Halloween

We had a great Halloween! John had the day off so once the kids got home from school we (finally) carved a pumpkin and then got ready for the evening. Riley was a vampire, Lauren was tinkerbell and Kate was Aeriel. Riley's new friend, Dafina, joined us trick or treating.

Pumpkin Patch and October fun

John has been out of town a bunch so we've been trying to squeeze some fun Fall activities in when he's in town. We've been to a few pumpkin patches, Sernbe Farms and had a fun time when my brother Ron and brother Rich visited a few weekends ago!

Stone Mountain

We finally hiked up the side of Stone Mountain. It's something we've wanted to do but since it's not stroller friendly we waited. The girls did great, hiked the whole way with minimal complaining!

We went camping!

Historically, I'm not a camper. I love the outdoors and will hike, bike, swim and hang outdoors all day long but when it comes to bedtime I love in door plumbling and my own comfortable bed minus any bugs, snakes and possibly bears. So John was thrilled when our friends Jeanette and Mike asked us to go camping and I said yes. An added bonus was other friends, Robert, Kelly and family joined in. John is a camper. Jeanette and Mike have gone with their kids several times and had a blast....so have Robert and Kelly. I was the rookie but was up to the challenge! Until the night before when I started to have an anxiety attack. But I pressed on! In the end we had a great time and we got to go to the "Apple Picking Jubilee" which was fun and the kids are still talking about. It was an adventure for me and while I can't say I've converted to camper status I would go again based on how much fun the kids (and John!) had.

Riley's Birthday

Riley had her 9th birthday party here at the house on her actual birthday, August 2nd. We set up various things in the backyard including a waterslide, slip and slide, badminton net and a limbo set. We also had Moe's (one of Riley's favorite restaurants) cater in a taco and burrito bar. Everyone had a good time!

First Day of School

Riley and Lauren started on August 11th! Lauren was very excited to start kindergarden and so far Riley has warmed to 4th grade. They rotate classes now which she likes. Kate started pre-school on August 25th. She likes school but had to get over the fact that she wouldn't have the same teachers as last year!

Pop- up Pancakes

These are so good and easy. Lauren and Kate made these with their cousin Sarah Jane. I ike to make these instead of regular pancakes because we can all eat at the same time!

http://www.makeandtakes.com/pop-up-pancakes

Fun at the lake

We've really enjoyed going to the lake this spring and summer since we broke down and bought hmmm....what should I call it? A lake house? no too fancy. A cabin? no too cozy. A lake shack. Yes that's it! It's very simple and a place to hang out, spend the night, eat and take a shower! The bonus is that we have a really nice view of lake martin. Even our dog, Griffey, loves it!

Summer Vacation

We travelled a lot this summer but our biggest trip was to the West Coast. It was quite an adventure! We flew into Seattle and rented a car. Over the next two weeks we visited family and many new destinations in Washington, Oregon and Northern California. We ended up driving just over 2,000 miles!!! I really thought I would have some classic stories of mishap along the way but the truth is the trip really went smoothly. I guess it's a sign of the times that the girls are growing up!

Happy Father's Day!

Okay so this isn't a picture from Father's Day but it is a recent picture of John and the girls! We went to the lake for Father's day weekend and had a great time. John's family joined us on Saturday and it was nice just to hang out and relax.

On Sunday it was just us and we celebrated John because he is such a great Dad and I'm am so grateful for that and so are Riley, Lauren and Kate!!!!!

We miss you Amy!

My friend, Amy, and her family moved back to Illinois at the end of May. I met Amy three years ago through the Moms Club and we became fast friends. If you met Amy you would be her friend too. She is kind and so funny! My kids absolutely adored her and her kids......for quite sometime Lauren and Kate wanted to change their name to Amy and would name all of their baby dolls Anna and Jack (Jack-Jack!). Riley still proclaims that Amy serves the "best snacks ever." Anyway, I miss her so much already!

Riley's Art Show

Riley had her first art show this week. She is in the art club at school. The entire school put on an art show with each child submitting once piece of work. Here is Riley in front of her painting!

Lauren's Birthday

I guess I was too wrapped up in the drama of Mother's day to start my first post with Lauren's birthday celebration! I took Riley and Lauren to see a local theartre production of Junie B. Jones and later that afternoon she had a gymnastics party with her friends. We had so much fun! On Sunday, after John and Kate returned from the ER we had my Mom and John's family over to celebrate Lauren's birthday and Mother's day! It was beautiful outside (but windy) and the girls had fun shooting water balloons (courtesy of all the Carraher boys) jumping on the trampoline and just playing in the yard.

Happy Mother's Day!

I love Mother's Day! It's a time for me to slow down and really think about the fact that I have three little miracles in my life. This thought gets lost in translation on many days. I also love the fact that I had one of my children on Mother's Day five years ago....she was three weeks early and I've always considered her birth as a gift.

I will always remember this Mother's day in great detail and maybe not for the most uplifting reasons but none the less it's part of being a parent.

The bottom line is that John spent six hours in the emergency room with Kate (three years old)who had been hit in the head with a wooden block (at close range!) by our active, sweet, fearless Lauren who turned five that day.

I was so upset on many different levels...Kate for being hurt....Lauren for what she initially did and then.....feeling so remorseful/the realization that she had done something very bad ...Riley for being a witness to this and was very freaked out by the blood. On a selfish note though I was also upset that Lauren acted out this way towards her sibling (am I not doing a good job raising my child???) but also this was Mother's day and it just felt like a slap in the face against everything I am trying to do and teach on a daily basis.

Kate is fine. She had a special glue applied to her wound to bind it back together. Once it dissolves we need to apply vitamin e and sunblock to the area to avoid discoloration and/or a scar. 1x day for the next year. I'll just add that to my daily routine.....aghhhhhhhhhhh!