Sweater Weather Tag.

I found this tag in the vlog world, but thought it would translate

well for a blog too. So here goes...

THE SWEATER WEATHER TAG

1. Favorite Candle Scent?

Pumpkin Cupcake.

2. Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate?

If I had to pick just ONE, it would be coffee.

3. Best Fall Memory?

My wedding! We got married on October 10, 2008 and it

was the PERFECT fall day.

4. Fall Make-up Trends: Dark lips or Winged eye-liner?

Dark lips. Red and Cranberry.

5. Best Fall Fragrance?

I don't wear perfume. All of my babies had really

sensitive skin, and all of my perfumes would make them break out.

And since there's no fragrance in the world worth giving up the baby snuggles

for, I gave up on perfumes.

6. Favorite Thanksgiving Food?

Um... all of it. But mostly my husband's cheesecake.

Oh. My. Delish.

7. What is Autumn weather like where you live?

Ha. Here in the midwest, things change from day to day.

So far this fall, we've had warm weather, cold weather, rain, and snow.

Go Minnesota.

8. Most Worn Sweater?

I LOVE cardigans. My current favorite is this one from Target.

9. Must have Nail Polish for the Fall?

Wicked and Don't Sweater It by Essie

10. Favorite Football Team?

DDDDAAAAHHHHHH.... BEARS!

Have any of ya'll seen the Vikings? Ick.

11. Skinny Jeans or Leggings?

Leggings with a LONG sweater or top.

Ladies, please make sure your top is long enough to cover your business

when wearing leggings. Not flattering otherwise.

12. Combat Boots or Uggs?

Not to sound super lame, but combat boots just aren't

practical for my life. Uggs {FOR THE WIN}.

13. Is the Pumpkin Spice Latte worth the hype?

Truthfully, no. I look forward to it every year, but I can't drink

it without a shot of vanilla anymore. I'm either burned out on it, or

Pumpkin Spice just isn't as good anymore.

14. Favorite Fall TV Show:

Shoot... I'm going to sound like I watch a lot of TV but, I only

have 3 shows I'm currently obsessing over. Sons of Anarchy,

Grey's Anatomy, and Scandal.

15. Favorite Fall music?

I don't know if there's such thing as "fall music" but

I will admit to sneaking in a few Christmas songs here and there.

And that's it! I tag ALL OF YOU. Leave a comment or link your tag post.

What are your sweater weather favorites?

What's in my diaper bag?

At the risk of sounding like a total creep... I'm always curious

about what women carry in their purses and diaper bags (Disclaimer:

I would NOT secretly rummage through someone's bag...that would be weird). I LOVE

bags of all kinds, and seeing how people pack them, and what they carry

with them is like getting a little glimpse into the chaos we all call life.

 

So here's mine...

 

WHAT'S IN MY DIAPER BAG?

 

 

I have had SO many diaper bags over the years.

Large bags.

Small bags.

Designer bags.

Bags from Target.

I just can't seem to find one that's perfect... but I am enjoying

testing out all sorts of options. :)

 

This is what I'm currently carrying.

 

 

Oh yes, the baby doll my daughter demands to take with us no matter where we go.

She's had more than one close call of being left behind, never to be found again...

 

 

As I've said 6,744 times, we live in Minnesota. And it's getting damn cold here.

So hats are a necessity.

 

 

In the exterior pockets I have a plethora of first aid items.

Calms Forte. Hand sanitizer. Lip balm. Sun screen. Ibuprofen.

Hydrocortisone cream. Orajel. Band-aids. And most importantly, a stray mint.

 

Moving to the inside compartments....

 

 

It has several pockets, so for now, it's as functional as I need it to be.

 

 

We cloth diaper at home, but have continued to use disposables

when we're out of the house. My oldest has been potty trained for well

over a year and never had an accident...and yet I still carry extra underwear.

YOU KNOW the second I take it out, he'll have an accident.

 

I also managed to find a hair tie, a random spider ring from Halloween, and

a swaddle blanket. My youngest is 17 months old and long past

being swaddled, I just can't part with it.

