Ice cream and pumpkins

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Out of the mouth of one of my babes

So we spent the day as a family today. We started in downtown for some lunch with the cousins, aunt/uncle, and grandparents. Then we went on our way for what turned out to be a lengthy scenic drive. We finally decided to stop in Skaneateles for some ice-cream and to stretch our legs. The girls asked what village we were in (I think they still think everything is a village after watching Pocohontas many years ago). I told them we were in Skaneateles. When we were leaving, Maddy asks seriously, "Are we still in Skinny-ville". Andy and I both laughed. Sometimes, innocently, they say the cutest things!

My own karate kid

I may have my very own karate kid on my hands. Libby has started karate and, although it has only been one night, loves it! This picture was taken before she went. She had her own idea of how it would all go down, involving numerous jumps and poses. When she came, thankfully, they were taught 4 new moves.

The outfit alone makes me want to keep her in it. She looks authentic. From what I have heard, karate teaches a lot of discipline and respect - what parent doesn't want more of that in their home, along with self-control and confidence. I hope it continues along as well as it started tonight. This just might be her gig!

20 Years gone by

I went to my 20 year class reunoin this past weekend. How fun. Its been 10 years since I saw most of these people. We opened our predictions that we filled out at the 10 year, for where we would be at the 20 year reunion. Mine was as follows:

Happily married with 3 kids. Check. How funny since I didn't have any kids at the 10 year.

Not working - homemaker. Check check.

Living in NYS. Check check check. We lived in Michigan at the time. See this proves that I always hoped we'd make it back. It just took a little longer and more moves than I ever imagined.

And lastly, happy. Quadruple check. My life is good. Despite the small crappy stuff. Like the fact that my computer crashed on the same weekend Andys car overheated. Now I'm spending my morning at the library using the computers with all the townfolks. And crap, my 30 minutes is almost up.

Got to run. Can't wait to see what the next 10 years has in store for me. I'll have to work on my predictions!

Say cheese

It was picture day at school today for the girls. And picture day at school means picture day at home, for me.

I'm trying to let go a little. And everyone knows, thats not an easy thing for me to do. Its all about baby steps. I decided to let them all pick out their own clothes for picture day. I could only overrule if the outfit was absolutely hideous. I won't name names but I had to overrule one outfit and the next outfit was much better. I should have taken a picture of the first outfit.

The true question is what will they look like when they actually get around to taking the picture. Libby should be early in the morning. Abby, on the other hand, was after lunch and recess last year so I'm thinking its even later this year. She has the least "mess-able" hair so we might be safe.

Hope you enjoy these pictures. When the real ones come back, we'll see if we enjoy those too!

College

I don't know what started this conversation in the back of the van on the way home from religious ed class tonight. It just shows how different my three girls are.

Libby says, "Do you have to do work in college?" I respond yes. "Oh darn, I don't want to go to college then. I don't like to do work. Its too hard." She has no idea how much fun college can really be.

Then Abby chimes in, "But the best part is you get to wear your friends clothes whenever you want." Leave it to Abby to bring in the friends. She will just love college.

And Maddy adds, "And you get to stay up as late as you want, whenever you want. Even like one o'clock in the morning. But if you forget to say goodnight to your parents on the phone, you can go get on a bus, go home, ring the doorbell, go in, say goodnight, and get back on the bus to go back to college." I can only hope she misses me enough to want to get on a bus to come say goodnight.

All this in a 10 minute drive. I can't even tell them that they have no idea what they are in for. And I don't even want to think about it. Maybe they'll be different from me. I can only hope!

Fall is in the air

You can feel it in the air. Fall is here. Which can only mean one thing..time to hit the apple orchards. Saturday was the perfect day to do that. And now apple orchards don't just mean pick apples. We managed to hit the petting zoo, bouncy house, giant slide, corn maze, hayride, and rounding up the finish with actually picking apples.

Here's a test for you..can you find the lost kids in the picture below?

They weren't actually lost but that is a giant corn maze. I'm thinking that I need one of those in the backyard. It could keep the kids occupied for hours, even days maybe.

The girls loved the apples. Which turned into my first apple pie of the season today. And I have to admit, it sure did taste good!