Pumpkin Carving....

We got to carve our pumpkins last night and the kids had a blast. We haven't carved pumpkins since 2005(moving in 2006 and too sick to get off the couch, preggo, in 2007) so the last time we did it Kyler was only 1.5. But Keaton hasn't changed too much as he has gotten older. He still HATES the feel of the pumpkin guts and whines and doesn't want to touch it. In the meanwhile, MaShayla is tearing them out of there as fast as she can! Kyler, as always, is just hanging out and going with the flow and is helping with whatever he can.

We wanted pictures of Kamdyn in a pumpkin but we couldn't find one bit enough so we improvised as best we could!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Fall pics of my BEEEEYOOOTIFUL kiddos!!

Every October I rake up the leaves and do pics in the leaves. I never got around to raking the leaves yet but it is getting quite nippy so I wanted to get their fall pics done before it got too much colder. This is what I came up with:

WHAT DID I DO TO MY HAIR??

Ok SO I decided I wanted blond highlights and Ryan said he would do them for me. So we went to Benedict's and picked up some dye. He had fun torturing me, pulling my hair through the cap and Kyler had fun taking pics of it.

Then we put the dye on and Ry and I argued about how long to leave it on. I said 30 to 45 min at most and he said oh no your hair is dark enough we need to leave it on for an hour or it will be brassy looking. (Did you know he went to cosmetology school? LOL) So he won and we ended up going an hour and I didn't end up with blond highlights! I ended up with blonde hair and brown highlights! LOL It is a LOT blonder than I wanted but I guess I'll have to live with it! So men, what's the moral of this story? ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR WIFE!!

We got NEW windows!!

YAY!!!! We needed them sooo bad! We had those old metal ones that have been in the house since it was built (1966) and when the wind would blow they would bang and wake everyone up. And in the cold weather you couldn't sit by the window because you would freeze to death! After they replaced them we had a big space on the inside because the windows and storm winsows were spaced 4 inches apart and so now the inside of the wall was all exposed. So Ryan made a fast trip to Home Depot so we could now fix the inside of our house that looked absolutely HORRIBLE!! Here are some before and after pics.

One year ago today....

October 15th is a day filled with many emotions. It is recognized as the day for National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. So a year ago I was honoring our lil Lilly we lost, but on that VERY SAME DAY, I found out I was carrying another special little being. I was instantly filled with so many emotions! INSTANT Anxiety, fear, confusion, and sadness all for the fear that I again would not get to meet this little one and would suffer another loss! I remember being so scared and coming out of the bathroom crying and shaking so bad, and then collapsing into Ryan's arms and crying. I was so so scared! But ultimately at the same moment I felt LOVE. LOVE that I already had for this little person growing inside of me. But how would I deal if I lost this one too. I tried to stay positive and I don't know how Kamdyn made it! He must be so strong. I was so riddled with anxiety the whole time, I thought for sure something would be wrong with him. And then at 8 weeks I started spotting and I just knew it was all coming to an end. I kept praying that it wouldn't but if it was going to I wanted it to happen then. I didn't want to wait for 19 weeks and get attached to this little person and lose them again! But he persevered and showed me how wrong I was!! I still worry daily that I will lose him to SIDS or something but he is such a strong lil guy! I love him so much!! So today has mixed feelings. I miss Lilly and think about her often, but I wouldn't trade Kamdyn for anything in the world! He is mine forever!

11 years ago....

October 11th is our 11th anniversary. WOW! Where has the time gone?! It's been crazy! It's been a whirlwind! Six moves, 5 pregnancies, 4 kids, 3 different jobs, and an infinite number of wonderful times! Sure there's been hard times, especially the last 2 years. And I wouldn't want anyone else by my side but HIM! The love of my life, my one and only, my other half....no matter how you say it, I need him and he is my support and my strength! How wonderful it is to be married to your best friend. Not many people can say that. I don't know many men that would have stood by me like he has. I love you,Ryan. You are my life! Happy Anniversary, Honey!

Our engagement photo:

And 11 years later:

TAG! You're IT!!

This is a fun tag! Melea tagged me...What you do it get your 6th pic in your 6th folder and post it! Mine happens to be MaShayla with her presents at her slumber party!If I went to my desktop it would be a different pic..I might have to do both! :)
I tag Brittany, Jodie, and Desi

and the 6th pic in my 6th folder on my desktop is Kyler being cool!

Lovin' our little man!

Caramel apple fun!

We decided it would be fun to make some caramel apples! We got the apples and the caramel and then I gave the kids the option of dipping them in the caramel and then oreos, almonds, and/or sprinkles. We had fun! But dang it all if I didn't forget to take pics of us eating and enjoying them!! :(

My new creation in PSE for Kamdyn...

I create a scrapbook page for Kamdyn every month for a calendar documenting his 1st year. This is the 1 I made for October:

Oct. 15th is Pregnancy and infant loss awareness day!!

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day: Take ActionOctober 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in the United States. More than 25,000 children are stillborn in the United States every year leaving mothers, entire families and communities devastated. Estimates of the rate of occurrence of stillbirth make it at least as common as autism. Stillbirth is not an intractable problem. Greater research would likely significantly reduce its incidence, but good research requires good data. H.R. 5979: Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act is under consideration by Congress. This proposed bill would standardize stillbirth investigation and diagnosis, thus providing more data for the needed research. Better research means fewer children born still. On October 15th, remember the thousands of unfinished children lost and the families who remain to grieve them. Honor them by taking action. Let's help pass H.R. 5979. Action Steps: Step 1. Use Your Blog to Enlist Others -Copy the contents of this entire post and publish it on your blog immediately. GOAL: Enlist 10 of your readers to spread the word Step 2. Use Your E-mail to Enlist Others -E-mail 5 bloggers and ask them (nicely and in an unspammy way) to publish these action steps on their blog. Consider contacting celebrity bloggers, political bloggers, medical bloggers, or bloggers who are not part of your reading community. GOAL: Enlist 3 bloggers outside of your normal blog sphere to spread the word in other online communities. Step 3. Help Pass the Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act -By October 15th, publish a post on your blog supporting H.R. 5979 Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act. For maximum impact, title your post: "Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act." GOAL: 1,000,000 Google results on October 15th when that term is searched for. Currently, Google only returns 20,400 pages - most of which have nothing to do with the bill