 

 

Disposable plastic bags for major messes, socks that probably don't

fit anyone anymore, lotion, butt paste, a comb, and more hair ties...

(I did not clean it first for the purpose of this post.)

 

 

I'm a sucker for things in travel sizes. I'm actually kind-of ashamed of it.

I have enough mini, travel-sized toiletries for my family to get by on for

at least a year (I should probably have that diagnosed).

 

Wipes, wipes, wipes and wipes.

Those BoogieWipes, while a total luxury item, have become something

this household cannot live without.

 

 

And arguably the most important pocket: SNACKS.

AKA: Bribery tools. Yes, I've bribed a child

with fruit snacks or dehydrated pea pods. It had to be done.

 

And that's it! My diaper bag!

Not quite as exciting as I thought, but that's what I carry with me

for standard outings.

 

 

 



28 People, Places, and Things I'm THANKFUL For:

In honor of the rapidly approaching Thanksgiving Holiday

I thought I would share a few of my reasons to be THANKFUL.

1. My Husband.

Without question, he is the rock of my world. I truly hit

the husband lottery. There's nothing I could say that would do justice

for how amazing a husband and father he is.

2. My Kids.

Duh. They are the center of our world.

They have taught me so much and I'm incredibly thankful

for each of their budding little personalities.

I love them in ways I can't even explain.

3. My Family.

We have had our ups and downs, but we all finally

seem to be in a place of understanding. My siblings and I each have

families of our own now, and that alone has completely changed the dynamics

between us all. And for that, I am thankful (I think my parents are too).

4. My In-Laws.

You always hear stories about spouses not getting along with their in-laws.

Not the case here.

My MIL and FIL are incredible. They have done so much for our children and

they adore them all the more for it. I am so lucky.

5. My Friends.

Having people in your life, outside of your family members,

is important. I have some pretty great people in my life.

6. My Job.

I know how lucky I am to not only have a job, but have a job

that pays the bills AND I love. Enough said.

7. My Husband's Job.

See above. We are very lucky to be in the positions we are.

(The remaining entries are in no particular order.)

8. Coffee.

It tastes good and it has the power to change your whole day.

Who wouldn't be thankful for something like that?!

9. Scarves.

I love fall. I love winter. I love chilly weather.

Scarves are the PERFECT accessory.

10. My IPhone.

Hopefully this doesn't sound ridiculous, but I am thankful for my IPhone.

It allows me to keep in touch with those near and far and helps me

keep my life organized. It is what it is.

11. My House.

This should probably be further up the list...

It's nothing fancy or elaborate, but it has done everything

we've needed it to do, and that's reason enough for me to be thankful for it.

12. My Camera.

I love taking pictures. I can only hope someday that my

kids are as thankful to have the pictures of their past, as I am

to have them now.

13. Warm, Cozy Blankets.

I live in Minnesota. It doesn't need to be said how

cold it gets around here. Snuggled up with a kid (or a husband) and a

blanket?! Sign me up.

14. Good Books.

I don't have nearly enough time to read as much as I

would like, but that's exactly why I love a good book.

A book that I MAKE time for.

15. Music.

More specifically: Songs that rattle your bones and speak to your soul.

16. My Education.

Like my house, this too should probably be further up the list.

I know what a privilege it is to have a college education.

17. Laughter.

Like coffee, and can turn your whole day around.

I love a good belly-acher.

18. My Health (& My Family's).

Man...I should have proof-read this list first (I wrote it out

by hand prior to sitting down at my computer)!

I am thankful beyond words for my health, my husband's health,

and my children's health.

19. The Seasons.

We have great season in Minnesota! Sure, some get a little short

(we've only had 4 months WITHOUT snow fall so far this year),

but being able to watch the leaves on the trees in the yard change is priceless.

20. The Sunshine.

It gets DARK this time of year by 5 p.m.

so I make sure we get as much out of the sunny hours each day as possible.

21. Hot Showers.

A hot shower is almost a metaphorical way of closing the door on a crap day.

No complaints about that.

22. Teachers.

I had some great teachers growing up. Teachers who love their job

are invaluable. This is a point of I have learned 10-fold now that my son is in school.

