trick or treat.

carving the pumpkin.



turning on the scary music.

visiting the scary guy display down the street.

donning the costume.

trick or treating with friends.



a clear. balmy. starry night.

kids running everywhere.

tricks and treats in the air.

(picture courtesy of meme)

candy. candy. candy.

this is what halloween is all about.

for oh beehive.

thanks. thank you. thanks.

for the guitar. she takes it to bed with her....

5.

today. someone turned 5.

she was so excited.

thinking of all the things you can do when you're five.

she started off early and didn't stop telling me all day what she could do now that she is five.

laundry.

cooker.

ride her bike faster.

jump higher.

trick or treat.

lift her brother.

go to kindergarten.

go to bed all by herself.

get married.

love a llama.

walk twinkle.

be scary.

be big.

grow.

take care of her brother.



play all by herself outside.

read.

write.

color.

drive.

climb higher.

a busy day.

a trip with the other yulie to see ina garten, the barefoot contessa. she's my favorite food network chef and she was fabulous, of course. lovely in person and her new cookbook is beautiful.

today. someone turned 5.
time to play outside.

a halloween trick-or-treat party at daddy's work.

playtime with friends.

present opening.

dinner at her favorite play place and

home for cake and icecream and new stories.

she was so happy to be five.

"we can be five together, mommy! together!"

alone again.

all our company is gone. left today. the house is quiet (well, as quiet as it gets with littles).

it was a fun, but stressful week.

the symphony.

a football game.

a birthday party.

a halloween party.

surgery.

dance class.

could we have packed more in? doubtful. we had a good visit. the littles loved that mimi and poppy were here. they snuggled in each morning. read books and played and showed off. were so sad when they weren't here after school.

"where are they?" they ask.

"areplane!" he keeps shouting and pointing at the sky.

well see them soon.

wordle.

i love wordle. so much fun.

on a crazy but enjoyable and good food delivered by friends, post-surgery, pull your life and senses back together kind of day.

red.

the day i have been dreading. dreading. for months. came and went today.
eye surgery. on a two year old.

it was worse on us. he was nervous. but really unaware. didn't like the gown. wanted to wear his sister's flowered rain boots. wanted to chew on the iv. took elmo and blanket with him to surgery.



but he did great. he charmed the nurses. they wanted to make a video of what a good patient he was. the hospital and doctors and nurses were fabulous.

we survived. had lots of friends and family at the hospital as well as our pastor. to support us. it meant more than i can write. the calls and prayers and hugs were of a great comfort. it's difficult to go through this on your own. we are lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. thank you. from us and him.

he looks worse for the wear. bright red eyes. a tad bit crabby. tired. but his usual happy-go-lucky self. we are blessed.

mosey on over.

it was a cowgirl kind of day.

a girl turning 5.

a cowgirl theme.

a birthday party.



friends.



grand parents.

god parents.

the best of the best.

littles. lots of littles.



cake.


treats. games.



laughter and giggles.

a pretty day.



bandanas and sheriff badges.

i love an old fashioned type party. goofy games. imagination. homemade. i hope the thought comes through.

presents. a guitar from her favorite oh beehive and a barbie computer from her auntie juju and uncle john. a princess dress. and more.

uncle john manned the pinata. and guarded the cake. (worried that it would disappear without him having a layer...!) i think he had more fun than the littles.

juju worked cake and crowd control. socialized and flitted. did what she does best!

oh beehive created and manned the games. she is certainly handy with scissors and construction paper...



they are all the best. the best. creative. fun. caring. part of the family. couldn't have pulled it off without them.

and she. she was so happy to turn five. splendid she said. "splendid mommy".

too comfortable.

this appears to be a little too comfortable (at least for me to see) for him.

he seems to be a natural. sitting in a bar. at a table. on a stool. watching college football. with a beverage in front of him. can't wait until he's 21.

and no. don't worry. the beverage was mine. he had a shirley temple.

