Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday Stephi!

We didn't go trick-or-treating this year, the girls are still too little (plus I want to hold off as long as possible since Olivia is diabetic) but Olivia had a BLAST handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters. After kids would leave should would say, "I want more kids." "Where are more kids?" She could hardly wait until the next kids came by. My cousin Annie sent us two costumes for Olivia to try, a cat and a pumpkin. She would not try them on. It was like she was scared to put them on. So then I knew she definitely is too young if she is scared to put on a cute costume. Anyway, tonight she kept asking for candy which she very rarely gets. I told her she could have a piece if she tried a costume on so I could get a picture. I did it, I bribed her into it, candy works miracles. So below you'll see her in the pumpkin costume.

Here is Audrey in the Hershey's Kiss costume we had for Olivia a few years ago. We wrote under the Hershey's Kiss part Sugar-Free. Get it? Because Olivia is a diabetic. Hee hee.

Here she is, the girl who would only try the costume on if she got candy.

My brother Mike went to some Halloween parties and he brought over some wigs to show us so we had to try them on. Audrey didn't even try to take the black wig off. How do you like me with a mullet? Scary!

Audrey with a mullet

Steve's family and friends in Oklahoma have never been more proud. After the picture was taken he said, "Honey, hand me a beer and sit on Daddy's lap." Just kidding, he just made me write that. How do you like his Elvis grin?

Happy Birthday Stephi! You look great at 33!

There are no monsters, there's Jesus!

Today Olivia created a new game. Here's what happens. I had to lay in Olivia's bed and pretend like I was crying. She would be outside the door and would come in when I cried. She would come over to the side of the bed and rub my arm and say, "It's o.k. sweetheart. Everything is o.k. There are no scary monsters, there's Jesus. " I would tell her not to leave me because that's what she always does in real life and when I would do that she would say o.k. and crawl in bed with me and pretend to sleep. She would then say, "I have to go now.", and leave the room. Before she left the room she would tell me to cry again. This so called game of hers repeated itself a dozen times before this mommy could take no more. I wondered if she would ever want to stop repeating the same thing over and over but she didn't seem like she would stop if I didn't. She wanted to play it before nap and I said we could after her nap. She has a great memory. After nap we were downstairs and she said, "Oh yeah mom, we forgot to play the game. " I said, "What?" She said, " You know the game upstairs in my bed." I said, "Oh yeah, how could I forget." We ventured upstairs to play this game at least another dozen times." Oh the sacrifices we make as moms to entertain our children. But it was so cute that she was acting like I do. Steve and I tell her there are no monsters and that Jesus is here and she copies us. So cute. And she kept calling me sweetheart. She calls Audrey sweetheart and darling sometimes. She'll say to Audrey, "Come here my darling." I don't call them darling so I don't know where she got that from but it's funny.

Afternoon at the Pumpkin Patch

Right next to our housing community is a big field and this year they put a corn field maze that they make into a haunted maze at night. During the day it is a pseudo pumpkin patch/play area for kids. Believe me, Steve and I were disappointed. There was not much to do. (I think it is mostly known for the scary corn maze at night instead of a pumpkin patch.) I have been to one other pumpkin patch in my life called Anderson Farms and it far outdoes this pumpkin patch but Olivia had a BLAST so we were glad we went. She was having so much fun walking through the pumpkins and playing in the corn box, she did not want to leave but it was FREEZING that afternoon so we couldn't stay long. Steve and I buried the girls in the corn box (like a sandbox but filled with dried corn) and it was hilarious. Audrey just laid there as still as could be not moving one muscle. Now, that is not like her. She usually would be squirming to get out of there but maybe she was so cold she just froze there.

Daddy came to Music Class!

Oh how much fun the girls had last week when their dad came to music class. He was just going to sit in the corner, watch, take pictures, and run the camcorder. Well, change of plans. Because he was there, the girls kept running over to him to give him a hug or sit on his lap. They were distracted and therefore not participating. So good daddy that he is he decided to join in. He still stayed in the corner (there are mostly moms in the class so I think he was nervous) but he was having fun. Olivia loved it and he even made the other women laugh several times. Thanks for being a good sport honey.

