My Sleeping Beauties...

These are taken at my mom and dad's too. This was the first morning we were there. Annisia snuck into our bed in the early morning. She was so sound asleep, when I kissed her she didn't even budge. But she's my happy waker. She opens her eyes wide and says, "Mommy!" when I wake her!
Jonathan and Annisia shared a bed at Mom and Dad's. It was nice. It seems like they sleep better that way. This was so cute, though. I went in to check on them one night before we went into our room, and this is how I found them. Annisia's little hand on Jonathan...kind of like she was checking to make sure he was still there. It was sweet.

Halloween...

We were at Mom and Dad's for Halloween. I had brought along the kid's costumes, so we ate a little for dinner, then the doorbell rang. As soon as the kids saw other kids out in their costumes, mine had to get dressed up too. Jonathan became Tigger, that's spelled T-I-double Guh-er, and Annisia was a beautiful unicorn. They both loved their costumes.



So, off we went. Over to Mom and Dad's neighbor, Jean. Earlier in the day, on our way out to the car to go harvesting, Annisia was with my Mom and I was already by the car. Jean called out to Mom, "Rebecca, that's a little Darla there!" She was so amazed at how much Annisia looks like I did at her age. Yes, Mom and Dad have lived in the same home since 1967. Anyways, we went to Jean's house. Now, the kids haven't ever gone door to door trick-or-treating. All we have done up to now is go to the nursing home, to Gramma and Papa's and to Uncle Bret's house. So, I was cueing the kids..."OK, when she opens the door, you say, 'Trick or Treat!' " So Jean opened the door and Jonathan said, "Trick or Treat!" and before she could give him a treat, he walked into her house! I busted up! Jean, the sweet lady she is, just said, "Jonathan, come back here for your treat!" So, thank yous all around and we head for neighbor #2 down the street. At this house, Jonathan rings the doorbell and when the woman of the home opened the door, she just started handing them a piece of candy. I said, "What do you say, Jonathan?" (meaning trick or treat) and he said, "More, please!" Man! This trick or treating with pre-schoolers is a treat!! Then, after he was properly cued, said the right thing and thank you, he pokes his head into her house and starts looking around. Well, I got them away from that house without him actually entering it, and we went back up the street to Grandma and Grandpa O's house.

Grandma O didn't spoil them, I think she only gave them one candybar (at that time. I think they got more later!!). From there we went a little more up the street...maybe 3 more houses. I didn't mention this earlier, but Michael was gone helping Dad finish up with whatever he was doing on the farm. I was trying to kill some time until Michael got back home to Mom and Dad's before going over to Uncle Alan's home. But, it was not to be. Jonathan was chomping at the bit to get over there. He is a pretty smart kid. We got onto Alan's block at the north end and his home is at the south end of his block. Jonathan walked right past all of the other houses and up to Alan's. Right up the steps and rang the doorbell. Alan answered the door holding a bowl of candy with a monster costume hand covering his own. He told the kids to take some candy, and Jonathan dug in. Annisia cowered back by me, just looking at that hand. Alan took off the costume hand and offered her candy again, and she dug in too! It was a fun night. The kids were really good. I told them they could each have one candybar that night. Jonathan grabbed one out of his bag over at Uncle Al's. I reminded him that was his one. When we got back to Mom and Dad's and Annisia had her's, he didn't say a thing. What a good boy he is!

Harvest!

My Mom and I were talking one day mid-October about us going to ND for harvest. The kids really don't know much about it as they have zilch exposure to it here. Well, we talked and decided to do that. Then it rained in ND. So we put it off for a couple of weeks and then it froze in ND! Yay! That meant the corn would really be ready. So off we went on October 30. The kids were real troopers on the 10.5 hour drive. I had gotten them each some inexpensive toys at the Family Dollar, a notebook and pages of stickers for each of them, and one of those drawing pads (that I grew up with!) where you draw with a plastic pencil and the thin plastic sheet sticks to the black background, then you lift the thin plastic to erase? You know? They thought those were great! maybe because I said they were magic pens!! heehee Annisia stayed dry the whole trip! YAY! She was wearing a pull up, but it was still dry when we got to Mom and Dad's. She even had to pee by the side of the road a time or two! Atta girl!

The next day, Friday, we played in the morning while the corn was still trying to shed it's dew. Then around 1pm, Michael, Jonathan and Dad went out to get started. Dad drives the semi grain truck for some friends. He has been retired since June 1995, but has been driving for Joey for 8 years. So they have a real process going. Dean was driving the combine, Joey was driving the tractor with the cart. The combine would harvest till it's hopper was full, then unload into the cart; they would do that twice. Then Joey would empty the cart into the semi. They would do that twice. Then Joey would tarp the semi and start it. It would be ready for Dad when he got back from unloading the first semi at the elevator 8 miles away. Dad basically drives and unloads one semi, brings it back, hops into the second, does the same...you get the picture.

