Teamwork!

(They look so innocent don't they?)

It's finally happening.  I wondered when it would start.  Now I know.

They are teaming up against me.

Yesterday, Sarah was super whiny.  Extra whiny.  It was painful.  As she was in full drama mode I started thinking about how often she has been whining lately and about how she is SEVEN years old and about how neither of the other kids whines like she has been and I just started to lose my mind.  She can be very dramatic.  You all know this to be true...I can imagine you nodding in agreement as I type.

My solution?  I started granting wishes.  

I told her that every time she whines I would grant one wish for Paige or Nate.  Paige and Nate LOVED my plan.  Sarah, of course, instantly started whining about my plan and Paige was instantly granted a wish.  

Paige wished for a box of Hot Tamales.  Easy enough.  Wish granted. (It is Halloween after all.  We have this sort of thing in the house!) Oh, the sadness!  Oh, the happiness!  Oh, the silence.  Oh, how I love it when a plan comes together.

Flash forward to the next morning...  

Sarah asks me what happens if Paige whines.  Will Sarah get a wish? What if Nate whines?  So, in my sleepy state I agree to a complex system of whine induced wish granting and shuffle off to the shower.

Three minutes into my shower Sarah pops in to tell me that Paige was whining.  I tell her that Sarah's tattle telling voids Paige's whining and now they are even -- no wish granted.  Amen.  Go away.  Let me take my shower.  Sarah says, "Aw, Man!" and walks away.

Three minutes later I hear them chattering amongst themselves:  "If you whine, I'll get a wish and if I whine, she'll get a wish and if she whines, you'll get a wish ..." and I could just hear the little light bulbs clicking on in their clever little heads.  I knew it right then and there. They figured it out.  They had the power to be sneaky.  They could potentially trick me.  They were thrilled.  Their little mouths were salivating with the mere thought of all of the Hot Tamales waiting for them downstairs.

What they didn't know is that Mommy can tell the difference between a real whine and a fake whine.  So, although they tried, they failed. However, now they know that they can try.  Their skills will only improve from here.  I'm going to have to watch out ...

Paigie's Dream Hair

For weeks Paige has been begging me for purple hair.  She wanted stripes and then just the ends ... but, mostly, she wanted purple hair.  

My guy, Mr. Steven, is used to our strange hair requests.  He's given Nate several mohawks and every time I go in there I let him color my hair however he wants.  This time, I called ahead and told him that Paige wanted purple hair.  He said he knew just what to do!  

When we showed up he had a bottle of sticky purple goodness that made my Paigie happy happy happy.  She could barely contain herself.  He hooked her up with the full foil-wrapped, heat-helmet treatment!  It's was a funny thing to see.  Paige was thrilled.  

Now, my lady has her purple hair.  

It's not permanent, but it should last for a while.  I have the bottle of goo here at home and something tells me we'll be experimenting with purple hair some more this weekend!

Crafty Lady

Paige is a super-crafty kid.  She would spend all of her days gluing things together if I'd let her.  After our big day trick-or-treating last weekend Nate begged to eat every piece of candy he had.  Paige did not.  Instead, she used it all to make art projects.  The best one was this necklace.  She also made a similar bracelet.  She has been wearing them when we go out and she is feeling very proud of herself from all of the compliments she's been getting!

Sarah's Trophy

One of Sarah's horseback riding trophies is a "perpetual trophy".  She gets to keep it only until the next competition and then it will get passed on to whomever wins at the next show.  It is our responsibility to get her name engraved on the trophy.  I did that today and surprised her when she got home from school.  

Here is a photo of my happy lady with her name on the trophy.  It's official.  She's famous.  (PS. The other side is already full of names ... her name is actually on the backside of the trophy.)

Our Little Equestrian

Sarah entered her very first horse show this weekend and walked away with the 1st place trophy!!  It was a very exciting day for everyone.  She was super excited and very cute about carrying her trophies with her every where she went.  

The next morning I found her on the sofa watching TV with her blue ribbon hanging from the front of her jammies and a trophy tucked carefully under each arm.  It was all very sweet and happy.  We are very proud of her.

Hungry?

I took the kids Trick-Or-Treating in downtown Rochester this weekend.  They were adorable in their yummy costumes!  Everyone wanted to take their picture!  We went with our friends Jake and Kenzie and had so much fun ... as usual!!

Best Coat Ever

Need I say More?????

Nate & Riley

Riley does not get all of the attention that a dog deserves.  We run in and out of this house so much on any given day and he seems content to watch us come and go.  

Nate, however, always finds time to give him the good lovin'.  Ever since Nate was a tiny peanut I would lose him in the house and I could always find him curled up in a ball with Riley.  

All snuggly.  

A boy and his dog.

  

Nate

My boy is sweet.  

I love this picture.  

I have nothing else to say.  

Enjoy your day.