Our Traumatic Day

There's nothing like one of THOSE kind of days.

All of you mamas have had one.

We had one today.

Lucy had been high on energy and feeling good all day. She emptied the dishwasher for me while singing this morning. She had actually slept in til 9:45 and ate breakfast at 10:15. Then she did school for awhilde and did it well.

At 12:30 ish (?) I had her stand in the livingroom so I could pin/alter her costume. She had been standing there all of 1 minute....AT MOST 2.

Then she said, Mom, my tummy hurts.

Then she collapsed.

She laid there with her eyes open, completely unresponsive to her siblings and I. For probably 30 LONG seconds. I yelled for her....thinking this did not look like a faint, did not look like a seizure....but WHAT WAS HAPPENING to MY BABY. but she would not answer. Iris and Clyde were crying and yelling her name. I remember only a couple of moments in my life that I was this scared.

I called 911 and while I was answering their questions she woke up.

Thank you Lord! she woke up and looked SO bewildered.

We took her to the Dr and they think she passed out, but they don't know why. She had a very traumatic blood-drawing....oh my.

She's been tired and weak feeling the rest of the day, but she got on the computer and played Pixie Hollow. And I was exhausted. A very happy-contented-relieved kind of exhausted. I wish I knew what caused it, but I am just so thankful, because the most frightening of possibilities rushed through my mind while she was lying there.

But rest assured someone is going to be holding this darling child's hand for the next few days everywhere she goes.

Pumpkin Patch

Stephen surprised us and took us to a pumpkin patch.

We were so excited!

First we did the corn maze....

Occasionally Stephen would ask one of the kids which way we should go....

Clyde had to think,

think,

think,

then we took a hayride to the pumpkin patch where the kids picked pumkins,

we had to limit the over-enthusiastic Clyde to a pumpkin that he could actually lift

then we went to the petting barn...

there were actually many things to do there, but since I already have WAY TOO many p ictures, I'll spare yall and skip to this part

Clyde drew for us what he wanted us to carve into his pumpkin. The other one is mine and Stephen's.
FUN!!
(forgive me for always using WAY too many pictures!)

Days of Yesteryear

We spent last weekend at my Dad's.....AKA Grandad and Grandmom's house.

This is always TOO fun and the kids just eat it up.

But this time was probably even more fun than normal, because we trick-or-treated Grandmom style. (this means the kids make several rounds through the house knocking on doors where different adults greet them and give them Grandmom-designated treats in their costumes). Then we went to the Days of Yesteryear Antique Tractor Show....

we saw a blacksmith, kids rode in tractor-pulled-carts, we saw the many uses of a tractor engine (pumping water, grinding grain, all kinds of craziness) had the kid's faces painted, dug in big containers of corn and soy beans, admired Grandad's old truck, sampled some on-site pressed apple cider, etc, etc....

Then we topped it off with Grandmom buying The Incredibles and watching it together!

Scavenger Hunt

I am the impulsive spontaneous one in our marriage. Stephen prefers steadiness and planning ahead. I also am sadly oblivious to how much things cost. Stephen said one day that he would faint dead away if I ever came up with something to do that was free.

Really? Am I that bad?

Shortly after his declaration I declared I wanted to do something fun.

"How much is it going to cost?" - Him

"NOTHING!" - Me

(No fainting or exclamations or anything) yeah I KNEW he was exaggerating!

So we had a scavenger hunt at the mall. We split into two teams (kids got to pick).

Me and Iris VS. Daddy, Lucy and Clyde.

This was our list:

child wearing crazy headband
child in front of punch bug
child on escalator
child with sunglasses
child wearing boots
parent watching a tv
child wearing wings
child with necktie
child eating cookie
child holding pomegranate lotion
child sitting on a bed
child with photography magazine at Barnes and Noble

here are some of the highlights

yeah so Stephen got smart and would put two things in one picture....hmph.

you could do the list in any order, except the last one had to be last so we would meet up and know who won

oh my goodness
THIS WAS SUCH A HIT! They absolutely loved it and have been wanting to do it since.

Oh and Daddy's team won BARELY! Iris and I DID have to wait FOREVER for our cookie!!

....but I am still waiting for Stephen to pass out ;)

Nana Visits

Stephen's mom, AKA, Nana came into town for Sherry's wedding and stayed for a week.

Of course all were thrilled! It was wonderful.

She and her friend Bill got to help us keep this precious swollen foot of Lulu's propped up all week.


We did the zoo.

The walking bridge. Stephen had to carry Lu.

The art district.

etc.etc.

And a belated surprise birthday party for Nana...

Good times :)