Kate's American Idol Slumber Party

On Thursday, Kate and six of her girlfriends had the time of their lives going to the beauty parlor to get glamorous, eating pizza and cake.... AND partying until nearly 11:30 at night!!! It was a good time and despite Josh "accidentally" scheduling a dinner program that night in Green Bay (hence he was not there to help), it went pretty smoothly. It's not something that I plan on doing ever again, but Kate and her friends had a really good time, and I'm glad I was able to accommodate her wishes.

The stage was set for a fun evening:

The girls getting their hair and make-up done:

(Lizzy)

(Julia)

(Kate)

(Brooke)

The girls went to the party room to decorate a t-shirt for the birthday girl and decorate little bags for themselves while the other two girls were finishing up...

(Marina)

(Katie)

Still working hard...

...still working on Katie's hair...

The girls doing their best to stay patient while we waited for Katie. It was hard though, because they had a serious case of "ants in the pants" and they couldn't wait to get back to the house to party like rock-stars!

All the girls glamed up!

In the morning, we made pancakes, eggs and bacon... there was some left over and Mater was grateful for that!

Despite what this might look like, Jack is actually in the bathroom just to wash his "eyeball" (some sticky thing he got in a treat bag from school)--NOT to put on makeup with the girls! Josh had to go and check... just to be sure! BTW, I'm not sure my bathroom will ever be the same again... there must have been an inch of glitter on the floor when they were finished!

Introducing... My New Family!!!

Well, as many of you know, I have decided to be a surrogate again. My last couple felt like their family was complete with the twinkies, so I was matched with not only a new couple, but a new family (and a great one at that!). They have a little boy named Ryan and a little girl named Emma.... they are so precious! We are so anxious to get started on completing this family. If all goes as planned, we should have a transfer during the first part of December. Please say your prayers and cross your fingers that we have first time success! Thank you for everyone's support... it means the world to me!

Me, Kevin and Kim

Kim and I

The whole gang minus Miss Emma... she was being shy which is TOTALLY unlike her! She is a little pistol for sure!

Kevin and Josh

The kids outside the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

Kate and her little buddy.

The kids had fun dressing up and pretending to be penguins.

I'm not sure what Jack is doing to this poor penguin...LOL

Let It...Snow?

We were pretty surprised to wake up Monday morning to the white stuff coming down from the sky. I felt bad that I didn't have warmer jackets yet for the kids to wear, but who is expecting this kind of weather in the middle of October!? Luckily I had ordered their winter gear and it arrived the following day, but poor Jackson's feet were sopping wet and wrinkly after school. We ended up getting about 1 1/2 inches and it all melted the following day, but still. Today we are having a miniature repeat of that day... only the weather can't make up it's mind and one moment it's raining and the next it's snowing. It's not bad, but there is some accumulation on the ground. Winter here we come!

It's hard to tell in these first two pictures, but there were flakes falling all around.

And there you have it!

Look Mom...I lost another tooth!

When Kate got home yesterday, she ran right for the bathroom and I was wondering what the hurry was. Jackson was happy to inform me that Kate lost her third tooth at school. Then she came out and showed us and we all started laughing. I'm so glad she has a good sense of humor (most of the time). She is cute, but when you're missing front teeth, it's always pretty funny looking!

Before Kate went to bed last night, she put her tooth in a tiny envelope and wrote the Tooth Fairy a note asking if Tinkerbell was a relative of hers. This morning she woke up and was absolutely beside herself because she couldn't find anything under her pillow. Kate is a super restless sleeper (like I was at her age), and the envelope fell off the bed undoubtedly from all her kicking and squirming. Once she realized that her dollar was there AND a response from the Tooth Fairy, she got pretty excited and very happy. (P.S. What's with my children and crying lately??? And what's with me filming it for all the world to see???)

A few pointers to make your viewing as pleasurable as possible:

1.) Make sure you pay attention to Jackson's expressions as Kate reads the note.

2.) Notice how my daughter likes to rub her nose upwards and rub whatever is coming out all over her eyes and hair. We emphasize cleanliness around here... you will not see a runny nose, just a crusty face and crusty hair! LOL

3.) Don't forget to pause the music on the right sidebar so you can hear.

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Here's the tiny note from the Tooth Fairy... sorry it's hard to read... she has very small hands!

Our Annual Pumpkin Patch Adventure

Well our annual pumpkin patch adventure went off without a hitch. Last year the weather was so crappy that we didn't make it out of the car. This year was still cold, but bearable. We had a good time as usual. Here are some pics from the day.

Nothing says fun (or hillbilly) like putting your kids in a culvert and rolling them around in it.