Welcoming Autumn

In celebration of the Autumn Equinox we spent time yesterday at the Calendar Garden. Rachel, my sister-in-law, is part of a holistic mom's play group, which she invited me to join when we moved here. The group decided to meet our at the Calendar Garden for a picnic lunch and outside play.

As I've said before I love going out to this garden. It is so beautiful and peaceful. And I love watching my boys play there. But it was especially nice to spend time with other moms. It was a small group, but worked out beautifully.

The kids explored the water and flowers around them. We took a small hike on a trail that leads from the garden to the parking lot. And then sat on blankets in the shade to enjoy our lunch.

The kids founds leaves, watched butterflies, spotted a nest in the trees, and looked for acorns (although we did not find any). And while it was the hottest yesterday of the entire week, it was a great way to start the season.

Fall is Here!! It is my favorite season. And I'm so enjoying the crisp fresh air it brings. It smells different than summer. And I love it. Although I'm noticing the smell is slightly different than Kansas. And I am missing the Kansas air. But I look forward to my first Indiana Autumn. With fresh apples from the local orchard and beautiful fall leaves. Happy Autumn Equinox! Welcome beautiful fall.

Menu Plan Monday- Sept 20th

Last week we had many meals over at my mother-in-law's. I'm truly grateful that when things get too stressful around here we are always welcome at her house. It's just nice to have someone so close to help take care of us. :) In addition to meals this week I spent this evening making banana bread mini muffins for Ian's preschool class. Tomorrow is our turn to provide snack. Mini muffins and green grapes. Hopefully they will enjoy it.

So without much else to comment on, here is our menu.

Monday: We ate Spaghetti and peas

Tuesday: Tomato and Zucchini Quiche

Wednesday: Carry over from last week- Black bean and Squash Soup, corn bread

Thursday: Coconut milk curry

Friday: Homemade pizza

Saturday: My birthday! and the MCC relief sale which we will spend part of our day at- no meal planned

Sunday: leftovers or breakfast dinner

Organizing Junkie's menu look pretty good this week. Go see for yourself. Orgjunkie.com

Mama's big scare

Now my boys have scared me before. And expect then to continue to scare the living daylights out of me for the rest of there lives. But so far the scare seems small. Ian rolled off the changing table onto the carpeted covered cement floor. Cai rolled off the changing table onto the wood floor. Aiden attempted to dive face first down the stairs. Cai learned how to climb the jungle gym at 13mos. Aiden tried climbing up my bookcase a month ago(9mo old). Ian and/or Cai slipped out of sight at the grocery store/department store/thrift store. But today seemed to top them all. And I'm still feeling the adrenaline rush 2 1/2 hours later. Today after dropping Ian off at Preschool we went grocery shopping. It needed to be done. We were out of everything: bread, milk, cheese, etc. When we got back to the house it was around a quarter till 11. We need to be leaving our house about a quarter after 11 in order to pick up Ian by 11:30. Aiden had fallen asleep, so I thought I would just leave him in the van while I unloaded. After unloading the groceries, I still had time to kill. So I left Aiden in the van with the side doors open. We have an attached garage so I thought nothing of this, just kept the back door open so I could hear. I than when into the living room to check my email. Cai was in the the dining room, which is between the living room and kitchen. The kitchen is then attached to a small laundry room that leads out to the garage. Suddenly I notice that I'm not hearing Cai. I get to to check and find him missing from his earlier post on the dining room floor. So I start heading to the garage know that he probably when out there to check on Aiden. He is very protective of his brother. But when I get out there I can't find him. I had expected to see him in the back of van playing or peering over his brother's car seat. But all I see is is blanket. So I start calling out his name looking around the garage. And then continue back into the house calling his name. Now we live on a busy street, Main street to be exact, and it's a truck route. I'm constantly worried about the boys and the traffic. But for the most part when I call they respond and I only have a couple of seconds to worry. Today I got no response to my calls. And as I franticly start looking for Cai and begin to panic. Where did he go? Why is he not responding? And please, please let him NOT go out into the street. I must admit this is the most panic I've been about any of the boys. And as I rushed around searching for him I couldn't figure out what the next step was. What do I do if I don't find him? Luckily just as I'm about to call Mark, Cai come toddling around the van, blanket in hand. I sweep him up, rocking back and forth on my knees thanking God that he is alright. And I'm repeating to him "You scared Mama. Cai scared Mama. Where were you Cai?" At first I can tell Cai thought this was all a game. He is sorta laughing/crying in my arms. And I'm still not sure how to explain to him why his actions where so wrong. Come to find out he was hiding in the front seat of the van. I think he was playing hide-and-go-seek just like he does with Ian. How do I explain to a two year old the when it is ok to hide for a game and when it is not. Mostly how do I convince my heart to settle down. That now he is safe how do I convince myself not to lock all us inside the house. Just leaving him downstairs with Ian while I put Aiden down for nap was difficult. So today I'm thanking God that my baby is safe. He was here the whole time. And I'm asking for strength for the future. Cause something tells me that this will not be the last of my big scares. I just hope and pray that with each scare the boys put me through they come out safe, happy and healthy.

