random observations: humility

this morning, aidan asked if he was going to school. i informed him that no, he's out of school this week due to conferences, and that i would be meeting with his teacher this afternoon. here's the conversation:

aidan: "why are you meeting with mrs. mcginley?"
mom: "oh, just to talk with her about what you're doing in school, and how you're doing with your schoolwork. "
aidan. "oh. well, i guess i'm doing pretty great."
mom: "alright then, good to know."

carving pumpkins...

i looooove fall. it's almost as good as spring, which is my all time favorite. granted, fall has food, decor and fun activities all over spring, but feeling that first warmth after winter trumps just about anything fall has to offer. anyway, the kids are finally old enough to enjoy carving pumpkins, so on saturday we picked out some winners to carve for family night. we had our favorite easy-peasy chicken pot pie — nothing says fall like chicken pot pie!

carving these pumpkins took some extra effort, especially on my part. i was working on about 3 1/2 to 4 hours of sleep due to this sinus/cold thing that jack, aidan and i have. the kitchen is a Mess, but they turned out great, and the kids are super proud of their pumpkins. aidan wanted the fiery jack o' lantern, and mia just wanted something that looked "mean."

after finishing our jack o'lanterns, we lit them up on the front porch. it was sooo much fun, and the kids loved it. did i mention that i love fall?

it went against all that is good and holy in aidan's world to stick his hand in that pumpkin and pull out some gooey pumpkin innards...

i love aidan's "scary face" juxtaposed with mia's princess pose.

mia's scary happy pumpkin

aidan's fiery pumpkin

week in review: 13 october - 19 october

not much to report early in the week...just our typical schedule.

on thursday, i worked in aidan's class again. i cut and folded and taped for an hour and a half, and it was great! the best part was when i overheard aidan say to his neighbor at his table, "i love my mom!" it was time exceptionally well spent!

later that day, the kids went to grandma littlewood's for what will be a weekly "date with grandma." after she got home from work, she picked them up and took them to her house for some halloween crafts. i got some stuff done, and my mom and the kids got to spend some quality time together.

on friday, aidan went on his first field trip at Johnson Farms. i couldn't go due to childcare issues, plus jack had come down with a cold the night before. we went there last year, so i knew that aidan would have a blast. here is a photo of the bus getting ready to leave! i need to ask the room mom who went if she got some good photos!

i made aidan pose with his pumpkin he brought home from johnson farms. the second he got home, he immediately drew a face on it. note the cute blue river t-shirt.

friday night, bob had to work, so the kids and i had a scary movie night with the mac's...turns out labyrinth was too hardcore for aidan. i actually got a mini chewing out from bob for letting the kids watch a scary movie. since when were muppets and jim henson "scary?" well, everyone had fun, and i know there are no long lasting ill effects.

saturday means soccer, and aidan's game was a nail biter as usual (i'm kidding). grandpa littlewood came to the game, which was a highlight for aidan. aidan didn't get his three goals this week, but he says that he's going to keep trying! he was still awesome. bob was so proud that he actually pushed back when one of the opposition's players kept getting aggressive with our team. it's hard as a mom to encourage that, but what are you going to do?

grandpa littlewood and aidan

our team celebrating after a goal.

later that day, we went to lunch and sat on the patio. it was a perfect day...i am loving fall this year. afterwards, we went to hen house and picked out some pumpkins for carving.

family of pumpkins

sunday. just as we were headed out the door to church, jack did this. i'm considering a class action lawsuit against the maker of these "non-spill" sippy cups for emotional distress and resulting general malaise. why did i take a picture? it was just such an impressive piece of work and the camera was right there — but mostly, i had to find the "joy in the journey." it worked, and i cleaned it up while whistling a little tune. well, that's a stretch. my question is, how does such a tiny splatter of milk gain such velocity that it ends up splashed 15 feet away, and the other side of my kitchen cabinet?

for sunday dinner at my mom's we feasted on wild boar chop suey. chop suey is a favorite family dish that my grandpa (lolo) bulseco used to make. my mom used the wild boar from the steven's freezer — it was delish!