my vote is cast.

it's a done deal. done. can't change my mind. can't take it back...not that i would. i've voted. i'd much rather vote on election day. but. i'm working the election. not at my precinct. so i can't vote on election day. oh well. i'll still wear my i voted sticker.

we waited in line. littles were very excited. i was excited. they were chanting. talking. saying go.........! people were excited. interested. lined up. only a 32 minute wait...

luckily the littles quieted down when the line meandered in. class c felony you know. to electioneer. so no pictures of the inside. that's illegal, too. only the shot from the outside. boring. but. tells the story.

then it was off. to get yard signs. our neighbors love it....but it's all in good fun.

for you, oh beehive.

spotted on the streets. a few good ones.

not sure why.

but i think this site is crazy goofy.

they collect and post found grocery/store shopping lists. similar to post secret but not as dark and thought provoking.

seriously. who thinks of these things? the internet is a wonderful, wacky place.

here's one i love.

the red. the white. the blue.

(note to diane: just skip this entry!)

her: "can i go meet barack obama mommy?"

me: "sure. of course. someday."

her: "does he live by mimi and poppy?"

me: "he probably will someday."

her: "oh. does he go to the beach, too?"

me: "maybe."

her: "i thought so. does he like funland?"

me: "doesn't everyone?"

her: "who is that guy with white hair?"

me: "what? who?"

her: "the old guy with white hair. he looks like a zombie."

me: "that's not nice."

her: "he does. i saw it on scooby do."

her: "i am a patriotic."

me: "that's good. it's important to be patriotic."

her: "i love the red white and blue."

then she broke into song. her patriotic song. all about loving the red.white.and blue. i love that she's in-tune. that she's paying attention. i'll take her to vote tomorrow. she can get an i voted sticker. she'll be gaga for it.

fessing up.

i detest. hate. can't stand candy corn.

i buy it for my kids. my husband eats it. my mom loves it. but me?

i don't like candy corn.

disco duck.

no politics today.  

but did you realize that in 1976.  yes 1976.  this song was number one on the charts?  i have to admit i remember the song.  i remember dancing like a duck with my brother.  acting crazy. having fun.  laughing hysterically.

i remember.

no no no.

me - "i'll sneak a picture of him."

him: "no way mommy."

me: "ok no pictures"

him: "no pitures mommy! no pitures!"

me: "please?"

him: "nononononononononononono!"

him: "mommy!"

him: "NOOOOOOOOOOO PITURES MOMMY!"



so there was no picture (good at least) taking today. and he's only two. and he won't let me snap his picture anymore. what am i to do. a trip to the park and a popsicle didn't even buy me a picture.

she of course was posing away.

amazing.

the rally was. amazing. inspiring. exciting.

people were excited. people were polite. people were enamored and friendly and boisterous and excited. about politics. politics.

political rallys are terrific. there is passion. there is excitement. there is a sense of freedom. a sense of pride. a sense of patriotism.

flag waving. the pledge of allegiance. the national anthem.

every age. every color. rich and poor. the dichotomy of people was amazing. i loved that people brought their kids. "this is history" one mom told her son.

speeches. people sighting. clapping. shouting. singing.

the other yulie and i had a phenomenal time. it's times like these that make memories. we meet interesting people. we talked and talked (there was a lot of line waiting). we laughed and cheered and sang. we loved it.

all in a good day. a good day.

the quest for a decision.

so the twoyulies. together tomorrow. to finalize their quest for insight. for knowledge. for a decision. who to cast their ballot for.

obama will be here tomorrow. we're going to make the trek.

monday mccain will be here. we're trekking to that, too. it pays to live in a swing state.

it's time to get ready to cast that ballot.

it's time to decide.

but for tomorrow it's

recession, what recession?

so. i overheard this woman today. shopping. arms full of clothing. full. full of things. so full she was dropping things. she had so much. there was a comment made. from a clerk. nothing mean. just a "wow. you've got a lot there."

