Happy Birthday Papa Ostermiller!

November 9th is my daddy's birthday. Oh how I love him to pieces. The kids and I wanted to make sure he had a super special day so I picked them up from school and to Nashville we went! I made a tortilla casserole and a cake (half german chocolate, his favorite, and half plain chocolate, mom's favorite) and got a few fun decorations. He didn't know we were coming but mom did. The whole way there the kids were talking about surprising Papa and where they were going to hide and who was going to give the cue to yell surprise. We got Papa the trick candles that sparkle and the kids thought that was so fun! Papa was a good sport and kept blowing and blowing and blowing!

Big boy Carter was the official lighter of the candles.

These kids seriously could not wait for Papa to get home. Brayden was looking out the window (sorry, Nana, about the plant!) and Carter was on the step ladder looking out the peep hole. They were out of control crazy and excited for Papa to get home.

Brayden...look at that sweet little head! :)

The boys tied the balloon to Papa's bedroom door because Carter said "Papa always goes to his room first so that is where it should be".

Presents from Nana and us and pictures from Molly. Molly picked him out a Transformers card and said "oh, Papa is going to like, love this card!"

A very pitiful home made cake...but it sure was yummy. Carter actually ate it! It was the first time I have seen him eat cake!

Happy Birthday, Papa (dad!). We love you so much and are so lucky that we got to spend some time with you!

More Fall Fun

Molly loves crafts! She was having a little down time with the finger paints that Jenny gave her. She started out with her shirt on but I think that the warm sun coming in from the dining room window prompted her to just take it off and enjoy the warm sun! That's my girl! Um, not that I take my shirt off and sit in the warm sun, but sometimes I want to! :) Halloween wore this girl out this year! She started the day at her pre-school party, then headed with me to both boys' class parties, then came home and switched to her Dorothy costume (from when she was 2!!!) and off we went to get our trick-or-treat on! Her most favorite place in the evening, or any time really, is in the recliner with her daddy. I guess he is just comfortable, kinda like John Wayne, huh?

Every Halloween we stop by yhe nursing home to see Papaw Allen (Robbie's grandfather...my kids great-grandfather!). All of the residents are always so happy to see us and I know that my kids are going to remember going there. Sometimes they complain about going because I think they get a little nervous there sometimes, but they sure love Papaw Allen.

Carter as Frankenstein...picking his nose. He actually said "hey mom, take a picture of me picking my nose!". Um, ok, weirdo. hehe.

And this is what I got when I told them if they just stood still for a second for a picture that I would let them run across the street and start trick-or-treating. Stinkers.

This is Molly and her little neighbor friend, Caleigh. They love each other so much and it is so fun that we live close enough that they can just walk back and forth to each others houses.

My pretty Dorothy- Nana Ostermiller made this costume a few years ago and I think it made her feel good that Molly wanted to wear it again.

Our first stop at the boys' school was to Brayden's class. The teacher has a rule that they can't start eating until every student has a plate. It was so funny to watch those kids. It was like they were being tortured. And when they got the ok to eat....oh boy...talk about some faces getting smashed in some cupcakes! :) I love my Brayden. He is such a good boy!

For Molly's class party they had a contest to see who could get the most and least messy eating cupcakes with their hands behind their backs. Molly was not going to get messy....so she kept sneaking her napkin to wipe her face.

A row of pretty Princess friends waiting for musical chairs. Molly got so cracked up playing that game. They all got the giggles. It was precious.

Happy Halloween 2011!!! Another fun year with some pretty special little people!

Trunk-Or-Treat

W had our Fall Festival and Trunk-Or-Treat at church. Brayden's friend, Kyle, and my friend, Kira, and her son Zane came with us. The first part was games and hot dogs and chips and a pie contest. When it got dark....well, the kids went crazy going from trunk to trunk getting SO much candy! Molly loved the cake walk...she didn't even like the cupcakes...she just kept walking and although she won about 10 times she only wanted one cupcake and didn't even it! She also loved trick or treating. She said "thank you" at EVERY SINGLE CAR. It was so sweet and of course she looked so beautiful in her "pink princess fairy" costume. Carter was Frankenstein and Brayden was a mummy. Kyle was the Joker and Zane was a spider. I mean, serously, this litte girl pretty much melts my heart.

And her daddy, well, he melts my heart, too. I am so happy that he loves and plays with his kids and that he does not consider it a chore but an honor! This little girl LOVES her daddy and those little eyes....they can get her out of ANYTHING.

Robbie's mom and dad were there. It is so fun having them in our ward and being able to have fun with them at church things. Zane loves Judy. She looks a little like his grandma and I think she just has that 'safe' grandma look. She is so sweet to hold and play with him!

Molly was thrilled to be able to wear some blush and lip gloss and lots of glitter!!! She is PRECIOUS.

I asked the kids to just stand normal for a second so I could get picture and this is the best I got. The were being so silly.

Pretty Princess!

