Fun Fall Activities

This week has been filled with fun fall activities for the kids. Monday Megan's class went to a small pumpkin farm. That would have been more fun had it not been so COLD! It was the coldest morning we've had yet this fall.

On Tuesday afternoon we went to the nice big pumpkin farm with daddy and grandma. That was lots of fun. We chose to go on an afternoon because we knew they wouldn't be so busy. We looked at all the pumpkin people, and visited all the animals, then played on the wooden tractor, train and airplane. Since we were there at dinnertime we had a nice pumpkin farm dinner of cheese fries, hotdogs, and cinnamon donuts. YUM! Normally we try to eat a bit healthier but enjoying their food is all part of the fun. . .




Today is Halloween so all sorts of fun activities were planned. Megan and her classmates all dressed up in their costumes and got to trick or treat around their school building. That was fun. All the office ladies had bowls of little treats out for the kids to take. Mostly things like stickers, and toy rings, and pencils. The nurse had out bandaids which I thought was cute! LOL! After school we went right to Grandma's work, where all the ladies had goodies for the kids, and then we stayed for a pizza party lunch. The kids haven't even trick or treated for real, and we've already got a bowl full of goodies. Which, like all moms with any sense, I plan to ration.



This afternoon I also worked on raking leaves in the backyard. Such a big job, but at least this year I have a puppy and some kids who enjoy it which makes it a bit more fun...

I should be sleeping.

Oh how I would love to still be sleeping right now! But instead I am not, and neither is Megan. It's just 6 a.m. and we've been up since just after 5. Why you ask? Well, this weekend my dear husband decided we needed a black lab puppy. For over a year now my husband has been talking about getting dog for duck hunting. I've been able to put him off by telling him we need to wait until the kids are older, and we have a bigger house and yard until now. On Saturday Hemi (yes, named after a Dodge motor) became the newest member in our family. She is 10 weeks old, and not very little. She's got that adorable puppy face that no one can resist.

She's been very good so far, though we do have to watch her like a hawk otherwise she will chew on whatever she can get a hold of. So far no serious damage has been done, But it's only been 3 days. Give it time and I'm sure I'll be posting about things being chewed. We are crate training her, which she is acclimating to very well. Mostly thanks to our cat, Cedric, who was forced into being her crate-mate for the first 2 nights to keep her from getting lonely. My sister says I was taking advantage of Cedric's good nature. Yes, I know I was, but it worked! However, She was doing so well with the crate during the day, going in and out by herself, so last night we decided to try the crate without the cat and she was just fine so Cedric is off the hook now.

Loving vs. Doing

Look at this! Tuesday's In Other Words posted early instead of late for a change! Go me! LOL!

"The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest
route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite
passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian."~ A.W. Towzer ~

I agree with this quote, but I can't say it any better than this verse: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Tim 3:16-17).

However, to say religiously obeying the Word of God is the shortest route to spiritual perfection just doesn't sit right with me. I agree we all need to strive to obey the Word of God, but first and foremost we need to focus on loving God, and being passionate about knowing Him. When we focus on knowing and loving God, He will change us and the things we do will be in obedience to Him and His Word out of love. When our focus shifts to obeying the Bible to become some super spiritual person we become like the Pharisees Jesus condemns in Matthew 23 who obeyed the law out of pride. They looked good to the people around them, but God saw their hearts. He knew they obeyed out of pride and not out of a heart of love and humility.

Matthew 23:23-28 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

To read more Tuesday's IOW visit Chocolate And Coffee.

Birthday Boy!

Today my little boy turns 2! These two years have flown! What a joyful addition he has been to our family!

Look at how he's grown!

Then:

Now:

We aren't having a big party for him, just some family. But I couldn't resist making him a cute cake anyway (I didn't realize it until after I'd used all the icing that I forgot to dot my i and cross my t in birthday. . . oops).

He loves trucks. This is the gift we got for him (just the white one, trailer and gator).

Last night as I was bringing in the groceries, I brought that in with me. Kyle got a glimpse of it an immediately said "Ooohhh. . . ". So I quickly gave it to Tom and told him to go hide it. The entire time I was putting away my groceries Kyle was searching through the bags saying "vroom vroom?" trying to find it. It was so pitifully cute! LOL! But I didn't give in. . . Unlike my mother-in-law. He found the gift she was hiding for him, so she decided to get it out and give it to him early to play with at her house, though I'm pretty sure she's still planning to wrap it up and give it to him again at his party tonight! LOL! She just couldn't bare to hear him cry when she tried to take it away from him.

Well, that's all for today. Now I've got to go work on laundry and finish getting my house ready for the party tonight.

