My Super-Power

Your Superpower Should Be Mind Reading

You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive. You understand people better than they would like to be understood. Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details. You figure out what's going on before anyone knows that anything is going on! Why you would be a good superhero: You don't care what people think, and you'd do whatever needed to be done Your biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now

What Should Your Superpower Be?

Quiz Your Friends

Ok, so I was finally able to do it. Please take my quiz.
Here's a Quiz for You on QuizYourFriends.com
CLICK on the link below or PASTE it into your browser.http://www.quizyourfriends.com/quizpage.php?quizname=071029110839-563592
Happy Quizzing!

Halloween Photos 1

Last night we went first to a Haunted Halloween Walk and then to a Halloween Party. Everything was fun. Everyone was in a good mood. And, best of all, the costumes worked out. Everyone left the house in one piece and came back in one piece. Thank goodness.

The party was a good time. There were lots of young ones running around having a blast. They were all dressed up sooo cute. I think my favorite (other than my own) was a "Pile of Leaves". The kid was wearing clothes that had leaves sewn all over them. It was terribly cute and now I wish I had gotten a picture.

So here ya go: A "Gorilla Brown-Bagging It"
Our family: Miss Kitty, Mr. Puppy, A Gorilla Brown-Bagging It, The Lunch (a banana)
The Gorilla holding the banana tight (did you know that bananas screech and squeal?) Click on the photo to see the banana's sticker.
Captain found a hand and ran around with it throughout the evening. It was funny because at times he would put the hand up to his head and it looked like he was saying "Man, have I got a headache!"
Miss Peacock was my Maid of Honor in my wedding. Their family is the family who threw the party.

Captain on the way home. He was all tuckered out. Look at him and his cute little puppy babies.

The banana costume was really easy to make. I took an X-Small t-shirt from Target ($10). I cut off the sleeves at about the elbow. Then, I hand stitched a little hem on the sleeves and then gathered the sleeves so that her hands wouldn't get lost in the fabric. I took one of the sleeves that I cut and stitched around the finished end and gathered that together to make the top of the banana. The unfinished end stretched really well and fit her head. I put cream colored tights and onesie on under the outfit and away we went.

The other costumes were not so creative. I was a black cat: black clothes, purchased tail and ears ($10). Fundi was a Gorilla Brown-Bagging It: a dress shirt and tie, purchased gorilla mask and hands ($20). Captain was a puppy: Black cords, white onesie, brown shoes, puppy costume purchased at a garage sale ($3). I did buy makeup for my whiskers ($4). So, for under $50, our whole family celebrated Halloween. We will use the costumes again on Wednesday night for Trick-or-Treating. I can't wait! My sister E is supposed to be coming with her 2 in 12s who are the same age as Captain and Burbles.

Photos and Comments

Captain yesterday. Suddenly he has an aversion to cameras. That, and he wants to look at the photo once it comes up on the camera. He just can't figure out that in order to see something back there, he needs to stay still so I can get a picture first.
Remember that saying? You can pick your friends. You can pick your nose. But, you can't pick your friend's nose. ??? Remember it?
Here is what he does in his spare time.
Mommy and Burbles
Captain this morning being silly on his puppy after church.
There are those cups again... I think they are his favorite toy right now.

Here is the catchup picture that I promised from Red Lobster last week.
Doesn't she look like she is going to be a runner. I think this photo looks like she is going to start from the blocks.
Here are Captain and Burbles having a good time entertaining each other.
Kisses
Hugs