So! We got to ride in the semi to the elevator and watch the corn unload while we munched on these great peanuts the elevator guy has out on the counter. As soon as he saw the kiddos, he got out some cookies too. Spoiled rotten, I say!

This is us in the red semi.

When we got back to the field, Dad parked the semi, hopped into the next one and took off. Doesn't he look a little smug?! He loves these guys he works with, so the days are good for him. Not always so great for Mom...she calls herself a harvest widow sometimes!

While Dad was driving back and forth, Dean and Joey were harvesting. I didn't get a good picture of the combine. It was a CAT and had a 12 row header. It was huge! Jonathan and Michael took a ride in it before us girls even got out there. So I asked if Annisia and I could have a ride. Joey said yes, but as I started up the ladder, Annisia started crying that it was too loud and she didn't want to go. Jonathan took the chance for a second ride. I had a blast! So did Jonathan...
At one point, Dean offered Jonathan a piece of gum. Honestly, I don't think Jonathan has had a piece of gum before that. I told him, "You chew on this, OK? You don't swallow it, you just chew it." And on we drove, down the field watching the cobs of corn fly into the header, bounce around, the turning to watch the corn fill the hopper behind us. After about 5-10 minutes, I asked Jonathan, "How's your gum?" He said, "I ate it all gone, Mommy! It was good!" Dean just hooted! So did I!

My latest fun...

Last spring at MOPS, we did a craft I really enjoyed. We decorated a photo matte. They had laid out scrapbooking paper, stickers, stamps, etc. I wish I had a photo of the one I did then, but it's at my in-laws. Maybe I'll get a pic of it. Anyways, I decided to do some for family. This is the frame I chose for my parents. This is what it looked like before I started...

...and this is the finished product. If you click on the picture, you may be able to see where I used a stamp pad to distress the matte. It looks really cool.

This is the one I did for my sister and bro-in-law.

And this is the one I did for Uncle Lowell. He doesn't have a computer, so he rarely gets to see what I post on the blog. I am terrible about sending photos to family, so the poor guy needs an occasional Annisia and Jonathan fix.

Family Pics

We decided it was high time to get some family pics taken...well, maybe I should say we decided it was time to take our own family pics! We have never spent the money on studio portraits. So here we go...we put our trusty Panasonic Lumix on a railing post of the south deck, Michael sets the timer, rushes to the seat and we have a few seconds to cajole the kids into smiling.

Take one...not bad, but the shadows are funny on Michael and Jonathan's faces and that is not Annisia's best smiling face. So, slide down the seat, reset the camera, and try again.

Take two...getting better on the kids smiles, but Michael must still have been cajoling. Let's try again, shall we?

Take three...well, we have Annisia smiling her natural beaming smile, and Michael is ear to ear, but now Jonathan is doing something weird with his mouth. Oh Bother! What do we do now? By the way, this was one Sunday morning before meeting. I dare not leave pics for after meeting as Annisia's hair is always messed up by then with all of her squirming around. We could Photoshop it and take the really good smiling one of Jonathan, crop his little face out and paste it in this one. Or...

Take four...we could just take a picture of the kids and call it good. What do you think? If you were to choose a photo, which one would you choose?

Annisia's little dress is a hand me down from a friend. It's a wine colored velvet dress with satin skirting and ribbons. Isn't it too adorable?! I told her to go show Daddy after we had her dressed. She walked in by Michael and said, "Daddy, see my pretty princess dress?"

Later that evening, we were hanging out in the sunroom. I had given the kids the play-doh again and they were busy. Watch Annisia while Jonathan gabs with me. She is busy eating...pretty cute.

Birthday party!

Kayla turned 24! Wow! We have really been enjoying some extra time with her recently. She came over one night last week and made pasta and meatballs for us for dinner. But this post is about her birthday party. Gramma and Papa came over for dinner, taco salad, and then we broke out the birthday cake...key lime cheesecake! (yep, one of her favorites too, just like her Dad.) Uncle Bret came over for dessert; it's one of his favorites too!

Here's Michael putting the finishing touches on the bookshelf he built for Kayla. He noticed she had one on her Amazon wishlist, designed one and built it! What a handy guy! When he brought it in, she said, "Score!" Hmmm, I think she liked it!

Jonathan and Annisia laid on Bella's dog bed in the garage in some attempt to stay warm yet watch Daddy finishing the bookshelf. I missed getting a really cool pic of the two of them with hats and sunglasses on, laying on their tummies with their chins propped on their hands. bummer!

Sword fight!

Then beat up on Uncle Bret time. Wait a minute, two against one...is that fair?! He didn't seem to mind...
...even when Jonathan tried to push his cheek up into his eyes! Cheeky little bugger, isn't he!

Bath time...

Yes I am still taking pictures at bath time. The kids have such a blast in the tub. This bath, we poured in some bubble bath and they really liked that.