HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Many, many, many more pictures to come!

I Voted.

We performed our civic duty yesterday.

We have discovered the wonders 

of the vote by mail process! 

Our ballots are delivered to our door, giving us ample time to look over our voting guides, and the information our respective parties send. Yes, the hubby and I are registered as two different parties. Who's what? I'll let you guess. Though it doesn't really matter, because neither of us voted all the way along party lines. I like being able to read both sides of the coin though, 

I think it is crucial to stay well informed.

My favorite part of voting by mail is not having to wait in the long polling lines with a baby and toddler. The polling place people in my neighborhood were never too friendly when I'd come waltzing in with my gaggle of girls. 

(Alliteration twice in one sentence? 

Where's my gold star?) 

So, being able to send it off in the mail 

is a huge plus.

+

All in all, I can't wait until this election brouhaha is over. Let's see who the winner is, let's move on, let's fix the problems our country is facing so 

our children will still have a bright future.

And dear reader, when November 4th rolls around I urge you to get out there and VOTE!

What a Difference a Tooth Makes

Yesterday...

Today...

Teething is the pits.

It Has Arrived!

I opened my mailbox 

this fine afternoon 

and was delighted to find the following...

My very first issue of Seeing the Everyday!

I am looking forward to reading this cover to cover,

once sweet Meesa has gone to bed.

I am enamored even at first glance,

even though it is making me crave

watermelon juice.

The colors are so vibrant,

I have to remind myself that

licking the paper 

will only result 

in a paper cut tongue.

Don't bother us,

we're reading.

Thank you,

Aunt Des.

Thank you so very much.

The Vicious Cycle

I have a checklist for this week entitled, 

"Things I Need to Get Done Before Friday"

which entails quite a bit of making 

my house look like 3 children 

don't make messes everywhere they go.

Friday is our Halloween shindig.

My besties are bringing their legacies 

over to trick or treat 

and their hubby's too.

We are dressing up, 

because we cling to our youth,

any chance we get.

So, my house needs to be in order. 

Inviting, and tidy.

This morning, 

I cleaned the girls rooms and the play room.

This evening,

 the girls messed up their rooms and the play room.

I gasped when I saw it. 

I don't know why I was surprised.

Silly of me to think they could go 

4 days 

without entering their rooms.

So back on the list they go,

I think I will save them for Friday morning.

Sometimes I feel like such a rookie. 

La Colline

I live at the bottom of a very large hill.

It is 1.6 miles to the top.

 I know, I googled it.

Before Rory was born I walked

 "The Hill" 

almost every day.

This summer I made it about 

half way up a few times,

but the heat made it unbearable to finish.

This morning, I felt compelled to walk 

"The Hill,"

all the way to the top.

I grabbed my hubby's IPod,

and off I went.

There was a LOT of huffing and puffing,

the big bad wolf had nothing on me.

Thank goodness I remembered water!

It is a steep uphill climb 97% of the way,

and then you get to the plateau

and you feel so good.

Then you have to go back down,

and if you are as clumsy as I can be,

it can be just as difficult.

I forgot how much I love 

"The Hill."

I get lost in my music,

and when it's very early in the morning,

I watch the sunrise as I walk back down.

I think I will do it again tomorrow.

I Will Remember.

Today I was reading the archives 

of one of my favorite blogs, 

and I came across this:

"Note to self: Remember why you write.

This blog is dedicated to perfect days 

(which never come) so more specifically, 

perfect moments in imperfect days.

Moments that would pass unnoticed 

if it were not for a desire to remember them."

I felt moved because that is 

EXACTLY 

what I am trying to do here.

I'm seeking the extraordinary 

in my ordinary day to day.

It keeps me alert, 

aware, 

and alive. 

I Want it All!

And the "it" I'm referring to, is the last 40 minutes of High School Musical 3! The girls and I went this morning to see the movie, and Rory was SO good until she wasn't. Then Sascha had to go potty, and I didn't want to leave Hailey all alone in the theater, so off we all went. I think I was more bummed than the girls that we missed the end. So, we indulged my sorrow with some fro yo. Golden Spoon has Boysenberry all month long, so that made it a little better. Now I have to suffer one more week wondering what happens with the Spring Musi-cal? Who gets the scholarship? Will Gabriella leave? What other fabulous outfits did Ryan wear? Oh the humanity!!!!

The night got better because my hubby ran out, technically it was more of a quick walk, and bought us SingStar Pop Vol. 2, SingStar 90's, and Disney Sing It! We played for two hours straight! "AWE-SOME!!!", as Sashimi would say.

Here is the best husband who ran out twice tonight - once for yummy sushi, and then again so we can have a rockin weekend! I am such a lucky lady!

DECISION '08

Fellow Citizens,

you heard it here first!

The votes have been 

cast and tabulated!