I love my kids

So today they are better. I don't know what came over them yesterday, but it is over and done with. At least for the most part.
They have been behaving well today and I hope it carries into tonight. We will be attending our first Halloween party this evening at a nice house (we were there already today and Captain did part of his investigating) that has lots of things for Captain to explore. I hope that he doesn't frighten at the costumes. I hope Burbles doesn't either, for that matter. That is the one things, I guess, is not knowing what the reaction might be when we actually get there.
Burbles has started to lift her hand and put it down again while in the all-fours position. I think this means that she will be on the move soon.
I am excited about the costumes for tonight. I'll post pictures and you'll have to tell me what you think. My costume isn't anything interesting, really, but all of the other costumes are cute. I made Burbles' costume this afternoon while both of the kids were napping (I don't know how that happened... if I did, don't you think I would get it to happen more often?). I made it. That's right, all by myself... you'll see. I kinda got the idea from a magazine that said to make costumes out of oversized shirts.
Last night, Fundi and I went to the nearest big city and went to Menards. We shopped and shopped. Finally, we walked out of there with lots and lots and lots of flourescent light bulbs---not the long, skinny ones, but the ones for home lighting. Did you know that they now make flourescent lighting for flood lights, dimmable flood lights, dimmable regular lighting, and three-way lights. In our effort to save money, we had to spend money, but I was assured by the packaging that over the life of each bulb I would save exorbitant amounts of money. I sure hope that it is true... and that I am helping the environment.
I'm terribly excited to carve pumpkins. I now have tracked down five pumpkin carving books. This may seem ridiculous, but we plan on carving pumpkins for a long, long time with our kids, so give me a break. I'm excited.
I have to go... something weird is going on with my computer... I will let you know what it is. Alice, that email that you sent about a quiz that you created... when I opened that, it started freaking my computer out. I suggest you run a spysweep program as well as an anti-virus. I'll let you know what my system finds. Oh, and I agree, it probably was the moon.

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk

I had started this post just minutes ago with a different title but the same theme. Then Burbles flung her bottle on the floor and the nipple came loose and then the formula splashed all over and spilled completely out of her bottle.
The theme for today is: I don't know what is the matter with us.
Ever since the three of us woke up today, it seems like something is wrong. The kids have been ugly and crying all day and that makes me feel ugly and (like) crying all day. They have been clingy and I don't particularly like awrnry crying clingy kids today. I guess it is just one of those days when I wish I could be anywhere but here. I usually don't have those days. I usually just love being at home with the kids and just enjoying watching them learn and grow and become who they will become. Fundi has been working overtime all this month and spending lots of time at work and not so much time here. We need the money. I'm so glad that he was able to do this this month. At the same time, it is the end of the month and I feel fried. My sanity is almost extinct and I feel like I would be happier right now working at a factory doing monotonous work (just for today). Yesterday Captain took a couple big tumbles and I wonder if that isn't the reason for his crabbiness today? Burbles seems to be drooling more than normal. I wonder if she is getting another tooth? Both of them want to take up residence on my lap. Neither of them wants to share that lap. Burbles is enjoying pulling Captain's hair and Captain keeps "patting" Burbles on the back. Before they were fighting over the strings on my hooded sweatshirt, so that had to come off. I will be so happy to have Fundi back to working just his shifts. Yeah, the money is nice, but we enjoy having him around. The kids like me better when Fundi is around. I like me better when Fundi is around. I like the kids better when Fundi is around. As I type, the kids are patting the computer in unison. They are together on my lap. They are both whining. ughhhhh... write more later

A new name for M

Today I have decided to give M a new name. She is on the blog so often and I'm tired of calling her M. So.... I asked her what she wanted her name to be. I have been so concerned with coming up with my own name for her that I couldn't look past my own nose and just think to ask the girl. She is 3 after all...

This name has a story behind it though. A couple of months back, after seeing Shrek the Third in the theater, M had a dream. She had a dream that she married Shrek. Her name is now Fiona.

These shoes are really a proclamation of her love for her husband. They are her favorite, she says. What three year old little girl doesn't have a crush on someone else's husband?

