Fall and It's Beauty

These are pictures from when the kids traveled up to Utah with their aunts and uncles for Grandpa's funeral...Thanks again Kimber, Ryan and Lindsay for taking the kids and helping me out!









Aunt Kimber

Uncle Ryan

Aunt Lindsay

Halloween (2008)

OUR PUMPKIN THAT'S STILL BAKING IN THE OVEN!
............................33 Weeks along!............................




Sadie(age 4)

Mason (age 2)


FLASHBACK TO LAST YEAR...2007!

Sadie(age 3), Mason(age 1)

"Bat Dog" Paige

Mickey's Not so Scary Trick-or-Treat (Disneyland)

Super Hero Family.....
Dad was a good sport to wear this costume because it was a little small for him. Dad would tell people he was going to be "Hulk On Ice" for Halloween because of how small his costume was. It was so funny when I overheard Sadie one day telling her friends at school that her dad was going to be "Hulk On Ice"..haha!

Poor Mason thought his pumpkin was a basketball.
He was sad when it only bounced once.


MORE FLASHBACK PICTURES (2007) Oak Glen, CA.
Fall festivites and petting Zoo.
Where Mason found his first love

Where we enjoyed the smell of nature

Where the animals soon learned not to turn their backs

Where the animals resorted to defending themselves...
Notice Mason's wet shoes!

Where Sadie learned the law of gravity
(taken just before the goat jumped on her)

And Mason learned that not all bears bite

HAPPY 29TH B-DAY RICH!

Hope you had a good B-day! I can't wait for you to get home so we can celebrate.

No kids...what's a mother to do???

I know I'm posting and rambling on tonight....that would be because I have no kids or husband to entertain me. This week Rich's grandpa passed away and we were all going to travel to Utah to attend his funeral. Two days ago I came down with an infection, bad cold and a high fever so my travel plans where no more. But my kids sweet aunties and uncles came to my rescue and took the kids along with them so I could get a little R&R, and Rich is going to travel from California up to Utah tomorrow to be with the rest of the family. It was so interesting the different emotions running through me as they drove away. Of course there was relief that I could actually take the time to rest and recover from my illness, but as soon as I got into the house I broke down crying because I missed my kiddos already! It's especially hard because it's Halloween and what's Halloween without kids? I just keep telling myself there will be plently of more Halloweens to come, ones that I will actually enjoy because I will be feeling better. I feel so blessed to be a mother!!! And it's times like this when the responsibilities of motherhood are taken from me that I find myself wanting those responsibilites back. I hate being away from them, but what I hate even more is knowing I can't take care of them. This pregnancy has been really difficult and I'm looking forward to the day when I have my health and energy back so I can love and care for my kids the way I long to. Mommy loves you Sadie and Mason!

We will miss you Grandpa Heagle. We are thankful we have the knowledge of where you are and that we will get to see you again. (Grandpa & Aunt Lindsay)



THEY MUST GET THIS FROM RICH'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY!


After reading a fellow blogger friend's post about how her son likes to wear his sister's shoes and bows (which brought me some peace and reassurance), I thought sharing our fun picture of our son wearing his sister's jammies and hair bows might bring the same peace (and maybe some chuckles) to other blogger friends. Well in Mason's defense it's actually never his decision to wear sister's jammies. It's only happened twice... because mom waited too long to do laundry! But the bows are all his doing. At least most of the time he wears them RAMBO style across his forehead or even his eyes. Now Mason may get a little help from mom with his apparel, but Sadie comes up with her style all on her own. I dedicated one drawer in her room to the "Go ahead and dress yourself" days. I always look forward to seeing what she puts together as an outfit. And after her decision is made it's usually followed with a HUGE announcement from the top of the stairs..."Ladies and gentleman...boys and girls...everyone gather around as Sadie the princess is walking down the stairs". At which time she expects us to gather and ooh and ahh over her choice of clothes. She slowly emerges down the stairs as she bats her eyes and stops occasionally to strike a pose. When I was pregnant with Sadie, Rich asked me to please not decorate her room 'princess like' because he was worried she would act too much like a princess. Well princess room or not....she's still a princess! But we sure do love our princess.

