeing them opening their gifts. 

This year I took a different approach to decorating......I just let them do it all. I am such a control freak when it comes to decorating the tree. Everything has to be perfect, color coordinating and spread out just right. It was always stressful for me in the past, but I've recently learned how to let go, and it is glorious!! And I got to take some nice pictures while they decorated......

It was fun to watch them enjoy themselves and decorate the tree. And I swear I didn't move any of the ornaments ;)   ...........

So yeah, I am really getting into the Christmas spirit. :)

Mom~

Halloween.....

I still can't believe it's October. Where the Hell did this year go? I feel like it was just yesterday that we were celebrating New Years with Todd.....

Yeah, good times!! Side note: Don't fall asleep near us, we will do things like this to you. Anyway. It's that time of the year when I decorate the house, the yard and prepare costumes for my kids. This yeah Lex wants to be Slender Man. O.O Don't ask. Lo wants to be Minnie Mouse, not as scary, but very cute. I'm going as myself.....scary.

What We've Been Doing.......

We've been celebrating.........

Torturing small animals........

And small children.........

 Playing with other peoples things while they're away.......

 Painting the teenager's room.......

Playing with bubbles OUTSIDE.......

Really enjoying being OUTSIDE..........

Flying kites.......

OUTSIDE..............

Sliding.......

Being sweet........

Being silly.........

Taking pictures of other peoples dogs........

Laughing..........

Giving Mom a heart attack..........

And being sporty...........

Fretting about our "pretties" (hair).........

And being silly some more........

Being fashionable.........

Sleeping better than I have in years......

Being goofy........

And loving the "SuperMoon"

In other words.....we've been very busy. :)

Dreading The Long Winter Months

Just the thought of having to put on more clothes, shoveling snow, driving in the snow and being cooped up all Winter long is giving me hives. I'm trying not to think about it. I've been keeping busy with work, kids, school, the house and other things. Thankfully my husband knows all kinds of ways to keep the kids busy with useless toys.......

I kid!!!! I kid!!!! That last one isn't ours, but I would love to have one. Could come in real handy when the kids are losing their minds from being stuck indoors for days on end. He buys things all the time so there is always something to do. I should be grateful that he's able to keep them busy, but we are running out of room!!! We need a bigger house. I've been looking almost every week in hopes that one catches my eye, but nothing yet. ((sigh)) 'll have to deal with the toys taking over my house.