more random musings...

today's random observation is from mia. she has been known to come up with some really out there commentaries, i just have no idea where she gets it from! so tonight while we were watching mary poppins (can you believe that in this day and age, my kids love mary poppins? i consider that a personal triumph!) mia asked if mary poppins was "in our world." that's her way of asking if she's a real person. so i say, "what do you think?" this is my stock answer for when i don't know how to respond. this is her reply:

mia: "i think mary poppins is in our world."
mom: "really? where do you think she lives?"
mia: "in Utah."
mom: feigns agreement in an effort to stifle hysterial laughter.

happy 13th anniversary

what can i say about this guy i love? he is my best friend. i still involuntarily smile when i see that it's him on the caller id. i look forward to when he gets home from work (and no, it's not just because i have help with the kids!). even though we're so different in so many ways, we love to spend time together. he is my rock... i know without a doubt that he will always be there to take care of me and our family. even though we are notorious bickerers, we never go to bed mad at each other, and he's always the first to apologize.

he's incredibly patient with all of my idiosyncrasies, and loves my family regardless of theirs! we've grown up together and i admire the man he's become — a great husband and a wonderful father. in the 16 years we've been together (do the math...that's 1992!) we've been through a lot: 2 (and a half!) college degrees, a move across the country (yes, he came here for me!), 2 trips to europe, 7 years working together (if you can survive that...), the birth of our 3 beautiful kids, and all that good and bad stuff in between that makes up our lives. i am thankful for all of it, and most of all, for him. happy 13th anniversary!

here's us in the early days! i had an awesome photo of us on the senior float (we weren't dating yet), but couldn't find our senior yearbook!

all grubby after a day of horseback riding at squints ranch. yes, that's my parents' orange vw bus in the background...it was almost my first car! were my eyebrows really that thick?

in front of bob's other "baby," his first car, a 1970 mustang. his little sister, courtney is now grown up and a mom herself!

circa 1994/1995

pumpkin gooey butter cake

this is honestly one of the best fall desserts ever. i'm not a huge pumpkin pie fan, but love pumpkin, so i've set out looking for yummy dishes with pumpkin. this dessert is hard core...not for the faint of heart (or dieting). i made this for sunday dessert, and even though it's 80 outside, it still feels like fall to me! the bottom has this cakie/cookie-ish crust, then the top filling is a creamy pie like concoction. let me know if you try it!

Cake:
1 (18 oz) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 TB butter, melted

Filling:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
8 TB butter, melted
1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine cake mix, egg and butter and mix well w/ electric mixer.
Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13x9 baking pan.
To make filling: beat cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla and butter; beat. Add powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well.
Spread pumpkin mixture over cake mixture and bake for 40-50 minutes.
Do not overbake — center should be a little gooey. Top with whipped cream!

variation which i have not yet tried, but sounds too good to be true:
Peanut Butter Cake. Use chocolate cake mix instead of yellow. add one cup creamy peanut butter to filling instead of pumpkin.

week in review: 6 october - 12 october 2008

pretty slow week to report...

on monday evening, bob and i got to go see a movie — it seems like we haven't been out in ages. room parent meeting on tuesday, dinner with the missionaries on thursday. mia had her first school photos this week, and she assured me that she did her best "princess smile." you never know with that girl! friday, playgroup at louisburg cider mill (see earlier post).

big news on the soccer front: aidan scored TWO goals on saturday. he is so loving it. he only has a couple more games left in the season, and has told me that next week, he has to score three goals, then four, then you get the picture. what can i say, the boy makes plans! later that day, we went to suburban lawn and garden, and while mia and aidan drove around with bob in a golf cart, jack and i shopped for some pretty plants to go in our fall planters. it was a perfect weekend.

random observations

just trying to document the random musings of my children before i forget...these are from today.

this morning when we're all lounging in bed together:
aidan: "red isn't my favorite color anymore (used to be, because it's lightening mcqueen's color...my baby isn't interested in the movie cars anymore — he's growing up!) because red means STOP. green means GO, so that's why it's my favorite color now."
jack: "gah."

