DBG Pumpkin Party

Last weekend, we jailbroke my mom and took her along with us to the DBG Pumpkin Party. What a fun day! There were balloon animals, hayrides and a pumpkin patch! Not only did the kids get to pick out a pumpkin, but they also had a fun craft station set up to decorate! There were lots of games, cotton candy and kettle corn. What a way to spend a Saturday!

It's been NINE years

Thank YOU for letting ME pickup Outback TAKEOUT from a GIFT CARD for our Ninth Anniversary big Spendah! ;-)

Hope we've got 99 more to go! Okay, well maybe not 99, I'm not sure I wanna see what you look like at 135 years old! I'll look like Joan Rivers, but you...you might look like Walter Mathhau and that'd be damn scary!

I'm SAIIIILLLLING!

Conal qualified for the Aramark incentive trip again this year! This was trip 6, out of his 9 years there! So, so SOOOO proud of him and all his hard work! The Western Region has grown and now includes Washington and Oregon, in addition to California, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. There are usually around 800-900 RSR qualifiers through out the region, and this year there were only about 140. It was a much smaller group, but we still had a FANTASTIC time!

I mean really, who doesn't look forward to an all expenses weekend away SANS CHILDREN once a year?! His boss thanked me for all of my support and encouragement to Con. HA! Little does he know my "support and encouragement" is more on the lines of a constant NAG! I'm sure he brings home a paycheck, but I seem tunneled on a kid-free weekend once a year!

And of course, a little silliness!

Fiesta del Sol Ohhhh9!

East Valley Sol hosted their annual Fiesta del Sol on October 10th. We LOVE this event! Not only are they raising money for an incredible cause, but it seems to be our ONE night a year where everybody gets childcare and we all go crazy! Dinner sponsored by Outback, all you can drink sponsored by Hensley, Blackjack (I was wanting to go to Vegas from there...), Silent Auction (where Conal bid and won a $60 Mike Mussina ball 0_0), a Live Auction (where Kevin Stewart and I were being held back by our spouses from bidding on a 7 night Hawaii condo...boooo on them), DANCING, DANCING and more DANCING!!! The band they had this year was AMAZING! There seemed to be twice as many people as last year and they seemed to be having fun too! It was nice that we weren't the only crazies in the bunch!

Now that everyone we know is married, this is our annual 'wedding'! Bub and Conal...aka the ORIGINAL Wedding Crashers, have dubbed Fiesta del Sol the "party of all parties". And it is!

Aunt Kate came to visit!

Kate opted for an airline ticket to AZ for her 50th Birthday! It had been four years since she's been out here and had seen her mom. So, a whirlwind weekend, brought Kate in for a fun visit!

Not only did Kelly and Tom bring her over for dinner on Friday night, but Kelly also brought her back down on Saturday for Hayden's soccer game! We all enjoyed seeing Kate, but I think the kids had a blast with her!

Gilbert U7...Lightening!

Hayden is on her very first soccer team this Fall, and she is loving it! The Lightening practice twice a week with games every Saturday. She's learning the basic fundamentals of soccer and making some friends while she's at it! Each week brings a different experience for her, and for us!

The first week Hayden played her little heart out, it was fun to watch! The second and third week we found her intimidated, overwhelmed, spaced out and a bit lost. Even her coaches asked us at practice if she was still having fun and if everything was okay. They figured she was, but said she seemed so lost. And then I had to miss week 4, but Conal said she did great! She's having so much fun, and I love that!

Her coaches are very great and have a ton of patience. More than I ever could. We let them know that she's a visual child. They are so supportive of her, and all the kids!

Before the season started, Hayden mentioned that she wanted number 7. When jerseys arrived, they just randomly handed them out and Hayden ended up with number 7. Lucky!

They walk for Hayden!

Aunt Meghan and Aunt Kate walked in the Jones Beach, NY Autism Speaks 'Walk Now for Autism' yesterday. Meghan had cute shirts made up for the two of them and also raised over $700! What an awesome way to show their love and support for Hayden from clear across the country! THANKS you two, it really means a lot to us!

"God gives you what you can handle".

And really...did God really make that up, or did that prophecy come from somebody who had absolutely no idea how to respond to something that he/she cannot relate to and is just relieved it's not her?

Deep thoughts! haha

"God gives you what you can handle". Really? And how is that determined? I want to know what 'scale' He determines, Rebecca Marquette...you can handle a daughter with special needs, a daughter born with medical discernment, developmental delays and mysterious illnesses over the course of her small life. Rebecca, you are strong enough to watch one childs hair fall out, and another stimulate herself by grinding her knuckles into gravel, or scraping her fingernails against cement because "it feels good".
You, Rebecca, can handle witness a beautiful six year old reach out for her thoughts as they slip through her fingers like fine grain sand, whilst she continues to flap her arms, twitch her eyes and slap her cheeks in the middle of a restaurant because she's aggravated and does not know how to express it. And when your baby wakes up in the morning praising that she "did not puke last night Mommy so her tummy isn't going to hurt today...is it? Say NO Mommy, say NO", you can handle that too.
I'm curious to what the scale is....how He determines how much I can handle....when does it stop?
When does God, fate, kharma, payback, stop. When does it stop? And really, as my thoughts are processed into words, I wonder...how does he determine how much a child can handle?

Please Lord, let us live and not wonder. Let us love and not question. Let us rest and not worry. And while you're giving me what I can handle, throw a little strength my way too.

Happy 36, my Love

I cannot sit here and type how much Conal means to me. Words don't do it justice, and it will just take me forever to wade through the tears. I say this always, but it's forever true. I am a lucky, lucky girl!

We had a great time celebrating this year! We went to Buca di Beppo for dinner. Our waitress was great and was totally onto the fact that we were celebrating something. So out she came with dessert and a big candle. The girls got such a kick out of them singing to Daddy!

This year I surprised Conal with tickets to BB King. He's not coming until November, but he is somebody Conal has wanted to see for a very long time!

We enjoyed some birthday cake and Hayden and Tay gave him his own copy of Fast Times. And of course, a birthday celebration is never complete without my mom's invitation for a homecooked dinner of 'favorites'!

Happy Birthday, my Love!

Meeting Miss Paisley

On the Tuesday after we got back from our trip, we went out to Pam's for a quick visit with Paisley. Conal and the girls hadn't met her yet, as she was feeding when he went to the hospital on the day she was born. It was a quick visit, about 20 minutes, because she needed to eat again. BUT, it was well worth the drive. Look at this little cutie girl at one week old!!!Proud and Protective Big Brothers!
Taylor was there, she was just too busy to slow down and do anything more than pat Paisley on the head or give her little kisses, then off she went!

More Southern CA Pics!

Knott's Berry Farm

While we were in SoCal, Conal suggested some play time at an amusement park. And even though it was really hard to drive past Disneyland on the I-5, we had a great time at Knott's Berry Farm!

There's something there for everyone! From an old western town with some fun rides...like the Log Jam that we all enjoyed, great food and cute little shops, to extreme thrill rides for me and Camp Snoopy for the kids. ALTHOUGH, I can't go without saying that I think Tay is going to be my roller coaster buddy! Good grief does that girl love speed, heights and unforeseen drops! She 'bout made me hurl on the Spinning Sombreros (think Teacups)! Hayden went on the big swings all by herself and loved every minute of it!

We had a fantastic day! The price there is definately great and there were no lines! Even on Sunday of Labor Day weekend. I'd say it's a well kept secret, that amusement park!