THE MONSTER MASH

Those bumpy pumpkins are just the best!

Another Halloween has come and gone. It is the funnest of the holidays at our house. We have a fascination with pumpkins, love the fall colors everywhere you look, and start getting out sweaters. Gone are our swimsuits and trips to the bunny fountains, popsicles, flip-flops (sigh) and tank tops. But, there's something to be said for building a fire, roasting marshmallows, smelling burning leaves, and baking.

Anyone who knows us knows that we've been dealing with a little "monster" who has been coming into our bed in the middle of the night for the past two years now. We've done all we know to encourage her to stay in her room short of locking her in. We recently had a talk with her to try to figure this thing out. When asked, "What is waking you in the middle of the night?" she replied, "A monster."

"I see. Where is this monster?"

"Living in my closet."

"Hmmm. You've seen him then?"

"Yes. He's 10 times taller than me."

"How is that possible? Our ceilings aren't that tall and there isn't room in your closet for a tiny little bug to live in there, let alone a big tall monster."

"Well he does. He has antlers, sharp claws, he's covered in green fur and he eats dirty socks."

Daddy and I give up the conversation due to hysterical laughter.

This year, like every other since before MMF was born, we went to see our cousin D and go for trip to the same pumpkin patch we've been visiting for 7 yrs now. The people who run the place are amazing. They add something new every year for the kids, and it is a blast. MMF loves going with her big cousin and it always cracks me up to see what kind of pumpkins they'll pick each year. We've had to roll them out to the car some years, and others the kids have carried them out in the palms of their hands. Here is a collection of pics from their adventures and from Halloween. Hope yours was equally adventurous!

Here's MMF playing on some of the equipment they have set up for the kids. She had so much fun.

Here she is with her big cousin.

Here she is dressed as the good Dr. for our church Halloween party.

This is what she decided to dress up as for trick-or-treat. That's right- Peter Chriss from KISS. What's scary? It was her idea! She saw them (KISS) animated on a cartoon and became curious about them. She then noticed a magnet I have of them on the fridge and recognized them. After lots of questions about boys in makeup we let her hear one of their more "tame" songs- "Rock and Roll All Nite". It's now one of her fave songs. She has also taken a special liking to Peter Chriss, better known as "kitty face". Soooo, that's the story behind the costume. I think her makeup turned out pretty good. She sure was proud of it and was quick to tell some innocent children who thought she was dressed up like a clown that she was indeed a "rock star from the KISS band!"

Confessions of a Monkey Foot (and other tales of mischief)

Life with a 4yr old is very exciting. Reality and imagination are so beautifully blended in their little minds at this age. Questions are endless and each new one is more complex than the last. MMF has been keeping us on our toes since the beginning, but has been steadily stepping things up for us. She's reached the place where I'm starting to worry when she brings up some topics how in the world I'm going to explain them. Follow the pictures and glimpse what we're talking about. Recent conversations:

MMF-Mama is the Easter Bunny real?
Me- What do you think about that?
MMF-I believe he's real. Mama, do some people believe he's not real?
Me- (deep breath) Some people believe he's real, some do not. You'll find out that it's that way about lots of things, like Santa Claus, fairies, God.
MMF- Mom everybody believes in Santa because we all know he's a human.

As the bathtub is filling up for her bath MMF undresses, grabs a handful of butt cheek in each hand, bends over in front of me and says, "Mama look at my bum. Do you know what it's made of?"
Me- No. What?
MMF- Oil pressure, skin and bones.
Me- Good to know.

MMF- Mama, can computers have babies?
Me- No.
MMF- Well Plankton (a sponge bob character) is married to a computer. What if they want to have a baby?
Me- Uhh. Well, there are many different kinds of families.
MMF- Plankton should've married another Plankton.
Me- But he fell in love with his computer. Uhhh, sometimes...
MMF- Mom can we just play now?
Me- Oh thank you Lord.

