October 2012…part one

October is always one of our busiest months of the year!

I started the month off with a trip to Vegas for a work conference.  It was a fun trip (and I learned a lot at the conference), but I was glad to get back home. I enjoyed getting to know one of my co-workers better and seeing the sights of Vegas. The best part of the trip was having dinner and hanging out with my high school friend, Gretchen.  I hadn’t seen her in almost 20 years, but the magic of Facebook has kept us in touch the past few years.  I loved seeing her!  Here’s a self-pic of us in the Bellagio conservatory.

9th – Caleb decided he was big enough to watch a Halloween movie on Disney channel.  He got scared halfway through it and then wouldn’t sleep that night.  Maybe we’ll wait another year before we try another Halloween movie.

11th – I had a gynecologist appt that led to 2 weeks of worry and stress.  You can read about that here and here.

12th – I caught a glimpse of my little boy growing up.  He read Nola’s bedtime story to her all by himself.  He has really become a good reader this year.  I’m amazed at how much confidence he has gained in such a short period of time.

13th – Rudy couldn’t go to the Razorback game so I asked my friend Stacy to go with me.  We had already arranged for Nola to go to Tulsa for the weekend to spend some time with Jan.  As the weekend got closer, it became obvious that the weather was not going to be good during the game.  I ended up giving away my tickets, meeting Jan in Ft Smith, handing BOTH kids off to her and spending the weekend scrapbooking in a hotel room with Stacy.  It was a great weekend!  MIRACLE OF MIRACLES – the Hogs actually won their game!

15th – Caleb drew this precious picture for our family.  It says, “I love you Mom and Dad and Nola.  I love you guys (giis)”:

October was a little rough for Nola at daycare.  I found these “listening ears” for her in the bargain bin at Target.  Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to help her too much.

It got to the point where I had to implement a reward system for her to make better choices.  She picked out a Strawberry Shortcake toy at TJ Maxx and earned puzzle pieces to get the toy. It took her quite a while to earn all 5 pieces of the puzzle, but she eventually did.  She loved her new toy and I about melted watching she and Rudy play together.

I got out of the shower one morning and found this…  There are absolutely no words to describe what that does to a Mama’s heart.

21st – Rudy and I took the kids to the Arkansas State Fair.  We had a great time!  We rode rides, ate junk food and the kids each won a prize.  We even watched pig races, of all things!

23rd – Nola’s daycare took a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch.  Rudy and I weren’t able to go, so Pops went in our place.  Nola had a great time and is still asking when she gets to go back to the pumpkin patch with Pops.

24th – My birthday!  Rudy and the kids sent flowers to me at work – so sweet!

I turned 36 surrounded by…well, the kids I work with.  But after that, I had a wonderful dinner at Jose’s with some of my favorite people.  Mom brought a cake and we were joined on the patio by my grandparents, Jimmy & Kim, and of course, Rudy and the kids.  It was a great evening!

30th – A Calebism for the ages:

Caleb: “Why is there a diarrhea olympic kid on the fridge?”

Me: “What? Oh…Umm…That’s the flyer for the book fair…and it’s a picture from Diary of a Wimpy Kid.”