Cold Winter Mornings

As I awake, the sky is still dark; the wooden and tile floors cold beneath my socked feet while I tiptoe through the kitchen, trying not to wake my family (Aslyn is awake which is why I am tiptoeing throughout the house.) I'm bundled up in a sweatshirt as I make a pot of coffee and watch the sky as the sun rises.

As JP and Logan sleep soundly in their beds, nestled beneath warm blankets; I quietly talk with Aslyn. We power up the computer to check e-mails and the weather report. Aslyn finishes eating, gives me a drowsy smile, and falls back asleep; she wiggles herself closer to me and buries her face in my sweatshirt. I sit here, savoring the moment knowing that all too soon, both my children will be grown and won't want to cuddle up with mom anymore. After a while, I put Aslyn down, wash the dishes and fold some laundry.

I hear JP hop in the shower, I begin making his breakfast and me another cup of coffee. He says he loves me as he runs out the door. Soon I hear the pitter patter of little feet running to me. Logan is now awake and wanting to snuggle up with mom. 

However, the snuggling is short this morning as he wanted to check on Aslyn...





And so our morning continues.  There is laundry to do, the house to pickup, lots and lots of playtime, and then it's off to work.  Logan is on Thanksgiving break so he will be spending the next few days at home with mom, dad, and Aslyn. 

Halloween 2010

It's hard to believe that Halloween has already come and gone!  We did our usual - carved pumpkins and then trunk or treat at the local churches.  They both have carnivals; one church changed their trunk or treat; you had to attend the carnival and play the games for your candy. 

This year's costume for the kiddies - a garden gnome and a toadstool.  I constructed the costumes myself which I was super excited about.  Logan's was the easiest; a pair of sweatpants, his snow boots, a henley shirt, and a beanie.  I sewed the belt on the shirt and got some fake fur at the fabric store, cut out a beard, add an elastic band and wallah!  A perfect gnome!  Aslyn's "stem" was one of those halo sacks that I got as a gift from the hospital.  Her mushroom cap took a little bit of thinking.  I  wanted the mushroom shape but also needed it light enough for  her little neck.  So....a bit of cardboard, a take out container, lots of  bubble wrap, some fabric and I had my little toadstool.

Logan's preschool had a big Halloween party.  JP and I were not going to attend at first; but after he heard a line in a song "Life is not the breath you take, but the moments that take your breath away" he decided to drop everything and go.  Everybody else here at already left anyway.  He came to the office where I was - not concentrating very well (I had just received some bad news) and asked if I wanted to go.  Now usually it takes me ten minutes or so to save, send and shut everything down - I was ready in less than a minute.  I'm glad we went; almost all the other kids' parents were there so we got to meet and mingle with them.  The kids put on a costume parade (Logan's teacher said he had the perfect build for a gnome!), they  made cup cakes for their parents, though the two Logan made; only one made it to JP and I.  JP ate the whole thing  - sheesh.  Different activities were around the room; paint a pumpkin, make a ghost out of paper plates and streamers, pumpkins made out of tortillas and orange cream cheese, etc.  It was fun to see all the other kids' in their costumes.  Such a variety!  There was Superman, Spiderman, Iron man, a princess, Daphne from Scooby Doo, and so on.

Pumpkin carving this year was mainly JP and Logan - Aslyn was hungry...again.  JP and Logan sat on the kitchen floor while Aslyn and I sat in the living room where we could see.  Logan kept us updated on their carving progress by after every step bringing the pumpkins to Aslyn and I so we can see.  First it was before anything was done, JP cut off the top of the pumpkins - Logan brought them both over and said,  "See?"  After the "guts" were taken out, Logan brought the pumpkins over to show us.  An eye, then both eyes, the nose, the mouth; he carried the pumpkins over.  I guess he didn't want us left out.  Of course we lit them and ooohed and ahhed.  Logan, "Woooww." 

Now--what to make for next year's costumes?....