23. Crock Pots.

Being able to throw a bunch of things in the crock pot early in the day,

fill the house with yummy scents, and have my family look forward to

it's contents all day is why it is the BEST kitchen invention of  ALL TIME.

24. Fresh Snow.

Sure, I'm not big on shoveling and I'm definitely not

a fan of what the snow can do to the roadways, but you can't

argue how pretty it is.

25. A Good Pair of Comfortable Shoes.

I'm chasing after 3 kids, working, and running errands all week long.

Comfortable (cute) shoes make all of that a little easier.

26. HOLIDAYS.

I LOVE holidays! I love festive decorations, festive foods,

and festive movies. We make holidays a big deal in this house!

27. Each New Day.

We don't always get it right...

Which is exactly why I'm so thankful to get a fresh start every 24 hours.

28. The Struggles.

I think we learn the most from our mistakes and

you can't put a price on a lesson learned.

"Be thankful for what you have and you'll end up having more.

If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."

-Oprah Winfrey



Cameron's BABY FEVER.

 

The things this kid says...

 

As if his puppy requests weren't gut-wrenching enough,

he's asking for something else these days...

 

A baby.

 

He has more than once asked if we can "get" another baby.

(In fact, he frequently requests to go to the doctor's office because that's

where we can "pick out" a new baby.)

Or mentioned that we have a baby brother but now need a baby sister.

(He clearly doesn't remember a time without Eva. He was only 15 months old

when she joined us. So in his world, she has always been here... and I

guess that translates to not having had a baby sister yet.)

 

He's so adorable in his requests for another baby, that it

makes it next to impossible to respond in an age-appropriate manner.

I usually stick with, "Maybe someday."

 

Fail. Again.

I should know better by now!

This kid (and I'm sure the same could be said for his siblings) does not

hear the word "maybe". The tone of the word itself must be

completely inaudible for him.

 

He had gone silent in his baby requests for a few days, and

I was just starting to think he had forgotten about it.

 

Not even close.

 

I dropped him off at preschool last week and before

I could leave, his teacher pulled me to the side.

"Cameron told us he's getting a new baby!"

Oh Lord.

"No. No baby. I know he wants one... But we're not having one."

She looked surprised.

"So you're not expecting?"

"No."

"Oh. Well he told the whole class last week that he was getting a new baby."

 

At this point, I can't remember what else was said... things got awkward, fast.

I skipped out of there like the place was on fire.

 

So in case you run into my 4 year old, let me just set the record straight.

Right here.

Right now.

 

I am NOT pregnant.

 

But he certainly has put the pressure on an already big decision:

 

To have a 4th baby, or to not have a 4th baby.

 

I guess we all know where Cameron's vote falls.

Halloween!

This post is coming a week late, but nonetheless, I thought I would share a few

photos from Halloween night.

 

As expected the kids had a great time!

We even lucked out in Minnesota with some half-decent weather

for the door-to-door journey.

 

I can remember plenty of years growing up where we couldn't

stuff enough layers under our costume to stay warm in the 20 degree weather,

so all costume plans were foiled by the dreaded winter coat.

 

And though we still had to layer the kids this year, we were able to

get by without heavy coats.

Thank you Minnesota for the mid-40's evening.

 

 

I could barely get them to stand still long enough for the picture.

Excitement had set in and they were more than ready to run off without the rest of us.

 

This wagon is the BEST child purchase we've ever made.

JP wouldn't have been able to walk the entire way

and at 33 pounds, neither Jay nor I could handle toting him around all night.

 

So the wagon it was!

And it worked out perfectly. I was even able to stuff those

horrible, anti-costume coats in the wagon too... just in case.

 

They were more than happy with their bounty and couldn't wait to dive in.

It was late, and we had to of course limit intake, but we didn't see any harm in

celebrating their success with a couple pieces of candy.

 

 

Remember when I mentioned the way to Iron Man's heart?

Like I said, cherry suckers for the win!

 

 

I hope everyone had a Happy (and fruitful) Halloween!

 

Until next year...