Happy Halloween

I hope you are all having a wonderful Halloween, I know we are.

More Decorating

I  dug out the storage area, organized it and found more Halloween decorations.  The girls had so much fun helping me put everything up.  We even decorated the bathroom but I have no pictures of those.

Here are some of the things we did put up.

And here's some of the things we already had up.

Silly boy

I got another picture of Little Prince in the cubby he creates by pushing his bed away from the wall and then curling up behind the bed on the old chocolate milk stained mattress.  SUCH a silly boy.

I'm Loving It

I love how festive our steps look.  It is so lovely to walk up to my home and see the cosy look of a door with a few decorations.  We have even seen deer and ducks near our house!

I had a long day today.  I got up and headed out to get groceries.  I walk to the store and it took FOREVER!!  I did enjoy walking through the wetlands that are here in the middle of town.  After I got back, headed out to walk to the pharmacy to pick up my medications and my vitamins.  Thens I walked down to the butcher shop.  They remembered me and asked how I enjoyed the last things we ordered.  They offered some special cuts for me and cut my order fresh while I waited.  It really is the cutest little family business.

So Silly

A few months ago, we bought Little Prince a new bed and mattress.  His old mattress was stained from his proclivity for dripping chocolate milk out of his bottle.  We decided to put the old mattress under his bed as a barrier to all of his favorite toys to keep them from being shoved up under his bed.  This worked well and he slept happily on his new bed until Little Prince discovered the old mattress hiding under his bed.  Now he has added a new step to his nightly routine.  Here is the way his night goes:

1.  Go in room and rock with excitement that somehow his room was magically cleaned while he was up.
2.  As soon as he's alone, proceed to take every toy out of his toolbox, throw them around the room with enthusiasm. (Making sure we can hear them crashing around his room)
3.  Rock while reading his books, then scatter them around the room with his toys.
4.  Run laps back in forth in his room, making sure to crash into the door when he gets there.  (Downstairs this sounds like, "Thump, thump, thump, thump . . .CRASH!  Thump, thump, thump, thump . . .CRASH!"
5.  Lever his bottom between his bed and the wall and then push his bed away from the wall to create a cosy, little spot behind his bed where his old mattress is revealed.
6.  Curl up with his monkey pillow and a book and sleep in the tiny nook he  created.

When I go looking for him, I find a huge mess of toys, books, book remnants, and a cute little boy sleeping behind his bed on his old mattress.

Silly boy!

Decorated

Princess Magpie has been after me to decorate for Halloween.  Since we have all been so sick I have been putting it off.  But today was the day.  I didn't do a lot but it looks cute and the kids were thrilled.

Gratitude Sunday

Sunday's heart felt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.

I am feeling very grateful this week.

1.  We got a new stroller for Little Prince and he LOVES it.

2.  Getting a freezer order from a local market to make sure I can cook lots of yummy food for my family.

3.  Finding Little Prince sleeping in a silly way.

4.  Having lots of fruit in the house to make my family happy.

5.  Having a nice trip to the Farmer's Market.

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6.  Seeing a cute little ducky on the street of our neighborhood.

At the Market

I walked down to the farmers market today.  I'm still not feeling the best but I have to get out of the house once in a while.  On my way down to the market, I was walking behind the cutest little pedestrian . . . A little duck!  He was so sweet.

When I got to the market, I liked watching the regular activities, the neighbors visiting over coffee and snacks, the little ones helping pick out the best goodies, and the elderly people sitting and enjoying the live music that is always there.  It is alive with chatter and activity.

I love to check out all the farm fresh fruits and veggies, but it is fun to see all the crwative items there too.

It Could be Worse

I have been feeling restless the last little while.  As a result, I have been changing around the furniture a LOT.  I'm driving Prince Charming crazy, I am sure.  The thing is when I am feeling restless, I tend to do one of several things: change things around, change my hair, or if I am emotionally stressed I developed eating disorder issues.  I figure as long as I stick to the first two, Prince Charming will have to deal with it . . . LOL.

It seems like a simple thing.

There is a baby bottle in my cupboard.  It has a red lid and it used to have Winnie the Pooh pictures on it.  It is old and well-used.  And it doesn't look very special.  But it is.  Way back in May 2007, I was finally pregnant with my second child.  After five years of trying, I was thrilled.  I talked to my belly every day.  Princess Belle talked to my belly too.  I took belly pictures before there was really a belly.  And I went out and bought an adorable set of baby bottles with Winnie the Pooh pictures and a green stand.  And I placed them hopefully on the shelf of the closet of the room I had set aside for my baby's nursery.

On June 4, 2007, I lost my baby, Princess Belle was devistated, and I  was completely heartbroken.  I named the baby I had lost Daniella and I placed all the little things I had of her in a small wooden box (a bonnet, a teddy that Princess Belle used to play music on my belly and a few other little things) But the bottles I left up in the closet and then I tried to move through the pain.

On December 8, 2007, I found out that another little life was growing inside me.  When I welcomed Princess Magpie into my loving arms.  I felt so lucky to be able to love her.  And I fed her with the bottles I bought for her sister.  It was like a gift from one baby to another, a way of keeping some small part of Danielle in our family.  And with each of my other babies, I passed on those same bottles . . . A legacy from one child to the other.

Little Prince has been using the last bottle left of the set.  Over the years the others had been lost.  Two days ago, while shopping for Halloween costumes  Little Prince lost the bottle.  The last one from my Daniella, the one all my youngest children had used.  It was gone.  Now it seemed like a small thing to everyone else but this bottle was important to me.   Today, I crossed my fingers and called the store (or rather made Prince Charming do it.)  And they had found it!!  I hopped into a taxi and rushed to pick it up.  And as the lady at the service counter placed it into my trembling hands, I thanked her with tears streaming down my cheeks.

And now there is a baby bottle in my cupboard.

Finally!

I'm starting to feel better.  I still have chest congestion but I am able to get around.  It was nice to get some things accomplished for a change.  It was a lovely sunny day too.

When I went up to get Little Prince up from his nap, this is what I found.  Silly boy asleep surrounded by books with his monkey pillow on his head.

Out!

I got out of the house today.  I am still sick but we had have groceries and we had to get the kids costumes for Halloween.  I bought some medicine so that I will hopefully start feeling better soon.  Prince Charming seems to be feeling a lot better now so maybe that means I will be better soon too!  We also replaced Little Prince's stroller as he had outgrown and broken his old one.  He LOVES his new one.

ugh

I have to be honest, I have never had a flu or cold kick my butt as badly as this one is.  I'm not able to sleep enough because I can't breathe when I'm laying down due to all the congestion on my chest and I constantly have a fever and headache.  I am completely miserable.

Gratitude Sunday

Sunday's heart felt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.

This week has been a rough one since half of us have been so sick.  But there is never a shortage of things to be grateful for. So in that spirit here are some things I am grateful for this week.

1.  Getting new glasses so that I can see better.

2.  This sweet girl who has missed playing with her sister while Princess Magpie has been sick.

3.  Seeing the bond between my kids.

3.  This sweet face.

4.  Watching my kids play together.

5.  Again I love seeing the bond between my kids.

7.  The fact that Princess Belle has been so helpful while Prince Charming and I have been sick (especially since he went into the hospital this morning and I have so sick myself.).  She has been wonderful.