on the way to church:
mia : "vampires live in the forest. i don't like vampires, they're scary."
aidan: "ya. vampires are scary. but they're kind of cool. but they're kind of bad. they drink blood. that's not good."
mia: petrified silence.

during lunch:
mia: "baby dogs are like this tiny (demonstrates about 2 inches with her fingers)."
aidan: "yes, but when they are baby dogs, they are called, puppies."
mia: "but when they're really, really tiny, they're called, pups."
aidan: nods in agreement.

louisburg cider mill

fridays are playgroup, and sometimes we go all out and do a super-duper playgroup. today, we went to the louisburg cider mill, which is about 20 minutes south of overland park. we've never gone, so it was time. the turnout was good, and once we all shelled out the small fortune for entrance, we started out in the corn maze. i never knew that it would be so difficult to navigate a corn maze with a stroller and 3 kids. of course, aidan and mia took off with friends and were soon separated from me. we kept running in to all the moms, and at one point, aidan and mia got lost. who do you think was the most upset? i doubt mia even realized that i was missing. although they were never alone, i guess to a little kid, when you can't find mom, it automatically means they are lost, or at least misplaced.

after we escaped the corn maze, the kids had a ball jumping over the hay bale maze and digging in the corn bin while we waited for our turn on the hay ride, which took us to another maze. aidan was not happy. i wonder if he's a bit claustrophobic — he was so not having it. find the joy in the journey, aidan! after the corn maze/hay ride/corn bin fun, we headed over to the cider mill to watch how cider is made and partake of some yummy fresh cider and cider doughnuts. the kids had a ball just running around, climbing on the pumpkins and hay bales and watching the cider being made. four hours later, we were on our way home, and i had 3 very tired, very dirty kids. it was a great day.

p.s. i just checked my voicemail, and to the person who left the anonymous "i'm lost in the corn maze! help! (faked static noises):" i hope you made it out ok! ;-)

kids on hay

in the corn maze

jack knows the way out...

aunt annie & jack

mia in the hay maze

reese & mia

moms on the hay ride

best shot i could get...it was total chaos

jace & jack...good times in the corn bin

jack, owen & jace...can you believe they want to use these photos for their next ad campaign?

jack 'n' owen kickin' it at costco.

too cute to pass up. note owen's foot up on the handle.

future recipient of the nobel prize in mathematics?

i just have to document this for future use against my eldest son when he tells me in the not too distant future of teenagerhood that he hates math. aidan has become OBSESSED with math and anything that has to do with numbers. lately, during his drawing time at home, aidan has been writing numbers. he writes numbers until he runs out of space on the page (usually somewhere in the 50s). he writes them in columns. he writes them in lines. i'll hear him around the house counting, and doing random addition problems. he's fascinated with counting by 10s, and yesterday i taught him how to count by 2s and 5s. on sunday, he told me that 6 + 6 = 12. huh? is someone teaching my son math when i'm not around? back in my day, kindergarten was for learning how to tie your shoes and play dodgeball. props to mrs. mcg. for sending home a little boy who is excited about numbers.

week in review: 29 september - 5 october 2008

what week isn't busy around here? on tuesday, aidan had early dismissal, meaning he gets out of school at 10:35...by the time i drop him off, then mia at preschool, it's almost time for him to get home. sometimes i wonder why they even bother for the kindergartners. he says that early release days are usually the "most boring ever," due to lack of snack and recess. i know that's not the only thing he likes doing at school, i suspect he's just being dramatic. today, mr. larry (aidan's bus driver) went on vacation, which meant that aidan had a sub driver. i started getting a little worried when aidan was almost 10 minutes later than usual. just as i was about to call the bus company to check, the bus flew by, and stopped about 3 doors down. aidan busted out, ran down the sidewalk and burst into tears as soon as he got to me. turns out that the driver confused him with someone else who was absent and took him to that house. i'm glad that aidan refused to get off, which prompted the driver to figure out the mix up. poor guy! he informed me that he would not be riding the bus until mr. larry came back.