the woman gleefully shot back: "there's no recession in this town".

hmmm. no. but apparently there's a lot of ignorance.

well, quite frankly, me too.

well.  i would.  rather than be here.  i would rather be. in. colorado.  especially rather be in boulder canyon.  but i'm not.  i'm here.  but alex is there.  a board meeting-family trip-turned-boys trip-board meeting-football game.

but there were conflicts.  issues.  so things changed.  but i said it was ok, so i can't complain (too, much at least).  

but. i would. rather be in colorado.

thinking.

i've been thinking about a lot of things lately. politics. the economy. the election. the littles. surgery. but i've also mixed in a couple of lighter thinking thoughts, too.

one of which is what to do with my fireplace. now it's an ok fireplace. pretty standard fare for the suburbs. but that's the problem. standard. boring. look alike suburban fare. i'd love to rip the whole darn thing out and start over. no wood. no tile. something rustic and beautiful in it's own right. but i think that might push someone over the edge.

so i think. and search. and seek. there are so many options. so many thoughts. so many cool ideas. today, i am loving. loving. this photo and this idea from rita konig and domino.

how cool are all those photos above the mantle? clever. interesting. conversational. (actually i love the whole room. comfy and clean and welcoming.) but specifically the fireplace and mantel - no stupid tv above it. no standard picture. no fake flowers. it's so unexpected that you don't even notice the ordinary-ness of the the fireplace and mantle.

something creative. and clever and interesting. most especially interesting.

in the midwest.

there is an obsession with ranch dressing. yes. ranch dressing. i read an article about a new book yesterday, titled i heart ranch dressing and other stuff white midwesterners like (by C.L. Freie). hilarious. while there are a bunch i don't agree with (or have any idea why they would make the book - mules? novelty sweaters?). but the one about ranch dressing struck a chord with me.

a few years ago, my husband and i worked with a group of people from des moines, ia. they were infatuated with ranch dressing. any time we would go to out to eat with them, it would always be
server: "balsamic or ranch dressing?"

iowans: "ranch of course and extra please to go with dinner"

without fail. everytime. every.time. ranch. ranch. ranch. it's a bit of a joke with my husband now. he doesn't like ranch dressing, coming from the east coast and all (or so he says) and he still can laugh and tell stories of his ranch dressing obsessed clients.

so i guess i agree with the author on that one, but mules (the animals) i'm still confused by...

tattoo.

it was time for the game day buffalo tattoo to come off. wednesday is school picture day. the tattoos can leave marks. the school wouldn't be too amused by having the buffalo in the picture (get over it).

me: "let's wash that off."

her: "no mommy. i want to wear it forever."

me: "but you have school pictures."

her: "everyone will be jealous."

me: "right."

her: "but i look cool."

her: "and like a cheerleader."

her: "and you know i want to be a cheerleader."

me: "i promise we'll put it back on right after pictures."

her: "promise? really, mommy, promise?"

me: "sure."

her: "phew. i was worried people wouldn't know i'm a cheerleader."

i guess the tattoo and buffalo win again. so the tattoo came off, after i proved to her that i had another one to put on. wednesday. right after pictures.

realization.

i realized something today. and out loud. now, this. is. not. an earth-shattering. market correcting. problem solving realization. it is simply a realization. and i needed to blog. i needed to do something. something creative with myself. and my blog is my outlet for that creativity these days.

i realized. hold on. blare the trumpets. drum roll. i hate. hate. to finish things. well, not all things. but certain mundane. everyday things. and i came upon this realization as i was attempting. attempting to get things. done. today. now no psychoanalysis is necessary. no questions. this is just a simple revelation that i discovered.

• emptying the dishwasher. oh. how i hate to empty the dishwasher. i can load it. i can pile it full of dishes. i can even press the start button. i love knowing that it will be full of clean dishes. but man. i hate emptying it. hate knowing that it is sitting there calling me to unload it.
  