Go Rockies!!

O.k., I realize I am writing this after the Colorado Rockies just lost to the Boston Red Sox in their first World Series game of this year and the score.... YIKES 13-1. Poor Rockies. But there is still hope right? Anyway, I thought I'd post this pic of Steve and I at a Rockies game this past July. We are proud of them that they actually made it to the World Series for the very first time. Great job Rockies!

Cookies, Pumpkins, and Making Memories

My mom and dad are here for the weekend and so we had some bonding time. Mom and Olivia decided to make my mom's awesome sugar cookies with frosting because Steve basically told her she had to make them. He wants the cookies for every holiday. While they were making the cookies they were both singing a made up tune by my mom called, "Making Memories". They just sang those two words over and over.

The finished product. YUM-O!

After cookies, the boys decided to carve pumpkins. Here's how it went: Steve just started carving away very fast and messy. His pumpkin turned out great but he is just not that worried about how clean it was inside and didn't have to have it perfect. Mike on the other hand is like me and my dad. We are slow, we take our time, and we are perfectionists. So Mike had to use a permanent marker to get his design just right and the inside of his pumpkin was so cleaned out, not a seed or string left. Very opposite styles of pumpkin carving. However, Steve was done much earlier and enjoyed the Broncos on t.v. Oh yea, they were also singing "Making Memories" as they were carving. It was so funny.

Mike, Steve, and Olivia carving pumpkins

Once again, the finished product. Steve did the one on the right and Mike did the one on the left. For those of you who don't know CR stands for the Colorado Rockies who have made it to the World Series. Go Rockies!!!!!!!

Best Friends

I couldn't wait for this moment and now it is starting to happen. They are starting to play together more and Olivia just loves her Audrey baby sister. That's what we call her sometimes so Olivia now calls her Audrey baby sister too. Olivia always wants to pick Audrey up and carry her everywhere. She's like her little doll. She kind of acts like her mom. It's funny. They are so cute together. Don't get me wrong, they already fight and have sibling rivalry especially when it comes to my attention but I'm glad they are beginning to be friends.

Hillsdale girls-It's hard to see but if you click on the picture below you can see they are wearing Hillsdale College shirts I bought them at my reunion.

Love the tongue Audrey baby!

Grandma Corban

She's gone. She passed away on October 1st. The fall was worse than I thought, she had actually broke her hip very badly where the only way to fix it would have been through surgery and she is not a candidate for surgery because of her health. So because the hospital could not do anything they sent her to a nursing home where she stayed for almost a week and then passed away. It was bittersweet. She had been suffering for quite some time and her health had declined a lot through these last years. Steve called me from the road and said if you want to talk to Grandma one last time you better call her. So I did, it was hard to understand her because she was on a lot of morphine. I told her I loved her and was praying for her. Olivia also got to tell her she loved her. Then they called us that night with the news. We are sad she's gone because we will miss her but she is not in pain anymore and she can breathe!!! She is a Christian so she will be in Heaven with her husband who passed away in his 50's. She was ready to go and as hard as it was for us to say goodbye we knew it was time. She was 83 years old. I wanted to share one of my favorite memories of her with you. I only knew her about 5 1/2 years and I only saw her when we would go visit in Oklahoma which is only about twice a year. So she had given us some money for Christmas a few years ago and I went to tell her thank you but I got really close to her face and in a very loud and slow voice said, "Thank you for the money!" She replied in her cute country accent, "I'm old honey, I'm not deaf." Everyone started laughing. It was very funny. For some reason I just figured she must be hard of hearing because of her age but boy was I wrong. We all still talk about that and laugh. Steve's mom gave Steve
and I some of her things to remember her by. I will treasure them. We love you Grandma and
will see you in Heaven.

The first time she met Audrey at Christmas 2006

With Olivia July 2006

With Olivia Thanksgiving 2005

The first time she met Olivia in March 2005