Vaughn has come down with a bizzare rash. she has big spots....that to me look like chicken pox....and she is itching like crazy. Pediatrician thinks its a virus coming out through her skin instead of manifesting in her. Its now spread to a few on her legs and arms and up into her scalp. Very weird. she goes to her 2 year apt friday and they said they'd take a look but assured me it didn't "sound" like anything to worry about. I will post pics tomorrow but left my camera at work. they prescribed benedryl so she has gone to sleep 2 nights in arow in less than 10 minutes. I dont know what to do with all the extra time i have:) maybe i should work out or clean. haha.

we got her kitchen set put together that we got her for her birthday, she loves it....but we need to get some food cause its kinda boring without all the fun stuff.

I am SO ready for Friday. This week has gone fast but i am ready to get some stuff done. I am getting super excited for the holidays and LOVE this fall weather, cool, rainy...bright orange trees....just beautiful! Our year gets insane from here on out. V's bday party with my fam this weekend, next weekend is halloween and rudy's birthday, then Gabi's birthday, then my birthday, then thanksgiving and black friday, then dads birthday, then Christmas parties for work, then Christmas! I just love this time of year! Got a good start on my holiday shopping and am about half done or so....thats really good for me!

I got my car back...finally and its already acting up again. I am looking at a new vehicle tomorrow so we will see how that goes. hopefully I get this one traded before it ends up back in the shop. I am sick of it and ready for someone else to have my crappy car!

off to find ice cream cake recipe for V's party...MMmmm

Color Drive

Just a couple hours ago we got home from Illinois- it was cOlOr DrIvE Weekend which is my favorite weekend! We had so much fun and I had prayed all week that we would just be able to kick back, relax and enjoy the trip without being stressed about anything having to do with travel. God answered those prayers:) This was Rudy's first color drive and i thought FOR sure he would be annoyed by the driving and viewing of the leaves and stopping at a million garage sales etc...but he LOVED it. We got lost and ended up an hour and a half from our destination and he just kept saying how beautiful the "mountains" were... (mountains equals rolling hills) and we stopped and took pictures and if Vaughn hadnt been asleep in the car we would have stopped at the local restaurants and had a drink or pie and talked to the locals.

While we had a great time, we were also all sick. Myself and some of the kiddos with the upper respiratory stuff, fever, chills etc. Rudy and some others were sick with the stomach flu. Blah.
V and I opted out of the hay ride not only because of how late it ended up being but because of the cold...and being sick...didn't sound like a great combo. We really had so much fun this weekend....the drive home (8 hours with the stops) took it all out of me!

Its always sad leaving my sweet grandma. She has to be so lonely there and she just loves talking to people and telling stories and we do cherish every single time we get to see her and spend with her. I wish she lived closer!

This week is another long M-F and then I have a tupperware party on Saturday (exciting!) and Vaughn's 2nd birthday party on Sunday (super super exciting)
We still have not put together her kitchen set (epic fail on our part) but there are a jillion pieces and Rudy wants some assistance so we will have to wait until some night this week to do it. At this point V is content playing with the metal sink that came with it and the pot holders etc. She's a sweet girly and so smart....it was so fun listening to her sing and pray and count and say the "abcdeg's" in the back seat. sweet sweet little lady with a strong strong will.

I gotta go to bed....gotta get rested since I am out of sick time at work. Blah-- its so lame to give paretns the same amount of sick time as those without kids...you should get twice as much. Mine has been used up by Vaughn- her sitter being sick/gone and the few days I used for myself. I hate that!

pumpkin patch bust

looks like Gabi is trying to warm those hands!

looking at the goats.....

Gotta love gords!

*** THIS PICTURE CRACKS ME UP*** this was the mood of the day. Vaughn: You gotta be kidding me....THIS is what she was talking about? Andre:Im gonna run over there and steel that boys gloves! Gabi:This is rediculous.

Amanda and I have been single over the weekends lately and decided to take the kiddos to a pumpkin patch. I had built up the excitement in V and she was so ready to go. Why did we pick TODAY to go? Its maybe 47 tops and windy. As you can see in the photos...the kids less than enjoyed themselves. We got a few pumpkins but were there no more than a half hour...and that included porta potty break. They had some super neat pumpkins and I wish the weather had been nicer and our men could have gone and I would have come home with a truckload....we'll have to try again in a week or two.

Frustration

Frustration is getting the best of me...both with Vaughn and with my house. If I have to stare at another white wall or space that is cluttered with junk I will scream. I feel like, being stuck between this place and a house, i am hesitant to hang things or decorate or do much of anything feeling like I will have to tear it all down in a month.

