Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween. We were busy sewing and hot glue gunning right up until "go time". It's a Trick or Treat tradition.......oh who am I fooling? We're usually always running 2 steps behind, especially around the holidays. Such procrastination meant that I could only get some it's-already-dark-outside-so-you-will-be-forced-to-use-the-flash photos.

Saoirse was not happy. Seriously, she took one look at Finn and his scary mask and just lost it.

Sidhe went as a jelly fish. We got the idea from Martha Stewart and it looked easy enough....

I guess Martha didn't wait until the day of to start her costume? Maybe she gave herself more than 5 hours to create her masterpiece? Just a guess. Luckily for me, Sidhe was more than willing to help make her tentacles, a sort of painstaking process that involved sewing ribbon and tulle very delicately. She did a great job.

Maija was Medusa. We were going to put together an elaborate updo, but opted for an old wig and the glue gun at the last minute

Finn earned mega bonus points with me by deciding to reuse last year's costume. Sure, part of me felt guilty about it, but in my defense, I had been asking him about costume ideas for a few weeks. I tried to convince him to be a vending machine, how cute would that be? Turns out high school boys don't really like to be "cute". And they don't really mind recycling costumes, so long as there is candy involved.

Now, Ruari on the other hand gave her costume some serious thought and together we gave it the time and planning it required to create it. This little cookie generated some serious buzz. Everyone was talking about the Oreo. My only regret is that I couldn't talk anybody into being a carton of milk.

Oh you should have seen how much candy the older kids hauled home that night. They sat down around the dining room table with rosy cheeks and red tipped noses and began the serious business of taking inventory, organizing and of course trading. There was some fairly intense negotiating taking place. Maija loves the Double Bubbles, Ruari is a Laffy Taffy lady, Finn will take all your Nerds or Peanut Butter Cups and no one, and I mean NO ONE wants the Fire Balls.

Of course by the next day, when the sun was shining~no flash required, the older kids were done dressing up, they were on to bigger and better things, like the Packer game, and so it was just the three littles for an outdoor shoot (and honestly, even they needed persuasion. Good thing there was candy laying around).

And I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. I've got to go pick up the twins from school and I'm pretty sure I just heard Saoirse letting herself into the bathroom, so I'm afraid I'm out of time here. The twins had a blast this year, even during the night time trick or treating. I took them around the neighborhood while Brendan was passing out candy, and of course by neighborhood I mean block, but they were very excited about it, and even that one block took us over an hour!

Odds And Ends

Good morning back to school picture that's been waiting so patiently in a file somewhere in computer land. Here's a smile ready to eat up fifth grade at a new school.

Don't know if it's been mentioned lately, but Ruari is like the sister of the year round these parts. She is enthusiastic about teaching her younger brothers and sisters about pretty much everything and anything she can. Plus, she still loves (as in L-O-V-E-S) to play with them.

We've been doing the routine fall tour, which included an apple orchard this year, where Ruari decided to take her curriculum off roading. A field trip of sorts, and of course just another opportunity for learning.

Miss Sidhe on the other hand has a different style, a different approach, but is also a wonderful teacher. You know that whole "it takes a village" saying? So corny, but SOOOOO true, and I think about it nearly everyday, about how lucky these kids are to have each other. Maija was an only child for nearly 5 full years. There were certainly benefits to that, and we built our village in other ways the best we could, but the village we now know, the one we now call home? It is amazing and I am so glad my family put their roots down here.

A trip to the pumpkin farm. How could we enjoy October without a hay ride? I mean, seriously?

Can't you just see the excitement in the air? (wink.wink)

Oscar was a bit nervous about the whole thing. Even though it included a tractor, even though it included hay and a wagon, he made sure to hold onto Brendan every second we were on that darn thing.

And I think he's still having nightmares about this guy, but who can blame him? I think I'm still having nightmares about that guy.

Which reminds me, I need to make a dentist appointment.

Hurdles and Confidence

1. Oscar is smart. All of our kids are smart, including yours, and I think that kids are just pretty much generally amazing, talented, unique creatures. I learn so much from my kids, our kids, your kids, ALL kids.

2. I have to be able to say that Oscar is smart without it taking anything away from how incredibly smart and special all the other kids are.

3. I've had a lot of experience with kids. He's number 4 biologically and number 7 in the grand tally, so I know a thing or two about kids. I'm certainly no expert and I would never in a million years claim to be, but I have learned a lot during my years of hard work.