After the Fall Festival, we ran to the store and got stuff to make smores. We came home and went through almost 3 Tombstone pizzas and had fun looking through all the candy and prizes. Robbie made a fire in the fire pit and the kids and Kyle had so much fun playing. At about 9:30pm Robbie's friend Corey and his wife and my friend Kira came over. We hung out by the fire and talked and ate smores until almost midnight. We especially appreciated an impromptu performance by Kira. "Mrs. Harlow, they late! Mrs. Harlow they late!" That girl is SO fun.

My Man

No pictures and few words. I know...WHO AM I? hehe. So, we share a cell phone plan with my dad because we get a super awesome deal. (we have 3 cell phones....me, Robbie, and Carter). A few days ago I decided that I wanted to surprise Robbie with an internet phone with a data plan. He was currently using a flip phone. Yes, I said flip phone. Like, the kind that when he texted he had to push the number key 1, 2, or 3 times to get the correct letter. Anyway, my dad had a Blackberry that he said we could use to try out the data plan and see if it is something that Robbie would like. After a weekend of trying to figure out why the internet wouldn't connect and then 2 trips to the at&t store yesterday we learned two things...(1) that the Blackberry is not a 3G phone (whatever that means!) and even if it did connect to the internet it would take like 5 minutes to connect to a single web page...and (2) that the sim card that was transfered from the flip phone to the Blackberry was (in the exact words of the at&t representative) "GANGSTA". So, we were back to square one. I asked my friend's husband (who is an at&t employee) how much a 3G phone would cost so that I could get my guy hooked up with some internet. He said that if the plan is not eligible for an upgrade it would be about $300. So, the reality of going back to old flippy was looking like the answer since we just got Carter a phone using an upgrade and I got one not to long ago as well (not internet phones). After some texts back and forth with my dad, he told me that on November 4th one of the phones on our plan would be eligible for an upgrade and that Robbie could use it and get an IPHONE!!!!! The upgrade will be available, technically, for my mom's line, although it could be used with any of the lines. I texted my dad back and told him that we wanted to be sure that is ok with him. That Robbie would love it, but that we wanted to make sure he was ok with it. He texted me back the SWEETEST text. The reason for this post. So I will remember forever. It said "Totally! I'd walk across a bed of hot coals if Robbie asked me to!" Thank you, dad, for reminding me what a gem I have in a husband and friend! I tell people all the time how great Robbie is but I think that they are usually like "yeah yeah yeah, whatever, you are his wife so of course you are going to say that" and I feel like I just cant scream it loud enough that he is just the greatest person! Just a really, really GOOD person. So, that's all. This blog is for me, to journal the things that are important to me, and to share that with anyone who wants to read it. I love you, Robbie. I love you, dad.

Brayden

Brayden seriously has the funnest sense of humor. He makes us laugh every day. He has mastered a British accent and can pretty much get out of any kind of trouble when he uses it. He loves to make noises and we always know where he is in the house. When he was younger he literally couldn't play with out making noises. We would ask him to be quiet and he would stop playing and just sit there until we told him he could be noisy. He makes car and airplane and train and lawnmower and tractor sounds like nobody's business. :) I remember when he was about 2 and he would pretend that a paper towel roll was a weed eater and would walk the edges of the yard right behind his daddy and weed eat. All while making a weed eater sound. He is his daddy's shadow. He is also a mini Papa Ostermiller. He LOVES gadgets...pens, paper clips, staplers, folders, post it notes, tape, sharpies, pocket knives, pencils...everything that would be considered a gadget. He has a huge collection of gadget-type stuff. On wednesday night when he got home from scouts he had on his wrist a camo bracelet of some sort. He told me that a friend from church gave it to him. This friend is one who in the past he has kinda clashed with and not really got along with. I just told him that was great and that it was a cool bracelet. The next morning we were on our way out the door for school and he ran in the house and got the bracelet and put it on for school. Then he said "mom, I am not sure if me and (boy from scouts) are even really friends or not" and I said that surely they are if he gave him that super cool bracelet and that he just needs to be nice to him and that they would make really good friends. Then Brayden said "well, even if he doesn't want to be friends I am going to pretend that we are because his dad works at a DUCT TAPE FACTORY...um, HELLO!!!!!!" Of course I called Papa Ostermiller and told him this story, and yes, he was oh so proud of his little sidekick! Brayden told me a few months ago "mommy, I sure hope I am just like Papa Ostermiller when I grow up, but I am going to have to try really hard because he is really cool."

My Carter

Here are two things I have found in Carter's school work recently.

#1 Dad

Loving,

Smart,

Trustworthy,

Wishes to have a camaro,

Dreams of living in a mansion,

Wants to have a happy and loving family,

Who wonders when God will come,

Who fears of his kids getting hurt,

Who is afraid of snakes,

Who likes his job,

Who believes in God,

Who loves basketball,

Who loves his family,

Who loves church,

Who loves watching movies,

Who plans to work hard for his family,

Who plans to pay for our home,

Who plans to someday retire,

Who's final destination is Heaven.

