Fall with a Touch of Summer

*Don't forget to enter my Farm Rich giveaway!*

Dylan and Lexie had the day off from school today, so we decided to have a stay at home kind of day. We haven't had one of those in a long time, so it was nice to just relax, and not have to worry about where we needed to be.

I had big plans to sleep in just a bit, but my plans were thwarted. First, by my husband, who woke me up because he got locked out of the house as he was leaving for work, and then by Lily, who decided to poop all over me as I was feeding her. Despite the earlier-than-planned wake-up, we had a lazy morning at home, complete with a visit from Papa.



Lily was happy her siblings were home, and worked on her smiling skills with them.




Dylan and Lexie decided to take advantage of the warm weather while it's still here, and spent a few hours outside. They really wanted to introduce Lily to the joys of Fall sledding, and playing in the leaves.




Lily in the leaves did not end well.



Luckily, she has two older siblings who constantly want to hold her.





She was content for a bit, and then those darn leaves touched her again.



Her opinion of Fall?



I didn't want to waste the last possible warm day by spending it indoors, so I stuck her in the Moby wrap, and we watched the kids ride bikes.






I finally rounded up Dylan and Lexie, and we came back indoors. The moment Grant walked in the door, he turned on the Tigers/Rangers playoff game. Dylan helped him cheer on his beloved Tigers, while Lily zoned in on her toes. The game didn't end well, but there's another one tomorrow!



Today was simple, but oh so good. We needed a calm day at home, free from routine, and we really enjoyed the summer-like weather before it's gone for the year!

Things I've Learned This Weekend

{1} Don't be deceived by appearances...




...because baby girl does not handle her shots well!



She spent the majority of her waking moments screaming bloody murder on Friday and Saturday! It was trying, and we had a horrible night's sleep on Friday night. I felt so bad for her, but she's doing much better today.

She had a great checkup, and is finally putting on weight! She is almost 12.5 lbs and is just over 24 inches long. She gained 2 lbs in one month!

{2} Do not pack away summer clothes before November. I packed them away last weekend, because the weather was cooler, and guess what? We're back in the high 70's/low 80's here in PA!

As much as I love the warm weather, it needs to cool off just a bit. Lily doesn't fit into her newborn summer pajamas anymore!



{3} Halloween costume shopping with three kids is rough. Three stores later, they had their costumes. We had an empty wallet.

Halloween costumes are ridiculously expensive. Lexie wanted a cheaply made costume that cost $40, and after the stress of all the shopping we gave in. The kids are so proud of their costumes though, so the frustrating shopping experience was worth it!

{4} Don't bother skipping a birthday party if the host calls to tell you her kids are sick and it's "come at your own risk." Because you can't really avoid it!

After dinner yesterday, Dylan spiked a 102 degree fever. It came on quickly, and went away after I gave him tylenol. Within an hour, he was back to normal, and he has been fine ever since. Weird!

{5} Silly Putty is horrible. It now resides in our garbage can.



{6} Enjoy every moment like it may be the last. Don't take your loved ones for granted. A good friend of ours was here last night, and hours after she left, she lost her dad unexpectedly. My heart is breaking for her right now.

{7} I love it when Dylan and Lexie get along. It makes life much easier. And quieter.



{8} Baby is ready to move! Laying around all the time isn't much fun anymore.



{9} It's much easier taking pictures of Lily than of my older two. Which is why this post is loaded with them.




{10} Somebody said it was Fall?



{11} Bwahahahahahaha! Pennsylvania didn't get the memo!



{12} Snuggling with my baby (make that kids) is my ultimate way to relax.



{13} I'm glad my big boy (and Lexie) is home from school tomorrow. I feel like I haven't spent much time with him since school started!



An added bonus? I get to sleep in. Just a bit.

Over The Past Week...

...I rediscovered my love for the Moses basket.



...a certain little lady wrapped her Daddy around her little finger.



...I babysat my best friend's boys for an hour, and realized just how much I miss watching them! Love those boys!

...I came to the conclusion that it really sucks not having a garage. Not having one due to the accident really is an inconvenience, especially with three kids. I'm spoiled having an interior garage, and can't wait to get it back! The insurance check arrived, but we're waiting on the repair company to set up an appointment with us.

...Lexie had her first snack day and was so excited to take in smores granola bars, fruit punch, striped napkins, and fish cups.

...I had a lunch "date" with Dylan at his school, and then took him to the book fair. I'm so happy I got to spend some time with just him! He was so excited to see me when I arrived. We ate lunch together, went to the book fair, and then he showed me around his classroom. Dylan is an extremely outgoing and independent kid, so I was surprised when he chased after me down the hall when I left his classroom. He was on the verge of crying as he pleaded to go home with me or to have me stay. It broke my heart to leave him, but I knew he would be okay within a minute or two, and honestly...I was happy to see that he still wants his mama!

...I realized just how thankful I am to have my best friend. She is wonderful!

...my baby girl turned 9 weeks old!





...my kids played a lot...and bickered a lot. The long school days exhaust them!



...we visited my parents. Lexie did an art project and Dylan rode his bike.