the day was salvaged when we met up with some friends at deanna rose. mia and her friend amelia got separated from the group, but kept their cool and stuck together. don't get on my case...it's the first time i've ever lost a kid! here's jack feeding the baby goats — he loved those little kids!


on wednesday, we went to our little friend brycen's 2nd birthday party in the park near our house. after brycen had to take a trip to the emergency room (no stitches needed, thank goodness), the party was pushed back to the afternoon. good times were had by all thanks to good company, a pinata, pizza and cupcakes. happy birthday brycen!

thursday was the first time i've had the opportunity to volunteer in aidan's classroom. after dropping jack off at co-op and mia off at preschool, i got to help conduct the float vs. sink fruit experiment. the kids had a lot of fun, and i got to meet all of aidan's little classmates. aidan was so excited to see me in his class and the huge smile on his face was priceless. i am looking forward to spending more time with him in kindergarten.

on friday, we went to the arboretum (see previous posting) for playgroup. it was a great find, and the perfect day!

GOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!! saturday was a great day. aidan's soccer game was later this morning, allowing us to enjoy a little lazier morning than the last few saturdays. big news: aidan scored his first soccer goal! it was a perfect goal, and he (and we) couldn't have been prouder. it was awesome. with every game aidan improves, gets more confident and more aggressive.

#12

jack shooting a goal

after jack's nap, we packed a picnic lunch and headed for heritage park, a family favorite. our usual spot was overtaken by football games (it was a zoo!), so we went in the back way and found a new favorite spot. it was on the top of a hill, super quiet, and overlooked a small lake. we had the picnic shelter and playground to ourselves.

ewww!! in addition to "gah," jack has added "ewwwwww!" when he's expressing fascination with something. the park is near the small local airport, and we got to see many small planes take off, which captivated jack.

the view from our picnic table.

later that night, bob had to go into work, and couldn't make it to the conference broadcast at church...lucky for us, jenny mac and the kids weren't doing anything, so we had an impromptu pizza party. yay!

sunday was a pretty lazy day...we basically hung around and watched conference (more on that tomorrow) for most of the day. the kids did well with the morning session, and by the afternoon, getting them to settle down and watch was hopeless. later, we had dinner with friends, and then home to rest up for another busy week!

life is good.

let me preface this by saying how happy and blessed i am to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. twice a year, our church holds a general conference, and we get to listen to the talks of the leaders of our church, broadcast from Utah. these words of comfort and guidance always remind me of how much we are loved by not only the Lord, but also by our Prophet and other leaders. in our tumultuous times, it is nice to know that we have, to borrow a phrase, a soft place to land.

President Monson's Sunday morning talk resonated with me very deeply. he reminded us to find the joy in life, the intrinsic joy in today, not tomorrow or the distant future. as a busy mom and wife i find that i am always rushing to the next task, the next appointment. i'm always thinking of the next chore i need to accomplish, the next load of laundry i need to fold. change, he said, is the only thing we can depend on — and we need to embrace it, or we may find ourselves regretting today's choices tomorrow. i know i'll never regret that my house was a bit messy or i made mac n cheese one too many times, but i will regret not reading to my kids more, taking the time to sit down and talk with my husband, or giving myself a break on occasion.

my resolutions? slow down, enjoy my family and keep my priorities straight.

the arboretum

today we went to the op arboretum and botanical gardens for playgroup. we had a small group today, which was just perfect. first, i have to say that i'm disappointed that i've only just now discovered this little gem. it's free, it's quiet, it's close and it's just beautiful. four of my favorite things in life! we found the children's garden after a couple of unplanned detours (those are always the best). in the center of the garden is a little hill with an open "teepee" on top, which we found by following a path that wound up the hill. it was a beautiful little spot for a snack, complete with a great view, butterflies and a little peace and quiet. at the bottom we found a little passage way built with plants growing over it. the kids spent several minutes running back and forth through it.

we couldn't stay long, because we had to rush back to meet aidan's bus. i am adding this little piece of heaven to my favorite things to do (that are free!) in kc. my camera's battery died after a few pics...just another excuse to come back and get some more!