So Much To Be Thankful For!

~I am thankful that my children are on the mend! It's been a long week, but God has given me the strength to get through it, sleepless nights and all.

~I am thankful for my husband who calls me everyday at least once while he is at work just because he loves me and wants to know how my day is going.

~I am thankful for the Word of God that is sharper than any two-edged sword and cuts straight to the heart of the issues in my life.

~I am thankful to hear the heat coming on this morning.

~I am thankful for my two little munchkins sitting next to me munching on their oh-so-healthy breakfast of fruit loops. They sure know how to make their mommy smile!

~I am thankful that the pumpkin farm field trip was rescheduled for Monday so Megan didn't miss it after all!

~I am thankful for Tylenol and Vicks and other medicines that help keep my kids comfortable when they are sick and make life a little bit easier.

~I am thankful for hot showers, and make-up that hides zits.

~I am thankful for my warm bodied husband who acts like a heater in bed and helps keep me warm at night.

~I am thankful for pumpkins, and fall foliage, and mums, and all the beautiful things the different seasons have to offer.

~I am thankful for my computer, and the interesting women whom I've met online.

~I am thankful for YOU! The people who read and comment on my blog!

Be blessed with more Thankful Thursdays by visiting Crystal.

My Lesson From Penninah

Today I read 1 Samuel 1 & 2. It's the passage about Hannah and how she was barren and prayed to God and he blessed her and gave her a baby boy. I've read this passage, and heard it preached so many times, but I can't honestly say that I've ever heard anyone focus on Penninah, the other wife of Elkanah, Hannah's husband. Penninah was blessed with children and had a good husband, but instead of focusing on her blessings, she focused on the fact that her husband gave extra special care to Hannah. Penninah's jealousy caused her to lash out at Hannah and rub it in that Hannah was barren.

Even though I'm familiar with this passage, today was the first day that Penninah's part really stood out to me. And I have to admit that I was convicted because I am prone to the same. When something good happens to someone else, I become jealous and critical of their success instead of sharing their joy and remembering the ways I've been blessed myself. I've even done it with my own husband when he's had a fun day out of the house. Instead of sharing his joy, I become grouchy and indifferent because I'm jealous of his free time. Lately I'm seeing how truly selfish I can be, and how much I need God to change me and teach me how to love like Him.

Of course, how can I read these chapters without also taking special notice of Hannah's Prayer in Chapter 2... Anything I say would just pale in comparison so I'll just leave you with the passage itself.

1 Samuel 2

1 Then Hannah prayed and said:
"My heart rejoices in the LORD;
in the LORD my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.

2 "There is no one holy like the LORD;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

3 "Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the LORD is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.

4 "The bows of the warriors are broken,
but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry hunger no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.

6 "The LORD brings death and makes alive;
he brings down to the grave and raises up.

7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.

8 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
"For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's;
upon them he has set the world.

9 He will guard the feet of his saints,
but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.
"It is not by strength that one prevails;

10 those who oppose the LORD will be shattered.
He will thunder against them from heaven;
the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
"He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed."

Catching Up

It's been almost a week since I've had a chance to sit at the computer long enough to blog. The kids have been sick since Saturday. They are feeling better, but still not quite 100%. Kyles fever continues to spike off and on, and Megan has really terrible chest congestion. She's coughing and can barely talk. But I'm just glad they are feeling well enough to play again. It was especially hard on Monday and Tuesday when all they wanted was to lie on the couch or be held all the time. It's so hard when they get sick. I just feel so badly for them!

So I have several different topics I want to blog about. Right now though I just have time to write my belated Tuesdays In Other Words.

"We women must realize how visual men are, and because of that we should wear modest clothes. Not because we don't have the right to wear what we want, but for the benefit of the spiritual life of our brothers in
Christ."~
Heather Arnel Paulsen ~ Emotional Purity: An Affair
of the Heart

I agree that the way we dress affects men. I know from experience with my own husband how easily his mind wanders in response to what I wear, though of course with him that's just fine since he is my husband. But certainly I want to be careful that I don't wear clothes that purposely lead other men down such trains of thought.

However, as a married woman, my first thought is for my husband, and I want to honor him even by how I dress. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, who dressed in silk and purple (v. 22), I want to take care of my appearance. I want to go out with my husband and have him to be proud to have me on his arm. I don't want to be like the married woman in Proverbs 7 who dressed to get the attention of other men (v. 10). I honor my husband by dressing modestly-beautiful because it is one small way to show him that my heart and my body are reserved for him alone and he can safely entrust his heart to me because I will be true to him and the commitment I made before God to love, honor, cherish, and obey him all the days of my life.

