Apple Pie, Anyone?

If there is one thing you need to know about me, it's that I really like myself an orchard on a lovely, fall afternoon in Michigan.
Want to pick apples for a delicious cobbler? How about some cider or pumpkin spice donuts? Some mums, pumpkins, Halloween decor and a petting zoo all in one place? I am there. Throw in a hayride and I am straight up speechless.
I am known among my circle of friends as an orchard-loving whack job. True to my reputation, I have hit three orchards, just in the past week.
I am working on carrying on this tradition with my own children and I think it's working...so bring on fall 2008! I have a few more orchards to hit before Halloween!
Corn maze, anyone? Good times...

My Happy Place...

I have been pretty PLG about something that I guess I will admit on here, for posterity sake. I am still really, really sad to be home from Disneyworld. That's right...we have been home for almost a month and every single day, I think about that place, our trip, and how much fun it was.
I get sad that we have to wait 4 or 5 more years to do it again.
I daydream about ways to win trips to go there again, or pray to Jesus (who is my friend) to allow me to get the "Mom's panel" job over at the Disney website I applied for (um, me and 20,000 other applicants).
I wonder how my life would have been different if I had worked there in college (damn that Disney interviewer...I was wearing a navy blazer and MICKEY PIN on the LAPEL...is there no God in heaven?).
Things I especially miss, in no real order are:
Waking up in our Fort Wilderness cabin and realizing we had the whole day to play.
Never having a thought in my mind (for 7 days straight) about dishes, laundry, cooking or picking up toys.
Sending the kids off to my parents cabin in the morning to say "Good morning!" and getting ready to ride in the golf cart to the boat or bus.
Watching Lucy's face in the 3-D movies, giggling with glee!
Riding rides with sweaty Tommy, who would not show emotion through the entire ride. However, when you would ask Tomma how he liked it, he would respond, "That was a wonderful ride."
Being shocked by Lucy's bravery on EVERY ride for a person over 40 inches! Even the Haunted Mansion?!
Frozen lemonades in Fantasyland. (choke...sob...)
Watching my parents ride Dumbo and the Tea Cups with the kids. The kids have no idea how lucky they are!
Seeing Lucy's face when they revealed her "Princess makeover" in the boutique. That face was the happiest 4-year-old girl on earth.
Riding the "grown up" rides with Matt and our adult night out with Meg and John.
Walking through the Emporium gift shop and excitedly buying Lucy her Halloween costume.
Noticing the music and smells in each corner we visited.
The overall smell that many of the water-type rides have (Pirates, Splash Mountain)...it's just a Disney smell that I can't explain.
Watching the kids hug any characters...it would make me well up with tears all the time.
Seeing Tommy pinch Minnie's nose.
Character meals and buffets where the kids could eat right away and any goodie they wanted! We decided normal dinner rules do not apply in Disney.
Watching Tommy worship my mom and goof around with her all day long.
Watching Tommy LOVE every form of transportation that we used.
Just having the kids act SO AWESOME 90% of the trip. Barely ever acting out and keeping it together so splendidly, they made me so very proud.

And finally, I guess it was just the freedom of never worrying about what was going on back at home or what we were missing - because in my whole life, nothing could have been better than that week and those moments with those people. If I died tomorrow, I had that trip and it was everything I hoped it could be.

A Friend to Lean On...

Lucy is killing us with her emotional ups and downs...we've had another death in our extended family this weekend...Matt is going fishing for five days...Lucy shut her finger in the car door...I feel on the verge of tears for a variety of reasons.

And so...I present you...this.

Oh No He Di 'Int....

Bless his "Precious Moments" heart....

New Alone Time...

Things I have noticed this week with my new "alone time"...

1. After two mornings of driving around in silence, I suddenly realized I could put on an adult radio station. This morning I jammed out to Justin Timberlake. Oddly, the thought had not crossed my mind to do so until day #5 of freedom at 11:07 a.m. Apparently I was just one with my thoughts up until that point.

2. You can walk past the child care area at the gym and head straight upstairs to a treadmill in 1.2 seconds, as opposed to potties, name tags, diapers, chatting with the staff for 10 minutes, etc. before stepping on the treadmill.

3. You can breeze through twice the stores, try on clothes, be sippy cup and snack-free, chat with a friend on the phone, run into a coffee shop, strategize about a craft project in Michaels (and get the correct supplies for it), get groceries to make lovely dinner #6 in the past 10 days (this is very, very good for me!) ALL in 2.5 hours and no children at your side.

4. You can actually miss your kids for a second and create things to worry about (Will Lucy be really ready for Kindergarten?, Is Tommy sharing? Is Lucy picking her nose? Are they having fun?)

5. You can run the lake at a reasonable time (as opposed to before your husband leaves for work) on a perfect fall morning.

