Hello all! My new home is official! Come follow me here if you still want to read my ramblings.

How could I forget to share who my new host will be?

The times they are a changin'...

I'm going to move my blog to a different host. I've been seeing a lot of Moveable Type lately and really like it. Then Dawn posted this today, and I thought, "Why the heck not?"

Don't worry, dear readers, I'll take you with me for the move.

Yesterday we welcomed a new member to our family - a chest freezer. Woo hoo! Cory and I decided that would be our Christmas gift to each other. We've been living with just the freezer space available above our refrigerator, which doesn't leave us with much.

Today the kids and I drove up to Sioux Falls for an LLL enrichment meeting. My friend Sara was going to lead a program on holiday traditions, and she had some really neat ideas. Unfortunately, the only people who showed up were me, Sara, our friend Amy, and another Sioux Falls Leader. So Sara, Amy and I headed to McDonald's for lunch after our kids had their gift exchange. Accalia is absolutely delighted with her gift of a fashion plate design kit from Discovery Toys. I had something like that when I was little, and I could spend hours mixing and matching fabric swatches to come up with outfits. That's exactly what Accalia's doing right now.

We only spent a couple hours in Sioux Falls, though, because the weather is not supposed to be good today or tomorrow. It was mostly foggy and drizzly on the way up and back, and by the time we arrived home, it was apparently getting slippery in the area because of freezing rain. On the way home, we were coming up to a small cemetery by the side of the road. Two deer suddenly popped up along the shoulder, so I slowed almost to a stop since they were standing there and starting to inch towards the road. We got a really good look at them - much more beautiful than the one that Cory's cousin Tim posed with! - before I honked my horn. They turned, hopped the cemetery fence and were gone. "Look Mom, they're playing tag!" was Accalia's remark.

I have an eye appointment tonight. Hopefully I'll be able to get a sample of my contacts so I don't have to wait until my order arrives to wear them. I don't mind wearing my glasses, but I've been getting more headaches since I started wearing only glasses. Maybe this prescription is outdated, although it's the same as my contacts. It's probably just the way my eyes have to adjust to look out of them.

Cory talked with his mom today, and the unofficial word (meaning she's heard this from her hospice nurse and not directly from her oncologist) is that Mary is a good candidate for treatment. Woo hoo! I don't think it's even so much the fact that she's going to try chemo (I've been researching and am still up in the air whether chemo is always a beneficial thing) as it is that Mary's actually going to do something to try to beat this.

We went out for lunch today to the Fryn' Pan - think Perkins - and it was actually relaxing. It's not often that you can go out to eat with small children and say that. We ate a little later than usual, so both kids were probably starved. They sat and ate, and Cory and I actually had a nice conversation.

Cole didn't nap today until 5 p.m. Ugh. That doesn't bode well. Maybe he'll do what Accalia did when she started giving up naps (not that Cole is to that point yet) and fall asleep between 5 and 6 and not be up again until 7 a.m. or so. Wishing thinking, I'm sure.

I haven't written anything about Cory's mom recently because there's really nothing new to say. We still haven't heard what the doctors have said or recommended. Some days are better than others when we think about the future. I feel so helpless because there's not a lot I can do. I think we're going to visit them next weekend and then see them again on Christmas Day.

This morning one of the first things Accalia did was to stick a finger in her armpit. "Look Mom! It's soooo deep!" Apparently she'd never examined that particular part of her body much before. She was thrilled to discover that my armpit was deep as well.

Cory's cousin Tim is a really nice guy and I have absolutely nothing against him. I just wish he'd stop sending a Christmas picture of himself posing next to the carcass of a deer he shot. Second year in a row. I've continued on my mom's tradition of hanging the pictures we receive at Christmas on the kitchen cabinets so we see all of our loved years throughout the year. Staring into a deer's glassy eyes is just not something I want included.

The kids have been playing together so fabulously well. Yippee! I had business that involved a looooong phone call and they did so well not being too much of a distraction.

I finally had to make an appointment with an optometrist. Not sure why I kept putting it off since I'm not afeared of going, but I had no choice this morning when my final contact ripped. It's been more than two years, I think, since I've been to see anyone, so it's high time. Thankfully I was able to set up an appointment for this coming Monday. The bad news is that I only have my glasses to wear until I'm able to get new contacts. Ah well. Cory once told me I look a little like Tina Fey when I wear my glasses. Not very likely, but I've been told I look a little like Julia Roberts, too. At least I haven't been mistaken for Linda Tripp pre-face lift.

In January, I'll be taking an online class on vaccine dangers. The instructor - once a registered nurse and now a classical homeopath - also offers a class on the basics of homeopathy that I really want to take at some point. This is her website. The book that we'll be using is the latest edition of "The Vaccine Guide" by Randall Neustaedter. I have both editions of this book - 2002 and 1996 - and I'll be more than happy to send the 1996 edition to anyone who wants it. Email me by Monday (12/15) if you're interested, and I'll just throw everyone's name into a bowl and pick a winner!

This is huge news in South Dakota. I'll just say that I'm quite looking forward to the special election in June.

It's snowing and blowing today. We've only gotten a few inches of snow compared with closer to 10 inches in other areas near us. It's still not fun at all to be out or to drive around town. We went to dance class (visiting day for mommies, daddies and grandparents or whoever else), but I think that's all we'll be doing outside of the house. I have a couple errands to run, but they'll just have to wait.

Going to put Cole down for a nap now. Oh wait. I do have to go outside of the house and shovel. Shoot.

Cory just stopped home for a few minutes. He was in town giving a training session on something at the trustee unit. The kids were in the bathtub and very happy to see him. We went to the dollar store this morning in search of a "boy barbie" for Accalia. Didn't find one. We saw the midwife I had for Cole's pregnancy, though. That was really nice. I hadn't seen her since a few weeks after Cole's birth.

Accalia's been really into Advent calendars lately. We've been looking at a bunch online. She loves the ones that consist of a story. We have one here at home that's the Muppets doing their version of O. Henry's Gift of the Magi. LOL! It's the first thing she wants to do each morning, though, so it must be entertaining for her.

Still plodding along on the Christmas cards. I have to order more reprints. I think I'll mail off a stack tomorrow.

Have to turn over the computer to Accalia now.

Cory's back home and we're all very happy to have him home. I think he had a good but very emotionally exhausting weekend at his parents. He was able to talk with his mom about a lot of stuff, and while he's still very sad at the thought of losing her, he also feels a bit of peace because Mary appears to be at peace if she doesn't have much time left. I guess her oncologist is presenting her case to a board of 20 other doctors (not sure if this is the standard procedure) so they can all weigh in on treatment and how successful or unsuccessful it may be. Mary says right now that if the majority (and her doctor) feel she has a shot, then she'll go through with treatment. Obviously we're all praying for a positive report.

Accalia has just fallen asleep watching the Wizard of Oz. That was always such a big deal at our house when it made it's annual television appearance. My brothers and I would settle in to watch it and we'd always have Crackerjacks. I don't remember any other time of the year when we'd eat those.

This morning we were getting ready to take Lucy out, and I asked Accalia if she could get dressed while I nursed Cole. When I came back in the room a few minutes later she was still naked. Accalia saw me and immediately said, "I'm not dressed yet. I've been picking my nose!"

I am completely hopeless. Here it is just a little past 9 p.m. Cory's gone until tomorrow. Both kids are asleep. I have time to myself finally. What's the first thing I do? Vacuum. LOL! Now I'm completely stumped as to what to do next. Do I read? Where do I start on my pile of books and magazines waiting to be read? Do I watch a movie that I've been wanting to see for a while? Do I write? Do I try to clear out my inbox? Do I play the piano? Sheesh. I think I must need to get more me time on a regular basis in order to actually do anything. At least the living room and stairs look good :)

We're having a quiet afternoon here. This morning was pretty hectic. Even though my LLL meeting is at 10:30 a.m., we almost didn't make it on time between getting the three of us ready and making sure Lucy was walked. Since it's so cold out today, Lucy's walk consisted of going up and down the block really, really fast. Now, if Cole would actually wear a hat or mittens we might have gone farther. This evening's walk will probably be very similar.

The meeting went okay. There were four mothers there and the discussion was good. I felt more like a mother than a Leader, though, because I had both Cole and Accalia to take care of, but thankfully having a co-Leader helps in that respect. Maybe I'll be able to leave both Accalia and Cole home next month since I'll actually be leading that meeting.

Lucy came up to join us in bed at some point during the night. Actually, I think she was begging to go outside, but I fell back asleep before doing anything about it. At 5:30 a.m., though, she sat up and started breathing really loudly until I did get up and let her out. Cole happened to wake up a bit at that point, so it was another hour until we were both back asleep. Then we were up around 7:30 a.m.

I've been trying to make progress on Christmas cards. The reprints of the picture we're including arrived today, so that helped. The picture turned out pretty good, although Cole's a bit blurry - not too bad, though. It's very hard to get a picture of him actually sitting still.

I am exhausted. I didn't expect I'd have a quiet, relaxing evening since Accalia napped from 3-5, but it was a nice, fleeting thought. We went driving around looking at Christmas lights tonight and Cole fell asleep toward the end. "Cool!" I thought. "He'll either stay asleep when I bring him inside or nurse right back to sleep." Two hours later...

I was putting food on the table and told Accalia supper was ready if she was hungry. She looked around and asked (for the fifth time today) where Cory was. I once again explained he was staying with Grandma and Grandpa for the weekend. She looked forlornly at Cory's usual chair, then suddenly perked up and said, "Let's make a new daddy!" We never actually got around to making a substitute daddy, but we both agreed it wouldn't be nearly as good as the real thing.

