110 with Rachael and Ben: Mommy goes on girls' weekend

So, for the first time since before Rachael was born (and in reality, probably since bachelorette party days in 2005), I went on a girls' only weekend! Thanks to my bestie, Shannon, and her hubby who had this idea that a girls' weekend would be great fun for Shannon's birthday....we were off on an adventure. Now, here's the caveat: we were supposed to go in July. But, Mom had a flare that sent her to the hospital and sent me packing for PA. Shannon graciously re-scheduled the weekend....to the weekend before my birthday! What fun it was to celebrate both of our birthdays, even if, it was supposed to be about her!

To say we had a great time is an under-statement. I also want to especially thank Mike who helped to make it happen....I couldn't have done it without his total support and excellent daddy-expertise. He's a true rock star!

110 with Rachael and Ben: Crashing Nana's girls' week

So, I did it. This mom took her 2 1/2-year-old and her 3 3/4-year-old on a trip. ALL.BY.MYSELF. Well, OK, just for the ride down...it was 200+ miles and 4 hours. And, they were GREAT. I got what I came for within the first 3 hours that we were there.....magnificent beach time with the kids and Nana...Gammy and Aunt Barb, too.
It was 75 degrees in November...what more could I ask???

Trick or Treat!

Our Halloween celebration was definitely full of treats and not too many tricks! The day itself was a 70 degree day, which made for an easy 'kick-off' party in our garage. We had 10 families together with 20 children total! It was a lot of fun and a great way to start the evening.
Nana was able to join us this year for the celebration; having a grandparent present always makes parties doubly fun. She even dressed up!

110 with Rachael and Ben: Halloween is coming!

This weekend we will kick-off our Halloween festivities -- a halloween party at Rachael's dance school, a Halloween party with the neighbor friends and a princess birthday party (which no weekend is complete without!) Here are some photo highlights:

110 with Rachael and Ben: New Park Love

We're in love. With a new park. Affectionately known as the 'castle park' because the play structures are capped off with peaks that look like a castle.
See this photo below from the park's website:


While the skies weren't as blue there today as they were in this photo, my two sunshines had a TON of fun there....see this:

It is a privilege to watch them explore new, uncharted territory. It's most fun when that new territory isn't scary (like the first time to the dentist or the first day of school)!
As I expected, they both took to the new park with ease and we will definitely be going back!
After 2 weeks of rain, we were thankful for a dry day (and I did see the sun trying to peek out!).

Annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

We continued our tradition of going with our besties to the Pumpkin Patch. This year, we had a lot more fun on the farm than we did having any time with pumpkins....in fact, we didn't even pick one or go to the field and sit next to one...there were more exciting things to do! See one of the funniest photos below....Samantha didn't realize that we were trying to get a photo of just the 4 of us -- so, she cuddled right up next to Mike. It's our 'adopted' 3rd child....we love her to pieces! :)

110 with Rachael and Ben: Fall themed Play Date

What's that saying? While the cat's away the mice will play? Well, that's exactly what we did! Mike and the boys were headed to a hockey game for the night, so the moms and I decided we should get the kids together for a little pizza, cupcakes and play! 7 kids...1 4-year-old, 3 3-year-olds, 2 2-year-olds, and 1 1-year-old! And, 4 TIRED mamas....makes for a fun and crazy time! We kept our normal Friday "stay home day" routine to a quiet one -- some cleaning, playing and a trip to Trader Joe's. I knew our evening fun would be more than enough. And, it didn't disappoint.:) 

110 with Rachael and Ben: Sweet Moments

Today....I didn't pull out the phone to take a picture of our day. Instead, I took in the moments with my heart and my eyes and my ears and my hands.
The moments that filled my heart with joy were these:

When our friends, Avery and Jack, and their sweet mama Ruth were about to help us clean up from hours of play, Rachael and I were close to each other. She leaned over, gave me a hug and said, "I love you, mama." and, I happily reciprocated the hug and echoed her sentiment. Then, I kissed her sweet cheek. She wiped it away, and teased me and she knows that wiped away kisses are replaced by a million smooches and lots of giggles. This exchange allows me to be silly and sweet and focused, solely on her, for that moment....and it's a treasure for the heart.

Later, while putting Ben to nap, he climbed up in my lap to read, which is a rare happening these days. While in my lap, I snuck kisses on his neck and ran my fingers through his fine, light blonde hair. I also was mimicking a part of the book we were reading by playing with his arms and hands. This made him giggle in a way that makes me want to never stop doing what we're doing. Ever. I wish I could bottle that giggle and carry it with me through every situation in life....because in that giggle is an innocence and a full commitment to that moment and that feeling of happy and silly.

These right here are the reasons for the decreased pay check. The reasons for the full heart I have right now. The reasons that I wanted to have this job in the first place. These reasons are a never-ending paycheck for a job that is priceless and that I am so lucky to have.