And...

C- Craves chocolate fudge ice cream

A- Arrives at school ready to learn

R- Really likes to go to the beach

T- Tries his hardest

E- Enjoys playing basketball

R- Really loves his family

C- Can do anything he puts his mind to

O- On time for everything

O- Offers to help others

T- Trains for contests

S- Scored the buzzer beater at a basketball game

I love finding treasures like these. It warms my heart to see the love and adoration that Carter has for his daddy. I realized after reading the poem about his daddy that he really does know him! He knows his likes and his dislikes and his hopes and fears. I love that! Robbie is a really, really good daddy!

What really matters...

I had to post this picture of Grandma Judy and Papa Coots for a few reasons. One reason is that I really, really love them. They are such a special part of our every day lives. Molly and Judy are such great friends and seriously see each other every day. Today Judy told Molly that she and Papa are going on a trip this week and that they would be gone for four days and Molly said "but Judy, that is a really long time!" They live super close to us and we love it. They are an awesome example of love and unselfishness. Ok, so the other reason I had to post this...um, GO BOB-ALISHIOUS!!! Today is the first time EVER that I have seen any PDA out of these two! Robbie's friend, Corey, came over to visit and Judy asked him to take some pictures. I commented that this picture is for their night stand! hehe! I have NO doubt that these two love each other. Their marriage is an example to me and I am so thankful for them! My kids had to get in on the photo session and they were so silly. I was not even outside when all this happened. They seem to pose and smile better when I am not around. I think I was inside cleaning up the dinner dishes. The kids make me so happy. Being a mom is, well, really hard sometimes. I often feel overwhelmed with such a responsibility to not only teach but be an example to these kids and to prepare them to be grown ups! I hope they know that I love them and that I want them to be happy. I would do anything for them. The kids have been on Fall break this week and we have squeezed in some fun things. We went to see Dolphin Tale and went shopping at Target one day. Carter got the new NBA game for his PlayStation3 and Brayden got Legos and Molly got a bath tub for her baby dolls. On friday night the kids got to go spend the night with Nana and Papa Ostermiler in Nashville. I have the boys some money for Papa to take them to the Bass Pro Shop and they had so much fun. Molly and Nana did the girl thing and went to Target. I was so happy to have some alone time with Robbie. This past week has been a doozer and I SO needed a little break from the normal day to day stuff.

These kids really do love each other and it warms my heart when I get to see little glimpses of that. They are for sure normal siblings. They don't always get along. But, I am pretty certain that they would stand up for and protect each other. These boys love their little sister. Carter especially is going through a stage where he seems to just adore Molly. I love to watch them together. A few days ago I heard one of the boys say something ugly to the other. I quickly told them that I do not allow that in our house. I feel so strongly that home is where we are supposed to feel safe and happy and accepted and free to be ourselves. There is enough evil and rude and mean and sad in this world...even at school...that when they are home they should not have to have their guard up and have any worry about that yucky stuff. I remember when I was younger, my home was (and still is!) a happy and peaceful place. A place where I feel loved. I still feel that when I go to my mom and dad's home.

This is Mamaw Allen. She is 88 years old. She is Robbie's grandmother on his mom's side. We love her! It is so sad to see someone age. And forget who we are. Some days she knows me, and some she doesn't. Just today she pointed to Brayden and asked "who's boy is that?". I said "mamaw, he is mine, that is Brayden!" and she said "well, I didn't know you had kids!". It is so fun for me to watch Molly and mamaw together. They color and play together like they are both 4 years old. They even argue like they are 4 both 4 years old! hehe! Molly will grow up remembering her great-grandma and that is so special. Papaw Allen is in the nursing home and we enjoy going to see him. Robbie and I went a few days ago and I enjoyed sitting with him as he told me the story of when he and mamaw met. He remembers in detail exactly where she was sitting and what she was wearing. A true love story. He also told me stories about when he was in the service and how a cup of coffee saved his life, and how he rode hundreds of times in the plane that evenually dropped the atomic bomb. I cherish our visits and savor every story he tells me. I am lucky to be a part of his life and I love him. He is a good man.

My silly hooligans with Judy and Papa. Yes, my kids call Judy by her first name. Mason, the oldest grandchild started it and now all of them call her Judy. My kids sometimes ask me what Judy's real name is. They know that Nana's real name is Joyce and just can't understand why Judy doesn't have a real name.

I know one day when I look back at this I will not remember what a crummy week I have had. I will not remember the stress and the craziness of this week. What I hope to remember, rather, is what is really important. And that is family. I have the most amazing and loving and supportive husband who I know with no doubt loves me. I have three healthy and happy children who I consider such miracles in my life. I have a mom and a dad who have taught me by example the things I need to do to be happy. And I have the best Judy and Papa who raised Robbie the same. Together, we are building our own family. We are building what will be our eternity. And I am determined to keep everything out of our lives that are not going to make it happy. :)