The Zoo

Yesterday we went to the zoo with the kids and our niece M. We had a really good time. On our way to the Twin Cities we stopped at our favorite Mexican restaurant. We had great food as always, but we were seated at this funny corner booth. I don't know if any of you can imagine three kids and two adults at a corner booth, especially when one kid is in a high chair (he blocked the entrance to the table completely once he was in place) and the other is in a car seat. After that we headed to the zoo. As soon as we got in, Captain was practically jumping out of his chair with excitement and wonder. It is just so neat how he is so curious. After a while, we let Captain run around. The zoo was not terribly busy and we were able to keep a good eye on him but still give him a little freedom to explore. He stood at those fences and looked and looked. We had to pry him away just to get to another animal so he could look and look. Burbles enjoyed looking too. She watched the monkeys and watched the polar bear. I can't wait to see that excitement in her as she gets a little older. M was very excited to see the zebras and giraffes. She wasn't so sure about the polar bear, although she did finally go by the glass to watch it swim laps. After the zoo, we drove around looking for this sausage place that Fundi likes to go to when we get to the cities. We weren't lost, but we put the Navigation system CD in (we have had the van for over a year but still hadn't even tried it out). As we were driving to get on I94 to head south, we came across an officer directing traffic. A block after that, I asked Fundi if we would be near the I35W bridge that had collapsed. He said that he thought it was the I35E. At that moment, I looked to the right and there was a huge hole where there had once been a bridge. I got goose bumps and shivered a little. What we could see of the devastation had been cleaned up pretty well. I can't imagine visiting the Footprints of the World Trade Center. Words can't describe how a person feels when they are put in that situation. It was really strange driving over I35W and seeing that no one was driving on it. That lack of traffic (in a city where traffic prevails) was eerie. After getting back to I94, I directed Fundi onto Kellogg and we went to our favorite little Italian Restaurant called Cossetta's. On our way home, I studied the navigation system and kicked myself for not familiarizing myself with it before.
Here are the photos from the zoo trip:

Burbles squealing with excitement.
M, Andrea, Burbles, Captain
M wouldn't act scared.
Neither would Captain. He thought that sticking his head through the hole was pretty funny.
I don't know how this happened, but I caught him at just the right moment.

Captain looking at the polar bear swimming laps
The bear pushes off the glass right where the kids are standing.
M was a little reserved, Captain was right up to the glass.
The bear is HUGE.
HUGE.

Captain and M by the giraffes.
The great big tiger looking for his ball.
M and Captain
Captain and Daddy
M and Captain in the doghouse

The kids
Look at him. He is the king of the jungle.
M is a princess
And apparently Fundi is her frog prince.
Baby Giraffe

M and Fundi walking in the Sunken Gardens together.

Christmas...among other things

The view from our front windows this morning. It is going to be a beautiful fall day. A great day to go to the zoo. A great day to be alive.
Here is the view out our front door. Minus the dead tree in the front, the colors are in full swing right now. It should make for some nice driving to the zoo.

The is how fast Captain moves on a regular basis. This was the day at the apple place when I couldn't buy anything.
Sitting on a pumpkin. Can't wait to carve ours. Hope our carving kit shows up in the mail soon. (I got my sling rings and fabric yesterday. Can't wait to get everything to my Grandma for sewing.)
I don't know if you can see it, but there is a toothy in there. She is working on another one today. She has scratches on her face from her nails. Love the brown/pink combo along with the brown/teal combo that is such a popular combo these days.
These are their combined elephant photos that Captain insists on all the time. We take an elephant photo every month on the same day in the same place. It has been soooo neat to watch them grow.
She learned that she has toes to suck on.

Ok, so this may be a little random, but I need to write what I am thinking about even though it really has nothing to do with today.

I am thinking about my Mom today. I guess that being a mother myself now, gives me more appreciation for my Mom and also makes me miss her that much more. Mainly what I am thinking on today it being a new mother and the whole experience and how trying it is. How little sleep you get and how much your whole world gets turned upside down.

I am thinking about Christmas today. Strangely enough I am thinking about how many things I want to do this Christmas. From decorating to buying gifts to baking to making it a very special First and Second Christmas for my children. I'm thinking about all the planning that Christmas entails and how there is such a sense of excitement, especially with the kids. Don't get me wrong, I have been thinking about Halloween and Thanksgiving and Black Friday and Cookie Day and everything in between as well, but Christmas is the biggest holiday of all. Not only because of the consumerism but because of the Religious aspects of it as well.