Vaughn....the sweet girl she is has sure turned into the terrible twos. She refuses to fall asleep and its been taking me a min of an hour to get her to fall asleep at night, she screams and cries and throws fits, she is sassy, demanding and just mean sometimes with her hitting and hair pulling. I love her to pieces, and I feel bad for getting frustrated with her but lord help me! She is just so whiny all the stinking time. I know she picks up alot of bad stuff at daycare from some of the boys there and is always telling me who was naughty or who the sitter yelled at that day. and I know part of it is her age. either way- its beyond frustrating. I feel like i if i were home with her, id have more time and more control to reverse these issues. She was doing so well with sleeping, we didnt have to lay with her etc, just take her up there and lay her down...2 min and she was out. Now, i dread bed time the entire day. its not fair to her to go to bed upset and its not fair tha i have to dread that should be sweet time with her.

on top of all that we have a mouse problem. Knock on wood we havent seen one in at least a day now so hopefully they are spreading the words that those that come in dont come out..but we'll see.

Rudy's dad passed away tonight at 8:40. Please keep your family in his prayers. We will miss him very much-


Rest Peacefully Lito.

I have a very sad story. Today over my lunch I went to Kohls to get some pants for V. I had some spare time so I went in the dressing room to try on some clothes. there was only one other stall full and it was the one next to mine. There were two little kids in their with their mom and the girl was probably 2 or younger and the boy was probably 4. They were singing nicely to each other and the little girl was squeeling and screeming from excitement of her brother. Apparently the mom thought they were being too loud and she started reprimanding them. She went from 1 to 100 in point two seconds. all of a sudden I heard the loudest bangs on the wall and the little girl started screaming the most horrendous scream I have ever heard. The boy started screaming too and kept saying "stop hurting my sister!" "Stop doing that to my sister. " Then you'd hear another bang and he'd start screaming....then the baby again, then the bigger kid and the mom was SCREAMING at these kids while beating the snot out of them. I thought I was going to throw up. It was so loud, you could tell she was picking up the girl, beating on her and THROWING her back in the cart because the cart would slam up against the wall. I stood there, bawling and praying for those sweet babies and I wanted nothing more than to bust down that wall and sweep up those precious kids. I wanted so badly to call the cops right there and have them listen, It took everything I had in me not to bust down that door and beat the daylights out of that woman. (I wont even call her a mom because she was far from a mom.) I tell you, I was sick in a way I have never been sick before. I through on my clothes and left to get security. There, outside the dressing room, stood many many women just listening, not getting security, not assisting, just watching this go down. I was outraged. I could not decide what was the smartest thing to do but I wanted to help those kids. I told security who went in there. I have no idea what they did or what happened after that but I have thought about that all day. What was it that snapped in that women to cause her to beat her children. How bad does it get at home? Are they okay? Will she someday beat them to death? Did the security call the police? Was she allowed to cool off and go home as if nothing happened? I have thought of nothing else but how badly I wish I would have been the strength and words those children didnt have. I should have reached under that door and offered a hand for them to come out to, I should have yelled over there for her to get her hands off of those precious babies. I wanted to go off. I wanted to tell her to beat on me instead of those babies. She has forever changed who they are as people, she has forever changed me as a mother and a citizen. I will never forget that scream full of fear.

Pray for those babies. Pray for all the babies being abused, without a voice, without a way out. Pray for those kiddos who have no where safe.

Great weekend.

Stuffin Elmer

Rudy's niece Kaysha came into town to stay with us for a few nights. Vaughn and her got some good bonding time in.

She wasnt too sure about the straw/hay/whatever its called.

Cheering on the hawks in her cheer uniform.

From sports to glam.

Dad and Elmer- They are pretty tight.

For as long as I can remember we have been stuffing Elmer in the fall to sit on the porch and watch the house. We love Elmer- Vaughn on the other had has had nightmares about him since this night. " I dont yike papa's friend Emmer"

What decorates our fridge. My little picaso!


This weekend was just what I needed. While I got NOTHING done that I had planned, it was fun to relax, hang out with Kaysha and on Saturday we had "Gourmet night" at my parents and made awesome food. It was a great night, beautiful weather, and Elmer making all in one night.

The week has started again and as hard as it was for met o get up this morning, it was GREAT to wake up to rain and cold weather. It sure started my week off right.
We start Biggest Loser IMT tomorrow at work, we're having weekly meetings and weigh ins. Wish me luck, we all are putting in 10 dollars and the winner wins the pot of money! That would be nice!

Have a nice FALL week everyone.