End of Summer

You can feel the change in the weather now. The leaves are starting to turn brown and fall. Some people (like my husband) just love fall, and the change of season. I'll have to say that it's growing on me. Living in the desert for most of my life, it was never that much of a spectacle. To me it just meant that my freedom as I knew it was at an end, and it was going to start getting colder every day, and the days would get shorter. That used to depress me a little, I must admit. But living with someone who gets so excited about it, it is beginning to rub off. One time I asked Jim what he loved so much about the fall. He just said he loves the time of year, how alive he feels with the crispness of the air, the relief from the oppressive heat and humidity. Most of all, for him, it's the anticipation of all the holidays coming up. His favorite is Halloween (which I learned today has Christian roots referring to the resurrection). So, I am grateful to be married to someone who has helped me appreciate this time of year much more than I used to. Also, living around so many trees has helped me learn to love watching all the vibrant changes and colors which explode in the treetops. Each season has its beauty. But I digress. Here are the two young 'uns enjoying a bit of respite from the heat on a late summer afternoon. They were having such a good time, I had to get one snippit of the moment to freeze in time.
My waterbabies. She just cracks me up with her sunglasses. I think it helped her see through the water, though- like goggles. Smart kid! I hope everyone has had a great summer...

Saving a buck and the Environment!

It's time I made sure I told everyone about one of the greatest resources in your community! Freecycle.org is a website that you can go to and give things away that you don't need. What happens is, once you sign up you can post up things you want to get rid of. Everyone in the group who has signed up will get an email about it, including you! You'll also get emails of people in your community giving their stuff away! (You can opt to not receive any emails if you just want to just give away.) This community based webgroup has been invaluable to me over the past several years. When I was pregnant, I got tons of maternity clothes. And later tons of baby toys and clothes and whatever else popped up that I needed or could used. (You can also send an email asking for something specific, and if somebody has it they will give it to you.) I just can't say enough good about it. You declutter your house, and keep stuff out of the landfills, and save money too! For example, just this week, somebody posted they were giving away a bunch of formula samples. So I emailed that I could use them, and they picked me out of the people who responded! They gave me their address at that point, and I went and got them! This drive was about 5 miles from my house, and saved me a bundle on formula!! (Sounds almost like a Geico commercial!)



It's everywhere! Even overseas, my friends! So, I encourage everyone to sign up in their communities. You'll be glad you did! You get to know a lot of cool people that way too. (I also became better acquainted with the area.) Like I said, invaluable!

Great Neighborhood

We are so blessed to have such great neighbors. Every month or so we all gather at the island in our culdesac and have a block party. This last friday we ordered 9 pizzas from Papa John's (using the 3 for $20 deal!) and sat around on our lawn chairs talking whilst all the children played together. We are so lucky to have so many young families with children on our little street, and they are all very nice. There are a few middle aged married and younger single people with no kids, but they blend in very well with the rest of us! Here are a few pics:


Weee!
Here are the kiddos, borrowing someone's chairs because it has an umbrella! (One of Elena's fettishes). I suppose I should have gotten more group pics of the adults sitting around, but I was too busy talking. Oh, well. It's good to know you have neighbors who aren't afraid of each other and enjoy being a community. Some people don't even know who their neighbors are, and don't even care. We feel lucky, and aren't sure if we'll ever leave Maryland. All these kids will grow up together and walk to school together and so on. Plus it's so rich in culture and history here, with so many places to see and do going on around us. (Sesame Place is only a couple hours away too! We'll make it there in the next few years, when they're old enough to remember...Gotta meet Elmo sometime.) I can't even begin to list them all. Mom, I hope this doesn't make you too sad! (She wants us to live on the west coast with them, so she can "know her grandkids.") Valid complaint, mom. We'll see you soon at Christmas!

Such Timing

The timing today was perfect. We got back from the store, and I was thinking- "Gee, the grass sure looks brown. I should put out the sprinkler and let Elena play in it..." Lo and behold, our neighbors across the culdesac had the same idea! We're blessed to have a lot of families on our short little street with kids close in age. Elena and Aaron are currently the youngest, so the others love to hold them and carry them around (even though Elena can do it perfectly well on her own.) So they were begging for Elena to get on her swimsuit and play with them. So, we did!


They carried her through the sprinkler and all around the yard.


The funniest part is she does not mind one bit! She got cold pretty fast, so once she got free she ran away from the water!


Run Away!

Then we cuddled a little bit with a towel in the sunshine.





Aaron decided he didn't want to take a nap yet, so he cuddled with us too. Awwww!




My summer babies in the summer sun! But...right after we got inside the heavens opened and our grass got watered for a good hour. I didn't even need to turn on the hose! Such timing. And free grass watering by nature! That's the best.