Cory got off work around 1 p.m. and left to spend the weekend with his parents. Mary was supposed to get out of the hospital yesterday, but they kept her one more night because the weather was bad. Myron stayed the night at the hospital, too. I don't know that Cory's parents know he's actually coming, but I think it's a good thing because they'd probably just tell him not to come because they don't want to inconvenience any of us. Cory's stopping on his way to do some grocery shopping. He'll be cooking for them this weekend. Mary won't be able to eat much of anything, I'm sure, but it'll be nice for his dad to have good meals.

So the kids and I will stay here and muddle through :) Tomorrow I have my LLL meeting, which should be interesting with both kids along. Other than that, our weekend is pretty open. There's supposed to be a holiday parade downtown tomorrow evening, but that's definitely something that depends on the weather.

Back to Cory's mom for a minute. On the treatment front, it sounds as if she's going to try something. I have no idea what that means, but it gives us hope that she wants to try to fight this now.

Accalia was watching Treasure Planet but has now fallen asleep. There goes my quiet evening to myself, huh? I hope she can catch up on her sleep now, though. She's been quite unpleasant to leave with these last few days. I probably have, too, and we're just feeding off of each other. Now if only Cole could nap at the same time...

Poor Cole. He does need a haircut. Maybe next weekend. He has a cut on his forehead and one on his chin. He's at that fun, awkward, clumsy stage where he wants to get to and in everything yet just isn't quite coordinated enough.

We had a pack of disposable diapers and I've put Cole in one for night the last week or so because he leaks through every night! Today, though, the covers that will hopefully solve the leakage arrived. I ordered two Bear Bottoms Soakers from
Nurture Mama. Owner Anne swears by them, and I'm quite excited to try them.

Cory talked with his brother last night. He's about 90% sure that Mary will be coming home today. Mark - Cory's brother - has to return home to work, and Cory plans to stay with his parents for the weekend. The kids and I would have come along, but we thought it best that all of the noise that goes along with grandchildren might not be best right now. It'll really give Cory and his mom a chance to talk about things. As of last night, Mary was saying that she didn't want to go through treatment. How do you even react to that? It's one thing to find out a loved one is seriously ill and another to hear that they don't want to do anything to get better. It's so hard to respect that when all you want is for them to fight as hard as they can to get better. I guess we just have to take it day by day and see what each tomorrow brings. And pray. Mary meets with the oncologist again on Jan. 5, so we shall see.

We just returned from a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up a few necessary and unnecessary things. Accalia had a HUGE meltdown in the checkout aisle. A lying on the floor, kicking her legs, flailing her arms, screaming sort of meltdown. I had no idea what triggered it either until we had left and she was screaming that she wanted to look at the toys. We usually do, but today it slipped my mind with both Cole and Accalia getting a bit on the cranky side towards the end. Oy. I had plenty of sympathetic people to help me out, though. There was a mom with one child behind me and she helped keep Accalia safe for a few minutes. I had two checkers helping load up my stuff, too. I don't want to repeat that for a while.

It's been a quiet day around here. It's rainy and gloomy. Other than going out for storytime this morning, we haven't done anything. Well, I guess we decorated our little Christmas tree, but that didn't take long.

I've been looking into glyconutrients and cancer (and just overall health), and it's something I plan to talk with Cory about and talk with his parents about, too. I know several people who take them and also sell them, and I've read articles in everything from MIT's Technology Review to Scientific America about this general topic. It can't hurt to talk with them, but I'm scared Mary will reject any treatment options - whether standard such as chemo or not quite common as glyconutrients. I just don't know their mindset about something like this. It's expensive, too, but I would think cost would be one of the last things on anyone's mind when it comes to saving a life (although obviously cost has prohibited people from seeking treatment before). So we shall see.

Accalia's really been into Harold and the Purple Crayon for a couple weeks now. It reminded me a bit of The Matrix when I started reading those books to her.

Cory's dad called last night with more definitive news, most of which was positive. The doctors now say the cancer started on the ovaries. They also found cancer on the appendix, stomach, pancreas and liver. They removed Mary's ovaries and appendix in her Thanksgiving Day surgery, and the pathology reports show that the cancer was ON them and not IN them. That's terrific news as far as we're concerned. If the cancer started on the ovaries and had not yet gotten in them, we're praying that the same holds true for the other organs the cancer has been found on.

Aside from praying, Cory and I have also been doing a lot of visualization. I've been visualizing the cancer as this gray spider web coating Mary's organs, and I see it peeling back from the organs and curling up into a ball and disappearing. If her cancer is like a spider web and hasn't had a chance to invade her organs yet, then it feels like she has such a better chance.

The only scary news for us last night was that Mary was once again saying she didn't think she wanted to fight this. Cory's dad didn't sound too worried about her being serious, so we're hoping she's just trying to process it all and will realize that everything sounds so much more positive than it did last Thursday. I think she's frustrated with it taking so long to heal from the surgery, but since she's never had such a major surgery before she just didn't realize that it might take more than a few days to regain any part of her strength.

I think it was yesterday that Mary had her final tubes removed - the catheter and the nasal gastric tube. She's been up walking five times and up an additional 2-3 times more to use the bathroom. She was even able to try a few clear liquids yesterday.

It's still such a roller coaster for us. We're trying to get back into something of a routine and carry on with all of the normalities of life. Then we'll be in the middle of something and have a panic attack thinking "Oh my God! Mary has cancer. She may not make it." I haven't quite figured out how I'm supposed to feel. Should I feel guilty that I was able to sit and enjoy reading the newspaper yesterday? Or should I feel glad that I'm able to escape from the worrying and sadness for a bit? I've been so cranky with the kids, and I feel just awful about it. I think I've just been trying to hold it all together while we were at the hospital and I was keeping the kids content, and then we get home and I end up releasing all of my stress on the poor kids.

Yesterday we put up a few Christmas decorations, and I ordered reprints for the picture we're sending out with our cards. Usually Cory writes a letter to include with our cards, too, but this year it just isn't going to happen.

Cole's falling asleep nursing right now. I guess that means he'll be full of energy for story time at the library. We usually head over to my co-Leader's house today, too, but I don't know that we'll get that done. I'll have to see what the kids are feeling like. I need to talk with her since there's the possibility I won't be at the La Leche League meeting on Saturday. We may be heading to be with Cory's parents - Mary is supposed to get out of the hospital Thursday or Friday - but we probably won't know until right before we can leave. Cory's dad said he was afraid Mary would feel obligated to be with Accalia and Cole and entertain them. That's the last thing we want to happen, so we may just wait until the next weekend to visit.

The oncologist had said he wanted to meet with the family yesterday in order to discuss test results and treatment options. Well, we waited all day to meet with him and he never appeared. Cory, the kids and I finally left around 5:30 because everyone was hungry and the kids were very close to the end of their incredible patience. Cory's brother called later that night and said the oncologist finally made it up on the floor around 7 p.m., but they don't know that he ever made it to Mary's room. Cory's dad is diabetic and had to get somewhere to eat.

So I'm waiting for a call today from Cory who's supposed to be getting a call from his brother or dad after hopefully meeting with the oncologist today.

The surgeon said Mary is recovering quite well from the surgery. Mary's biggest and probably only pain right now is from her incision. She's getting up about four times a day to walk. It's kind of funny because she's still so tired and just wants to rest, so she tries to get her walking in right away so they won't bother her. I think she's definitely tiring of all of the interruptions that happen during a hospital stay. She's also rather frustrated because she still feels so tired. I'm not sure if she thinks she's supposed to be up and running around less than a week after major surgery, but apparently she's a bit impatient :)

Cory went back to work today, and the kids and I are going to try to take care of a few things at home. Hopefully we'll start getting Christmas decorations up since Accalia will be so excited about that. We're leaving in a few minutes to mail a couple packages to my two cousins who are serving in Iraq.

The kids and I have been home today while Cory left later in the morning to be at the hospital again. I was hoping today would be a little more relaxing and fun, but we've all been so cranky with each other. Cranky, cranky, cranky. I think we're all tired and reacting to the stress of the past few days. Accalia is definitely in need of a nap, but since it's almost 4 p.m. I'm hoping she'll hang on a few more hours and be down early tonight.

We made a trip to Wal-Mart this afternoon, and Accalia picked out some Christmas suncatchers to paint so she can hang them up in Mary's hospital room. There were a ton of people shopping, which makes sense since it's a weekend afternoon in the Christmas season. The holidays have really been on our minds, though, for obvious reasons. I had just pulled my cart up to pay for our purchases and stepped a couple feet away to glance in the coolers and see if they had orange juice (they didn't). In those few seconds, a woman breezed right up and cut in line. She just had one thing and probably thought I was going to take forever looking for something, but how rude is that! She kept looking at me to see if I was going to go off on her, I'm assuming, but it really doesn't make sense to get upset about the little things.

The house is a mess and there are bills that need to be paid, so I'd better start on something.

We came home from the hospital tonight feeling lighter and more hopeful than we have since Thursday. We don't know anything new about Mary's condition and won't until we meet with the oncologist on Monday, but it's been wonderful to see Mary continue to recover from the surgery and have such a positive attitude. We can see that she wants to fight now. Before she was in so much pain that she just didn't want to do anything that would cause more pain, but she's feeling better and has continued to see so many friends and family members that she wants to do whatever she can to beat this cancer.

We just continue to pray and pray and pray and seek comfort in God. My parents and older brother came today, and that meant so much to all of us. We went to the hospital chapel and had a devotion together, and Cory's dad asked my dad to read Mary's favorite psalm - 121.

Tonight, after we got home, we opened a card from our dear, dear friends Heather and Jeremy. Not only are they thinking of us and praying, but they also sent us money since they can't be here to bring us a meal or whatever things could help us. Wow. Again, the support and comfort we have from all around us is so overwhelming. Cory and I broke down in tears once again.