...Lexie raided my parent's Halloween decorations, and brought home some treasures. She has a new BFF.



...I've been exhausted. My days are long and busy, and I need more (uninterrupted) sleep! I'm looking forward to a three day weekend, and maybe some sleeping in!

* Want to try a free product from Farm Rich? Enter my giveaway below! *

Farm Rich Review/Giveaway

The winners of the Farm Rich Giveaway are Kmama and Kelli from Random Thoughts of a Supermom! Winners were chosen using random.org.

*Contest is now closed

When I was contacted to do the Farm Rich review/giveaway, I was more than happy to do so! We are huge fans of Farm Rich Cheese Sticks, but haven't tried any of their other products.

We serve the Farm Rich Cheese Sticks at every birthday party we host, and they are always a huge hit. Not only are they delicious, but they are quick and easy to make! We frequently entertain friends and kids in our home, so I was looking to try something with crowd appeal.

From Mini Pizza Slices to French Toast Sticks, Farm Rich has a wide variety of products to choose from. I decided to try Farm Rich Stuffed Pretzel Bites.

I served the Farm Rich Stuffed Pretzel Bites on an evening we had our friends (with kids) over. At first, I didn't think there would be enough for everybody, but there was more in the bag than I expected!

The Stuffed Pretzel Bites were extremely easy to prepare. They went from the freezer to the oven to the table in a short amount of time! They were definitely a crowd pleaser. There was plenty for four adults and three kids to enjoy!

I thought they were a great appetizer to serve, and tasty too! Our friend thought they were much better than other brands of stuffed pretzels he had tried. Even my daughter gave them her seal of approval, and she is the pickiest eater on Earth!

I plan on serving Farm Rich stuffed pretzel bites in the future, and I'm eager to try their other products. They definitely have something for everyone!

Farm Rich has offered to give two of my readers a coupon to try their products. I like to keep things simple, so to enter this giveaway, visit Farm Rich's website, then leave me a comment telling me which product you would like to try. Please make sure to leave your email address with your comment if it isn't linked to your profile. It's as easy as that!

Giveaway ends on Wednesday, October 12th, at 11:59 PM EST, and two winners will be chosen using random.org.

*I received a free Farm Rich product in exchange for doing this review.*

The Good Part

Even though my weekend got off to a craptastic start, the past few days have been good!

On Friday night, after all the excitement (aka stress), I went shopping with my mom and had dinner with my parents. Once we got home, the kids attempted a sleepover, but fell asleep early!



Also on Friday, my little man lost his 4th tooth. He is proud of his Jack o' Lantern smile!



On Saturday, we celebrated my nephew's 8th birthday, with a party at his house!



He wanted all the kids to dress up in costumes, and they were more than happy to!





My arms got a break, because all the baby hogs in the family scooped up Lily.






Dylan and Lexie had a great time with their awesome cousins, and ended up falling asleep on the way home!




On Sunday, we cheered on the Steelers with Grant's family. Sadly, they lost, but we still had a good time. We love our little Steelers fans!




Yesterday, Lexie had her very first field trip! We went to a local apple orchard, and even though the day was chilly and rainy, the kids had a good time. I volunteered to be the class historian this year, so it's my job to photograph every event. While I can't share those pictures, I can share some of Lexie!











And yesterday, my baby girl turned 2 months old! *sniff sniff* (Her pants are waaaay to big, but they sure are cute!) Official 2 month post coming soon!

It All Started With A Crash...

Our weekend, that is. Quite literally.

Thank God it was picture day at Lexie's preschool. Because of that, I gave myself more time to get her ready, and we left the house earlier than usual.



Thank God.

I was gone from the house a grand total of 15 minutes. As I turned onto our road, I was greeted with this:



That is my garage. Just moments before the car hit, Lexie had been standing in that exact location. Lily was in the car. Thank God we left when we did.

It was honestly surreal. I thought I was dreaming as I turned into my driveway. It took a few seconds to register that there was a car crashed into my house and a police car in my driveway.

I backed into our neighbor's driveway and just sat there in shock, as Lily screamed in the background. I never, in a million years, expected to see that. Our house sits on a hill!!! Everybody was shocked when they heard, because they couldn't even imagine how it could possibly happen. I've now learned to expect ANYTHING!

After the anger hit, I realized it could have been much worse, and thanked God for keeping my family safe. But still...that's my HOUSE!

The driver was a young adult (he wasn't injured), and he had to have been flying. He wiped out the mailbox, which is way across the street, drove over a ditch, lost his wheel, drove across the road, up our hilly yard toward our house, was in the air at one point, and then drove down the hill into our driveway. If the angle had been any different, he would have driven into our house.

He left a fantastic path of destruction. A broken mailbox, a torn up yard, a broken garbage can, and then totaled our garage door. Thank goodness we had a stone retaining wall, because that's what kept him from taking out the corner of the house.

And now we're left with this until the insurance company fixes it:



Friday was truly awful, but I keep reminding myself that it could have been much worse. I'm trying not to think of the what ifs. Thank God for keeping us safe!