• putting away the laundry. i can do the laundry. i don't mind folding the clothes. but finishing the deal - putting them in the closet and in the dressers. what. a chore. ugh.

football afternoon.

i love these two photos. taken almost. exactly. 3 years apart to the day. same teams.
both at cu games. the first in boulder (obviously). and the 2nd in lawrence (not as nice a background - sorry diane!).

she. still enjoying her buffs. loving them as much as her daddy. making her daddy so proud.
alex. of course, without question enjoying them. despite the run of late.
three years later she sings the fight song and does the cheers. 12 years from now he hopes she'll be a buff...

we had an amazing day in lawrence. a huge tent on the hill. 250 cu fans. grills going. beer in the coolers. black and gold. flags. pompoms. shot glasses. the marching band and cheerleaders. surrounded the tent and played and played. a gorgeous day. spirit and cheer. rivalry. not such a good game. but fun. good. good fun. nothing better than a fall college football afternoon.

the patch.

a field trip to the pumpkin patch. littles. everywhere. little pumpkins, too. little sad. pathetic. pumpkins to pick.

my littles had fun though. through the (hardly) haunted barn (not scarey). watching the pumpkin shooter (lame). digging in the corn (gross). riding the john deere trikes (cute). laughing and running around (good). feeding the goats (expensive). trying to find a pumpkin in the patch (lame. most were rotten and the size of your hand).

but the guy screaming at the patron as we walked out just sealed the trip for us. was it really necessary to scream you mother - XXXXX ----hole at him as kids were walking by? was it really necessary to keep it up and scream it again? you knew people were watching. what did it solve? what did it get you? other than people who won't come back? was he really doing something so terrible? thanks for the experience. that's all my littles talked about in the car...

the cost of a cold.

ailing. under the weather. sick. yucky.

that's how i feel today. my second cold in as many weeks. according this ww2 poster, if i took better care of myself i could help my country out by making tanks, bombers and rifles.

it made me wonder what this poster would say today? how many points we could save on the dow, how much more we could pay in taxes, how many more bad political ads we would miss? it makes you wonder. made me. wonder.

my reality.

m: mommy do you love me?

mommy: why of course i do.

m: so if my room is a mess you'll still love me?

mommy: of course i will. why?

m: i was just checking. i wouldn't joke about that.

mommy: do you want me to check out your room?

m: no i'll check. but you'll still love me?

moments later she was twirling around her room (that looked like a tornado had blown through) in her bathing suit and tutu dancing and singing her heart out.  
to the dixie chicks "cowboy take me away".  how could i get mad at her doing that?  outwitted again by a zany 4 1/2 year old.  ah my days.

noticing project.

today. i'm starting a new project. aptly named the noticing project. i've attempted project 365 days at least 5 times. i've gotten to around 100 days and then stopped. this time i'm determined to keep it going. past 100. past 200. all the way to 365. we'll see. i'll put a link under wonder if you're interested in following my progress.

365 pictures of things i notice in my world. things that happen. things i do. i'm hoping to capture on film happenings. doings. things. like i said we'll see....

in the kitchen.

fall is coming today. i'm starting to feel it in the air. smell it. don't you think the seasons have a certain smell? i was inspired by the rain. the chill in the air.  to get in the kitchen and make some soup.  steak soup.

of course i don't like steak. so i made it with ground turkey breast. but nonetheless it was yummy and filling and made it feel officially like fall. soup. and this recipe. always seems to be the one i go to early each fall....

lots of chopping and dicing. puttering and stirring.  but in the end well worth the effort.

just another day in the park.

a beautiful fall day and excess energy called for some time spent at the park today. the littles love going to the park. climbing and swinging. yelling and shouting. running and jumping. acting like monkeys.