Cory is going up to the hospital tomorrow, but the kids and I are staying home. The kids have done so great these past three days, but they need a break from the hospital and a chance just to play and relax. Accalia wants to make Christmas decorations for Mary's hospital room, so I think we'll be sure to do that.

Cory and I have been overwhelmed by all of the people who have his mother in their thoughts and prayers. It's such a comfort, one that I couldn't even begin to imagine until being where we are. I think our faith is helping to keep at least me sane, too, at the moment, and I'm so grateful we have God to turn to always.

We spent today at the hospital, but we didn't meet with Mary's oncologist. That will happen on Monday, and then we'll know her test results and discuss options - if there are any. Mary was taken off the ventilator and had her breathing tube removed in the early afternoon since she was breathing so well on her own. Before that, she was communicating with her through hand signs and writing notes. Although tired, she seemed in good spirits and still had her sense of humor. This afternoon before we left for home the nurses had Mary sitting up in a chair for a while. She didn't last long before growing tired, but she said it was good to sit up. She has a lot less discomfort, and part of that is probably because the surgeons removed 10 lbs. of fluid.

In an odd way it's comforting to repeat all of these details. I'm not sure why, but it makes me feel as if I'm doing something. We're heading back to the hospital tomorrow. My parents and my older brother, Anthony, are coming to be with all of us. There were a lot of friends and family at the hospital today, and that was very comforting, too.

For those of you who sent us personal messages and also happen to read this blog, thank you. We want to respond and will try to when we get the chance.

The news isn't good. Not good at all. We spent all day yesterday at the hospital in Sioux Falls. The doctors did exploratory surgery on Cory's mom in the afternoon and came to us with the news that she was "full" of cancer. It's everywhere - stomach, liver, pancreas. We all went home last night and are going back up to the hospital today. The doctor will discuss her options, but they've already told us that chemo will either work or it won't and with such a fast and wide spreading cancer it probably won't. Before Mary went in to surgery, she told Cory that she may not want to have treatment and to not try to talk her out of it.

We're all in such a daze. Yesterday we were preparing ourselves to hear that it was cancer and to get ready for a big fight against it. But when we hear the diagnosis, we're left with really nothing. No hope. Of course we're praying for a miracle, but we also have to prepare to say goodbye.

Last night Cory and I would sleep a couple hours, wake up to cry, fall back asleep and go through the cycle again. I can't imagine what else we're supposed to do. It doesn't seem right to do anything else.

Please keep Mary and her family in your prayers.

Cory's brother called this morning to let us know their mom was being transferred to a hospital in Sioux Falls. We expected this, but we have absolutely no idea what is going on. Cory's coming home from work early because he just won't be able to concentrate and because we may be heading out of town today instead of tomorrow. Or we may be running up to Sioux Falls today to see his mom and driving back and forth over the next few days. I think it really depends on if we're going to have a big Thanksgiving meal back in Lake Wilson or if we're going to eat together in Sioux Falls someplace.

Conversation between Accalia and myself this afternoon while she was in the bathroom:

Accalia: Now I have to wipe three times!
Me: Three times, huh? Why three?
Accalia: (very matter of factly) So my butt gets dry.
Me: What happens if you just wipe twice?
Accalia: (hoping off the toilet and laughing) Oh Mommy! Then my butt would be wet!

Accalia discovered Cory's old harmonica. She's been playing it with gusto ALL afternoon. Must. Resist. Urge. To. Rip. Out. Of. Her. Hands. Oh, sometimes she alternates with her kazoo, so it's not THAT bad.

Yesterday was a cranky, cranky day around here. Accalia developed a very snotty nose, which seems to be getting better today. She must not have been feeling good because every little thing was setting her off. Usually she lets most things slide, but yesterday she was going into a deadly silent pout with everything from me not cutting the wings of her paper ladybug the right size to not having the food she thought we had in the house.

Today has started out much, much better. Right now she's splashing around in the bathtub with a collection of plastic fish while Cole stands by the tub screaming at her. This is the second bath of the day for her. She had dance class this morning and was measured for her bunny costume. That was exciting stuff :)

We're all going to the chiropractor this afternoon after Cory is home from work. Looking forward to that.

Our families have some rather serious medical issues right now. My sister in law Kathy (married to my older brother, Anthony) told us that her step-mom has been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer - in the breast and a lymph node. I don't know much more than that, other than they'll be doing both chemo and radiation.

Cory's mom has been in the hospital since the weekend. Now the doctors don't think she has diverticulitis, but they have no idea what's going on. They removed a bunch of fluid from her abdomen yesterday. So it looks like we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with Cory's family at the hospital. I can't imagine that Cory's mom will be up to seeing all of the grandchildren and other people crowded into her hospital room, but his dad's pretty insistent that we are all together so that his mom doesn't feel bad about "ruining" Thanksgiving.

Kiddos are hungry now, so I'd better take care of that.

Cory and the kids are out running errands right now in this cold, blustery weather. Accalia was so excited to see the snow this morning even though we maybe have two inches. Last night as I was going to bed (Accalia and Cory were still up), I told her there would be snow on the ground when she woke up and she should dream about us making snowballs. This morning I asked if she had dreamed about snow, and she said, "No, I dreamed about going to a park far, far away. And you came, too!"

Putting on her "snow clothes", as Accalia is referring to her winter outerwear, is probably going to get old fast for me. It's so much work! Accalia's been wearing her snowpants, parka, hat, mittens and boots inside most of the day. Cole absolutely refuses to wear a hat or mittens. He even starts screaming when I put his hood up. I think it's going to be a very long winter if this keeps up.

Accalia was eating an apple today. I was in the kitchen hanging up diaper covers on the drying rack when she exclaimed, "Look Mommy! I found something!" She was excited because she had eaten to the core of the apple and found the seeds. Apparently she's never eaten that deep into an apple before :) It was like finding buried treasure for her, though.

Cory's mom was admitted to the hospital yesterday. She was diagnosed with diverticulitis about a week ago. Apparently her symptoms started a couple months ago, but the doctor diagnosed her with a UTI. She's been in such horrible pain, and I'm so glad she's finally getting some effective treatment. Cory's dad said he came back from being out somewhere yesterday, and Cory's mom was just crying and crying because the pain was so bad.

We're supposed to be celebrating Thanksgiving with Cory's parents. Cory's brother and family are supposed to be there, too. Mary might be out of the hospital on Monday. Cory's brother will get there Wednesday, and we were planning to come up Thursday. I have serious reservations about Cory's parents still hosting Thanksgiving when Mary is recovering. There will be six adults, five kids and two dogs. We already know that we'll be taking care of the food preparation now, but I'm wondering if it might not be better to just let Mary recover for a few days and then attempt a visit. Knowing her, though, she won't want anyone to miss out on celebrating Thanksgiving together.

Cole and I woke up around 6 a.m. to discover a few inches of snow on the ground. It's supposed to continue snowing today. It's very cold and not too nice at all with the wind and the little flakes of snow swirling around. Even Lucy only stayed outside long enough to pee when I let her out.

I've had a request for my stew recipe. I'm quite honored, yet at the same time I'm embarrassed since I don't really have a recipe. Truth be told, I'm not much of a cook. I think I could be if I'd put time and effort into it, but I usually don't care to do more than the absolute basics. Some days even that doesn't happen :)

Cory loved my stew, though, and said his mouth was watering even early in the morning while it was cooking. So, here's what I added to the crockpot:

about 1 lb stew meat
handful of baby carrots
couple stalks of celery, chopped
half a small onion, chopped (I would have added more, but my eyes were burning and Cole wanted to be held)
three potatoes, cut in about 1 inch bits
about 20 oz. beef broth
salt, pepper, basil

Cory always adds more salt and pepper, but I never do. It's definitely not the world's greatest stew, but it makes us happy :)

Right now Cole's playing with a bowl of snow. I think he's rather confused how it can be as cold as an ice cube yet not look or feel that way.

When I was dressing Cole this morning, he said sock.

This weekend already has all of the makings for hiding away inside all cozy and warm. The snow has started falling, I can smell the beef stew I put in the crockpot this morning, and Cory and Cole were just dancing to Harry Connick Jr.'s latest Christmas album.

I had an incredibly stupid mommy moment soon after Cole and I were up at 6:30 a.m. He had our bottle of syrup, and I was watching him hold it upside down. I didn't think he had the cover off, but hey, guess what? Silly me for thinking he wasn't even capable of taking the cover off yet! So there he sat pouring syrup into his diaper bag and on the rug while Mommy looked on adoringly from a distance. At least the maple smell fits in nicely with our winter weekend, huh? :)

Accalia was going to eat corn on the cob for lunch. She sat down, took that first bite, and discovered it was all mushy and starting to go bad. Ugh. Poor girl. I asked if she wanted any of the corn (canned) that Cole was eating, but she declined.

Cole is on his second nap of the day right now. Very unusual. Accalia just helped me clean the bathroom. She really, really wanted to clean the toilet. Go figure!

Cory will be home early today. Looking forward to that! It's going to be a cold and probably snowy weekend here, so hopefully we'll all be able to take it easy and cuddle up inside our warm, cozy home.

One of my earliest, most powerful memories is when I was a little older than Accalia, I suppose. We were living in the trailer park. It was a summer evening and I knew it would be time to go inside soon. When my dad called for me to come inside, instead of running to him as I normally would I ran around to the other side of the trailer and just waited. I don't know why I did that. I don't remember having a particularly strong urge to stay outside and keep playing. I knew that if I didn't come when Dad called he would be angry with me. Still, I just sat there and waited until he found me. He was really mad. I was really scared. He brought me inside, and my mom began washing my dirty feet in the kitchen sink. Dad was still really upset and standing right by me yelling. I was crying and still scared to death. My mom finally said something along the lines of "Dan, stop it. Can't you see how scared she is?" That's what I remember.