Proverbs 12:4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

Proverbs 31:10-11 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

To read other Tuesday IOW visit Joy In The Morning.

Thankful Thursday

1. I'm thankful for my wonderful parents who strived to raise me according to God's word, and knowing God's word. Who showed me what it is to have a sincere relationship with Christ, and who still are there ready to share my burdens and offer wisdom, or a helping hand whenever it's needed.

2. I'm thankful for my two kitty friends, Dexter, and Cedric. Their quiet presence is such a part of our family. My kids love them, and so do I!

3. I'm thankful for our little house. I truly believe that God brought us to it. It's small, and not fancy, but it's warm and cozy, and it's got a perfect backyard! I've brought both my babies home to this house, and I get very sentimental at the thought of ever leaving it.

4. I'm thankful for my husband. He is such a good daddy! The kids adore him, and he adores them. He is an involved daddy. He plays with them every night and always helps clean them up after dinner, and give baths, and get them ready for bed. He watches them willingly whenever I need to do something, or I have choir practice or another activity.

My Christmas Barbie

I know a lot of parents who won't let their little girls play with Barbie. She's over developed and tends to dress like a hooker. Well, I'm not one of those moms. I don't see anything wrong with Barbie's body. Sure, it's not very realistic, but I didn't care about that when I was a little girl. I dressed her up like a princess and sent her on dates with Ken. And I don't really feel scarred because my body didn't turn out like hers now that I'm grown up. I haven't gotten any Barbies for Megan because I just didn't think she'd be ready for them. You know how little girls tend to pop their heads off. My sister and I had a few headless Barbies in our collection.

On my dresser I've had my old Christmas Barbie displayed for a while now. My mom saved her and several months ago gave her back to me. This morning Megan discovered her and fell in love. She stroked her hair and primped her gown, it was obvious she thought she was beautiful, and she hasn't popped her head off yet.

Some people would say I shouldn't have let her play with her because the Barbie could be worth something someday, but that's what toys are for: to be played with. So now I'm thinking maybe it's time to buy Megan a Barbie of her own. Megan can still play with mine, but her Barbie needs a friend. Of course I'm sure it will be a challenge for me to find some decent clothes for her. I do tend to agree with people who take issues with her slutty style of dress. But hopefully I'll be able to find one dressed like a princess. Those fancy dresses were always my favorite style for Barbie anyway.

My Monday Evening

Last night I took the kids down to our little playground down the street only to get there and find blood all over the place, so instead of staying and playing we came back to the house and I raked a big pile of leaves for the kids to play in. The kids had a blast. They ran through them and laid in them and tossed them up in the air and wrestled in them. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures because it was dark outside. But I'm sure we'll have a chance to do it again and get pictures then.

Tom spent the night replacing the power steering fluid pump on my van. I'm glad I won't have to add more power steering fluid every time I drive it. And I think that was the last thing that needed fixing. The van is running great! It was definitely worth the hundred dollars it cost to buy it. Of course we've had to dish out quite a bit in fixing it, but still much less than the current Kelly Blue Book value. It's time like this that I'm again thankful that Tom is such a handy man!

Once the kids were done playing and Tom was done fixing, it was time to put the kids to bed, and then I headed out to the grocery store. My cupboards and fridge were so empty! I had pretty much run out of all the essentials (butter, milk, eggs), and most of the non-essentials too. Walmart wasn't very busy last night at all. I'll have to remember that Monday night at Walmart is a good time to shop. Our Walmart can be such a madhouse on certain days, and on those days I won't even attempt to go because I know it's more of a headache than it's worth.

Despite going to bed late because of my late night shopping trip, I slept pretty well. At least until this morning when the kids started crying at 5 a.m. I think Tom getting ready for work must have disturbed them for some reason. So they both climbed into bed with me. I was sandwiched in the middle of them and couldn't move so unfortunately I wasn't able to get back to sleep. I waited until I heard their steady breathing and then I carefully climbed out from in between them and now I'm in here blogging. Though I would have much preferred to get another hour or so of sleep. But oh well, it's all part of being mom, and it is pretty nice to have a little quiet time while they are still snoozing.

Today is Tuesday, and of course that means it's time for In Other Words. This week's quote is:\

"Gentleness is part of being feminine - part of being a woman, and God
made us distinctly different from men on purpose!"~ Melanie Chitwood

God doesn't just ask women to be gentle. Gentleness and love are fruits of the spirit that he wants to develop in all His children, but the quality is emphasized for women. Why? I believe that God designed for us a role of care giving. Whether a women chooses to work or not, she is a caregiver of those she loves. Our mood sets the tone for our household, whether it be peace and gentleness, or moodiness and unrest. Unfortunately I have been a failure at this more times than I would like to count. But it is encouraging for me to remember that I do not just have to depend upon myself to come up with this quality, for it is a fruit of the Spirit. God has an endless supply of gentleness that he desire to share with me if I just depend on him and not try to constantly take every situation into my own hands.

