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!

Cole fell asleep for a late afternoon nap around 4 p.m. Aargh. Not really what I'm in the mood for today, but I guess there are some things I just can't prevent. Poor kid has been taking morning naps more often lately, so I'm thinking he's probably going through a growth spurt and needing some extra winks.

This morning was another LLL meeting here in Yankton. It was a little disappointing since only one mother showed up this time - one who had been at the first meeting. I was rather annoyed with the local newspaper since they didn't publish the meeting notice until today. That'll give people time to plan, eh? I have to do a little more publicity before the next meeting Nov. 1. This past month just got away from me.

Today as we went from the library, to a restaurant to a store, I just noticed how unhappy everyone seems. So many parents yelling - screaming - at their kids, so many kids whining and moping, so many people just looking annoyed with life in general. Not that I don't feel that way; in fact, I've felt that way a lot more over the past couple years than I want to, but it just seems like such a sad way to live. How can you enjoy life when there's always something to be upset about?

I might have to think about supper soon. Cory's been busy putting stuff away upstairs and watching baseball playoff games. Go Cubbies!

Here's a place to go to possibly connect with other homeschoolers near you.

Now that the crisp fall weather is upon us - at least in the mornings - I really feel the need to update my tea supply. I don't think I've bought anything new since Cole was born, so my teas are definitely geared toward pregnant or lactating women: Mothers Milk Tea, variations of ginger and dandelion root. I finished up all of my red raspberry leaf tea long ago, but that sounds really yummy right now.

Oh, I was so pleased last night! I think I've mentioned here before that I really hope one of my children shares my rather neglected interest in the stars. Shortly after I put Cole to bed, Accalia said, "Let's go outside and look at the stars!" Her interest has been peaked by, of all things, her new Barbie of Swan Lake DVD. The game on the DVD is matching constellations, and she just loved doing that and hearing the stories behind the constellations. Well, it's kind of hard to get a full view of the sky since we live in town and parts of our view are obstructed by the large and still leafy neighborhood trees. And I wondered if Accalia would even be able to see the constellations when I pointed them out. We were successful with Cassiopeia. She was pretty happy to see and hear about the beautiful queen.

Now Accalia wants me to find a book about constellations, so I'm going to have to do a little searching. I have a feeling we'll be playing lots of astronomy games online today.

Cole's happily playing with a puzzle and Accalia is still sleeping. Lucy's barking to be let in now. Hang on.

Okay. We were gone for much of the day yesterday, and then Accalia spent the majority of the evening playing games at this site, so I really didn't get a chance to be online much.

It was a pretty good day overall, but by the time we got home both kids were quite cranky - probably trying to decompress from the day and just a bit tired. We started off at the library for storytime. I've noticed that Accalia seems to move towards the boys rather than the girls when she's in a setting with children from both genders. Maybe it's just my imagination.

Cory told me that he should really start giving me some of his cards to hand out to parents when I see them doing or saying certain things :) During storytime, I was over by the toys and puzzles with some of the other moms and infants/toddlers. One of the boys kept lying down on the floor and saying "Now I'm pretending to be dead." The mom said, "No, you don't pretend to be dead. Pretend your asleep." I think it's just a natural progression of childhood to wonder about death and to act that out in your play, although obviously there's probably a point where too much obsession with death could raise red flags. Don't think that was the case here, but the mom really wasn't comfortable with her son talking about death. Accalia's never really asked about death or played dead, but we talked a little about it last May when my grandma died.

After storytime (and after having to drive back to the library from about 5 miles out of town to retrieve the kids' jackets), we headed to nearby Hartington, NE to visit with my pseudo LLL co-Leader and anyone else who was at her bimonthly open house for moms. The turnout wasn't as good as last time, but there were a couple of her friends - moms who once nursed - and one of her daughters-in-law and her two kids. Accalia had a blast running around with a little boy, and Cole wasn't quite sure at first how to approach the little girl close to his age. We spent a couple hours there and stopped at the grocery store before heading home.

I think we're going out to the dam today to watch all of the people fish for paddlefish. The monthlong fishing season just opened up here. I'm really not thrilled about fishing and hunting as "sports" (as opposed to fishing and hunting out of necessity for food, etc.), but Accalia loves being out at the dam and watching all of the boats. Then we'll probably head to the aquarium if it's open. For the most part, though, I think today will be hanging out at home and catching up on things.