Happy Halloween

I decided several weeks ago what the kids should be for Halloween.  Since Micah is already sporting a helmet, why not incorporate it into his costume.

We had practiced cheering several days prior to Halloween, but she wouldn't do it on demand for anyone.  Go Cyclones!

I thought we'd struggle to get a picture of all four of these guys, but they all sat and at least looked at the camera at the same time. 

visiting Great Grandma Pat

My dad wasn't sure if Mara would even be interested in this Halloween flashlight he picked out.  I was pretty sure it would be a big hit.

And here's the proof!  Mara LOVES flashlights, and this one is unique.  It has different caps to go on the end.  She can make a large pumpkin appear on the wall.  Or her favorite is making a small spider on my leg which of course scares me and I scream. 

We headed to Winterset and made a couple stops.  First, we stopped to see Great Grandma Katherine.

Grandma Darcy headed up the to square with us for some Trick-or-Treating.  Mara was very upset she couldn't have a bite of everything she was putting into her bucket.  I think she would have preferred to just get one piece of candy, sit down and eat it, and then head home. 

Cy spotted us and of course was very excited to see some fellow Staters.  Mara on the other hand was not so excited.  It went a little something like this.  Cy was waving, jumping up and down to greet Mara.  Mara screamed and squeezed Grandma Darcy for dear life.  Grandma Darcy felt bad, so she squeezed her back and took off running for dear life.  Cy put his hands on his hips with disappointment as you can see in the picture.  I wish I would have caught it on video.  It was hilarious.  You probably had to have the view I had to really appreciate the moment.

Crazy things happen on Halloween.  Like eating dessert before supper.  Grandma Darcy sent these home with us.  All of the way home, I heard this from the back seat, "Cuh-cake!  Wanna big one!  Wanna orange one!  Cuh-cake, Mommy!"  So what's a mom to do when we arrive home and it's supper time?  Serve up cupcakes of course.  If you know Mara at all, you wouldn't be surprised to hear that she downed the cupcake and then still had seconds at supper.

We met up with friends to do some Trick-or-Treating in Adel.  That was one serious cowboy.

 

Our church sponsored a Trunk-or-Treat which was a really neat idea.  I had never heard of this idea before but did hear about a couple different churches doing it this year.  Several people from our church had their trunks opened up, decorated, and full of candy. 

 

 

Happy Halloween!

 

Last Weekend

Since Lance was helping his brother's family move last weekend, we headed up north.

My parents just added on a three seasons porch.  The kids thought it looked like Grandpa needed some help.

Last time we stayed at Grandpa and Grandma's, Grandma broke out the Elmo jammies.  This time it was Minnie Mouse jammies. 

Micah's first ride on Grandma's horse.  She's hoping to give the kids a real horse ride soon!Shhh......don't tell Grandpa!  He thinks horses eat too much. 

Barney.  One of Mara's favorite things to watch at Grandpa and Grandma's house.  I find the show a little annoying, so she has to get her fix there. 

 Grandma always needs help in the kitchen.

First time having mashed potatoes. 

Not sure if he had more fun eating them or squishing them in his fists!

The Schwan's Man is awesome.  That's why he isn't allowed to come to our house.  He does frequently visit Grandma though, so we get to enjoy his treats there!  And why not eat a cone from the bottom up, right?

Cart full of fall!

If only I had a different lens on when I took this.  Landon's face was priceless.  He was really upset that Mara took off without him.  His shoulders were all hunched forward.  Pouty lip out in full force.  She quickly headed back to pick him up. 

 

Flippin' Burgers

Lance is famous for making up games.  Unique, fun games.  His latest is called Flippin' Burgers.  This is the first thing Mara wants to do with Lance when he gets home from work. 

I'm not sure how this game came about or how the pot and utensils ended up in the living room.  I don't know the rules or even if there are any.  I don't know the object of the game or even if there is one.  I do know that burgers (colored plastic coins) get thrown in the air and both kids are thoroughly entertained!

The pot and utensils are currently retired to a special spot in the cabinet.  I got tired of washing them every day only for them to return to the living room at night, so currently they are only being used for Flippin' Burgers!

New Neighbors

If you haven't heard, we have new neighbors!  Across town neighbors that is.  Lance's brother, Derrick, and sister-in-law, Karie, and their three kids moved to Adel this weekend.  Shadd, Ellsyn and Sage came over for a couple hours last week, so Karie could do some cleaning at their new house.  Mara and Micah enjoyed playing with their cousins.

We are super excited to live much closer to them!

Daddy's Farm

Thanks Grandma Darcy and Grandpa Greg for saving Daddy's barn and farm toys! 

 

 

Thankful Thursday

1.  picnic at the park
2.  family dinners 
3.  my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and their  kids are moving to town this weekend
4.  the progress in Mara's behavior around others
5.  a couple hours to myself
6.  Mara's eagerness to do "tivities" (learning activities)
7.  a few last warm days to be outside without jackets

Latest Trick

Here's the latest feat for this guy. 

 

Once you're up, why not dance!

 

 

 

Cleaning Lady

Since we now have a crawler in the house who puts everything in his mouth, I am struggling to keep up with sweeping and mopping!  So, Lance agreed to hire a cleaning lady.  Today was her first day.

 

I probably won't recommend her to anyone, but since she's so cute I think I'll keep her!

Sleep

For me, 8 hours of sleep will do, but 9 is better.  I learned how to function on 45 minute chunks and less than five hours total a night when Mara was a newborn.  Thankfully, Micah has been much easier on me.  Sometimes both of our kids sleep without waking until 7:00 AM, and then I'm well rested, happy and eager to hop out of bed to make a warm breakfast.  Sometimes they both wake up crying a couple times throughout the night and they're both up before 6:00 AM, and then I'm tired, crabby, short on patience and feel like pouring milk onto cereal is really too much for me to have to accomplish.  If I don't get enough sleep, I'm a bad mommy. 

Then there's my husband.  He's patient and loving no matter what time it is.  Here's the proof.

This artwork was created by Lance and Mara before my clock said 6:00 AM.  Sitting down and coloring a picture with Mara definitely wouldn't be the first thing on my list at that hour, and I'm sure it wasn't on Lance's list either, until she came running into his office at 5:50 one morning.  And then it became his priority.  Not coloring of course, but spending some time with his daughter.  And giving his wife a few extra minutes of sleep.   That's why we love him.  I admire the love and joy with which he grants every reasonable desire of our children.  I need to be more like him.  So this picture sits out as a reminder to me that I can and need to be more loving and joyful no matter what time it is or how much sleep I've gotten.  Thanks, Lance, for this reminder. 

Another Fall Weekend

 We hit our fifth patch this weekend.  Patch's Pumpkins outside Adel.

 

 

 

 

 

And Mara's favorite...

 

We also made it to one of our favorite places to go in the fall, Ledges State Park.  It was a little late to see the beautiful tress, but the water may have been better entertainment anyway!

 

my grandparents - aren't they cute?

Sure Mara, go for it!

And that she did.

Did Mommy bring an extra set of dry clothes?

Of course not.  But go ahead and get drenched from head to toe anyway.

Favorite picture of the day.  They would've played there for hours.

Worn out, again.  Mom's fleece was as close to an extra set of dry clothes as we could get.