To healthify Halloween, we had some green "monster" shakes.  Spinach, coconut milk, and some mixed berries. Noelle has to have hers in the high chair.  I modified a sippy cup lid so she could suck "chunks" through it.

 Minnie Mouse

 Dallas the race car driver

 Aunt Lynne and Minnie

 How many pumpkins are in this picture?

A big thanks to my sis.  She has helped me a lot in the last few weeks.  God keeps placing her in Ames at the right times.  Two Fridays ago, she thankfully needed to do laundry.  Rob was gone, and I had to take Bo to the vet, he was not well, and I was not sure I was going to be bringing him home.  Needless to say, I was not emotionally fit to haul three kids with me as well.  She stayed home with them and did her laundry.  And tonight, again she was in Ames.  She came T o T with us.  So much easier to have a helper.  She again stayed with the kids and handed out candy while I ran Emily out to Awana.  Love her so much!!!  I love how much she enjoys the kid too.  Thanks Lynne

 Don't text and fly...

 My friend Sara left this little cake for us

 a tiny 1/2 slice resulting in this

 Dallas requested race car driver.  So I whipped this up.  I think it is missing a little something, people kept asking if he was an astronuat.

 We went to see Butter Cy last Friday.  He was carved by the butter carver from the Iowas State Fair.  ISU celebrated 100 years of Homecoming.

I took these munchkins on a date prior to the Butter Cy outing.  Not a one of them ate their bread.  Jimmy Johns has the best bread!

 My friend Katie having her first alcoholic fruity drink since pregnancy - birth- nursing  (photo worthy)

 Ames has the cutest little shop on main stree called the Pumpkin Patch, my kids would love anything in this store, everything is so cute!  I really like the fixtures.  If this place ever goes out of business I want one of these shelves with the drawers, the shelves are mirror backed, and I love the moldings at the top.

 We went to pick out pumpkins today, Dallas hopped out of the van and said "hey look at that peanut"

 This is Katie and Joe's little boy Patrick, he rode next to me while we were in MN, he liked to stare into my eyes and suck his fingers, and well you can see the rest :)

 Dallas recovering from his double ear infection and fever, don't you love cold season.

Things I have heard my kids say today.

Dallas:  "mom, look at this, I found this toliet paper in my butt!"

Emily to Dallas:  "Dallas don't take it from her, she has never pet a bug before, let her hold it"

Dallas:  "Don't drive like my brother, don't drive like my brother, ha ha ha"

Emily to me:  "Mom, Dallas already wiped his butt." 
Dallas to me:  "Yeah mom, I am practicing so when you are making dinner you can just keep baking" 

Noelle: "daddy, daddy, daddy, sing... wheels on the bus... again,  round and round.  daddy!"

Noelle:  "knock, knock"  (me) "whose there?", Noelle: "apple" (me) "apple who?" Noelle:  "laughs!"

life with an extra serving of crap

Sorry things have been a little sparse around here.  I have dreaded writing this post, but I feel I need to because the last two weeks have greatly altered our life path.  A couple of Tuesdays ago our dear friend Scotty ended his life. 

Scott and Sara have been our family for years.  We have had so many good times with them college - drumline - football, living near them for the first carefree years of our marriage in MN, wedding and babies, and really  staying close with them once we moved to Iowa, visiting often.  They are friends you can just pick up with exactly where you left off.  They are family, and that is why our last weeks have been slow, blurred, fast, emotional, crazy, very sad, and very very thankful. 

I am so thankful that Rob and I are secure in our walk with Jesus and  that we have a church family that has just wrapped their arms around us this month.  Friends watched our kids, watched our house, watched our dog, friends offered to come from other towns to stay at our house with our kids, we are really loved!  It has helped us love Sara and her boys.  And that's where we are these days, praying and loving on Sara, Christopher and Ben, not to mention Sara's parents, Scott's parents and his sister and family.  We know all of these people well, and we are praying for healing, faith, hope, assurance, comfort, and peace. 

Petitioning prayers for our dog Bo, after the week we have had, I need him to pull through!

He probably has Canine Blastomycosis (awaiting a secondary confirmation from ISU today), the vet is supposed to call back today to discuss treatment options.  It is in his lungs, and he also has 10-15 open sores, limping and seems to be in pain.  We are trying to treat the pain, but those drugs kind of knock him out. 

Plus Noelle is sick, her cough is strong enough that she coughs up snot and whatever she last ate.  We are on outfit #2 already! 

ETA: Bo does have Blastomycosis.  We have a weeks worth of meds to try, Rob and I need to make some decisions on how to treat this long term, ie. do we go with the expensive or cheaper option.  Bo still seems to be in quite a bit of pain, we have been doing the max amount of pain medication, so lets hope this anti-fungal kicks in soon. 

Noelle is responding pretty well to the breathing treatments I have been giving her.  Hope we can knock this down quickly!

We hit up the Butterfly wing this morning to soak up some warmth. 

 They happened to have a bonsai exhibit today (this tree was 36 years old), Em thought it would make a nice home for a fairy

 The one reminded me of an island

Wednesday we field-tripped it to Center Grove Orchard, don't the kids look facinated learning in the one room school house

Riding on the hay rack, we each picked out a small pumpkin since the apples are sparse this year.

Guess I should have noticed that Dallas is on the lady side before I snapped this picture!

This bronze statue sits outside the library.  Dallas always says, "it's Emily and Dallas"

Just keeping it real! My bed is under there somewhere...

We decided to start to decorate for Halloween.  We put this little guy in the window so Robert could find his way home. (he has been traveling all week)

Playing in the corn pool

Again at Riemen Gardens

Ledges State Park

We went to Ledges to take in God's beauty.  I was planning to go for the morning, but last minute Rob decided he could tag along, since he was working the evening and taking off for a trip.  It was great to have him on this adventure.  The kids splashed and waded, and now all of our sandals are in the wash!

 

 She found a heart shaped leaf.  She is collecting leaves to take to her class on Friday

 The only pictures I could get of Dallas looked like this.  He loved the Park, and rarely got out of the water.

It was so gorgous.  This was one attempt of 80 to get a cute picture.  I guess this is why you hire people your kids will smile at.