I don't know if I remember this so well because it was probably the first time I defied my dad or if it's one of the only times I remember my mom standing up for me in front of me and my dad.

Now I really don't know why I felt like writing this tonight. I don't know that I've ever written it before or even told anyone. Well, there you go.

There's a little boy that attends Accalia's storytime as part of an in home daycare who really disturbs her. Last week he went around making wierd hissing noises, and Accalia wanted to sit on my lap while the stories were being read. This week he started doing that with Cole. This daycare mom just sits as far away from the kids as possible and lets the librarian deal with it all. Thankfully other mothers usually jump in to help out when these kids are acting up.

One little girl from the daycare is always left strapped in a stroller throughout the hour to 1 1/2 hours they're there. Today she was lifting up a heavy wooden bead maze that bonked another little daycare kid younger than Cole on his head. He started crying and screaming, so I picked him up. It kind of scares me when kids are so eager to go to a stranger to be comforted. Of course, maybe this is because both Accalia and Cole usually scream louder when they see it's not me comforting them.

After the library, we headed to my co-Leader's house. We spent about two hours there, and Accalia was pretty sad to leave because her friend Ben hadn't been able to stay as long and they didn't get enough time to play together. Karen loaned us a couple Winnie the Pooh audio tapes to listen to on the way home, which perked Accalia up. She also brought home her pine cone family that she had collected, and we spent most of the trip talking about how we would make a home for them out of a box. Accalia and I have been working on the house on and off since we got home.

Accalia is just crazy about anything that even resembles a dollhouse. She is going to go nuts when she sees the dollhouse and accessories that Cory's dad made her for Christmas. She may even go more nuts when she sees the family that dear, sweet Anne is making for her.

This is really nice.

Cole was eating lunch today and had both hands filled with food. He then proceeded to try to pick up more food in his mouth. Being the helpful mom that I am, I put the food in his mouth :) He laughed and laughed and laughed.

We made it home last night, and we were all definitely glad to be back. After four days of being in the car for at least two hours, it was nice to plant ourselves down and not move. Overall, though, the weekend was really, really good.

We left for Cory's parents' house in Lake Wilson, MN, after Cory got home from work on Thursday. We left Friday morning to continue our travels, so that stop was basically a chance to break up our trip, drop off Lucy so they could keep her for a couple days and let Accalia and Cole have some serious grandparent-grandchild bonding time. That night Cole started walking around in a sort of crouch, which was very entertaining for all.

On Friday, we drove to St. Paul where our hotel was located. Cory and I both agreed that we hate driving in traffic. Yes, we may miss out on a lot of cutural and entertainment opportunities living in South Dakota, but thankfully it doesn't take us an hour to drive 30 miles. It's also good to know that there are bad drivers everywhere.

Anyway, once we made it to the hotel, we had to jump in the pool right away, of course. I was a very bad mommy and had forgotten to pack any pool toys. Accalia had a blast even without those, but we really wish we had noticed the vending machine that sold water toys before checkout. Ah well. The plan for supper was to eat at a nearby Bridgeman's. I was so excited to discover that thanks to Mapquest because I didn't think there were any Bridgeman's up and running anymore. Well, it turned out to be as it is everywhere: an Embers serving Bridgeman's ice cream. Sigh. Accalia was happy since she was able to gobble up the pancakes she had been craving. For those of you wondering why my obsession with Bridgeman's, it's because I worked at one throughout part of high school and college and was really, really looking forward to eating some specialty hashbrowns. Yummy!

So after that (and discovering that Mapquest can indeed give wrong directions) we headed back to the hotel. Not the most pleasant experience ever. The thermostat was apparently broken in our room, so it remained a stuffy 80 degrees the entire time. The front desk offered us a fan, which we readily agreed to, but wasn't able to deliver to us until well after 10 p.m.

We survived, though, and the next morning Cory and Accalia dropped Cole and I off at North Heights Lutheran Church in Arden Hills for Leader Day. Needless to say, it's hard to concentrate on speakers when you're also trying to entertain a 14 month old. Since it was a LLL function, there were plenty of other children there, too, so it was to be expected. This was my first time attending any LLL gathering other than a monthly Series meeting, so I was really looking forward to it. It was wonderful walking into a room filled with mothers carrying their babies in slings, sitting and nursing, or just interacting with their children and each other in gentle, respectful ways.

Cole fell asleep toward the end of the morning presentation by Barbara Wilson-Clay, so I was able to sit and concentrate on her presentation and slide show for a few minutes. Throughout the morning and the rest of the day, I was constantly meeting people I'd only corresponded with via email. It was kind of strange having to go around looking at each other's name tags, but I was so happy to meet these people. I also met a number of Leaders and Applicants that I'm corresponding with, which was very special for me. One Applicant even came up and gave me a hug :)

After lunch, I conducted a Leader recognition ceremony. Immediately after that was the session I presented on helping Applicants feel less overwhelmed. It was a small group - about 10 - but it went really, really well. I wasn't even able to get through my entire presentation because there were so many questions and discussions. Most of the attendees even stayed after to chat with me for a bit. The rest of the afternoon consisted of one more session and some final business/announcements.

Accalia and Cory were waiting for me out in the hall. I was so happy to see Accalia. That was the longest we'd ever been separated, so we had lots of hugs and kisses to give each other. She had a great time with Cory, of course, and even took a two hour nap, but I think she was a bit emotional from being reunited since she just started crying after we'd been back together for a few minutes. Happy tears, of course :)

We took off right away (through horrendous traffic, I might add) to my parents in Mankato. We stayed that night, and Accalia woke up at some point and started vomiting. Again and again and again. When morning came she certainly wasn't better but had stopped vomiting. I really wasn't looking forward to yesterday even if both kids had been healthy since we had even more driving, but it turned out okay since Accalia slept most of the way. We drove 2 1/2 hours to Lake Wilson to pick up Lucy and then drove another 2 1/2 hours back home.

The kids and I slept in until nearly 8 a.m. I don't even remember when that last happened, but apparently we all really needed it. Unfortunately I think Cole and I may be experiencing what Accalia had. No vomiting - yet - but I've been feeling quesy since last night. Cole just went down for a nap after only being awake about two hours. We'll see, I guess! Whoops! Now it appears that Cole is away once again.

Cole is standing right next to me right now and screaming excitedly each time I type or each time the screen changes. We're leaving today for the wilds of Minnesota and won't be home until Sunday. No guarantees I'll be back online that day, but you can always wait by the computer in anticipation :)

Cole slept more solidly last night than he has for weeks. We woke up just a little before 6 a.m., and I felt as if I actually had a decent night's sleep.

Cory was home yesterday since it was Veteran's Day. He came to Accalia's dance class and watched. I was able to watch a lot more of it, too, since Cole wasn't trying to run onto the dance floor constantly. Accalia's definitely about the most enthusiastic girl there. I don't know about the other children, but Accalia's there because she asked to be and because she has a love of dance. Hopefully that's the case with the others. Definitely not with one of the little girls. I don't think she's even 3 yet, so I was surprised she was even in this class. When she and her mom arrive, she starts grabbing at her mom and saying, "No, no, no!" Her mom has started staying for class and watching her, and her daughter runs to her every chance she gets.

Other not-so-exciting news from yesterday: Cory raked and I continued preparing for my session at Leader Day. I have a bunch of stuff to do before we leave tomorrow, so hopefully I actually take care of it all. We'll be gone Thursday (after Cory gets home from work) and be back Sunday.

Today we're heading off to story time. I'm hoping today I get a chance to catch up on email, but I won't hold my breath.

Last night Accalia was disappointed because we couldn't see any stars. It was still fairly early, so it probably wasn't quite dark enough to see much. It was cloudy, too. The night before, though, we were running outside every 5 minutes to see the lunar eclipse. She loved that.

I can't remember if I mentioned here or not that I'm participating in this book contest judging. They send me a stack of books and I have to fill out an evaulation form for each. My category is parenting, and thankfully none of the books looks like it will make sick to my stomach with the author's theory. This morning, Accalia and I were having fun with one of the books - Pick Me Up! Music CD & American Sign Language Activity Guide. It really is a neat book. There are 20 songs, so we can listen to them on the CD and read the lyrics/try out the illustrated signs in the book.

Accalia's in the bathtub right now. After she's finished and we all get ready (I'm not dressed yet for the day), we're heading to the dollar store so the kids can pick out something.

Cory and the kids just left to do a bit more Christmas shopping. I have George Winston's December album helping me chill right now, so I can concentrate and preparing my session outline for Saturday's Leader Day. Really, I have to do it now. Seriously. I just had to plug out a blog entry before doing anything else. I have my priorities.

Yesterday's shopping expedition went fine. We were gone about half a day. We only hit three stores but got basically all that we wanted. We really splurged at Waldenbooks, both for ourselves and as gifts for others. What can I say? We're book people :) Then we headed to Toys R Us. Everyone was getting rather punchy by then, so we headed to lunch at Perkins where Cole was his usual charming self with the other patrons. Really makes me feel sad for Accalia that she didn't have more people oohing and ahhing over her since she was so shy at that age. Not that I necessarily want or need the adoration of strangers for my children, but I do want people to know how amazing my children are and that their personality differences add to that amazement. Anyway, after lunch we went to the pet store to pick up a couple treats for Lucy as well as some non-toxic ice melter. Then it was home.

So now I'm going to work on that outline. Wish me luck!

The rest of the week apparently just got away from me - at least with my blog writing. Since I'm up early with Cole (as usual), I thought I'd better update all of you. We're going to be gone much of the day doing a bit of holiday shopping in the bustling city of Sioux City, Iowa.