Or, if you are like me, your head immediately turns to that old career you had before your whole life changed in an instant. That career that seemed pointless once I held Lucy in my arms and started the new job of "mother." The job that has given me every piece of satisfaction I could ever hope for. The job that I feel my skills have been best used towards. The job that doesn't really feel like a job at all these days...and I wonder if I will ever find something I can get excited about again. And not feel badly to leave my kids or have them in someone else's care every now and then. We'll see...

Geez...give the woman 2.5 hours and she's overthinking everything!

Who Says Bowl Cuts Aren't Back In?

Well, I do have to admit these pics do not do the "cut-fest" justice. We took both kids to a place yesterday morning, after school, and they turned out o.k. Tommy now is sporting a major buzz (breaks my heart) and she basically just has a shorter version of her old hairdo, plus whispy side-swept bangs that I do not care for. Ah well...what can you do.
So in conclusion, her hair went from this cute bob....

To this sweet Dorothy Hamill special...

With some sweet hacking behind the ears...

How to Jazz Up a Boring Weekend...

Once your husband gets home from a 2 day golf trip with the boys, take a moment and head to the store for some alone time.
Upon your return, just one hour later, go check out your basement that has started flooding from the three solid days of rain that hit Michigan this weekend. Then, start breathing deeply when your husband tells you that, while he was flailing to get a pump for the basement in the garage, your daughter decided to chop off her cute bob with her craft scissors.
She took it upon herself to try and "Look like mom so we can be twins!" Except that mom doesn't have bangs that start at the hairline and large chunks out of the back of her ears. Oh, and just for a little more excitement, chop into brother's new haircut a couple of times as well.
That's right...all this can happen to you if you dare leave the house for a few minutes. And that is how a boring, rainy, weekend of single parenthood can end for you, my friend.
Pics to come tomorrow...good grief!!

Things I Learned this Week...

1. If you want to lull Tommy to sleep, per his request, you must learn the words to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride at Disney World. However, something just doesn't feel right about whispering, "Drink up, me Harty's, yo ho!" in his ear.

2. You can have 4 Pumpkin Spice lattes in 6 days and not be mad about it.

3. If you throw 3 couch cushions on the floor, your kids will giggle and flail onto it for 45 minutes...it is actually the reason I am able to write this post.

4. You can let your kids run in the rain at someone's house for one hour and they will think they died and went to heaven (thanks to my completely "cool mom," Karen!). They will also fall asleep in 2.3 seconds...

5. School is a wonderful thing for us all. God bless this new schedule...

6. I have nothing to wear. Seriously. I must have worn one pair of ill-fitting jeans and the same sweater every day last fall.

7. I love Facebook. It is hilarious...and semi-addictive.

A New Day...

What a morning it was...two big kids headed off to preschool and I could not have been prouder. Interesting moments to note:
1. Lucy giving me a quick hug and JUMPING into her classroom with a huge smile.
2. Tommy being the first kid to enter his class and barely looking back to blow me a kiss.
3. When I picked up Tommy today and asked him what he did he promptly replied, "Played with my yellow car and rode my truck!"
4. When I picked up Luce, she was alll concerned about Tommy: "What did you do? Did you like school?" All plg...wouldn't even answer my questions because she was so excited for Tommy.
I think it's going to be a great year!

It's A World of Laughter...

Well, this Disney ship has landed. But we still all have "It's a Small World" ringing in our ears, frozen lemonade on the taste buds, and the smiles of the kiddos and all of us in our minds. It was the best trip ever. I will spare you all the details but I just have to say this trip was one that will go down in family history as one of the greatest weeks of our lives. There is something about Disney World that causes the world to stop. It is just the greatest place on earth.
We are still all "Disneyfied." Mouse ears are on the shelves and new stuffed characters are strewn around the house. I was telling Matt last night that now the kids see life, for the first time, through "Disney eyes." Their imaginations must have grown to enormous sizes over the week.
When we arrived home, Lucy immediately started cleaning her room, putting her new Daisy Duck and Minnie dolls on their new bed (hers, of course). While cleaning, I caught her singing a Disney tune to herself.
Tommy spent his post-lunch playtime today, playing with his cars going to and from "Meema's cabin on the golf cart," while singing "It's a Small World." A few minutes later he said to himself, "I don't like the mean queen."
Yes, it's true, we have all been officially "Disneyfied." I have to admit I have had a hard day trying to get back into normal life. Laundry, groceries and errands just don't feel the same when you were riding "Splash Mountain" with the happiest 4-year-old on earth just one day before. "I love this ride, Mom. I just love it."
If I think too hard about all that happened and all the magical moments, I get a little teary and have to think of something else...
Back at home, the air is cooler and the flowers are wilting. School starts next week for both kids and they are extremely excited. New school shoes are in the closet...the Crocs are dirty and worn out from the best summer we have ever had. I even got a little excited to put up some fall decorations around the house.
Things are moving on...life is moving forward. And yet, I don't really want to let this past summer go and certainly not this once in a lifetime trip we just experienced. It will remain in my family's memories with that moment in time frozen forever. And I suppose being able to have that memory is the luckiest of all.