Trick-or-Treat 2008

Tonight we enjoyed a evening of Trick-or-Treat around our neighborhood with Nana & Poppa. After getting prepped with the Halloween Party at Daddy's office, the kids were more than ready to head out & collect some more goodies to add to their already large stash! This is the 2nd year that Nana & Poppa have joined us, so we are officially claiming it a tradition for them to come to our house to trick or treat with us.

We filled up with some yummy dinner before heading out to trek through our neightborhood (actually just 2 streets, but that is a lot for a 3 1/2 yr old & 21 month old!) The kids were both great at asking for their treats and Abigail even performed a song she had learned at school for several of our neighbors. And to make Mommy & Daddy happy, they both used their manners after every house & said "thank you"! Mitchell wanted to walk this year, just like his big sister, but tired out fairly early and enjoyed riding on Daddy's shoulders between houses.

When we were finished walking around, we came back to our house to pass out candy to other kids and to enjoy some dessert that Nana had brought. It was such an enjoyable night and the kids both took in lots of loot! I am not sure who will eat more of it, the kids or Mommy & Daddy!

Halloween Party at Daddy's Office

Today the kids & I went to Daddy's office to have a Halloween party with his co-workers & their children. It was so much fun to see all the kids in their costumes and watch them "trick-or-treat" from office to office. Abigail & Mitchell were also excited to get in their costumes, Abigail was our version of Tinker Bell & Mitchell was a fighter pilot.

Abigail was her outgoing self, as usual, and had no problems going up to everyone and asking for her treats. Mitchell was a little more reserved, but followed along behind Abigail. As soon as he knew there was chocolate involved, he was much more eager to participate! After the kids had all collected a heaping bag of goodies, we all headed to the conference room for pizza and some coloring, both of which were a hit!

It was so much fun to get together with the families of Daddy's co-workers and enjoy some much needed down-time. We hope this is a tradition that we get to participate in again!

A Wonderful Birthday Weekend!

I have to say that I had one of my best birthdays ever this year! My husband is so wonderful and always goes out of his way to make my birthday a memorable event, but it was even better this year than he anticipated!

Friday, October 24 was my actual birthday and he surprised me by bringing home a yummy ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Not sure who was more excited by this, me or the kids! Daddy & the kids also gave me my birthday present, which was a gift certificate to the spa! A day of pampering & relaxation for Mommy, great gift!

Saturday morning we dropped the kids off at my parents house for an overnight stay and we had an entire day for just the 2 of us, that in itself was enough of a gift! We ran some errands and then came home and relaxed before getting ready for a dinner out at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse downtown. We have been to other Jeff Ruby's restaurants, but never for dinner at the main one downtown, we were both so excited! While valet parking the car, the valets asked us if we were staying for the show. We had no idea what show they were talking about, we didn't know what was playing at the Aronoff, but when we walked in the restaurant we saw a poster for the musical "Hairspray". I told Steve how awesome that would have been to get to see that, it was only playing in Cincinnati for 3 nights. He told me to hold on and he ran across the street to the box office at the Aronoff and came back with box seats for the 8pm show that night! How perfect! It turned an already incredible day/night into something to always remember! We enjoyed a fabulous dinner of Ruby's award-winning steaks and then headed across the street for the show. We had a private box seat and it was a great show! My hubby knows how to celebrate a birthday!

Sunday we enjoyed a morning of sleeping in and then headed to my parents' house for my annual birthday lunch my mom prepares every year of vegetable soup & cheesecake. The kids had a great time with their Nana & Poppa and were excited to see us too! My parents got me the Shark Steam Mop that I have been wanting (I know, it's so sad to be excited about cleaning products!).

So, I just had to share what a wonderful 29th birthday that I had and what a wonderful family that I am surrounded by! I know how much they each love me and appreciate me, but it still feels good to get that little bit of extra attention now & again!

Disney on Ice!

Today Steve & I took Abigail to see Disney on Ice: Worlds of Fantasy at US Bank Arena, it was a wonderful date with our daughter! We all had so much fun together and the show was awesome! Abigail was so excited to see some princesses and Tinker Bell! This was really the first big outing we have gone on with just Abigail and she was beyond thrilled to have Mommy & Daddy all to herself and get to watch Disney too! We decided Mitchell was a little too young to attend this year, so he got to spend a fun-filled day with his Nana & Poppa (he had much more fun, he got to ride a tractor, made his day!)