Bragging of Thrift

A few of my friends have blogged in the past over their thrift shop bargain finds. Well, now it's my turn! I am always surprised at the name-brand clothes that I find for $1.67 apiece! (Not that brand matters, I just find they last longer because people usually take better care of them.) The Goodwill is right next to the baseball card shop where my husband sells and trades. (Sounds juvenile, I know, but I would just like to point out that he once made $15 grand on a cardboard wrapper from a hotdog package. Not so small fry, eh?) Anyway, it's things like that which help me not mind so much. Besides, he makes a living at it after all- for a major auction house. Anyway, that's where I go with the kids while he visits old friends. Oh, and one more thing about the shop. He worked there before his mission, and the backroom is actually where he opened his mission call to Fort Worth, Texas. So, there is a lot of sentimental attachment to the store and the people there as well. It's a good small town feel. So, today I found some cute things for both the kids. I found a brand new summer dress for Elena with matching shoes, as well as a cute pink top from Osh Kosh and some Old Navy jean shorts. Miss thang will be well dressed.

I also found this cute denim vest from the Gap, which is lined. It's Elena's size now, but I think it's versatile enough that they will both be able to wear it without gender crisis.

For Aaron I found a cute romper, which is what he practically lives in, and some good winter pajamas.

For the two of them, I found a "sit-n'-spin" which plays games and music. She loves it, but has yet to figure out how to move it on her own. And Aaron, let's just say it'll be awhile before she even lets him sit on it with her at the same time. Still learning to share, that girl is.

Funny Elena

For so young, she has many obsessions. It's quite amazing to me. One of them being a collector of things; be it words, sticks, crayons, stuffed toys, whatever she can get her hands on. Currently, she is obsessed with swimming. But no, not in water! In whatever is in a pile at the moment. She'll dive into a pile of her stuffed animals and flail around, squealing with delight the word "Swimming! Swimming!" She's even done it in the laundry pile (clean, luckily for her.) Here she is "swimming" in her happy pile of plastic newspaper bags. So easily amused, and to think that I probably spent more on a toy that she plays with less than all this free stuff. Isn't that how it usually goes?

Just for Fun

A friend of mine had these on her blog too, and I thought it was quite funny. Check it out! (Thanks, Stina!) Some of these are actually pretty close to true! I run with wolves often. :-P

brooke,
your name's Secret Meaning is...

"Runs with Wolves"

What's your Name's Secret Meaning?
at QuizGalaxy.com

James,
your name's Secret Meaning is...

"For Whom the Bell Tolls"

What's your Name's Secret Meaning?
at QuizGalaxy.com

Elena,
your name's Secret Meaning is...

"An in the Closet Lunatic"

What's your Name's Secret Meaning?
at QuizGalaxy.com

Aaron,
your name's Secret Meaning is...

"EMO"

What's your Name's Secret Meaning?
at QuizGalaxy.com

Spooky,
your name's Secret Meaning is...

"Runs with Pheasants"

What's your Name's Secret Meaning?
at QuizGalaxy.com

Photo Session

Well, it didn't go nearly as bad as I thought it would. It was time for Elena's 2 year pics, and Aaron's 9 month pics (who was actually almost 10 months at the time). The last attempt at photographing them together (professionally) was a royal pain, as she didn't want him anywhere near her. She would keep pushing him away. So we had to improvise by me hanging him upside down, and sticking him last minute in the shot right before he would snap it. Like this one:As you can see, it was hard to get a good one. (This was last November.) I was shocked and utterly amazed that she let him sit on his back (see image in column) and on her lap and so forth. Miracles have not ceased!Man, my kids are cute! Isn't he a pudge?
Here are just some samples of the good ones:
Elena Nicole- 2 years old
Aaron James- 9 months old
And Target gave us a great deal as well! I walked away with a sense of great accomplishment and relief. Why do we put ourselves through these things? Oh, yeah! Cuz they're cute!

Weekend Shenanigans

My last little blurb on our trip is of the day we actually drove home. We went to one last place in Jamestown before we left. We saw the Glass House, built around the actual original ovens used to blow glass. They had to be near a beach because you use sand to make glass. Interesting, no? We watched modern re-enacters expertly blowing glass. It was amazing to see. So I caught a little of it on film, then my video card was full. Unfortunately I didn't get the whole process for all to see.

We stepped our feet into the nearby James River to cool off, then we headed out. Back to reality.
We really owe it to Jim's parents for making this trip possible for us. We left Aaron with them, who I'm sure was a handful, and Jim's brother John & his wife Cacilda watched Elena until saturday when they had to leave the country. So when we got back Jim's parents had both kids together for almost a whole day. Amazing! We rang the buzzer when we came to pick them up and my mother-in-law's voice on the intercom said, "There is a God!" Apparently they had been a handful. We are nothing but grateful for the weekend away. Thanks, guys!

Dawg Daze uv SumR

Yep, its HAWT! 91 degrees and 42% humidity. Literally walking outside in a sauna. I was drenched the moment I stepped out the door. Phew! We still trooped it out to the store to take care of some bidness- we were all getting a little stir crazy! Here's little Elena, who just celebrated her 2nd Birthday, by the way, enjoying a luscious peach outside:
Mmm!
I just wanted to add that the most depressing thing happened to me today. Well, at first I was so excited because I needed to wear a belt with my jeans for the first time since having my kids...and today it broke. It BROKE! How depressing! I guess it was just really old- at least I keep telling myself that...How extremely embarrassing that I am telling everybody.