Busy packing

I have been so busy with this move. Today I spent all day making address changes. And I am still not done with address changes! I cannot wait for this to be all done. Come on Thanksgiving....I'm needing you to get here quicker.

Pumpkin seeds

I love pumpkin seeds. I love making my own. The store bought are too salty for me. And I really do not like the shells of the store bought. Now, when I make them I love the shells. Here is how I make mine:

Clean them
Soak over night in salt water
Lay out on towel to dry
Put in bag
Add a touch of olive oil and shake
Add garlic salt and shake again
Spread out on cookie sheet
Sprinkle with a tad bit more garlic salt
Cook in a preheated 250 degree oven for about 40 - 60 minutes
Let cool then enjoy

What's your favorite pumpkin seed recipe?

Halloween Baby Legs sale

There's a sale going on right now at www.babylegs.com. Get 75% off $75 or more on all styles featured on their costume page. The leg warmers are $2.50 and the socks are $2.00. Hurry over before they run out!

Stormy weather

Thankfully today is quiet. We are getting rain sprinkles and very mild wind. Brooke's school is closed today. By looking at the weather today you would wonder why her school was closed. If you had been here Tuesday and Wednesday you would understand.

We have had a major wind storm here. Two nights in a row we ate dinner by candlelight. Not because we wanted to but because we had no power. Tuesday it was out for about 10 hours. Yesterday we kept having flashes until we ate dinner. Then it went out for an hour. It gets real annoying when you are trying to bake cookies for Brooke's Halloween party at school and the power keeps going out. It puts a real damper on a fun project. But Brooke and I laughed about it. The cookies took 9 minutes to cook and I had to reset the stove four times. We were also trying to use the dishwasher so we had to reset that many times.

2008 Town and Country Minivan Review

My husband is awesome. For Wyatt's birthday he bought the family a 2008 Town and Country minivan. It is wonderful! It drives smooth and the steering is tight. It does not have the power of my old Blazer and I know it will not handle as well on the snow as the Blazer but I am loving the minivan. It fits the three kids in there nicely. I do not have to have Brooke in the front seat anymore. She is now safely in the back conveniently arguing with Madison about everything. But, I have a DVD player so the kids can watch the DVD’s and stay preoccupied while I drive. The best part is, I can put the headphones on them and then switch over to the radio and everyone is happy. Yeah!

Here are the reasons I am loving this minivan:

• DVD
• Headphones
• Heated leather seats
• Backup camera
• Airbags
• Airbag curtains
• The room
• The steering
• The storage
• The blue color
• The comfortable seats
• The stow and go seats
• The ride is comfortable
• The breaks are tight
• It handles great on bumpy roads
• And my kids love it!

 As I think of more I’ll add them. I know there will be more. I’ll post a picture after I take one. I am really impressed with the blue color. It’s not a dark blue but also not a bright blue. It’s the perfect blue for me. Thanks Dean at Don’s Auto Clinic for a wonderful experience at buying my perfect family van!

Happy Birthday Wyatt

My youngest turns one today. It's hard to believe that he is one already.

Trip down memory lane:
I remember his birth like it was yesterday. I still remember the nurse calling an IV tech in because they could not get the IV. I remember being taken to the surgery room and having the needle stuck in my back to numb me so they could do the c-section. I remember the nurses and anesthesiologist getting nervous because the doctor was not there yet to do the c-section. I remember feeling the pressure as the doctor cut. I remember how sick to my stomach I was. The anesthesiologist had to keep giving me medication to keep me from getting sick. I remember that first beautiful cry! I remember the tears rolling down into my hair while I stared in my husbands eyes after that first cry. I remember the amazement on his face when he heard boy. I remember his uttered words of "its a boy". I remember seeing his little face for the first time. I remember touching his little face and hands for the first time. I remember Wyatt opening his little eyes and looking at me for the first time. I remember them taking him to check him over. I remember his cries. I remember how daddy held his little hand for the first time while they were examining him and how he quit crying and stared at daddy. I remember his cries after daddy was pushed to the side. I remember being so impatient while being stitched up.

I remember finally being taken to recovery and being able to hold my son. I remember how quickly he latched on and breast fed for an hour. I remember his first bath. I remember right after that bath the nurse started talking about his breathing being fast. I remember being taken to my room and the nurse mentioning again about his breathing. I remember the NICU doctor coming in and asking me to try to breast feed Wyatt. I remember him saying he was going to take Wyatt to the NICU for 48 hour observation. I remember my son being taken away.

Kids growing up

One week from today will be Wyatt's birthday. His first birthday. My baby is growing up. He is the last. He is starting to walk. He can take anywhere between 3 - 6 steps. He prefers to crawl though since he can get there quicker.

Madison is learning to copy her name. She does a good job. She matches shapes very well too. She knows most of the alphabet and can read them. She can also make some of the letters. She is recognising her numbers 1 - 10.  She is like a little sponge. She loves to learn.

Brooke is learning to read. She is advancing quickly. Her class is also moving from three letter words to four letter words on their spelling. She has been passing her spelling tests. She has yet to miss a word. Yeah Brooke! But not all is rosy with her. Her teacher had to put her name on the board for talking. She is working on listening instead of talking. Luckily we work with her on her spelling and reading. The poor girl gets off the bus and starts homework right away. She does have a little snack before we start though. Today I tested her on her current spelling list and she got zero wrong. She also read five books to me. She is doing great! I am so proud of her.