This election season has been jam packed

with opinions, 

second opinions, 

yays and nays,

all to bring us to this pivotal point...

The Perger Girls have selected 

their Halloween Costumes!

Miss Rory will represent 

the under sea creatures

as an octopus!

Miss Sascha will represent

Disney Royalty

as Princess Aurora!

Miss Hailey will represent

the Ancient Egyptians

as Cleopatra!

Stay tuned for the final results

of Decision '08,

broadcasted live on 

October 31st!

Nurturing Me

I love to take pictures.

I hope to one day be really good at it.

So, thanks to the library I will be reading these

Hopefully I will read them, 

understand them, 

and emerge a brilliant photog.

Only time will tell.

But here is one of my favorite pictures in the meantime...

A Spooky Surprise

I am the queen of the after "insert holiday" sales. I will meticulously go through the 90% off piles that accumulate at Target after a holiday and snatch up goodies that I won't be able to use until the next year. Last year I bought Rory some adorable Halloween tees for only 49 cents. And I just found a bag with some snowman dishtowels I scored last year for a quarter! 

But a real delight was finding these glasses in the garage.

I spied an orange ribbon high on a shelf and instantly I remembered - Halloween Glasses! I think I bought them two, possibly three, years ago at an after Halloween sale and I've never used them! They say they are juice glasses, but that seems like an awfully tiny glass of juice. 

I think I will use them as shot glasses - 

perfect for the small shot of milk 

I need after I eat 

a warm chocolate chip cookie. :)

One More Reason I Love Him.

Saturday night when I got home very late.

I found my sweet little ladies 

tucked in fast asleep,

and my hubby on the couch

making this...

How cool is that?

It was a lot of work,

all to see the excitement on the faces

of the three slumbering girls

on Halloween Night.

I love him, 

over and over and over again.

At The Patch

This morning we went to the Pumpkin Patch.

First, we checked out the horses.

Thanks for the notice IPR,

I was this close to digging in!

Sascha was very upset with the treats 

the horses left.

Then we headed to the patch,

and what fun we had!

Lastly, we went on the train.

I learned so much.

No really, I did.

Almost made the 40 minute wait palpable.

Almost.

Later we met up with The Dickersons 

and ate some Mexican food.

It was a great day.

Friends Forever

I met my Sisters, 11 years ago.

We have seen each other 

through many

ups and down

&

highs and lows.

Today we celebrated Sister Linsey's 30th Birthday.

We surprised her at the bowling alley.

We had a blast.

Sister Kiki had never shared that

she is a bowling pro,

and she kicked our butts.

And we started a new tradition.

That I stole from Nie. :)

We sent our wishes for Lins 

up into the sky, 

willing them to come true.

And we talked for hours

and we laughed so hard

that somebody snorted.

It was truly fabulous.

My Morning

A sweet smile waited patiently for the carousel to open so we could go for a spin on the "delightful" creatures.

Don't they look so excited to be carrying the little ones round and round?

I didn't think so either.

Meanwhile....

I'm just going to put my hand in here....

Well, where did this come from?

What??

A few minutes, and a carousel ride later...

READY... AIM...

FIRE!!

Oooh! 

I hope I get my wish to glow like the sun...

Wow!

Snaps for my sister! 

You glow girl!

World Wide Wicked Web

Because my internet 

decided not to function 

until 10 minutes ago 

I was able to...

Clean the house.

Finish my laundry.

Make dinner.

And start a new project.

But because the internet decided not to function, 

I was unable to...

Make the delicious enchiladas 

I had been craving 

because the recipe 

was trapped on the web.

Come up with anything more interesting than this.

Don't blame me, blame the net!

24 years ago today...

Chelsea Erin Howard 

graced the world with her presence. 

I remember being shuffled off to Oma's 

in the middle of the night.

I remember holding my CareBear figurine 

with the paint can & brush 

and not understanding why 

no one was paying attention to me.

I remember helping her out of her crib 

when she would cry, my mom LOVED that.

And all that was just last week. 

Badabump!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHELSEA! 

I hope you have an amazing day

and that this year brings

you every joy & happiness!

Today I Made...

Biscuits for Breakfast

I even threw on some 

Biscuits in the Oven by Raffi, 

like my momma used to do 

when Chels and I were bambinas.

Then I spent my afternoon 

and evening 

finally finishing this...

Woo hoo! Go me! 

Today I created!

The Windy City

I hear there's snow in Idaho.

Here in the Lind, we've got wind.

Tumbleweeds, at super speeds.

Shakin windows, as it blows.

ME NO LIKEY!

Poetic, I know.

No need to be jealous. 

:)

Hmmm...

Hmmm....

What is this doing on the floor?

AHA!

Caught you red handed!

What do you have to say for yourself?

I see.

Case closed.