Let's see. On Wednesday, we went to story time and then to my co-Leader's house for a couple hours. On Thursday, we drove off to Mitchell to spend the night at my friend Sara's house. She was having an Usborne Books party that night, and I wanted to go but didn't want to drive home later at night, so I took the easy way out . Well, and since it has been months and months since I've been to Mitchell, it was about time to go. Accalia had a great time playing with Taylor (Sara's older daughter), and I spent most of my time keeping Cole from hitting her younger daughter on the head.

Cole appears to be a very, um, tactile greeter. I don't know why he feels the need to pat some children on the head each time he passes them, but he does. The funny thing is that he pats them like he pats Lucy, and he's much more gentle patting Lucy than he was when he started out. Each time Cole gives one of him pats, I'll always demonstrate a more gentle touch - "Soft touch, Cole," I say as I take his hand and stroke it against my face. Now when I do that Cole will smile big, give me a hearty pat right away and then give me a gentle stroke. LOL! He's on the right track.

Continuing on with the rest of the week...Friday we returned home to Yankton and really didn't do much after that. Cory watched The Hulk last night, and Accalia caught snatches of it when Bruce was changing into The Hulk. "He's soooo angry, Mommy" was Accalia's comment.

I'm off to rescue Cole from a pile of puzzle pieces.

Oy. Long day here. The kids seemed extra loud today, and I wasn't really in the mood for a lot of noise. Goes with the territory, though.

We had a few things going on. Accalia had dance and was so excited to show me that they're learning to do cartwheels. I told her that's something she'll have to teach me . We also learned that she'll be dancing in a recital in the spring. She'll be a bunny. Tonight Accalia was describing what she'll look like again and again and again.

After dance, when everyone was in the dressing room changing, I happened to overhear the end of a conversation between the mom and girl right next to me. I have no idea what they were talking about, but I heard the mom say, "You don't get to have an opinion about that." Isn't that just about the stupidest thing you could say to another person?

This afternoon I had a haircut. My stylist nicked my ear while she was razoring my hair and it bled for quite a while. She felt awful - said it had never happened to her before.

I also went to the dentist. Cory came home early to be with the kids. My front tooth chipped last year, and I had it repaired earlier this year. About a week after the initial repair, it chipped again. A couple months went by and it chipped this past weekend. My dentist said he saw what was causing it to chip again and again, so hopefully it's taken care of. I haven't been charged for these past two visits, so I'm happy about that.

We'll be gone a bit tomorrow. It's storytime and then we're heading to my co-Leader's house for a while.

Poor, poor George. I'm talking about our weeping willow tree, of course. Overnight we had a bit of snow and a good deal of sleet/rain. Today it's been doing the sleet/rain mixture on and off. Poor George is bent over and nearly touching the ground. I went out this morning and shook some of the ice off his branches. Hopefully we'll be able to pull him back up and rope him again so he's tall and straight.

Accalia was so excited to see the first signs of winter precipitation. We walked outside and she said, "Look! It's rain-snow!" Later, in the car on the way to return the pants I bought yesterday, she said, "Snow is my favorite food!"

So the Leader Day outfit update is this. I returned the pants I bought yesterday because there was too much flare at the bottom. I enjoy a little flare, but these almost covered my feet, and if you know me you know my feet are not petite (size 10). I found the perfect pair of pants at a different store for just a few dollars more. Yay!

Now we're off to the chiropractor.

It's going to be an early night for me. Cole was once again up between 5 and 5:30 a.m. this morning, and I had stayed up later last night to watch Saturday Night Live. We were on the go a lot today. My important mission was finding an appropriate outfit to buy for Leader Day. The contents of my closet are so very sad. I think the last new clothes I've bought in recent years have usually been either maternity clothes or stretchy clothes for those in between times postpartum. I found something. At least I definitely found the sweater I'm going to wear. I have the pants, but I think I'm going to look at one more store tomorrow and return these pants if I see something I like better.

Clothes shopping is a pretty traumatic experience for me. I just don't enjoy it. I'd much rather do it online, but then I never know how the clothes fit and I don't want to go through all of the hassle of returning or exchanging things. If I had the money, I'd hire someone to buy my wardrobe. Eek! I have the heebie jeebies just thinking of returning to the store tomorrow.

Cory and Accalia went to see Brother Bear this afternoon. She loved it. Accalia hasn't been to a movie in an actual movie theater since before Cole was born and Cory took her to see Lilo & Stitch. Then she wanted to leave part way through because she missed me. We've seen more movies at the drive in than in the theater since becoming parents, so I'm sure it was just as much fun for Cory. Accalia got all dressed up in a velvety dress and tights for her date with Cory. Cole and I did a bit of my clothes shopping then, and we were both glad to get home.

Cory and the kids just left on a shopping expedition. It's been a loooong time since I've had any alone time, so I'm really happy to be sitting here with just Lucy sniffing around by me. The practical, responsible side of me thought that I should really tackle all of the LLL stuff I have to do for Leader Day. Then the nurturing, smart side of me said that I should take this opportunity for some much needed renewing time. So that's the side I'm going with today.

Cole took a 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon. He has only done that maybe once or twice before. Hopefully this means he'll fall asleep a bit later tonight and sleep in a bit tomorrow.

The LLL meeting this morning went so much better than I thought it would. Besides my co-Leader and I, there were three moms there that I hadn't met before. Two I had actually talked to on the phone: one made the half hour trip despite the fact that she was busy with family and planning for her son's baptism tomorrow. The only lives about an hour away but used to live here and ran in the same LLL circles as my co-Leader. The other mom, who seems to be planning to become a member, is someone I know of since she's a familiar name in the homebirth and homeschooling communities around here. Her youngest is just a few days older than Cole and born with the assistance of my midwife.

Word seems to be getting around about LLL. I heard several people say today that other's were planning to come but had other obligations or were hoping to come because they really enjoyed it before. One mom called before the meeting to say she couldn't make it because she and her daughter were sick, but she was planning to make a donation to the group. Yay!

So I have hopes that our group will become active and a place for mothers to know they'll receive terrific mothering and breastfeeding support.

I'm beginning to know the pre-dawn hours very well, but I'm not terribly thrilled about it. I may have to start drinking coffee just to get going while Cole is in this early to rise phase.

The kids had a blast trick or treating yesterday. Late afternoon we took them around to all of the downtown businesses since they do a special trick or treating each year. That was really nice since there were tons of other kids out and it reminded me a lot of when I was little. We have barely any kids that come around our neighborhood, so it's pretty depressing. This year we had about six that came to our door. Of course we probably missed a few since we were also out for a while, but still!

When we went around our neighborhood, Cole and I just went for a couple blocks because it was pretty cold out and Cole refuses to wear a hat or mittens at this point. He was getting pretty cold and weepy by the time we got home. I told Cory I wanted to go to the next street over at least because that's where all of the big, old houses start and I wanted to get a peek inside :)

This morning we have our monthly LLL meeting. Hopefully the turnout is good. Today is also my baby brother's 24th birthday! Happy birthday, Jeremy!

Cole and I made an early morning run to Wal-Mart to stock up on a bunch of stuff. Included in all of that was a pink sweatsuit for Accalia. She's going as a pink ballerina fairy princess, but her original costume of tights and leotard is just not warm enough for our trick or treating temps of 30-something degrees. So, I came back home, presented Accalia with the sweatsuit, and told her all about how fairy princess's turn into snow princess's when the weather gets cold and their clothes change too. She was extremely excited to get more pink clothing (my mom must just be so happy!), so all is well.

As Cole and I came in the door from the aforementioned shopping trip, Accalia excitedly said, "Look Mama! I can jump rope all by myself!" And indeed she can. I've been helping her jump rope by having her stand in front of me while I man the rope and she jumps when it's time. She doesn't need my assistance anymore, though, and was only too happy to tell me: "I don't need help anymore, Mommy! I can do it myself!" Sniff, sniff.

Oy. An early start to our Halloween. Cole was quite restless throughout the night and was ready to be up around 5 a.m. Mama was not. So now it's nearly two hours later and I'm still not ready to be up.

Cory's staying home from work today. He's still feeling pretty awful. When he went to the doctor yesterday, she didn't even examine him - just looked at his chart and said, "Yup, it's the same thing as before" when Cory was telling her it didn't feel the same. So she prescribed an antibiotic that "should wipe everything out". Then I made an appointment for Cory to go to our chiropractor, who helped Cory feel much better right away. Dr. P. adjusted areas that affect by the prostate and kidneys.

Now Cory's up and I'd better go.

Poor Cory. He came home sick from work and is going to the doctor in about an hour. He thinks it's a kidney infection. He's upstairs resting right now. The kids are in the bathtub. Not sure what we'll do with our day now. We didn't really have anything planned. Kind of aimless today, I suppose.

Finally there's a report out showing that vaccination rates are actually quite high. You'll have to complete the free registration at "Pediatric News" to read this article, but the gist of it is that vaccination rates, except for Hep B, are at 95% or higher, which is what officials were hoping.

As a non-vaccinating parent, I really get sick of hearing the media and officials blame those of us who choose not to vaccinate on all of these outbreaks - whooping cough (pertusis) is the current one. What these same media "professionals" and officials fail to say is that the people who are usually passing on these diseases have been vaccinated. This makes sense, of course, since each vaccination carries with it the little gift of some of that particular virus or bacteria. They also usually fail to tell us that many of the people who acquire the disease during these outbreaks have also been vaccinated previously.

