Trick or Treat!

A few pics of the kids before they headed out tonight!

38 weeks

Here are a few 38 week belly pics. Please excuse the ratty sweatpants LOL. Not much fits anymore!

Praying for Stellan

Please pray for this sweet baby boy, if you are so inclined. It is his first birthday today and he is hospitalized yet again. May almighty God perform a miracle today and help him on the road to healing. He is a fighter but his little body has been through so much, it just breaks my heart :(

http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

Pumpkin Carving

The kids couldn't wait any longer, although I told them it was too early to carve them. We'll see if they make it until Halloween without rotting. But they sure came out cute! Hannah made a cat face, Evan made a "scary face" and Madi made a heart (LOL she has her first crush and carved M + J into her pumpkin!) This was the first year they did it completely on their own, even Evan. The only thing I did was roast the seeds...YUM!

Hannah

Hannah is my sweet middle child (well I guess when there are 4 she will no longer be *the* middle child LOL). She loves to be outside, riding her bike or her Ripstick, which she is very good at. I don't know how she stays on that thing, none of us can even stand on it!

Thing 3

We got these really cool Thing 1, 2, 3, and 4 tee shirts for the kids (even baby-someday-to-be LOL) when we were at Universal Studios in Orlando last year. Evan is my Thing 3. How is it that one little boy can be so demanding, ornery, and strong willed, yet still manage to be sweet, innocent, and cute as can be??








Who says life is not about "things"?

Glimpses of fall

Tomorrow

I'm so excited! Tomorrow I am going to have a maternity photo shoot with a friend of mine, Kate, who is a super talented photographer. Even though I am way past the "cute" stage of pregnancy, I know she will be able to get some good shots of this big 'ol belly. Pics to follow :)

It's official....

fall is here in full force. We haven't had to run the air conditioning for a few weeks now and it has been wonderful. The windows have been open and it has been gorgeous, 70's weather. Typical for this time of year. Yesterday and today.....NOTSOMUCH. Like 50 degrees and windy, typical December weather, UGH! It is 63 degrees *inside* my house right now, looks like I'll have to break down and turn the heat on tonight.

Camden's Nursery

Camden's nursery is finally complete! The finishing touch was the green gingham Pottery Barn valances I just bought on ebay. Here are a few pics. Now all we need is the baby :)

Halloween is coming

We got the kids costumes all picked out this afternoon. Madison is going to be a bat, Hannah is going to be a bumblebee, and Evan will be a hunter. They all look adorable. Pics to come soon! We also chose our big pumpkins to carve. For now they are on the front porch, we won't carve them until the day before Halloween. The kids can't wait!

Allergies!

I had to bring Hannah to the pediatrician today because she has had a wet, mucousy cough for a few days now. No fever, no other symptoms, just a pesky cough. I was thinking it might be bronchitis and when we got there they scared me into thinking it may be flu (the nurse said the swine flu sometimes presents with NO fever, which I did not know). Turns out it is just seasonal allergies. So we are starting on Claritin to see how it works out for her. I hope she gets some relief soon, she has been up at night coughing and is SO tired.

My girl is growing up!

Madison said to me tonight, out of nowhere, "You know Mom, I would be happy if I never got any more 'stuff' again. I've realized that life is not about 'stuff' " I thought that was pretty profound, especially coming from one of my kids LOL.

Strawberry Fields

Since my life is so boring I am having a very hard time coming up with a new post each day to get me through the 31 for 21 Challenge! I was looking through my photos for ideas and came across these from a strawberry-picking outing in June. Looking back, summer flew by this year. I can't believe it is almost Halloween already!

Restaurant.com SALE

LAST day to get $25 restaurant gift certificates for just $2. Click HERE. Enter the code FOUR at checkout and hit "Apply". Through midnight tonight. Happy dining!

Fall is here!

It's a perfect cool fall evening so we have a fire going in the backyard and the kids are roasting marshmallows with Dad. And what is Mom doing? Taking pictures of course! LOL

Madison's talent

Madison is very good at origami/paper folding. She can see it done one time and gets it. Here is a paper crane and a "ninja star" she made recently She loves to make cranes, from the tiniest of the tiny to super large ones. She just learned to do the ninja stars this week.

37 Days!?!?!

I looked at the calender today and it is only 37 days until Camden's due date!! I've been saying 5 weeks but for some reason, 37 days sounds closer LOL. The countdown is on and we are ready to meet the little guy!!

BRR...

Check out my 2 goofballs this morning! It was around 45 degrees when they went to the bus stop, so they insisted on bundling up. Mind you, Evan is wearing shorts because it was in the 70s and sunny later on LOL. You would never know these kids once lived up north!! Please excuse the grumpy faces, they get on the bus at 6:30 am, much too early for everyone's taste!!

Another pitch for SwagBucks!

Hey I have to fill these 31 days somehow LOL. Please consider clicking HERE to join SwagBucks and start earning cool prizes today. I run just a few searches a day from their website and I have been consistently earning Amazon.com gift cards ($5 every week or so). I have been using them to buy baby stuff. Since Amazon offers free shipping on orders over $25, this is a great way to get FREE stuff! Have fun!!

Banana Crumb Muffins

I love to bake and I love to try new recipes. A few of my favorite websites are:

All Recipes
A Year Of Crockpotting
Our Best Bites
Taste Spotting


Today I am sharing a favorite recipe from All Recipes.

Banana Crumb Muffins:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 mashed bananas
3/4 c white sugar
1 egg
1/3 c oil or melted butter (I use oil)

1/3 c packed brown sugar
2 tbl flour
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tbl butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In large bowl beat together bananas, white sugar, egg, and oil. Add 1 1/2 c flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until moistened.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups, lined with baking cups or greased with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, 2 tbl flour, cinnamon, and 1 tbl butter. I use a small food processer, or you can cut the butter in with a pastry blender or 2 forks. Mixture should resemble course cornmeal. Spoon mixture over muffins.

Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes, unitl a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!!

That Cat

Quick post tonight because I am tired and headed up to bed. Gotta keep up with this 31 for 21 Challenge!! Here is a picture of Charlie in his favorite sleeping spot, tangled in the wires under the computer desk!

Buddy Walk 2009

We walked today with friends in the Down Syndrome Association of Charlotte Buddy Walk in honor of our buddy, Ben. The weather was perfect, maybe 75 and overcast. The park was beautiful and there was plenty for the kids to do. Here are a few pics of our fun day!