Today we bought a hat.

Just a Mom

Sascha: "Why did you do that?"

Me: "Because I'm a big girl, 

and that's what big girl's do."

Sascha: "You are NOT a big girl. 

You are just a mom. 

YOU ARE JUST A MOM!"

My head swirled. 

Just a mom indeed! 

If only she knew, 

that once I was a lead singer of a band...

a crazy college student...

a High School teacher....

a....

But none of that matters,

because to her I'm "just a mom."

And to her that's what matters most. 

Can you feel it?

I feel antsy and anxious 

when I know the toy room is a mess. 

I realize that this is ridiculous, 

as the girls are always in there.

It is not always going to be clean.

Especially the way I like it to be cleaned.

But this morning, I couldn't take it anymore.

I couldn't keep passing by this...

and not doing anything about it.

2 hours later...

Ahhh...now I feel peaceful.

I need to revel in this moment 

because it will not last long.

So, I put the baby gate up 

and kept the girls out.

Mommy needs the peace 

to last just a little bit longer. :)

One of Those Days

Today felt out of focus. 

Too much to take in, too much to process.

But, I made this and it was so delicious,

John went back for seconds.

And Rory let me 

rock her to sleep,

without a fuss.

And Sascha 

said I was her 

best friend.

And Hailey

helped me clean

without being asked.

So, the day wasn't all that bad after all.

Pray Please

I believe in the power of prayer.

And tonight I'm praying 

for the baby of my dear friend.

She has tested positive, and negative, 

and then positive again

for a rare genetic disease 

that is life threatening.

There is more testing to come to be sure.

I pray for sweet Ella, only 12 weeks old.

I pray for her mother, father and sisters too.

And I ask if you have an extra moment,

please send a prayer up too.

Monday Musings & Soap Bubbles

I have a sweet tooth. 

(I think it is the third from the right, top row.)

I need the sweet 

immediately after the savory. 

That is why there are chocolate chip cookies baking right now, 

even though we just finished 

a delicious meal 

of carnitas & black bean tostadas.

I won't feel fully full 

until the cookie hits my mouth,

followed by a tall glass of milk.

In case you were wondering. :)

The best part of my day today,

was in the shower.

Sascha was making soap bubbles

by rubbing her belly into a sudsy mess,

hugging her belly 

then slowly pulling her arms away.

The joy on her face as she made 

a huge bubble was priceless.

It made me giddy just watching her.

A true blessing of having children,

revisiting your inner child.

Meet Hailey Cat

This is Hailey.

She is my eldest baby, 

even though it has been 

a long time since she was a baby.

Hailey is silly. 

She will try to make you laugh.

Hailey is not like most girls.

She wants to be a skateboarder, 

not a princess.

Hailey is also an artist.

And a rockstar.

On the stage she goes by "Rockbird"

Hailey is sweet, emotional, and caring.

She changed my whole world,

in a single second.

She is growing up too fast.

I love her so, my sweet Hailey Gato.

Rain, Rain Come My Way

The forecast for today is calling for rain.

I couldn't be happier.

The sky is gloomy, 

and I am waiting for the tiny drops to fall.

Rain makes me happy.

I love to drive in the rain.

Here in Sunny CA, rain can be rare.

I remember when I was pregnant with Sascha

we had an unusual amount of rain.

Hailey and I would snuggle together,

her hand on my big belly,

and take loooong naps.

Bliss.

How I love the rain!

Meet Sashimi

This is Sascha...

Sascha has many monikers, 

she will answer to 

Sascha, Sashimi, Saschee, Sa-ti 

and Poopenstein. 

(Don't ask)

She is scary smart.

She is spunky.

She has moments when I can see 

that the teenage years

are going to be

interesting.

She sings and sings and sings.

She makes me happy as a clam, 

she gives good squeezes,

and if I'm really nice a BIG smooch.

I love her so, my sweet Sashimi.

Owls Ya Veal

Here is my mantle all decorated for Halloween!

The only thing that doesn't fit

 in my spooky scene, 

is my silver "always love". 

I will give you a candy corn 

if you can come up with 

something Halloween themed 

using all of the letters. 

Oooh! The challenge is on!

Meet Meesa

This is Meesa . . . 

Her name is actually Rory.

But I like to call her Meesa. 

Why? How? Huh?

I used to say Miss Rory, 

then one day I tried saying it with an accent 

and it came out Meece. 

Then as I was dancing around 

trying to make her laugh 

I said Meesa, Meesa, Meesa. 

She laughed. 

It stuck.

Meesa has big, beautiful, blue eyes.

She has a sweet, calm and gentle spirit.

She is curious, and thoughtful.

I think she has an old soul.

Sometimes we just stare in each other's eyes 

and talk without saying anything at all.

I love her so, my sweet Meesa.