Vaccination is an extremely personal and very, very difficult decision to make, and I would never want to make a parent feel bad about the decision they do make. I just hope that it is a well researched and educated decision. It's a decision we certainly didn't come lightly to and one I still struggle with occasionally. Knowing what I know now about vaccinations and how our bodies function, as well as about the diseases children are vaccinated against and what other treatments are available, I feel that we've made the right choice for our family.

Oh, I found that link thanks to NVIC.

Mouse Trap is a fun game, but it's a pain in the butt to set up and keep set up! That's another one of our Goodwill games (just missing one piece) that Accalia has been playing today.

This morning Accalia and I were talking about the differences between our right and left hands, namely which is which. I showed her which was her left hand - "that's the one that you're holding the banana with" - and went on to say that her left hand is the one she usually uses for writing, coloring, cutting, etc. After a few moments of intense thought, Accalia said, "And my right hand is the one I use to pick my nose and butt!" Ah, my sweet, sweet, uncouth daughter!

We're heading off to storytime in just a little bit. Accalia's quite excited because there will be a Halloween theme. Last night Accalia and Cory carved pumpkins. He had told Accalia they would do it after the season premiere of "24" (priorities, ya know), and Accalia was running in every few minutes to ask if it was time yet. Cory's been enthralled with the Pumpkin Masters carving kits for a few years now, and this year Accalia had her own kids carving kit that included a wooden mallet and colored pegs (think Litebrite only much bigger).

After that, the evening went downhill. It was one of those nights where we were all tired and rather cranky. It was one of those nights when, if your four year old starts crying, instead of feeling concern and compassion you just feel annoyance. Ick. Thankfully today is off to a good start.

Cole slept in a little later today - until almost 6 a.m. Lucy's frantic barking at the newspaper carrier woke him up. I have to figure out a new nighttime diapering system. Cole is turning out to be a very heavy wetter - much heavier than Accalia - and is waking up most mornings leaking. Okay, I realize that I could just get up at some point during the night and change his diaper, but I'm really too lazy to do that on a regular basis. We use prefolds and Bummis Super Whisper Wraps all of the time, and at night I just add a doubler and a flannel strip. I really wish I were one of those people who loves to experiment with diapers and try out all different sorts of combinations. I'm not. I just want a diaper that works and stay up!

Okay, it's off to get us ready for some spooky stories.

Another early morning for Cole and me - a smidgen past 5:30 was our wake up call. I'm getting used to it, though, because it wasn't nearly as difficult for me to get up today as it was the day before and the day before that.

Accalia had dance today and was so excited because she wanted to show her Swan Lake "moves." Lucky for her they were having solo performance time in class so Accalia was able to perform her interpretation for the others. She was also thrilled because today she was the leader. I think that basically involves her being the first in line and leading the other girls from one room to another.

During dance class, Cole and I ran to Wal-Mart so I could price supplies I need to purchase for the Leader Recognition Ceremony I'll be in charge of at Leader Day on November 15.

Right now Cole is napping and Accalia is waiting for me to finish this so we can play Hungry, Hungry Hippos. Games have been her deal lately, and she usually only suggests playing them when Cole is asleep. I think she's figured out it may just be easier to wait to play them rather than risk Cole knocking everything over.

Right now I'm reading "The Culture Clash: A revolutionary new way of understanding the relationship between humans and domestic dogs" by Jean Donaldson. Definitely a must for any dog owner.

Yesterday I was searching for all sorts of sites to download sheet music from since Accalia was begging for different songs and I haven't bought any new music for myself for a long, long time. Lots of good stuff out there! I have a mixture of classical and contemporary pieces to try out now. I even downloaded The Simpson's theme song for Cory's sake. I was really pleased with Lori Line's site. She puts up a new song every month for downloading.

Okay, now to finish up and play a game with Accalia.

Accalia had fun today playing songs on the piano. I printed off a bunch of blank music sheets, and she composed her own melodies. She was very excited to show Cory what she had done when he came home around 6.

I was sitting on the floor with Cole playing with a few Matchbox cars, and I said "Can you make the car go vroom?" Cole then proceed to jump up and down (a skill he's been working on lately). Each time I'd say vroom after that he's jump up and down. Pretty cute, although I have to wonder about his comprehension skills ;)

Tomorrow is the season premiere of the show "24". Cory and I have been hooked on it since the first season two years ago.

With Halloween coming up on Friday, it's definitely put me in the mood for The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I think we probably traumatized our friends Heather and Jeremy when we showed it to them the first year we were living in this house in Yankton, which was going into our second year of marriage. Hee, hee, hee...

Cole continues his early mornings. Today we were up at 5:30. Either this is just temporary or his sleep needs are changing and I may need to try to keep him up a little later at night so that he sleeps in a bit in the morning. That would definitely be nice.

Accalia can play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on the piano! The other day she was playing games here. One of the games is a keyboard that has the notes along with songs in all different colors. She was showing me what she could do, and I said, "Hey, we could do that on the piano." "Cool! Let's!" was Accalia's reply. So this morning I color coded the treble cleft and started transcribing songs to match the colors. Her favorite so far is Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Then she requested Old McDonald Had A Farm. Now you can hear her sitting at the piano and saying "Green, green, black, black, pink, pink, black" as she plays the song. I write the names of the notes on the pieces of colored construction paper and explained that to her, but I don't think she really cares :)

Today I was helping Accalia brush her teeth, and I noticed that she had a bunch of red spots all over her gums and her tongue. She hadn't complained about her mouth hurting her, although after I asked she said it did. Then I realized I had seen these same red spots on the bottom of Cole's feet the other night. Cory did a little googling and I called my mom, and we came up with hand, foot and mouth disease, a pretty benign viral ailment of children. We did take the kids to the convenient care clinic, though, because I wasn't sure about the kids being able to go out and have contact with others since it's very contagious. All should be fine, though, when our social calender picks up on Tuesday.

While we were in the clinic waiting room, Accalia and I were looking at the fish in the aquarium. One of the fish was relieving itself, and if you've been around fish you know it seems to take forever and ever. Accalia noticed this, and her advice to the fish was: "It has to wiggle its butt to get the poop out - like this!" Then she went on to demonstrate.

Cory prepared supper - a lovely casserole - and we're just waiting for it to cook. It should be a quiet night around here.

Cole's starting to exhibit the crazy sleep patterns of a newborn. Lovely. This morning he sat up in bed at 3:30 a.m. wide awake. So we were up for an hour or so. Then both Accalia and Cole were wide awake at 6:30 a.m. Accalia woke up saying a prayer of thanksgiving: "I love my mommy. I love my daddy. I love my Cole. I love my Lucy. Amen." I could barely open my eyes at that point, so Cory got up with them and I slept for another couple hours.

Accalia's been complaining on and off all day that she's not feeling good. I'm not sure what's going on, but she's taken a rather lengthy nap this afternoon.

We took the kids for some pre-Halloween festivities at a local assisted living/nursing home. A bunch of the residents line up to hand out candy, and this year they also had a haunted room and a bunch of games and a maze. Accalia loved it. In the haunted room, she was more scared than curious and was looking in and under and at everything to figure out how it was all working.

The mysterious package deliveries continue. Today I received another package from the U.S. Postal Service for Amy Greve. This time there were Priority Mail envelopes, tape, and a bunch of customs labels. I am so confused, and I really hope I find out who ordered all of this one day.

Well, neither Accalia nor Cole much improved their moods today. Hopefully it will be an early night for both! Perhaps Cole's short temper is due to the fact that he's cutting four teeth right now. That would probably make me cranky, too.

Two packages were delivered to me today. One I was expecting. The other still has me scratching my head and really curious about who sent it. I was intrigued right away because the name on the label was Amy Greve. I haven't been Amy Greve for more than six years now, although sometimes my family forgets. The package was also from the U.S. Postal Service. Hmm. So I opened it and discovered a whole stack of Priority Mail boxes ready to be put together and used. Okay, since I've never ordered supplies from the U.S.P.S. and probably wouldn't do so under my maiden name, I called the number on the label to find out about the delivery. The operator told me the order had been mailed in, but that's about it. So now I have all of these ready to use boxes just waiting to be mailed, and I'd really, really like to know who sent them.

My good mood is hanging quite thinnly by a thread right now. Both children have been in rather delicate moods since they woke up. Cole is now nursing down for an early nap, so I'm assuming part of his bad mood was just not enough sleep. Even listening to the latest Barenaked Ladies CD that Cory picked up yesterday while he was in Sioux Falls didn't help. So he must be exhausted! We shall see how it goes with Accalia.

After I put Cole down, I think I shall shower. It's been a couple days, so it's probably a good idea :)

After six years of marriage (8 years of knowing each other and/or dating) and two children, I think it's safe to say that Cory and I are past that lovey dovey newlywed stage. I really do miss it sometimes, but I can't think of anyone I'd rather be with no matter what.

We spent the two summers before we were married living in separate states (he in South Dakota and me back in Minnesota living with my parents). It was awful. It didn't seem as if our visits and phone calls lasted nearly long enough. And this was before either of us had email - imagine that! - otherwise I'm sure we'd have been online every spare second. So we wrote letters to each other every day. Every day. And we saved all of those letters. Sunday was an awful day because there was no mail. Cory put together tapes for me, too. I have a dozen or so compilations of songs he made for me - with commentary :)

Gosh, we almost sound co-dependent, don't we? LOL! That couldn't be further from the truth, though. We just really, really enjoy being together. Good thing for a marriage :)

All of these sappy ramblings have just popped up because I was listening to an Indigo Girls cd while unloading and loading the dishwasher this morning. Cole was my little clingy monkey and laughed and giggled while I held him and we danced. Cory introduced me to their music (now we just need someone to introduce us to them! Jessica, I know you have connections! ;). We danced to "Power of Two" at our wedding dance. We saw them at Lillith Fair just a few days before our wedding. We just really, really like them in case you hadn't picked up on that.

