Adventure time

David & I had to attend Reintegration this past weekend in Moorhead.... Yes, in the middle of nowhere, basically. On the way there while driving on I-94, we came upon a large number of very slow moving vehicles, and then were suddenly at a dead stop...it was long enough where I was actually putting the car in park because we basically weren't moving. We started noticing a lot of cars trying everything imaginable to get to the exit; going over the median, driving the wrong way on the shoulder. So I started thinking this was not good news. We decided to call 511 and see what was up, and found out they were GOING TO BE CLOSING THE FREEWAY there at that moment. So luckily I squeezed my way out to the off-ramp. We proceeded, and then ended up taking a DIRT ROAD trying to get around the mess. Finally, we got our way back to 94 by going through Monticello. I have a new found appreciation for uneventful driving, and the compass on our van. Too bad, though because it was right at the Albertville exit, so there was no possible way of stopping there even if I wanted to. You physically couldn't get there by going west. Oh well I'll have to venture up that way again, if anyone's interested in outlet shopping!

"Dinner and a movie"

As per the suggestion of the reintegration "experts", we've been trying to schedule outings alone. David says we always go on the "All American Date", dinner and a movie. Although last time we just went to a movie. Last night David said he is was in the mood for Red Lobster, and he didn't have to twist my arm. But of course, Saturdays are very busy anywhere you go, so we checked in and headed for the bar. We don't drink a lot, but a margarita was calling my name. After dinner, we headed off to the movie, "The Heartbreak Kid", with Ben Stiller. I don't know what it is but I find Ben Stiller hillarious. The movie did not dissapoint!!

Oddly enough, that one margarita must have been stronger than the ones I make at home, because I woke up with a headache.... Maybe I'm gettting too old for those? Well, maybe just have it after I've eaten something!

Abigail turns 2

Today Abigail turned 2 years old. She's talking SO much more nowadays. She repeats almost anything you say to her. No, this isn't a revalation, but she was just kind of a quiet kind of girl. So of course, today, HAD to be cold and windy, so we couldn't go to the park. But instead daddy came to the rescue and asked Abby & I to go to lunch with him. No this isn't a revalation either, but this man doesn't even usually leave his desk for lunch. So we ventured (Abby all bundled up) into downtown St. Paul to pick David up. It's amazing that I actually know my way around now. We decided to try Mickey's Diner-decent food in a cool nastalgic atmosphere. It's just about 3 blocks from his work, so very do-able with an hour. Then we made Abby homemade waffles for "dinner", and had birthday cupcakes for her. She had a wonderful day!

Amanda's special day

Goodness, time has flown. Amanda tuned 8 on Friday. I can remember the day she was born, it seems like yesterday... Although her birthday was on a Friday and a school day, I got up earlier than normal to make her favorite french toast breakfast. While she was at school, Abby & shopped for a cake. Once David got home, we went to dinner at Amanda's choice; TGI Friday's. She didn't want to be sung to at the restaurant. Then we came home so she could open her gifts from us and have cake. We even had Grandma Taylor on speaker phone to sing "Happy Birthday". It was a very nice, fun relaxing day of events.

What's new

We have a busier than normal schedule due to all the church events we have going on. Both Amanda and Ashley are in Sacrament preparation classes this year; Amanda for First Reconciliation (Dec) and First Communion (Easter), and Ashley's in year 1 of 2 for Confirmation. So, just in the month of September, I had 4 various meetings relating to this. Last night I spent 2 hours organizing a schedule for Amanda's activities that works for 4 families. Not an easy feat... For Amanda, we have weekly meetings for the next 6 weeks; for Ashley, it's twice monthly until May. Thank goodness we have David back home to help with driving, or whatever! This process has been good for me too, and allows me to spend one-on-one time with each of them. Sometimes getting dinner eaten and getting out the door on-time is challenging, though! Getting it made isn't the challenge so much, but sometimes David gets held up at work, or in traffic! Gotta love the cities!

David returned back to his civilian job on August 15th. All is going very well. He's proven (again) that no amount of time away from the job seems to slow him down, and picks right up where he left off. Originally when hired at the state, he was given a "temporary position". Usually people have that about 1 year and then either leave or get hired "permanently". Although his boss had every intention of keeping him. He's only spent about 6 months actually at his job thus far. His boss' boss said he had more than proved his worth recently and waived the remaining temporary period and made him officially permanent. Kudos, honey. I remain ever so proud...

Recently I attended a life-long friend's Pampered Chef party, which she did as a fund raiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in honor of her late father. Then I come to find out that her mother recently learned she has breast cancer.... Enough already! Luckily, it has a 95% cure rare. I feel like these people are an extension of me, and my family. Please keep them in your prayers.

Too Funny!

Abigail has a certain imp-ish personality. When she's at Grandma Taylor's, she walks around with her hands behind her back because she knows she's not supposed to touch anything... my mom thought that was hilarious. She found Ashley's tube of mascara, opened it and proceeded to color her entire face with it. Another day she found the only 2 markers in an entire school-box of crayons and colored her face red. When she eats cereal or ice cream now, she lifts up the bowl when it's almost gone and drinks from the bowl. Hmmm, I wonder where she got that from? Her big sisters, I'm sure. Earlier today I took the older girls to the dentist so Abby was home alone with daddy. Evidently while David was going to the bathroom, she started trying to undress herself and sat down on her potty chair. Well, since daddy hasn't been here in awhile, he didn't know that it played music when something goes into the little bowl. That must have impressed David, because then he proceeded to call me (while I'm at the dentist office waiting room) to ask me "why didn't you tell me Abby's potty chair played music?" I was a little bit curious as to why he called me to ask me that, but he seemed so excited that I just went with it. He said he was going around the house trying to figure out which phone was ringing - his cell phones or home phone, when it was just the potty chair.

One of the words that Abby now says is "chips". We have her big sister Ashley to thank for that. Abby now loves doritos or any chips. She calls most everything chips, even if it isn't chips; but it usually means she wants a snack. I've snuck in plenty of pretzels and grapes instead of chips, and she doesn't seem to mind. So, like Krista said we have to watch what we do and what we say because she wants to do exactly the same things. Her favorite "copy" move is to walk around the house with every bag, purse or otherwise and hop on her Dora car-I wonder where she thinks she's going to go.... to Grandma's house I'm sure! Looks like she's taking after her Aunty Carrie-with her love of purses; already!

Too many birthdays?

I'm not really saying this; but there are 3 birthdays and 1 anniversary within 5 days of each other in our family. Amanda-10/5, Nathan 10/8, Tom & Krista (anniversary) 10/9, and Abigail on 10/10. That's crazy, but its also fun. No, this really wasn't "planned", but once Krista & I realized our babies (Nathan, Abby) were due on the same day....I think it's kind of cool. Nathan decided he wanted to have his own day to be born, and then Abby wanted to wait to make sure her daddy could be here. As far as Amanda & Abby, it was sort of "planned", in the respect that I didn't want them more than 6 years apart. Little did I know that they would end up being exactly 6 years and 5 days apart!!! This year we're considering a triple-birthday in Duluth for all three of them; complete with the entire family. Sammy's pizza is sounding better by the minute! Oh-this isn't the end of the "October mayhem", we also have cousins and kids of cousins which is like 7 more birthdays. No more babies from the Wallace clan though. :(