Fantastic Fall Fun!!!

Where have we been, you ask? Well, we have been so busy! Between Kade's baseball, Scott's Fast-Pitch, my specialist classes, and fun fall activities, we have not had a minute to sit!

Kade had his last game for the major league baseball team (ha) and they were in the playoffs. We just kept winning-which was very intense. It is crazy and I mean crazy. Let's all remember he is 4!!!He has improved a lot this year. His last 5 times up, he hit the ball every time. He is so cute in his uniform and he is in total control when he plays. He takes his equipment from me and then goes onto the field and takes care of himself.

Kade's class took a field trip to a pumpkin patch and petting zoo! We had a great time and our favorite was the corn maize. We let Kade and Cooper lead the way and we had a blast. I loved watching Kade interact with his friends and it was so neat to watch him have real conversations and joke around. He seems to be a cool kid and seems to be liked by all of his classmates. He is very sweet and earned a "warm fuzzy" at school for not making fun of another student when another little boy wanted him to. I am so proud of that boy for having a mind of his own and for caring for others. Sometimes I question if he is learning these life skills and will use them when he is alone and it seems that he is. If only I could be a fly on the wall in their lives. Rennen went on the field trip with us and he ran with Kade and his friends. There were times when it was clear he was the younger little guy, but he really tried to keep up with them and be a big boy. When told to stay with a Kade he replied "Otay, I tay with Dade." Kade gets so frustrated that he calls him "Dade" and will correct him daily. I laugh and secretly hope that we have many more days of Rennen calling Kade "Dade."

My parents also had a pumpkin carving party that was so cute. I helped throw a shower for a wedding I am in that day so the boys had a daddy day. They came home happy and with lots of candy. All of the kids were so cute in their costumes.

I love the picture of Kade and Rennen in their Halloween jammies. I told them the picture was for Gina and they sat and poised for 10 minutes. They will do anything if they think it is for Gina. They miss and love her.

Scott's team just finished their season. It is sad, but it is so nice to have Daddy back. Now I have to get used to having him home again.

The biggest news this time is that Rennen is 100% potty trained. I had first tried to potty train Kade when he was too young and it was a long, hard, not fun process. With Rennen, I said I was going to wait till his third birthday. A month before his birthday he told me, "Mommy, pee-pee on the potty?" After putting Cheerios in the potty he went. From then on he trained himself. #2 took some time. He was scared and it was really hard for him. He actually would run around in circles saying, "I have to go poops." We then made a graph for him to fill with stickers. After he figured out what to do and 11 stickers later we went to Chuck-E-Cheese. It was fun and he was so proud. By the way, Chuck-E-Cheese pizza is pretty good and so it the salad bar.
I had a very sad experience on the way to Chuck-E-Cheese...I realized I do not need to carry diapers with me any longer and that I can get a normal sized purse again. This is a wonderful thing for some, but one of the saddest days for me. I realized I have big boys now and no more babies! I still get that sad feeling in my tummy and it makes me want to cry. I would rewind the last 5 years and do it all again if I could. I know people all say "Each stage is wonderful," and they are right, but if we could slow down these stages I would be very happy.

If I could only:

• sit on the couch and hold one of my babies,
• have one of them fall asleep on my chest,
• feed one of them a bottle,
• carry that oh so heavy car seat,
• fill my trunk with strollers (because you never know what one you are going to need that day)
• have a swing in my family room,
• hear a sweet baby cry,
• stay up late making bottles,
• find the perfect burp cloth and bib that match the outfit,
• have smocked one piece outfits in their closets,
• have zip up jammies,
• smell spit up and not be able to find it,
• have a crib and rocker
• etc.

Do you see how sad I am? If you have a baby, please enjoy all moments. Oh so soon you will not have them anymore. I am getting ready to pack my boys for college. They are pretty independent and almost ready. SAD but loving it all!