4. I need to explain that when I am talking about Oscar and his smartness, I am not in fact trying to be a braggy mick bragster who wants to show off at the playground in front of all the other moms.

5. I am in all actuality feeling rather overwhelmed lately about Oscar and all of his smarty pants-ness. Scared that his talents will undoubtedly include various other hurdles. Big ones. And I know that's life, that's the balance, but....

6. Here's the thing: I enjoy feeling confident in my parenting, in my capabilities, who doesn't? We all strive for that confidence in pretty much every facet of our lives, and we gain it in small measures by learning as much as we can. Let's face it, the majority of my life right now is in fact parenting and I am striving for it baby, I am trying to learn.

7. This is new to me, this is uncharted territory, and I can't do it without help. I think lately my attempts in asking for it have been misunderstood, and for this I am sorry as it was never my intention to hurt feelings along the way, but I am learning as I go.

8. Oscar is smart and I worry about him. I worry about my abilities to parent him with confidence.

Our Pumpkin Pie

Yesterday afternoon Nuala was the first to wake up from naptime (don't even get me started on how lucky I am that I can get all 3 to synchro-nap most days). They usually wake up within minutes of one another, but not yesterday which meant that little Blossom and I had some quality time together. Just the two of us.

I really do love having a large family, but man oh man, getting some "alone" time is a special treat that I am seriously addicted to.

I love watching my kids as a part of their large family, the way they interact and fit together, the way they flow on good days and collide on the other not as good days. Yet watching them alone, apart from the herd, is a different type of poetry, and it is beautiful.

And really, who wouldn't want to bring out the mixer and throw together a few pies?

There wasn't a single complaint out of this one.

And after a long couple of weeks here, it felt wonderful to just relax and enjoy the moment. It was exactly what this mama bear needed, the other side of the rainbow if you will.

I found it, if just briefly, in my very own kitchen. And there was pie.

And perhaps the cutest little Pumpkin Blossom you ever did see.

Mmmmmm....

Mmmmmm......Fall.

A lot has changed in the past few weeks. Like, we now have coffee here folks, right in our very own kitchen. Mmmm....

And fueled with caffeine, I got to work this morning, choppping and slicing my way through as many vegetables as I could get my hands on.

Because who doesn't love a big pot of lentil soup? Mmmmmm....

And don't even get me started on roasted veggies (thanks Terri!) and how delicious they are. I've eaten about half this tray since pulling it from the oven a few hours ago. Mmmmm.....

Plus there is a pile of fire wood, delivered just this morning, waiting to warm up our living room and make the house smell like one big comforting hug, yep, that's how good it will smell. Mmmmm...

And this......

Well, this just cracks me up. I send a snack with the twins to school, they make snack time a part of the curriculum in the practical life area, and every single day Oscar runs out to hug me and the first words out of his mouth are, "mom, I didn't eat my snack". And then of course he wants to eat it in the car, which is soooo not allowed thank you very much. We've been doing a lot of patio snackin' as of late (poor Nuala is always convinced that she's being denied something, since she enjoys snack time at school very much, sometimes even more than once a day I'm told). Mmmmm....

Promises

I will run a marathon. I will lose 37 more pounds. I will enjoy myself. I will find laughter. I will loosen up a bit. I will let the kids stay up late. I will sneak more one on one time with everybody as often as I can. I will take care of myself. I will read more. I will go to Body Pump and Power Yoga as much as possible. I will be proud. I will be peaceful. I will race an olympic distance triathlon. I will spend less. I will worry less. I will love more. I will allow myself. I promise.

The Doorway

The twins recently started preschool. They go three mornings a week for a couple of hours and so far they seem to really love it (although today was the first time Oscar cried during drop off). It's a wonderful little hidden treasure of a place nestled right within our neighborhood. Most mornings we ride the bike there in an attempt to soak in every last ray of fall that we possibly can. I know it's only September, but we all know that winter is coming very soon.

What's a bit strange to me about the drop off/pick up routine is that parents are not allowed in the building. I mean, surely I can't be the only one who feels this is a bit off-putting? Yet, every morning, there we all are lined up at the door waiting for a staff member to come and greet our children and take them into the classroom. One by one. Or in our case two by two. Same thing a few hours later. We all roll in and line up by the door and then each child is brought out, one family at a time and there is a brief exchange between parent and teacher, a quick "goodbye" or "great day today", before the next child is dismissed. The door closes between each and every child. As in, door opens, little Susie comes out with teacher, hugs her mom, says goodbye to teacher, door closes. Repeat.