We recently left a store without paying for a book MMF got. When we realized it...
Me- Baby I think we forgot to pay for that book.
MMF- Quick Mom! Let's take it back to the store and pay for it (which we did) before the police take us to jail. Daddy can't come get us out until he gets done at work.
Me- Sounds like a good idea.
MMF- Mom would we be behind the same bars together?
Me- Probably. Just you & me playing a harmonica.
MMF-Oh no. I think I left my harmonica at home.

Every time she sees me file or clip my nails anymore she demands to have hers done, then painted. We recently spent an afternoon going all out with nail art, princess tattoos, and toe jewels. Incidentally I never managed to clip my own nails that day.

MMF right before bedtime trying to figure out what this ab roller contraption was and how to use it. She came up with this and asked me if it was the right way to ride it. Of course I told her yes.

We have recently learned that it's way more fun to go to the beauty shop with Mom and have your hair done together than it is to cut a hunk out of it by yourself..that was NOT pretty!

ta-da!

We have learned that you can spend an entire afternoon playing in, with, and decorating a box that came in the mail that day, and have a total blast.

We have wondered how long some doggies have been driving their owners around.

We are trying to learn patience despite the difficulties of hearing a heartbeat through a dollie's bum.

She thought these shoes matched her purse great and wonders if her feet are going to grow to be that big (it's a size 20-let's hope not!)

She wonders why ladybugs like to ride on her car when they can just fly anywhere they want to go.

She has been learning that the color green goes great with St. Patrick's Day and loves to wear her leprechaun socks.

She is learning that boys have some pretty cool toys and if she begs long enough Logie will let her have a turn with just about anything he has. What a great friend.

She is almost big enough now to lead the dog when we go for walks..instead of the dog leading her.

Having your eyes examined isn't all serious. You get to try on really cool glasses and practice reading through them.

These pink ones were her favorite-princess of course.

She and Mickey Mouse are scurvy pirates, ARGGGGHHHHH!!!

Having your eyes dilated is no fun when you have to go out in the sun afterward, but these Stevie Wonder glasses are pretty cool. Who's Stevie Wonder Mom?

Last but not least. We ran into the store the other day for 1 item. She bolted for the cards immediately (totally random act, as I was headed for the scarves) and brought this back to me begging me to buy it so she could send it to her Papaw. Without being able to read very well yet, I was amazed at how appropriate it was for her so I had to buy it. It's two prankster cats that have caught a dog sleeping and dressed his bum up to look like a face. The last picture is the inscription inside. Perfect!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

Daddy just had his birthday earlier this week. Since he loves to hunt, MMF and I thought about what kind of cake to make for a while....hmmmmmm...it was clear to her that he should have a tree cake, in honor of how much he loves to hunt. What she and I did was purely concocted out of imagination and bears a strong resemblance to a cactus. Not terrific but MMF thought it was beautiful-some of her best work, as she loves to bake and is a very good "icer". We had a good time making it, wrapping presents and signing cards. It was the first time she signed, sealed and addressed a card all by herself! She sure was proud. We made Daddy his dinner request-roast beef, mashed potatoes, and green beans. MMF was glad to assist him with the gift opening and then we enjoyed some of the tree cake. Here's how it turned out, along with a couple of pictures of the monkey with her birthday boy. We love you Daddy!

DOUBLE DIGITS!

Happy Birthday D! You've made it to double digits! We were excited to travel all the way down to where he lives to help him celebrate at his favorite pizza place. He had a camo cake-believe it, that included trick candles. The kids all got such a big kick out of that. The candles kept relighting on their own and the kids would just howl. They couldn't figure out what was going on. It was comical. Everyone had a great time. There were lots of aunts and uncles as you can see, to help celebrate. Thanks for including us guys!

Ouch, That Hurts!

So very painful....fingers snapping, cracking under the strain of the keyboard...been so long since I've typed anything or clicked on anything...how could I have put it off for so long...oh wait, wait, is it? Yes, it's subsiding now...that's it, cramps easing....getting easier to type...easier to think...Ahhh, where were we now?