I am thinking about my birthday. (Now this will all tie together, I promise.) My birthday is right before Christmas. I have always hated when my birthday fell. I hated having a birthday right before Christmas. There were always selfish reasons, of course, but a lot of it had to do with how busy everyone is at that time of year. Everyone is so tied up with Christmas preparations that they would forget my birthday or it wouldn't be a priority. That, and money was always tight. No one had money to go out or to buy gifts or they would promise a combined Christmas/Birthday present and I always resented that.

I wonder how my Mom felt about when she had me. I wonder if she was excited about having a Christmas baby or if she worried that I would feel the way that I did. My mom's birthday was right after Christmas and I wonder if she had the same issues with it as I did. My mom was due with me at the end of November around Thanksgiving time, but she carried me at least three weeks longer and I was born mid-December. When I think of all the preparations that my Mom must have been making for me, for Thanksgiving, for Christmas, it makes me appreciate her even more. I appreciate how much she always did for us. I can appreciate all of the excitement that she must have felt at the thought of bringing home her first baby. I can imagine how tired she and my dad must have been that first Christmas. I envision them really only wanting one gift (aside from sleep): a healthy and happy baby. I am sure that there were a couple of presents that year, but I bet that I was the greatest one. A gift from God.

I think of all of this now. Mid-October. I think about how much Mom would have loved to be here to share in the gifts that I now have. I know how much Dad appreciates them. I wish she were here to open the door when we ring the bell and say "Trick or Treat". I wish she were here to see the trees turning color. I wish she were here to bake cookies with us. I wish she were here to tell us how crazy we are for packing up in the car at 4:00am on Black Friday. Maybe she would go with us to the zoo today. I know for sure that she would want to hear all about it when we got back.

I will never complain about when my Birthday is again. Instead, I will think of it as a mother. I will think of it in terms of my mother. I will think of it as a gift from God.

Jake

Yesterday was the two year anniversary of my husband's brother Jake's passing. He died of Cancer, melanoma, to be more specific. Jake was a special person to me and my husband. Jake and J (my sister-in-law) have lived only a couple miles away from Fundi and I since we met. Not only were they close physically, we were always doing things together with them. One of the last great memories that I have of Jake is when Fundi and I told everyone that we were pregnant with Captain. It was my nephew's birthday party. We were all sitting around outside in Jake and J's front yard. We had eaten and Z was opening gifts from everyone. Fundi and I always give the kids money, so Z opened the card and took out the money and wasn't really paying attention to what the card said. We insisted that he read the card. At the bottom, we signed from Fundi, Andrea, and your new cousin. Everyone was ecstatic. I'll never forget the look of surprise and excitement and happiness that Jake displayed on his face. When he would get excited, he would raise his eyebrows, his eyes would light up, and the joy would just come right off his face. Anyone would be able to see when Jake was excited. He was that way that day. There was a little sadness in the air as well. Jake was sick and we all knew it. I think there was the unknown question as to whether or not Jake would see another birthday for Z. Shortly after that late August birthday, Jake got very sick. We all know that he was in a lot of pain. It would be so contrary to say that I'm glad that his pain was relieved (as with my mother). And I'm not one to say that it was just meant to be. It sucks. Death sucks. Jake was the other person in my life who played a role in Fundi and I getting together. He and my mom worked together. They set us up. I'll have to check back at the June 19th blog to see if I told the story on the day my Mom passed away. If not, I will tell it in a future post. When we lost Jake, it seemed as though Fundi and I were that much more fused together. We had both lost someone who was important to us--twice. We had been through that loss--twice. It was really hard. I can't imagine losing a spouse or a child. I can't imagine losing a sibling. I know the pain of losing a parent. The world lost a special person that day. Someone who had an excitement that was contageous. Someone who was a great guy. As much as I seem to be separated from grieving for Jake, it is hard. No, I wasn't his wife or his mother or his child or his brother, but I was his friend and his sister-in-law.

