Lone Pine

 The kids didn't  have school on Friday and I felt like we really needed to do something fun together.  When you start to look at your kids as problems instead of people something fun needs to happen.  Hypothetically speaking that is.  We headed out  to Lone Pine Farm to check out the Halloween festivities.  Of course it was packed full of well dressed moms trying to get great fall photos.  I had my camera out too and a strategically placed baby to hide my wardrobe.   Daisy and Rocky were really into  feeding the goats...not that I paid the quarter to buy feed.  They just ran  around and picked up pieces that had been dropped by other kids.  There were a couple of moms that looked concerned but I thought it was great.  I was impressed by their resourcefulness and glad that they weren't whining.

Rosy was interested but definitely kept her distance.

City Girl

 We took ten pictures on the bale of hay and that was the best we could get but  we only took one with the face sign and it was perfect on the first try.

Nailed it.

 I paid an exorbitant amount of money for the three of them to ride the cow train and it was more than worth it.  This picture pretty much erased the trouble the three of them have put me through in the last month.

 We ended up leaving with a caramel apple as big as Ike's head.  I have never even heard of apples getting that giant.  The only thing that comes close was the size of Daisy's eyes once she saw it.  I knew that I had to be the cool mom and buy it for her.  That is why we are still pumpkin-less.  There was no way I was going to be able to carry the apple and a pumpkin so we took a family vote and it was unanimous.
I had planned on taking a picture but it was eaten before I had the chance.  It was the second best moment of the season.

Bonus Picture:  Rocky made the crown and took the photo.

Pumpkin Pie

Who is this guy?

 I was  trying to get a picture of Ike smiling when I put his hat on but we were having trouble with the hands.  I didn't have enough of them to put the hat on and take the picture at the same time and his kept going into his mouth. 

 Yesterday Rocky let out a scream and said, "I think there is a spider on Ike."  I ran in and they laughed pretty hard at their little joke.

Terrifying

Potty Time

 I knew that when Rosy decided that she was interested that potty training would be easy.  That is maybe the only good thing about being stubborn.  When she makes up her mind there is nothing that can set her back.  I took her to Costco to look at the books and choose a prize and  instead we came home with a giant  tub  of Red Vines.  We sort of  accidentally stumbled on a great way to outsource some of the training.  Instead of having her eat all that licorice herself she was able to share it.  When she used the potty everyone around got a prize.  She loved  having the power  to hand out treats to her friends  and they all got really good at asking her if she needed to go.   There is nothing like a little bit of peer pressure to get things really moving.  Before long she finished her chart and is now in unders for good.

 She chose Sofia the First and they look pretty cute on those little buns.

Too accurate?

 I overheard Rocky playing the other day and realized that she was calling  her moose Auntie Judy.  The real Auntie Judy is my aunt and she  is a favorite with our family.  When I realized that the job of the moose was to take care of all the little stuffed animals I wasn't surprised by the name choice.  She does a good job too.  Look at those little critters all snuggled up.
Rocky has always been a genius when it comes to names.

Best Buds

 Rosy and Ike are best buds.   I am pretty sure that Ike likes Rosy but there is no doubt that Rosy absolutely adores her little brother.  She won't  take a nap unless he is right there next to her.  They spend a lot of time hanging out which means that I spend a lot of time  saying, "Give him some space."
She likes to  crouch above him and squeeze his cheeks and it drives me crazy because I want to be the one crouching above him  and squeezing his cheeks.

That is my Avengers pillow, thanks for asking.

 I have started getting back into my running groove so Ike is getting to know Eugene in an up close and personal way...at least the three miles surrounding our apartment.
I made a little pumpkin  hat for my friend's baby and then when I tried it on him I decided that he just had to keep it.   When I slide it on his head he always opens his mouth into a giant smile.  He loves it.

 Bonus Picture: 

Jogathon

 Just about every school around here does a jog-a-thon to raise money.  I haven't ever been able  to go before.  And when I say that I haven't been able to go what I mean is that I try and avoid anything at the school.  Everybody at Buena Vista  is incredible, it isn't their fault, but since I am not in the parent organization and I don't volunteer I feel GUILTY whenever I am in the vicinity of the other parents.  They are all buddies and I probably just seem like I am snobby, but the truth is that I feel too awkward to join in.  I have thought about this a lot because I have a secret fear that I don't remember how to make friends.  I know...I should probably go to therapy.  I think the problem is that any time I set foot  on school grounds I am hauling around (a usually screaming) Rosy and have Ike in a front pack.  I then pick up my two older girls and the neighbor boy that I drive home and we basically look like a circus.  Every single day the only thing anyone ever says to me  is, "Boy, you look like you have your hands full."  I just laugh to myself because actually when Ike is in the pack my hands are the only thing that are free.  It just isn't a good situation for making pals.
Last year when Rocky got picked to "Roll in the Dough" I decided I was going to be more supportive and it has actually been pretty fun.
I am still kind of a crappy mom though because I used the jogathon to get my workout instead of volunteering.  
Even if I only did good for myself it was worth it to be there with my girls.  They both ran so hard  and I was so proud.

 Daisy was one  lap short of 3 miles and Rocky ran 3.5.  They ran at different times so I really ended up getting a good couple of hours of exercise.  In my experience the secret to running is distraction.   It works for me when I go with friends, or when I have a great podcast to listen to.  By doing those OTC 5ks I have found that if I can get a good story going they will run for miles without even noticing they are getting tired.  At first Daisy wanted to run with her friends.  The double jogging stroller was kind of cramping her style, but once her friends all peetered out she came back to me.  I started to tell her the story of The Princess Bride. 
I got to the Cliffs of Insanity before they sounded the bell. 
Rocky was more interested and we got a lot further.  The Man in Black was just about to be pushed down the hill and reveal his true nature "As you Wish!!" and we had to stop there.  Oh the suspense.

 I am so proud of Rocky and Daisy because I think they are learning how to pace themselves and how to keep going even when it feels hard. 

 In the end it was pretty cool that I don't have any mom friends at the school because I got to hang out with my favorite buddies the whole time.