There is no way to sugar coat the way I feel about this. I think it is just plain bizarre. However, I've been willing and able to look past it because my husband has been raving and gushing about this place for years now. He sent all his older kids here when they were little, in fact, when we first met, Ruari was still being dropped off at this very door. Plus, they have a great reputation within the community and they follow a Montessori philosophy, I mean nothing in life can ever be PERFECT, right? So if I have to drop them off at a door, well, so what?

At any rate the whole point of this post is to share with you what happened today. We dropped the twins off and then went to the gym. Saoirse is a pro at the gym by now and barely has time to kiss me goodbye before running off to play. I went to yoga for an hour and then I scooped her up and we went for a little retail therapy, stopped off at the grocery store and before you know it the time had come to go pick up the twins from school. I waited my turn in line. The door opened and it closed at least 7 times before I had made my way to the front.

The directress opened it once again and I caught sight of my two nibbles, so big now, holding their school sacs and coming out to greet me. But this time she ushered for me to come closer, she had me come half way into the doorway. You can imagine how exciting this was for me!

"I just want you to know", she said quietly, "that your children are incredible. They are just amazing. ALL of your hard work is showing through".

As a parent, you will never get tired of hearing words like these. EVER. And you know what? I know they're amazing (Oscar says to me on the way home, "sharks are fish and whales are mammals mom") and I certainly don't need anyone to tell me this in order to know it or believe it, but it sure feels good to hear it, AND to know that I'm leaving them at the door with someone who knows it too. That's a great feeling.

P.S.

Friday is bliss. We frolic. We lolligag. We swagger. And we giggle our way through the afternoon, because we know that soon everyone will be back home again with a lighter load, with an extra skip to their step, on account of it's FRIDAY and even the twins know by now that Friday is special, that Friday means all sorts of wonderful things. Wonderful weekend things.

You should have seen how the babies lit up as soon as these two girls arrived home from school today. It was like Mardi Gras for a minute right in our very own front yard.

And Saoirse even had the beads to prove it...

Ok look, obviously I am resposible for the tutu (I feel as if I've demonstrated incredible self restraint since she's only worn it one other time and that was nearly 3 months ago) but she is the one who found the beads and then insisted upon wearing them all day long. A recent thing of hers is dressing herself and she'll pretty much try to put on anything she can get her hands on. We're frequently finding her bobbling through the house with a pair of Nuala's shorts slung round her neck or a giant shirt of mine dangling off her shoulders. She's turning into a fashionista that one.

Tacos and Slow Cookers

Oh geez, someone's been neglecting her blog again. That's OK though, because it only means that I've been busy paying tons of attention to all the other stuff, the important stuff. We've been caught up in a whirlwind of back to school stuff. We all seem to be settling in rather nicely. Although, this school year has me greeting the day a bit earlier than I'm used to and I don't know that I'll be able to maintain a 6am wake up call indefinitely, let's just take it a day at at a time shall we?

The nice thing about getting up so early is that I get a lot done right away, which makes the rest of the day seem so peaceful, so easy. This week I dusted off our slow cooker and had dinner simmering away by early afternoon. I can't describe how wonderful this made our evenings. I think I've mentioned it before, but Brendan is the chef around these parts and enjoys cooking us delicious homemade meals as often as possible. We're really lucky for this, I know we are, but the problem with home cooking is that it's fairly time consuming. Meaning of course that as soon as he walks in the door from a long day at work he pretty much has to get started on dinner right away. He's tired, I'm tired, the babies want to see their dada, the older kids need help with their homework, someone has soccer practice, someone needs a ride somewhere, someone needs to be picked up from somewhere else, etc....you see where this is going. Our lives seem to be more and more hectic as time passes, and dinner time is usually the most hectic point of the day. Yeah. So slow cooker it is. At least once (maybe twice) a week. So far I've made a chicken taco soup and some meaty spaghetti sauce. Brendan isn't thrilled about it, but has been willing to compromise so long as I promise to avoid all 'cream of anything' soups in the process.

Indian Summer held their annual Education Day this morning and so I hauled out the triple stroller and met Micah's class there. Unfortunately, I was so busy wrestling three littles and keeping an eye on the stinker that I neglected my camera duties. Oh well, it's always a balancing act and if the Canon takes a back burner, so be it. I can live with that. Happy weekend all. We've got soccer games and fry bread to look forward to, oh and the fresh pan of cookie bars I just pulled from the oven.