So, we've picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, and just like the saying, are starting all over again. Sorry for dropping out of the blog world for a time everyone. I just had to take a step back and try to be. I'm also sorry to admit that I haven't taken many pics lately of the monkey, but I have a few that didn't make it to print so I've put them here to enjoy.

Ya can't tell me there isn't a higher power or being. Just look at his handiwork. I swear you can see every good thing there is in the world in her eyes when she smiles.

The Very Best News...for just a little while

So this is what our lives have been about lately. After more than 2 years of trying to conceive, we finally (with fertility treatments) got the very best news the 1st week of November. Elated can't begin to describe how happy I was. We didn't tell MMF because we were waiting to let her tell our families at Christmas. We also knew that we'd be far enough along to start making plans by then. Unfortunately, things didn't work out that way. Our first ultrasound was at 6.4 wks at our fertility dr's office. The baby measured 6.3wks, pretty good, but she couldn't find a heartbeat to measure. Still, she was very optimistic and said she didn't think it was a big deal, that it was fairly common that early on not to be able to measure the heartbeat. She released us to my ob. We had an appointment the following week and another ultrasound. I had been struggling with a worrisome "feeling" all week so my hubby went with me. I'm glad he did. The dr saw the sac right away, but there was no tell-tale flicker, indicating a heartbeat. I started getting really nervous and my husband came over and held my hand. The dr turned on the blood flow scanner. It was blank. I started crying. She measured the baby- 6.3wks. For the second time in my life I was looking at an ultrasound screen viewing a child I was already in love with but wouldn't get to have. I was devastated. My dr, being the wonderful woman she is, scheduled me for the second time, the very next day for surgery to remove the baby. This time she kept it and sent it to be studied. Hopefully, we will have more answers this time to help us going forward.

We told MMF that we thought we were going to have a baby so they had to check in my belly. It turned out not to be true and that made us very sad. That seemed to satisfy her curiosity at the time. My husband also told her that anytime she saw me cry to run over and give me lots of hugs so I would feel better. She was the best at remembering to do that over the next several days while the hormones fluctuated wildly. She still insists that if I take a baby pill every single day we will have another baby. In the meantime, she asks for a baby brother or sister every day in her prayers just to cover all her bases.

I am remaining positive. I believe there is someone else meant to be in our family. I have faith that in Heavenly Father's time it will happen. I'm doing my best to be patient. For everyone out there who is blessed enough to decide when to have their babies and can just make it happen I hope you realize how truly blessed you are. For everyone out there like us who have tried, sought help and failed, prayed, fasted, and shed so so many tears, I walk with you and you have my prayers.

You Just Can't Get Good Help...

We are so lucky that in October we had another visit from Em, (and his mommy & daddy). Everyone was congregated at Go-Go and Papaw's so we joined them for the weekend. We had a GREAT time! Thanks to our cousin for getting married, which prompted the visit. Although it was a packed weekend we managed to have some fun and capture some mischief of, course. Most of the pictures are of MMF and Em "helping" Go-Go water her flowers. As you can see, it was a a tedious job, but very entertaining, twice daily.

Go-Go explaining to the crew for the ? time which plants got watered
Em gets his nose tickled by flowers

Awh, that's it..she finally waters the flowers, after watering the rocks so they can grow big and strong.

As Em pulls on the wind chime, breaking it, "uh-oh! I broked that doojee."

A little water for you (plants), a little for me.

...and some for the dirt!

Any big job warrants a snack. Papaw is handing out Graham crackers shaped like goldfish.

Hidden in the back is a Go-Go behind those two clowns.

We did manage to make a quick trip to LaRosa's all together for a yummy pizza dinner. Just don't get you-know-who the wrong crust on her pizza, ha-ha.

Poor Uncle A. was distraught over what we quietly disclosed as "the crust incident."