We got a big tub of popcorn & some drinks and found our seats. Abigail, being as impatient as her mother, could barely stand waiting for the show to begin. As soon as the lights went down, Mickey & Minnie came out and the look on her face was priceless! She didn't know what to think or do! She started waving and saying hi to them, even though we were up quite a ways. She watched the entire show so intently and was just mesmerized with the action on the ice. She knew a bunch of the songs and sang along and even danced. She stayed glued to Daddy's lap, which Steve was most happy with! He got to get lots of good hugs and kisses throughout the show!

I sat there and watched her reactions more than I watched the show. I was just so overwhelmed with love and admiration for this little girl that captured my heart over 3 1/2 yrs ago! To see the pure astonishment on her face was enough for me! She has just gotten to be so big over the last year, definitely not a baby anymore. It even made me cry as I watched her because she is growing up so fast and I want to cherish every moment that we have with her because they are already counting down. But no matter how big she gets, she will always be our little girl!

Kinman Farms with Friends!

Tonight we took the kids & met our friends for a night of fun at Kinman Farms (our 2nd trip this year!) First, Abigail & Mitchell were so excited to spend time with their friends Mary & AJ and then add to that all the neat things to do at Kinman's and it made a great evening out!

We started off in the barn, once again, for some animal viewing & petting and then loaded up for the hayride. The hayride was out to a shelter area at Kinman's with bonfires, food & a corn maze. We all dined on hotdogs & nachos (very healthy, I know!) and then enjoyed finding our way through the corn maze. Abigail decided to lead the way, so it wasn't the quickest trip, but was fun! We then got our roasting sticks & marshmallows and headed to the fire pits for some marshmallow roasting & s'mores. This was the 1st time that Abigail & Mitchell had roasted marshmallows before, so they were both eager to see what it was all about. Abigail had fun, but refused to eat the roasted marshmallow, she wanted a plain one. And Mitchell stayed pretty mesmerized by the fire itself! All the kids got nice & dirty, except for Abigail, who does not like her hands to get "uckie"--such a girl!

It was the perfect night for the pumpkin patch & hayride, with a crisp feeling in the air. What made the night even more perfect was spending some quality time with very dear friends and watching our children all have such a great time together! What a wonderful way to celebrate this fall season!

1st Pumpkin Patch of the Season!

A few Sundays ago, Steve & I took the kids to Kinman Farms for their first pumpkin patch experience of the season. We all had such a great time! The kids each picked out their very own small pumpkin and then we got 2 bigger pumpkins to carve for the front of the house. Steve pulled the kids on a flat-bed wagon with the pumpkins and they thought it was so much fun! Then, went to the barn and the kids got to pet several different animals, which is always lots of fun! There were even baby pigs, which Abigail just couldn't get enough of! Mitchell found hay on the ground and was trying to feed it to all the animals, none of which were that interested in it, but he didn't care! Both kids also got to take a turn riding a pony around a ring. Abigail loves animals, so she was all for it, but Mitchell was a little hesitant. Steve walked around with him, and Mitchell finally relaxed. He started saying "Giidy-up horsey!" Very funny!

We had so much fun that we are going back this weekend for another fun time! There are hayrides and bonfires, so it will be an entirely different experience! Watch for another post coming soon!

Date Night for Mommy & Daddy!

Tonight was a first for us, we went out on a date and left the kids with a sitter at home! Big step for us, we have always left the kids with the grandparents when we go out! But we decided that they were old enough now to stay with a good, responsible sitter and we found a teenager that lives just a street over, so it worked out perfectly! I have to admit that I was a little nervous, as this was a first for all of us, and she would be putting both kids to bed, but everything went very smoothly for her and the kids. The kids were so excited when Sarah Jane came over (they had already met her a few weeks ago) and the report when we got home was a good one! So, I am sure we will be using her quite often now and are excited about that!

For our date, Steve & I went to dinner & to the movies to see "Fireproof". We had such a good time, despite the fact that we are both pretty sick (Steve has a sinus infection and I have mono & a sinus infection-yuck!) It was so good to be out together and just get to enjoy each other's company. The movie was great and it made us so appreciative of what a wonderful marriage that we have and how great it is to be married to your best friend. I have to be the luckiest woman in the world to have found such a caring, loving, God-centered man to share my life with. He is the best daddy and takes care of all of us, always putting our needs before his own. And even after an extremely hard day at work, he will come home & give the kids & I 100% of his attention and love. I love him with my whole heart and I know that God led us to each other, as we are a perfect combination. With God at the head of our marriage, I know that we will make it through anything and will always show an unconditional love for the other.

So, date night was wonderful! We have always tried to have a date night at least once a month, but lately we haven't been able to line up the grandparents to keep the kids for us. Finding Sarah Jane and her doing such a good job is such a blessing to us because now we will be able to have these date nights as frequently as we would like. I know I am already looking forward to the next one!