Clear back in July my husband and I took a trip up to Washington state to attend my cousins wedding. We went a few days early and celebrated our 5th anniversary along the way. My mom and sister brought our little guy up and met us! So the second half of our trip was our family vacation for the year. It was tons of fun! The trip up to Spokane was one my family made at least once a year when I was little. My cousin (the one getting married) is also one of my closest friends! My mom and I used to go shopping with her and her mom every fall. I used to stay for weeks at a time in the summer. On the way to Spokane is Missoula, MT. This is where my grandparents lived and it was always a stop along the way, if not the destination itself. There was nowhere in the world as exciting as Grandma's house, with the big old yard and hill that we would hit golf balls up and then go find them. There was always something yummy in the garden and Grandma made the best meals.

So this little vacation of ours was a trip down memory lane for me. Of course we could not stop at Grandma's house because they now live in Idaho, but seeing Missoula still brought back tons of memories.

On the way home from Spokane, we made a traditional stop. Never, ever did my family pass up the 10,000 Silver Dollar Bar (now the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar), not on the way to Spokane and not on the way home. Its just a gas station/ souvenir shop/ restaurant, but to me it is magical. It's the place where I bought beaded Indian girl necklaces and pop guns, and my favorite pair of earrings! I was so excited to share this special place with Joe and to watch my little boy's eyes light up at the sight of all the cool toys! I felt like a little girl again.

Our next stop was the Carousel in Missoula, a place we visited almost every time we went to Grandma's. It is beautiful with hand carved horses. It goes SO fast, one of the reasons I loved it so much as a kid, and also the reason I could only stand to ride it once as an adult... it made me quite dizzy. But Wylie loved it!

As a kid my family moved around all the time. I can't easily go back to all of the places of my childhood to share them with my own kids, so this trip was such a blessing for me. Joe on the other hand lived in the same house all his life and his parents still live there, just 10 minutes from where we live now. I feel so blessed to be able to visit his childhood often.

So take a day and share your childhood with your children. Whether it's a place, or an event, they will probably love it, and it will make you that much closer.

They are made by placing marshmallows on the end of a pretzel and then dipped in white chocolate.

Yesterday we snuggled up to read some fun Halloween books.  To go with our skeleton bones we read Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler and Funny Bones by Janet Ahlberg and Allen Ahlberg.

What are some of your favorite Halloween books?

If you could go back to the time right before you had children, what would you say to yourself? What advice would you share with the younger, inexperienced you? What gems of wisdom would you bestow upon yourself about parenthood...and life in general? A few weeks ago I watched a little video that addressed that very question, and it got me thinking: What would I say?
It's a question I have been tossing around in my mind since that day. And, well, there are a lot of things I would tell that young, immature, naive version me. Most importantly: Life will never go as planned. Learn to love being adaptable. Back ten years ago, while my husband and I were in the love bubble of the honeymoon phase, we planned out our perfect little life together. [cue 50's sitcom music] We'd have 6 beautiful children (three boys and three girls), in a suburban neighborhood, we'd live in a house big enough for all 8 of us, The Husband would climb that corporate ladder at the company he worked for, and I would be the picture perfect housewife (house: spotless, children: well-behaved, well-dressed, well-spoken. Dinner: on the table by five, healthy and delicious, every night).  
Let's just say that life has not panned out the way we'd envisioned. Not at all. We live in a small town, in a small (but lovely) home. We have four beautiful children (two boys, one girl, and an angel boy, waiting for us on the other side). Husband works in a completely different industry than he did back then, and I am a far cry from the perfect housewife. And do you know what? I wouldn't change this crazy, exciting, messy-beautiful life I have for the stiff, plastic world I'd dreamed up all those years ago. Not a chance!

If I could go back to the days before I had kids, I'd tell myself that there is no such thing as a perfect parenting style. Each of your kids will be different. Very Different. What works for one will most definitely NOT work for the others.... Your kids will be noisy, messy, loud, and imperfect ...and that is okay! NO, not just okay... WONDERFUL! One of my sons has the kind of personality that requires a lot of attention. He loves to be silly, noisy and messy.  He'll do just about anything to get a laugh. I once read a little saying in a friend's home that said, "Boy-a noise with dirt on it." This is the perfect definition for my boy. Discipline with him is difficult. And the techniques that work GREAT for him, are useless with the other two. I guess this part of parenting could also fall into the "Love being adaptable" category, too. Parenting is so not about being strict and having perfect children. It is about finding that magic balance between what you want your children to become and who they think they want to be. It's more a journey than a destination. And I wish I could go back and tell my self not to sweat the small stuff. Let them play in the mud, pull out all their toys and make a mess. Because messes clean up--but you cannot get back the time when they were little. Make the most of everyday to make it count.

After the birth of our daughter, we received the heartbreaking news that we would no be able to have more children. I thought I would be okay with it, as we already had already been so blessed with our boys and our daughter. But, it has been a lot harder than I ever could have imagined. As I have watched my babies grow, and my friends and family members have had babies, it has surprised me how much I long to be a part of that new-parent group. To have just one more new baby. One more chance to soak up that new baby smell. Kiss those itsy bitsy newborn feet. Listen to the sweet newborn sounds, the coos and grunts and yes, even the cries. If I could go back and talk to myself, I would tell myself not to blink. Babies grow, change and learn so fast. Enjoy every moment (even the 2 AM crying/feedings). Because those moments turn into days...days turn into years and in the blink of an eye you're face to face with a child who has opinions and dreams and a will of his own and you'll wonder where your baby went -- and where that short, precious time with your baby has disappeared to so quickly. Your heart will hurt longing to have the time back. Once the time is gone, you can't get it back. You will never have this day with your child again. Make the memories; Relish in the gift you've been given! Enjoy today...because it will be gone before you know it.

Grab a tissue, watch the video...then tell me, what would you tell pre-motherhood you?



Happy Parenthood, everyone!