1 Peter 3:1-4 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

To read more Tuesday's IOW, visit Sting My Heart.

Thinking About The Holidays

This is my favorite part of the year! I love the fall holidays! Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas! They are just so much fun. Kyle, Tom and I have the added bonus of having birthdays during this time as well which makes it even more crazy!

For Halloween this year my kids are going to dress up as candy corn. My mother-in-law is making their costumes. Megan will be a regular one, and Kyle will be a chocolate one. I can't wait! They are going to be so cute! I enjoy planning coordinating costumes for them. Last year Megan was an Indian and Kyle was a cowboy. Next year we are considering Dorthy and the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz.

I've already decorated my house for fall with pumpkins and silk mums and cute little scarecrows. I'll leave these things up through Thanksgiving and then shortly after Thanksgiving I'll tear it all down and put up all my snowmen and Christmas decorations. Though I won't be decorating for Christmas until then, I have started other Christmas preparations. I've got quite a bit of my Christmas shopping done, and I've been listening to Christmas music already. Some people say it's too early to listen to Christmas music, but I personally think it's appropriate to sing about the joy of Christ's birth all year long! Christmas is especially exciting now that I have kids of my own to share it with. We have decided to get Megan the Fisher Price Loving Family Doll House as her one and only gift this year. I cannot wait to see her reaction when she opens it. I know she is going to love it. We haven't decided what to get for Kyle. I think we may need to take a stroll around Toys R Us to get some ideas.

And of course who can forget the amazing food that we get to enjoy, and share with friends and family! My personal favorites are Baklava, and pumpkin pie, and the homemade dinner rolls that my mom makes, and of course the turkey! YUM! It makes my mouth water just thinking about it! Of course the challenge is to enjoy the food, without overdoing it and putting on those holiday pounds. Some years I definitely do better than others.

Thankful Thursday

1. I'm thankful for my little mommy's boy, Kyle! He's such a daring rambunctious little guy. He loves cars and trucks and any other motored vehicle. Some days he has so much energy he just runs back and forth in between the living room and the kitchen, not for any reason except that he thinks running is fun. He likes to sit on my lap when I'm typing on the computer, and he has to give mommy, daddy, and Megan goodnight kisses before going to bed. Whenever either Tom or I get home after being gone a few hours he greets us in the most excited voice, "Hi Mama!", or "Hi Dada!"

Snuggling with his lovies. His blankie and his little blue bear were both gifts from his Grandma.

Looking at his favorite book. Anytime someone suggests reading stories he automatically grabs this book, and don't even think about not reading it because he would be devastated.

Kyle thought this baby snake was such a fun toy! Megan, on the other hand, wouldn't even touch it!

Kyle is such a typical boy. He loves all the normal boy stuff : Cars, balls, snakes, getting dirty, being rough and tumble, etc.

2. I'm thankful for my Bible study group at church. What a blessing it is to study God's word and to have kindred spirits to share what I've learned.

3. I'm thankful for my handy husband who is able to fix just about anything and everything. That is such a valuable trait!

4. I'm thankful for the hand-me-down couches that my parents gave us to replace our really OLD hand-me-down couches that we had previously!

5. I'm thankful I was able to get save my pictures before my computer went haywire.

My Boo Boo and Mommy Ponderings

Over the weekend I burned my arm on a hot pan on my stove. It's not a big burn and doesn't hurt anymore, but every time my kids see it they both "Oohhhh" over my boo boo and insist on kissing it. It's such a sweet gesture! I just swell with love and pride at my two caring little ones every time! It's moments such as these that make all my long days as a SAHM totally worthwhile!

One lovely duty of homemaking is periodically cleaning out from under the couch. I do it about every six months, though I really should do it more often. I picked up a small mountain of toys that had been living under there for weeks or months including half of Kyle's matchbox car collection. My vacuum cleaner clogged several times on the piles of stale cereal and crackers which I was able to fix by shoving a long screw driver up the nozzle, but I did have to enlist my husband's help when I accidentally vacuumed a C battery which got lodged in the nozzle. He ended up having to take the hose and nozzle apart in order to get the battery out. So it ended up being quite a lengthy chore. I'm just glad it's done for the next six months!