burning off all that energy. a good time until little two found a left behind chapstick. i never realized how greasy that stuff is until i tried to get it out of his hair. all in the name of fun.

how and why.

when my aunt was in town recently after my brother's wedding, she left some delightful books for me that were my mom's as a child. i just love looking at them and reading through them..

they are called the "how and why library". covering everything from "my hero, to my nature, my storybook, my knowledge and my travels". stories about interesting people, presidents, inventors, people. places. things. teaching. learning. i must admit. i would have loved these books as a kid. the illustrations. the wonder. the goofy stories. intriguing.

little one is enthralled with them. i couldn't be more pleased. anything to stave off dora and friends. the thought that grammie had these as a kid is especially enthralling to her. we both love that grammie wrote notes in them...as pictured. i love that she loves old things. wonders about them. wants to "know". loves to go "adventuring" in hunt of treasures. loves that she appreciates people and memories. loves that old things have meaning for her.

so we'll snuggle in and read. read about heroes and history and why things do what they do.

10 years.

can't quite believe it. it's been 10 years ago that alex and i got married. 10 years.

that's a whole decade.

• 3,650 days.
• 87,360 hours.
• 2 littles.
• one dog.
• 520 trips to the grocery.
• 23 trips to colorado.
• 1 trip to montana.
• 6 trips to santa fe.
• 2 santa fe opera showings.
• 3 trips to minnesota.
• 6 royals games.
• 3 trips to florida.
• 36 flower arrangements.
• 4 trips to austin.
• 14 weddings.
• 1 trip to california.
• 3 chiefs games.
• 1 trip to chicago.
• 1 trip to north carolina.
• 2 dog surgeries.
• 4 trips to salt lake city.
• 3,850 bike miles.
• 5 trips to washington dc.
• 1 trip to saint louis.
• 4 sets of dishes.
• 18 trips to the beach.
• 7 cars.
• 157,430 miles on the cars.
• 10 christmas trees.
• 4 surgeries.
• 19 colors of paint.
• 3,460 lattes.
• 2 presidents.
• 120 cu football games.
• 1 big twelve championship
• 10 years of crazy fun times.
• 
  

zz top.

yep. that's right. zz top. those that know me well. know. that i would never. never. want to go to a zz top concert. at least one that i would have to pay for.

the samples. mindy smith. dixie chicks. shawn cassiday. flock of seagulls. brent dennen. u2. sting. paul simon. john denver. the rolling stones. sheryl crowe. big head todd. bare naked ladies. those i would pay for. those i would go to. have gone to. have loved. loved.

zz top was not on the list. but that's what the birthday boy wanted to do for his birthday. so that's what we did. it didn't hurt that we sat in a suite. and got to enjoy the comings and goings of the crowd from above.

the venue was great. the redone midland theater is gorgeous. gorgeous. the company was fun. the drinks were tasty. the concert was actually fun. but the crowd watching was the best. zz top groupies. tank tops and tight jeans. big 80's hair. screaming. screeching. yelling. air guitaring. panty tossing on the stage. fuzzy guitars. bass. lots and lots of bass. dancing insync (clearly they laid the path for insync). loved it. loved it.

happy. happy.

birthday to my alex. yep. today is his birthday. another year. another birthday. tonight we're going to celebrate by attending a very special concert. more about that in a later post. this one is about alex.

alex is the best guy ever. the best daddy and the best husband. i remember celebrating his birthday ten years ago. my. how things have changed for us. he is adored by many littles. they can't get enough of him. he is kind and thoughtful and calm. very calm. i could use some of that calm for me. a rationale. especially when i am not (which is not very often, but sometimes.)

he cleans. he loves to vacuum. he builds. he paints. he mows the lawn. he plays. he laughs. he loves to eat good food and drink good wine. he works. hard. he loves CU. he loves to travel. and be with friends. he is loyal and true and honest and thoughtful and kind and i love him very much.

happy birthday, big al.