Lucky I'm in love with my best friend!

(p.s. This is not a recent picture! This was in the spring when I was still in my first trimester. Just didn't want to confuse anyone...yes I'm still big and yes I'm still ready to pop!)

I GET TO SEE MY HUSBAND IN 4 DAYS!!!
Rich was supposed to be coming home tomorrow but plans have changed. I'm now using my blog as a little theraputic session (as I always do) to help me cope with four more days of waiting. I don't know how women send their husbands off to war and go without seeing them for long periods of time. Rich has been gone for 5 weeks and I'm about to lose my mind. I miss him so much! I've downloaded one of my favorite songs "Lucky"...because of course it reminds me how good I have it! Although we have to work at our marriage as much as the next person...I feel so "Lucky" to have married my best friend because he makes our relationship so easy. I feel so "Lucky" to have been where I have been. I think about everything we have been through together and I wouldn't change a thing... I know surprising...especially with the past year being as difficult as it was with Rich traveling so often and me being as sick as I have been. I feel like this has just pulled us closer together and tested our committment to one another. But most of all I'm "Lucky" that you'll be coming home again! Rich...I love you...I love you...I love you...and I can't wait to see you again.

DADDY....pull your arm out of that horse and COME HOME!


Richard has been gone for 3 weeks in California where he is completing his Equine Internal Medicine rotation. He has two more weeks to complete and we are anxiously awaiting his return on Nov. 1st!



15 REASONS WHY DADDY NEEDS TO COME HOME

1. Once dad is back maybe Sadie will stop telling people that dad now lives in a motorhome. Yes...it is the truth, but unless people are told our situation it just sounds as bad as dad choosing to live in a van down by the river.
2. The fish need someone to come to their rescue. Mom and the kids have managed to kill...what... like 6 out of the 8 fish. I guess it takes a vet to keep those things alive and well.
3. Mom also somehow killed the only plant she was in charge of keeping alive. I know mom's nurturing skills should be questioned now that she's killed off the fish and the plant. But lets not forget the kids are still alive and that's what's most important...right?
4. We just need more of dad in our day. A phone call just isn't enough! We miss that much anticipated and exciting moment everyday when dad walks in the door.
5. Not only does our very pregnant mom need one of dads big hugs...but she could also use a good foot massage to help her cope with her aching kankles.
6. Mom could use dads help with some housecleaning. To get at all those hard to reach areas, you know the ones that are hard to reach from the comfort of mom's bed!
7. Mason seems to think that Mom can't sing "Spider pig" as well as Dad. Whenever Mom trys, he gets mad and yells "No...Daddy!"
8. Because of moms lack of energy the kids are getting away with murder. Unless their screaming includes the words "I'm bleeding", "Someone else is bleeding", "I'm not breathing", or "Someone else is not breathing", Mom pretty much just lets the kids duke it out on their own.
9. Whenever the dogs bark, Mason yells "Daddy". Then I have to break the bad news that the dogs are actually retarded and that nobody walked through the front door.
10. Sadie is just not happy with the way I end the storybook "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly". The last words are "She swallowed a horse...of course". No matter how hard I try...I just don't seem to say it the right way LIKE DADDY!
11. Mommy's patience is wearing thin. Sadie included in her prayer last night "Please bless mommy that she will not be mean and take things away". It's true it only took Mason throwing his food once at the dinner table for mom to get upset and take away his food leaving him hungry and in tears...but once again let's focus on the fact that the kids are still alive and well.
12. We need our interpreter back. Dad just has a knack at understanding Mason's Tongan speaking ways. The other day Mason gets on the phone with dad and says "Hi Daddy...pa,pa....maaaaa". When mom got back on the phone dad says "Oh so you're feeding the fish right now"....REALLY...how on earth did he gather that information from that conversation? Dad said it was easy...a fish says pa,pa and maaaa is Mason's kiss goodbye. Wow hopefully dad will always be as good at understanding and communicating with our kids, especially when they are teenagers.
13. Because other people are starting to wonder who the father of all these children are. Last Friday we went to the Zoo with Grandma, Grandpa and 14 year old Uncle Brian. Brian spent the day pushing the kids in the stroller. There was one point when we were walking out of the zoo that Grandma and Grandpa fell behind and so mom and Brian were left walking alone with the kids. Mom got the funniest looks when people would look at the two kids, mom's very pregnant belly, and then look at little 14 year Brian pushing the stroller. I just think mom would feel more comfortable in public places if she was with her 29 year old husband instead of her 14 year old brother in-law.
14. Mom's ready to resign her early morning duties back over to dad. Especially on those mornings when the wake up call is Sadie screaming "Mom....Mom...I've pooped a lot and I can't wipe it all off myself!"
15. Because...we MISS YOU like crazy! We love you and we can't wait to be back together as a family soon.

