Village Venture

Today marked the beginning of our week long Halloween celebration. Claremont had its annual Village Venture that begins with a costume parade through the village (downtown). I had so much fun dressing up all three kids today and meeting friends and family to show off our creations! My children were beautiful, scary, and frightening. I'll let you decide which adjectives go with which child! (And yes, Sara is wearing a costume.)

Camping

The four of us went camping this weekend at Silverwood Lake with a group from church. I admit I was dreading it a bit since I'm, like, pregnant. The thought of hiking to the bathroom 3 times a night didn't sound like a treat. Not to mention that unzipping and squeezing out of a tent and then walking in gravel (insert sound effects here) can be a bit annoying to fellow campers. But all went well. The kids had a blast "exploring" the campsite that was so perfectly located around a large grassy area with lots of trees. Zac only got 2 bloody noses and Claire screamed about 20 minutes the first night for no reason and then kindly shortened it to about 10 the next. Thank goodness neither children woke Eric up during any of these episodes (insert heavy sarcasm here)! Overall a good time was had by all and we are anxious to do it again next year!
Check out the slideshow for pics.

God Anyone?

2 weeks ago I sat in church with Zac. We have been working very hard on sitting quietly in church so I handed Zac an empty page from the bulletin and a pencil. He tells me he wants to write a letter to God. I'm so impressed that I help him to spell the word "dear" and then let him go from there since the service was starting. Here is what we got...



Although I am impressed with the writing, I am concerned that the grandson of a pastor feels that God is gone and that God is responsible for God being gone. But he is sorry about it. Yeah. I'm confused too.

Friday Night

What happened to my Friday nights?
Eric was out last night (Friday) and I was actually looking forward to doing something fun with the kids. All day I planned the evening in my mind. I thought we could call a friend or go somewhere fun. By about 4:00 I decided on the staying home plan. I would make a great dinner and then we could go out for ice cream! By 6:00 I had the frozen chicken nuggets cooking in the oven while I made jelly toast for myself. The kids were bathed and in their p.j.'s by 7:00. I entertained them with the ice cream that was (thank god) in the freezer until I put Claire to bed at 7:45 and Zac to bed at 8:00. I think the last time I looked at the clock it said 8:17.
What happened to my Friday nights?

Woman in Training

I am so ahead of the game that I already purchased my kids Halloween costumes. Don't be that impressed. It hasn't worked in my favor since I haven't been able to get the costumes off my kids since. Claire especially. The poor girl has endured the spiderman costume until now. Now Cinderella has come alive in my home! Claire does everything in that dress (and the princess heels). She even took a nap in it. I am ok with all of this because I feel that it is my duty as a mother to teach Claire that a woman can do anything she wants even while wearing a ball gown and heels!

Firsts

Last week we experienced a lot of firsts in this family. Zac started Kindergarten (year 1 of 2) at Vista where I teach. The night before I teasingly said to him that he wasn't going to be my baby anymore. He climbed in my lap, hugged me and said that he would always be my baby. Loved it! (Claire says that she is not my baby and not my big girl. She is just Claire!) I did well dropping him off until I turned to walk away and my friend and coworker asked how it went. That is when I cried. It is just so amazing how quickly time flies! He has enjoyed every minute of Kindergarten so far. I can't believe how quickly and easily he gets dressed in the morning because he is so excited. Now the big adjustment is for Eric and especially me. Now we have to do homework with Zac and ensure we are setting good study habits. And I have to deal with having Zac with me ALWAYS! He is now with me at work which used to be my time away to have adult interaction. NO more! Zac is in the office with me, in the classroom before and after school, sitting in staff meetings, and even the bathroom with me. Yes, I'm a bit suffocated. I'm sure I'll adjust!
Zac also had his first soccer game. He had fun although I still don't think he has a clue as to what he is doing. He just chases the ball and kicks it! And he only kicked it the wrong direction a couple of times!
For me it was the first soccer game I ever actually watched, cheered for, and enjoyed! Yea me!
Claire is taking all of this change with only a minimal amount of tantrums. She isn't quite sure where Zac is going and after spending most of her time at home this summer, she is EXHAUSTED after a full day at preschool. She is a trooper though. She manages to sit through Zac's soccer and Tae Kwon Doe practices 3 times a week with ease. Girls are so patient!
Baby number three is making her/his presence known by continuing to make me feel cruddy while trying to manage all of these life experiences. Good times! Don't worry, I'm thankful!!

Baby #3!

So I feel that I can officially announce my pregnancy to the blogger audience. I dragged my extremely tired, nauseous, and now overweight self to the doctor this morning for the first ultrasound to confirm that very important heart beat. After a few excruciating seconds of that fun machine (*too early for the external ultrasound) the little "it" appeared! And yes, there is only one. I think I was really hoping for two so I could get some validation to my extreme weight gain. Oh well! I am happy for 1 healthy somebody!! Official due date is April 14th. I'm sure that he/she will be excited to share a birthday month with mom, aunt Lisa, and two of her cousins! We will all be broke!