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!