Preschool Begins!

Last week was the first week of preschool for Ian. I can't explain how grateful I am for the start of preschool. Moving away from his friends has been hard on him. While he has Cai and his cousin Josiah, they are not his age. Even the 15month difference between him and his cousin can be great at times. And I know he needs interaction with kids his own age. In fact, even with the chaos that preschool has caused in our lives as we adjust to the new routine, it has also enhanced it. This morning Ian took the time to explain how to play Hi Ho Cherry-O to Cai. They spend a good thirty minutes playing that and Shoots and Ladders this morning. It was such blessing to see them playing together in this manner.

The other blessing that comes with Ian at school, is the time Cai gets away from his older brother. Without Ian around all the time to speak for Cai, Cai is opening up and his speech is blossoming. It started actually the week I was flat on my back and Ian was sick. Mark explained that with just Aiden around Cai started talking and interacting with Mark, Grandpa and Grandma (Mark's folks who took care of them alot that week) in a more animated way. It so fun to hear Cai talk and express himself.

So heres to hopes of finding a good rhythm in this new routine, and the excitement of possibilities it will bring our way.

Menu Plan Monday- Sept 13th

Yes, I realize it's Tuesday and I'm just now getting around to my menu plan. I didn't even get a written version of a menu down yesterday. But that happens sometimes. I'll also warn you I'm behind on posts so you might find several posts a day in the next couple of days as I try to catch you up on the happenings of our busy lives. So without further ado, here is this weeks menu. I'm hoping to clean out my fridge some this week. ;)

Monday: We had lasagna rolls my mother made and froze for us. She filled my freezer with six meals while staying with us. I love my MOM!

Tuesday: Burrito Bowls- I have leftover chicken to use up

Wednesday: Black bean and squash soup and corn bread

Thursday: Potato and Tomato Soup with Sage

Friday: Homemade pizza

Saturday: Groundnut Stew

Sunday: leftovers

The soup recipes both come from Soup Love. I have seen others who love this book and found it at my library yesterday. Be sure to take a trip over to Organizing Junkie for more menus and ideas.

Menu Plan Monday- Sept 6th

I apologize for the silence the last couple of weeks. Our life has been nuts. Last week especially was just plain terrible. It all started good. Mark's brother got married on the 28th. He had lots of extended family come in for the celebration. Since his mother's brothers both live in Maine and his father's siblings all live in Pennsylvania I haven't gotten many chances to get to know them. However the few encounters I've had have always been pleasant, and I had looked forward to spending time with them. I did get to spend time with some of them at the rehearsal dinner. So that was nice. But early morning of the 28th Ian woke up stomach sick. We made it through pictures well enough. And the boys all napped, so everyone but Mark was late to the service (Mark was a groomsman). We also made a quick appearance at the reception. I ended up taking Ian home early though because he still didn't feel well. It only got worse from there. He ended up with a stomach bug that last almost all of last week. No fun. Luckily he didn't give it to anyone. On Monday of last week I threw out my back and spend the rest of the week laid out flat. One of the doctors at our clinic is a trained physical therapist, so she has been helping me. Once we get the spasms to settle she wants me to work on building my core muscles. She says my weak core is the basis of my back pain. I'm hoping for a better week this week. So far so good. My mother and stepfather arrive tonight to stay through Friday. I'm excited to spend time with them and show off our home. Plus since I'm still sore and taking things slow I'll be glad for the extra help. Not that I haven't had lots of help. My mother-in-law was a godsend last week. Ian and Cai stayed over night for several of the nights and she took off several days to take care of kids. I feel so blessed to have family in town that are willing to help in any way possible. Okay so the whole point of this is that it will probably be another week before meal plans are back to normal around here. That being said I do have a few meals planned for this week, just not set to a certain day.

So here are a few things we are going to be eating this week

Monday- My sister-in-law cooked for us, for which I am so grateful.

Tuesday- Salsa chicken, with corn on the cob, and salad

Wednesday- Eat over at my in-laws, bring a side dish

The rest of the week- Zucchini pasta, groundnut stew, leftovers and easy to make meals if needed

Be sure to check out the menus at Organizing Junkie.