I have been very busy today. I've done dishes twice, vacuumed, mopped, balanced the checkbook and ran errands to pay some bills, made and canned 3 batches of applesauce, and cleaned up afterwards. I'm also babysitting Olivia today. Often I keep myself so busy with housekeeping and mommy-ing and wife-ing that sometimes my time left to sit at the feet of my Lord is scant. This passage is a good reminder to reconsider my priorities. . .

Luke 10:38-42 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

I've been busy!

As of today it has been a week since I have gotten a chance to blog. I've been busy! Being a mom is a big job all by itself, but when you add in there babysitting another 2 year old, and getting ready for a weekend away which included baking pies, plus the fact that I was absorbed in 2 very good books. Well, it just leaves little time left to be online.

The books that I just finished were the first two books in The Mark Of The Lion trilogy by Francine Rivers. Really awesome books about the life of a Jewish Christian who becomes a slave in a Roman family after the fall of Jerusalem. The slave-girl, Hadassah, falls in love with the very lost family who has come to own her and over and over tries to share the good news of Jesus Christ, despite the danger it puts her in. I haven't had a chance to read the third one yet. On Wednesday I plan to return the second book and check the 3rd book out of our church library.

Now it's time for me to get back to the ever-present pile of laundry that needs to be washed, dried, folded and put away. Though my body is crying out for a nap. Oh to be able to give in to such pleasures! LOL!

The Ordinary Things

"We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic
affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are
built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we
have to prove our mettle."~ Oswald Chamber~

It is so easy to get caught up in wanting big things for our life that we miss the blessings in ordinary things of life. King Solomon of the Old Testament lived his life looking for big things in wisdom, in wealth, and in pleasure but he finally concluded at the end of his life that all is vanity (Ecc. 12:8). Those things, in and of themselves, are not bad, but it is when we are doing what God has purposed for us that we find fulfillment. God does not desire a hero. He desires his people to love and obey Him.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.

To read more Tuesday In Other Words visit Laurel Wreath Reflections.

Our Hearts Desire

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,Look full in HIS wonderful face,and the
things of earth will grow strangely dim, by the light of His glory and grace."~ Helen Limmel ~

People are searching for their heart's desire. Everyone is looking for something that will give them lasting satisfaction and contentment. They try to find it in their latest shopping trip, the new car, the big house, the money, adventure, children or a spouse, and even religion only to be disappointed and find that their longings are only temporarily quenched. God is the only one who can give us our hearts desire because He IS our hearts desire. Nothing in this world compares to Him. Once we become a child of God by accepting Jesus Christ's death and Resurrection as our gift of salvation, we also receive the joy of communing with Him through prayer and reading His Word. Only then we find the thing in life that is more precious than gold and silver, and sweeter than honey, and even the greatest riches in this world pale in comparison to HIM!

Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Psalm 144:15b Happy is that people whose God is the Lord

Psalm 145:16, 19 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. . . He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

To read more Tuesday In Other Words visit http://allyouhavetogive.blogspot.com/.

The Fair And Babysitting

Yesterday after church we all went to visit one of Tom's friends and then we took our kids to a fair/car show not too far from his house. It was such a beautiful autumn day, perfect for fair-going. The fair was very tiny and wasn't all that exciting, but Kyle was in AWE of all the cars. He is so much like his daddy it is not even funny! He wanted to climb in and drive them which made it a little frustrating continually trying to keep him away because those car show people don't like getting fingerprints on their shiny fancy cars. We ate some yummy fair food and browsed the displays. Towards the end we came across a booth that had these little orange blow up monkeys and my kids both wanted one. They were 2 bucks each and definitely not worth 2 bucks, but worth the excitement they gave my kids so we gave in and bought them each one. Amazingly enough my kids have been playing with those silly monkeys all day. They were having a blast wrapping them around their bellies and then running with the monkeys dragging behind. They were belly laughing like crazy which is contagious and got me going as well. It quite funny!

Today has been a very busy day. This week and next I am babysitting a little girl named Olivia. Olivia is the same age as Kyle, she will turn 2 just a couple weeks after him. She is an easy little girl to babysit. Much less rambunctious than my two crazy little things. So this morning I wanted to get the bulk of my cleaning done that way I wouldn't have to worry about trying to do that while watching another little one. So I washed dishes, vacuumed, scrubbed the kitchen floor, and started laundry. Olivia got here just before 1 p.m., so I took the kids down the street to the playground for a while before nap time. They are all sleeping peacefully right now, and I'm hoping they will continue to sleep for at least another hour. I'm still working on the laundry, and I need to figure out what to do for dinner. Olivia will be here through dinner, until 7:30 tonight, so that aught to make for an interesting evening.