Okay, now I'm losing my train of thought. A fairly common occurance unless both children are asleep. Oh, who am I kidding. I'm getting more and more absent minded with each passing day.

Now it's time to pass along the computer to Accalia.

We went to storytime this morning, where Accalia made a ghost out of a craft stick and tissues. They went outside to see if their ghosts could fly. The kids had fun - always seem to with all of the crafts so far - but I have to wonder just how small their budget is with the typical craft the children's librarian picks.

This afternoon we went to a park to feed the ducks and geese. As we were standing near the pond throwing bits of bread, Accalia turned and ran all the way to the other side of the park to the playground equipment. Cole and I followed shortly after. Accalia was just starting to climb up the ladder to a slide when she saw us coming and jumped down to the ground. "Mom, what are YOU doing here?" she asked quite innocently. I started laughing once I realized she had wanted to play on the equipment by herself. I love those flashes of independence she shows more and more each day.

Accalia's keeps asking to go to the "black park." I wasn't quite sure what she meant, and when I asked she pointed to the wheel of the van and said, "It has one of these that you can swing on." Ah. Okay, now I just have to remember which park has a tire swing. LOL! I think it's one by the lake.

I just love the decade series' on VH1 right now. The commentaries are usually hilarious. It was funny watching "I Love The 70s", but I wasn't familiar with a lot of the things they were talking about. Now that they're running "I Love The 80s", I'm remembering a lot. I was born in 1976, so I was becoming quite aware of the world around me as the 80s progressed. Smurfs, friendship bracelets, scratch 'n sniff stickers, Dukes of Hazzard, etc. etc. So a lot of those things were lame, I'll give you that, but I'm suddenly remembering all of these fads my friends and I went through in elementary school.

Accalia has discovered the humor in mooning us. NO idea where that came from. One day she just pulled down her pants and let the full moom beam upon us. It reminds me so much of my cousin Scott when we were in elementary school. I remember that happening quite a lot during recess.

For Halloween, Accalia is going to be a ballerina princess. She came up with a combination of her ballet clothes and Rapunzel like hat. Of course it all has to be pink, including her hair, nails, makeup, etc. Today we bough pink, glittery spray for her hair, and she wanted it on immediately. She loved it. "I don't like my old hair. I like my new hair!" Tomorrow she'll be heading to storytime with a reddish tint to her locks.

I think the fertility waters are flowing strongly in my group of friends and family. Cory's parents told us over the weekend that his cousin Peggy and her husband, Dalas, are expecting their first in June. Congratulations! We honestly didn't think they were going to have children. They've been married about 8 years, and we always had the impression that they weren't heading in that direction. Such wonderful news!

This afternoon the kids played in the bathtub for a while. They both got out at the same time. While I was drying Cole off with a towel, Accalia insisted on drying herself off with one tissue. Needless to say, she really didn't get very dry. She put a lot of effort into it, though!

Last night while I was reading this blog, I came upon a quote that really fit well with my new frame of mind:

"Dwell not on the past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirely different person, filled with love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed."
Eileen Caddy

It's been a good day so far. Accalia has been wanting to help me around the house, so we've made chocolate chip cookies and loaded and unloaded the dishwasher. Good stuff.

I was rubbing Cole's gums this afternoon - he was leaning into it like Lucy does when we scratch around her ears - and discovered that he has two upper molars starting to poke through! And I think he's working on a lower incisor or has been for a bit. Poor guy!

I'm feeling really at peace as the day ends. There have been a few things that have been troubling me for a while, but I've resolved them and am feeling fine with these things. I know - very vague - but this isn't something I really want to get into on my blog. I did want everyone to know there's been a shift in my mental state. A good one - just in case Cory starts looking for a therapist for me :)

It hasn't been a terribly exciting weekend around here, which is probably not such a bad thing.

After we went to lunch on Saturday, Cory dropped me and Cole off at the house while he and Accalia continued on with some errands. Since Cole hadn't napped, we figured he'd go down for a nap and then I'd be able to do a little work. Of course he didn't nap, but that was okay.

We all raked up leaves from the front yard so Accalia and Cole could play in a big pile of leaves. Cole and Accalia used their big plastic shovels from Discovery Toys to scoop up the leaves.

Cole is making his requests known in many different ways now. Yesterday, when he wanted to go outside, he picked up my big, clunky sandals and pointed to the door. Then, when he wanted to go for a ride in the stroller, he first brought Lucy's lease to me and then got my shoes and went to the stroller. So that was Lucy's lucky day, too, with an extra walk thanks to Cole.

Today Cory cleaned both our vehicles inside and out. They look quite lovely. Once Cole is awake and (I assume) the Vikings game is over, he's going to take both kids out for a bit. This means I'll have to focus on my session outline, I guess!

Cory and I watched "The Ring" last night. Extremely creepy!!! Horror isn't the first genre I pick out when renting a movie, but it's fun every once in a while. I'm a pretty big chicken after watching these movies, though. So after "The Ring" was over, Cory and I finished watching an Indigo Girls concert DVD we had also rented.

It's almost as much fun to watch a scary movie with someone who gets as freaked out as you. Cory deals with these things much better than me, although he did seem willing to go to bed at the same time as me and sit and read using a book light if I had insisted.

When I was a freshman at South Dakota State University, my friend Heather and I roomed together. We're both fairly chicken when it comes to scary movies. We rented "Silence of the Lambs" one Friday night and did that ever give us the heebie jeebies! After the movie was over, I remember us hanging on to each other and glancing over our shoulders as we went to the bathroom and went down to the dorm lobby. We both agreed that we wouldn't leave the other alone that night.

I thought for sure that creepy little girl from "The Ring" would invade my dreams last night. Nope. Instead I dreamed that it was the night before Leader Day, and I still didn't have an outline for the session I'm presenting. And my roommate for the workshop was Lars from Metallica. Not sure what that last part says about my subconscious :)

Today when I was wiping Accalia's butt (since this is my blog I give myself permission to tell stories about my childrens' bodily functions, 'kay?), she said, while making gagging noises, "My poop makes you sick."

"Your poop doesn't make me sick," I replied. "Everyone's poop smells pretty bad."

"Yeah," Accalia said, reflecting on this bit of wisdom. "I have too much poop. Poop, poop, poop, poop, poop."

Cole, meanwhile, has taken to pointing and waving at our weeping willow, George. We have a perfect view of him when we sit at the computer, so Cole likes to carry on little hand conversations with George as George waves back and worth in the wind.

Accalia and I picked up a pair of walkie talkies at Goodwill today for a mere dollar. They're fabulous entertainment and will be even more fun once Accalia has all of the motions down for what to press when she wants to talk and when she wants to listen. And the novelty is so great yet that it's even more fun to stand two feet from each other and talk on them rather than going into different rooms :)

Oh cool, Accalia can pick out songs from Swan Lake! She's listening to her Ballet Classic cd right now.

Gosh, it's been kind of a strange and stressful day for me. I have a ton of stuff to do for La Leche League, and I got my personal correspondence with several Applicants taken care of today, but I'm going to have to set aside a block of time this weekend to work on the session I'm giving at Leader Day in November. Hopefully it'll be nice enough for Cory and the kids to go to a park for a while.

This morning, a post-loss Cory said he has to get to a happier place now that the Cubs' season is finished. He said he had lost perspective of what it means to be a Cubs fan - "always being disappointed."

We had a bunch of errands to run this morning. After we left the post office, I was driving through the construction zone that has been our main thoroughfare through town since the beginning of summer. There was an oversized load ahead of me - a truck carrying a combine - and he was speeding through the construction. He came to a metal sign weighed down with sandbags and clipped it. He didn't even slow down. And here I was behind him with this sign flipping up and over into the single lane of traffic. Thankfully it didn't go far enough out that I couldn't quickly swerve around it without hitting anyone. I would have gotten his license and called the police, but he didn't have a license plate on the back and I wasn't able to catch up with him.

When we were at Wal-Mart, a man in his 40s or 50s came up to me as I was pushing our cart to the checkout lane. "Good gracious!" he said. "Don't tell me you are the mother of these children! I'd swear you were their big sister!" I smiled, thanked him and moved on. I don't think the man was completely all there, but it was still a very sweet thing to say - something no one has ever said to me since I became a mother. Not that they have any reason to! I think I pretty much look my age - 27 - which is well within the normal age range for motherhood.

Both kids just had a splashy, warm bubble bath, and I'm going to turn over the computer to Accalia: "I want to play Barbie!" And I think I'll try to get Cole to sleep soon.

Gosh, it's been kind of a strange and stressful day for me. I have a ton of stuff to do for La Leche League, and I got my personal correspondence with several Applicants taken care of today, but I'm going to have to set aside a block of time this weekend to work on the session I'm giving at Leader Day in November. Hopefully it'll be nice enough for Cory and the kids to go to a park for a while.

This morning, a post-loss Cory said he has to get to a happier place now that the Cubs' season is finished. He said he had lost perspective of what it means to be a Cubs fan - "always being disappointed."

We had a bunch of errands to run this morning. After we left the post office, I was driving through the construction zone that has been our main thoroughfare through town since the beginning of summer. There was an oversized load ahead of me - a truck carrying a combine - and he was speeding through the construction. He came to a metal sign weighed down with sandbags and clipped it. He didn't even slow down. And here I was behind him with this sign flipping up and over into the single lane of traffic. Thankfully it didn't go far enough out that I couldn't quickly swerve around it without hitting anyone. I would have gotten his license and called the police, but he didn't have a license plate on the back and I wasn't able to catch up with him.

