Congratulations!

I like the Danskin pants that Walmart sells. They usually have several different styles and lengths...my favorites are the yoga pants.

We don't do Halloween at home, but I've had to accept the fact that unless I want to keep him home the entire month of October, DS (grade 1) will do Halloween at school. There is absolutely no getting around it...everything has to do with Halloween in one way or another this month, and it has ever since he was in the Early Childhood program when he was three. They even have a half day of school that day, and that half is just a party...it's almost as big of a deal as Christmas! I'll sigh, and wish I didn't have to keep explaining to him that we don't do any of that stuff at our house, but I wouldn't say a word about the activities you've planned (or the 8 million activities that he actually has at school).

I understand! My DH has been getting to travel internationally for the last few years. Usually, I try not to let it bother me, but last year, when he went to Vienna, which in on my list of the top three places I'd like to see, I had a hard time being nice to him. And I know it's not his fault, and it's not all fun, because it's work, but it's hard to always be the one left behind, always doing the usual stuff, when he's having adventures. At least he brought a Sacher Torte home...

Here's a list of our favorite Thanksgiving books...I'll be updating it next week with a few new additions for this year.

We're done with week nine.

Seven people in our house, and only one born on a Tuesday (oldest DS)! He was a c/s, but it was an emergency, not scheduled, so I don't think that applies. And the other four were also born via c/s, as was I...no Tuesdays there. Now that I think about it, DH was the only one in the house that wasn't a c/s...weird!

Gymboree, Carter's, and the jumpers that Bonnie Jean and Youngland make (you can get them at department stores like Kohl's and JCP).

This is our favorite chili recipe. Any chili is made better by adding a bottle of beer to it!

Love the ears, love the wobbly neck...so adorable!!!

At any rate, I haven't had one political call all day...so that's something!

Do you answer the phone every time it rings? Not during school when you're teaching, just in general, especially in the evening. This may not apply if you have Caller ID (we don't). I'm trying to decide if I'm being unreasonable about something, and I thought I'd get a good variety of opinions here.

I felt that way after I had my first. Exactly what you described. I would go out of my way to drive past the hospital, just so I could think about what a special time it was. No real advice, just wanted you to know you're not alone!

Week eight is done!

:party: Just one more win, and then the World Series!

Six games down, six to go! :party:

Another vote for anything that can be chewed! Little People are great for that, but they're still fun when the babies get bigger...

This is so hard for me. My younger DS is in public school because he has special needs, and I know that academically, it's right for him. I worry about him socially as he gets older, though... When I was in high school, one of my teachers was a ringleader in making fun of the special ed class. I feel sick thinking back on it...if a teacher can do that, what will the students be capable of?

It's strange that this is today, because my children were wanting to talk about the baby we lost early last year in the first trimester, who we call Jesse, earlier today. It's not like they knew, but it makes me glad that we talked about "him" today.

Cardinals game! It's a must on my list. Love the zoo, the Magic House, and Grant's Farm. And Cahokia Mounds in Illinois. Faust Park is also pretty cool. Of those things, Grant's Farm is our favorite. After the Cardinals game. ;)

That's a winner! :)

Go Cards!

Even though we don't do the whole Santa thing at our house, I love reading The Autobiography of Santa Claus and How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas, both by Jeff Guinn. They provide an interesting, fictionalized historical account, and the other famous characters that show up in the books are amusing, to say the least.

Your pictures are beautiful! Seeing a hot air balloon always takes my breath away...they're so colorful and grand! Thanks for sharing!

My younger son goes to public school, and last year in kindergarten, they had snacks provided by the school (actually, by the teacher, I think). We had to pay something like $40 for the whole year, which I didn't really even think about, but I'm sure if I had resisted, it wouldn't have been forced upon me. This was a special ed classroom, though, so I have no idea if they have a similar requirement for the regular K class. I do know that now that he's been mainstreamed for first grade, they don't have a snack time at all anymore, not even for something brought from home.