Silly Sadie

Lately, Sadie seems to think when she dresses up like a princess shes needs to put a pair of underwear on her head. Either she's really confused or the princess trends have changed more than I thought. Sadie's been saying she wants to be a princess for Halloween but I don't think the world is ready for her underwear wearing ways....so we are going to stick with her angel costume. I think that will be a safer decision!

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL???? ....

I've always thought that Sadie's been "wiser beyond her years"...and this helps to prove it. She listens very closely to what we say to her, then she will turn that around and find any opportunity to use those same words against Rich and I. Although, she hasn't quite learned in what context to use these statements and we always end up having a good laugh when she says them.

1st statement: Rich and I where taking the kids for a walk when Sadie decided to bail out of the stroller. After almost running her over, I grabbed her and put her back into the stroller while giving her a quick lecture on how she could have been hurt. This lecture seemed to upset her so she responded back with "Mom, how would you feel if your friends where playing together and they wouldn't let you play with them?" I responded,"I would probably feel pretty sad". She then said, " Well that's how I'm feeling right now because you could have said that to me in a much nicer way". Of course being the mother that's always right...ha,ha...I had to swallow my pride and agree with her because I knew this was an opportunity to teach her that even mommy's can say they are sorry. Plus deep down I knew my softer mommy voice could have been used even if she was about to become road-kill from the Catalac of a stoller that we push around.

2nd statement: Sadie had done something notty (who Sadie....never), so I picked her up and placed her in time-out. She screamed like I had beaten her. When I came to get her out of time-out she said, "Mom how would you feel if the baby in your tummy kicked and hit you?" I don't think she was ready for the response she got. I said, "Um she does...all the time". I'm sure we can all see where she was going with this...but unfortunately it backfired on her and she decided it was best to just drop that agrument.

3rd statement: Sadie will try to find any reason to strip her clothes off. She came into the world that way and if mom and dad let her she would spend her days that way. We had just sat down to the table to eat when she spilled a little bit of food on her shirt. She asked if she could take it off. I told her after dinner she could run upstairs and change. Again not liking this answer she came back with, "Mom how would you feel if Dad hit you?". I said, "Honey, well first off your dad would never hit me. Second of all what does that have to do with your shirt?". This time we couldn't hold in our laughter and I think she even understood how funny she sounded.

DEEP THOUGHTS....

Today while silently driving in the car (yes that does happen on occasion)...Sadie spoke out the deep thoughts running through her head. She said, "I wish we had a different mom so that we could watch Sponge Bob". It's so reassuring to know that the only thing as of now that bothers her about me being her mom is that I won't let her watch Spronge Bob. I imagine she will add more to that list as she hits her teenage years, so for know I'll just enjoy her small and simple list.

THANK YOU SADIE FOR BRINGING SO MUCH FUN AND LAUGHTER INTO OUR LIVES!