When we were at Wal-Mart, a man in his 40s or 50s came up to me as I was pushing our cart to the checkout lane. "Good gracious!" he said. "Don't tell me you are the mother of these children! I'd swear you were their big sister!" I smiled, thanked him and moved on. I don't think the man was completely all there, but it was still a very sweet thing to say - something no one has ever said to me since I became a mother. Not that they have any reason to! I think I pretty much look my age - 27 - which is well within the normal age range for motherhood.

Both kids just had a splashy, warm bubble bath, and I'm going to turn over the computer to Accalia: "I want to play Barbie!" And I think I'll try to get Cole to sleep soon.

Gosh, it's been kind of a strange and stressful day for me. I have a ton of stuff to do for La Leche League, and I got my personal correspondence with several Applicants taken care of today, but I'm going to have to set aside a block of time this weekend to work on the session I'm giving at Leader Day in November. Hopefully it'll be nice enough for Cory and the kids to go to a park for a while.

This morning, a post-loss Cory said he has to get to a happier place now that the Cubs' season is finished. He said he had lost perspective of what it means to be a Cubs fan - "always being disappointed."

We had a bunch of errands to run this morning. After we left the post office, I was driving through the construction zone that has been our main thoroughfare through town since the beginning of summer. There was an oversized load ahead of me - a truck carrying a combine - and he was speeding through the construction. He came to a metal sign weighed down with sandbags and clipped it. He didn't even slow down. And here I was behind him with this sign flipping up and over into the single lane of traffic. Thankfully it didn't go far enough out that I couldn't quickly swerve around it without hitting anyone. I would have gotten his license and called the police, but he didn't have a license plate on the back and I wasn't able to catch up with him.

When we were at Wal-Mart, a man in his 40s or 50s came up to me as I was pushing our cart to the checkout lane. "Good gracious!" he said. "Don't tell me you are the mother of these children! I'd swear you were their big sister!" I smiled, thanked him and moved on. I don't think the man was completely all there, but it was still a very sweet thing to say - something no one has ever said to me since I became a mother. Not that they have any reason to! I think I pretty much look my age - 27 - which is well within the normal age range for motherhood.

Both kids just had a splashy, warm bubble bath, and I'm going to turn over the computer to Accalia: "I want to play Barbie!" And I think I'll try to get Cole to sleep soon.

"And, somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout, but there is no joy in Mudville --
mighty Casey has struck out." (Casey at the Bat)

No, it's not a mood of celebration here. I feel really bad for Cory. He's a true fan and taking it really hard that the Cubs won't be in the World Series.

Congratulations to my brother, Anthony, and his wife, Kathy! They just found out they're expecting #2 in May or June. Their son, Elijah, turned four today and is one of Accalia's favorite buds.

On an unrelated note, go Red Sox! And really go, Cubbies!

Today, on the way to my co-Leader's house in Hartington, Neb., Accalia and I were talking about the Cubs and how upset Cory will be if they lose tonight and don't make it to the World Series. A house we were passing in Hartington had a Cubs logo hanging outside, and Accalia exclaimed, "There's Daddy's house!" I also made some remark about praying for a win, and Accalia immediately set about doing so. It was so cute hearing her whispering a prayer in the backseat. Not sure if it was more for the Cubs to win or for Cory to be happy. LOL!

This did not make for a happy husband last night. Obviously I'm hoping for a better outcome tonight. Cory's brother called during the inning from hell (Cory knew it was him as soon as the phone rang), and when I answered started saying, "Okay Amy, what I need you to do is remove all sharp objects from the area. Then you and the kids needs to find a safe place to go."

Ever since the midwife we used with Cole went on trial, was found guilty and subsequently has to stop practicing in South Dakota, I've been pretty down about my birthing options. I've really dreaded the thought of having another pregnancy and going the OB/GYN and hospital route. Not that I couldn't make it a decent experience and not that other women aren't able to do likewise, but having a homebirth has been "it" for me, and I don't want to do anything less.

Well, yesterday my friend Karen emailed this link. I had no idea there was another direct entry midwife nearby who was practicing. I emailed her and we've chatted and it turns out that Yankton is in her coverage area. Sioux City is just about an hour from Yankton. Wow. You have no idea the relief I feel knowing I actually have an option again and can plan for another homebirth.

The kids and I have to get ready for the day now. Have a good one, everyone!

I'm sending out lots of hugs, prayers and employment vibes to you, Anne! What a scary time this is for you and your family. I'm so glad that you are looking for the positive in all of this. Anne's been a great friend since Accalia was just a toddler, and I've always loved browsing through her website.

I forgot to mention the big event that took place over the weekend. Cole had his first haircut at the barbershop where Cory had his first haircut. Cole was happy through about half of it and then became rather impatient. He looks quite dashing now and like such a big boy!

Accalia had dance today. Enjoyed it as she always does.

This afternoon we went to Vermillion to meet up with a few un/homeschoolers from a list I am on. It was a really nice time, and we all got along quite well. Considering there were about five adults and 10 children, that's pretty good! We met up at the thrift store, took advantage of a few bargains and then headed over to the kid friendly Coffeeshop Gallery to partake of treats and conversation.

If the Cubs win tonight, they're headed to the World Series. Go Cubbies! So watching that game and paying bills will be my excitement.

We're back and settling in after our weekend in Minnesota with Cory's parents. It was a nice time. Nothing too exciting to report, really. Cory brought along his Cubs shrine, and shockingly we ended up watching lots of sports.

Cory had today off because of Native American Day - Columbus Day in most other states, I believe. We all went to the chiropractor, but that was just about the extent of our wild adventures.

I took the test here to find out where I am on the political compass. I ended up in the libertarian left in the company of Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and The Dalai Lama. Who would have thought?

I can't believe I didn't notice it before, but Cole has another tooth almost completely popped up - this one on the bottom right. That brings the total to seven. And I think he'll have another coming through on top soon enough.

I'm slowly packing for our weekend away. I'm not being nearly as productive as I could be, though. Better get a move on!

Tomorrow we're leaving for a weekend with Cory's parents, so I won't be posting until Monday or Tuesday most likely. We haven't been to their house for quite a while, it feels like, since they've been coming to see us more recently.

Cole has been one talkative fellow today. His word of choice is "mom." It sounds so funny to me because Accalia has never called me Mom. She's always referred to me as Mommy or Mama. When Cole is upset because Accalia has something he wants or he can't reach something he wants, he'll come to wherever I am and yell "Mom!"

Last night Accalia got out of bed in the middle of the night, ran out into the hallway, took off her pajamas and came back to bed. No idea why she did that, and she doesn't remember doing it. As soon as she woke up this morning, though, she told me about her dream. She dreamt that the downstairs was covered with ice and that it was cracking.

This afternoon, after being inspired by my friend Amy's trip to a nearby state recreation area, the kids and I went out to our recreation area for a while. I asked Accalia if she wanted to walk in the woods. "Does it have a path?" She could barely contain her excitement when I told her there was a path. So we walked on that path until we came to some workers doing maintenance and had to turn around. Then we played on the playground equipment nearby.

Now I have to concentrate on laundry and packing. Fun, fun, fun!

Best of luck to California! I'm not quite convinced that Schwarzenegger is the man for the job, but I do hope things improve for California.

We're heading off to storytime soon, and that will most likely be the excitement of the day (or at least our outing for the day).

Yesterday when we were heading out to Accalia's haircut, Accalia was standing underneath our cedar tree in the front yard watching a squirrel run around in the branches. Once I had Cole buckled in his carseat, Accalia runs over to the van and says, "The squirrel threw something at my head!" "Oh, did he throw a nut at you?", I asked. "Yes!" was the reply. I did find a little seed in her hair, but it's hard to say whether it was thrown by the squirrel and if it was intentional :)

Cole's quite cranky so far this morning. Hopefully his mood improves or storytime could be an adventure.

The first words out of Accalia's mouth this morning were "I had a dream about a pink dinosaur!" How neat, I thought. I don't remember colors in my dreams. The dinosaur was friendly, but other than that I don't know what else happened in Accalia's nightly wanderings.

This afternoon when we were playing outside, Accalia discovered she had dirt all over her legs. "Look Mommy! I'm changing color!"

Just got a book in the mail today that I've been eagerly awaiting. Accalia and I are going to look at all of the beautiful illustrations in it after I put Cole down for a nap.

If you didn't hear Cory's scream tonight after the Cubs eliminated the Braves from the playoffs, it's probably because he muffled it with a pillow so he wouldn't wake Cole. My sweetie was a nervous wreck even though the Cubs had a four run lead in the top of the 9th. I'm thinking of going away for a while during these upcoming games with Florida so I spare myself the stress of watching Cory stress out during the games :) Okay, it is pretty darn cute, and I can't blame him since this is almost a century in the making.

Accalia was thrilled to go outside and look at the stars tonight, although her biggest criticism was, "We need to get rid of the trees so we can see." I had originally asked if she wanted to go out so we could see Mars and a few other really bright stars, but she didn't really care about those. We found Cassiopeia right away again, and then Accalia was pretty convinced she saw Cygnus (the swan), although I was having a hard enough time finding the Big Dipper! I need to get a good star chart so I have some idea of where more of the constellations are located. It was so cute watching Accalia out in the dark, sitting on our yard and thumbing through the book of connect the dot constellations that I made for her.

Cole is going through an extremely jealous phase right now. It doesn't matter who it is, but if I hug or kiss or hold anyone, Cole immediately lets out a yelp and comes running to me to take his place on my lap. Sometimes he'll just get a goofy grin on his face if he sees Cory and I kiss or hug, but usually he wants in on the action. What a hardship to have to shower an adorable 13-month-old with hugs and kisses, huh?

If everyone could just take a few seconds to send lots of really positive thoughts my way for tomorrow - positive "both kids will nap at the same time and for a couple of hours so Amy can work on LLL things" thoughts - I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!