The Weekend

This weekend went quickly. Last night, Burbles slept from 7:30pm until 4am! I'm ecstatic. Then she slept from 4:15-6. Captain has been sleeping his typical 12 hour nights which is also great. Yesterday we went to church and then out to brunch with my Sister-in-law J her kids and her parents and my Mother-in-law. This was to celebrate Z's First Communion. Then I attempted a stop at an apple place with both kids and no stroller. Not so great. We ended up just packing up and leaving. Then came home and I got to sort through all of the wonderful Usborne books that I got for free and half-price for hosting the party. I got a lot of the books delivered yesterday too (at church and brunch). Then the kids and I hung out in the evening reading all the beautiful books and the kids got their baths. They went to sleep early (7:30, 7:45) so I got to watch a movie. It wasn't the best, but it was OK and I was able to work on other things while watching it, so that was worth it. It was called Tart.
Saturday was a whole lotta fun. I dropped the kids at Grumpa's house and went to the scrapbook gathering (not code for making out) from 10am-8pm. I did go home twice. The first time was to meet the lady who sold the Usborne books and the second time was to see Fundi and the kids in the afternoon before Fundi left for work. We had some good laughs at Croptoberfest.
Talk more later. Going shopping with my sister B to look for costumes and groceries and perhaps fabric for my slings :) YEAH!

Conversations

Ben Stein's How to Have a Business Conversation
These seem to be good rules to know and follow even if having a friendly conversation--especially with people you haven't seen in a while or know little about your current situation.

Moving Forward.... Literally

The newest member of our family has now started moving forward. Burbles is adamant about getting anything that looks remotely interesting, even if it means going all the way across the room to get it. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Really. This is going to change our world. Again. When a baby starts forward motion (as opposed to backward motion or round-in-circles motion), we start a whole new stage in babyproofing. This means that we will need to watch her around cords, stairs, feet, basically anthing that is on the floor or that could touch the floor. We need to be extra careful not to let anything get on the floor that we do not want her to have, chew on, suck on, or otherwise put in her little mouth. This means more vacuuming for me.
In other news:
The six month and eighteen month check-ups went well. Dr. Loo (as Captain calls him) says that everything looks great and that both kids look wonderful. He even said that it was the easiest 18 month check-up that he has ever done. (That is what he said at the 12 month check-up.) Both kids survived the shots. And my sister B and I survived the longerthanlong day in the pouring rain with four kids in car seats. (Niece M, sister-in-law J's girl, and Nephew WDW, Sister B's boy, came with.)
I have started shopping online. Not just a little shopping, but I will be seeing the UPS guy three times in the next week. I ordered diapers and swipers, sling rings, and a Pumpkin Carving Book. How exciting.
You know what, Jennie, remember when you had the idea for a blogging system that would just read your thoughts and channel them into a blog? Well, I would like one of those. Yesterday, right before I headed off for a nap with Burbles, I had this oh-so-clever blog thought out. Except that Burbles was already sleeping on my lap and I was kinda getting drowsy, so I didn't get up and go write it. That means that today, as I sit here trying to remember what I was thinking about writing, I am getting frustrated.
Captain got his daily dose of licopene yesterday... drinking two little cups of catsup... pictures to follow. Sister-in-law J, please please let me post them. :)
Gotta go to Croptober Fest. Write more later.

To Jenny

In a mission to find the "perfect" tree, Jenny, I have found that these two trees are soooo cool. Honestly, both of these trees have come to me in the past day. I don't know what you need them for, but here they are:

This is a picture that came off of Alice's MySpace account. She was a Phi-Lamb who graduated a year before me. It is as though you can see all four seasons in that same beautiful tree. Love it.

This is a photo of a gorgeous tree and a double rainbow. The rainbows give hope even though the tree looks old and perhaps dead or dying. And of course, there is the Biblical link with rainbows. It just allows for a glimmer of hope on a dark day. We all have those. The photo came from an email that was forwarded to me.