Halloween

(edited 11/01/10)

Dinner with some great friends and then we sat around the firepit drinking hot cider.

Our great crew of kiddos trick or treating and the Moms and Dads didn't even have to walk with them.

White puking pumpkin

Dragon Pumpkin...in honor of Auntie Angie

Cannibal Pumpkin

Cute kitty cat Pumpkin

Happy Ghost Pumpkin

I'm not really a very big fan of Halloween but the family carving party is pretty fun.  Chris is really the expert!



PUMPKIN PRAYER:

Dear Jesus, as I carve my pumpkin, help me pray this prayer:

Open my mind so I can learn about You; 

(cut the top off the pumpkin)

Take all my sin and forgive the wrong that I do.

(clean out the inside)

Open my eyes so Your love I will see;

(cut eyes)

I'm sorry for the times I'ce turned up my nose at what You've given to me.

(cut a nose)

Open my ears so Your Word i will hear;

(cut ears)

Open my mouth to tell others You're near.

(cut the mouth)

Let Your light shine in all I say and do!  Amen.

(Place a candle inside and light)

Change is Good

Life is ever changing and isn't that a good thing?
Just about the time I think it's getting easy I have a surprise.
In case it wasn't obvious in my writing,
fall 2010 was a little over whelming for the Raabes.
The most stressful part wasn't even blogged.

It's post high school softball season so
Chris has started writing again
and we are working on marketing for the book.
Change is Good

Comets soccer has ended as well as Sizzle softball
so I am working on year end parties and fund raising.
Reagan is talking about what sport she can play next.
Change is Good

Dance never ends!
Ok, so that doesn't change.

Scrapbooking has become a thing of the past
My poor client is going to fire me if she doesn't
get something fabulous in the mail SOON.
The worst of it all....
I've had TWO scrap weekends cancelled.
Change would be good.

So you might think that I have some time to myself.
Well...

My aunt is moving from Kansas
to a townhome in my neighborhood.
This is no small feat. 
I have found an assisted living facility
which she refuses to live in.
I have found a townhome
that hopefully meets her needs.
I have secured movers, trucks and boxes.
I have talked to doctors, attorneys, accounts and finance managers.
I have signed paper work.
I have made decisions that I didn't know I was qualified to make.
This is no small feat!
Change is Good.

Today I shifted gears to a loved one in the hospital
Healing can begin but only with change of lifestyle.
Change is Good.

Not that life should be easy or boring
Life is not static, it's ever changing
Thank you God for a life that shapes me and molds me
into something I never knew I could be.

Date with My Daughter

Emma and I really needed a fun night out. 

We laughed

We ate cookies

We took lots of pictures

We even saw a "private" moment between 2 llamas.  (yikes)

Emma and SL

cello performers

Michelle and Melanie

Some of my favorite things...

my daughter

fall

pumpkin patch

hot drinks

friends

We were pleasantly surprised to run into our friends,

certainly a topper to an already great evening!

New Pictures

Sorry friends, these are quick snapshots of pictures we had taken this week of my beautiful daughters.  Please excuse the blurry dark condition of these photos.

Let me start by saying we went in to get a black and white picture of Chris and Reagan to complete my wall of pictures in the living room and a large picture of the girls for the family room.  Here's the problem, the lady tricked me...she took too many great pictures of the 3 subjects that I am a sucker for...my girls. 

seriously...LOVE this picture.  18x28

it's going to look amazing on my wall.

This one is going on Chris' desk.

There are also pictures for the grandmas but I can't show them here, they have to wait until christmas.

LoVe GrEeTiNG CarDs

Lately I have displayed a lack of ability to mail off cards in a timely matter so it is to my great surprise to open my mailbox and find birthday cards BEFORE my special day.  Reading greeting cards is something I really enjoy, so much that I sometimes hang out in the card store reading and laughing.  

  The card I got from my mom-in-law today was perfect for me.

Linda knows I blog and look to see who has visited and who has left a comment.  BTW, not many comments lately.  :)

Tonight I have a house full of kiddos playing Rock Band.  Tomorrow you will find me at the soccer fields watching Reagan in her final soccer tourne of the fall season.  I am hoping for a yummy carrot cake when we get home.  Maybe Chris will even remember candles but just a few.  (38 candles may be unsafe.)

U-G-L-Y

Nothing like a Saturday afternoon in Memorial Stadium, the 3rd largest city in Nebraska on game day!  As far as today's game, I hope there really is never anything like it again.  It was one of the ugliest football games I have attended in YEARS!  Not only did Nebraska play poorly but they were out coached.  The officials were not the greatest but honestly when you drop 3 touch down passes, who cares how bad the refs were.  The family was going to sell the 4 seats for this game which would have paid for the whole years worth of football tickets, looking back I think that would have been a good idea.  :)  Actually, I still had a great time..I just love college football.  The best play of the day came in the 4th quarter when we had a 95 yard return for a touchdown.  I was hopeful that play would jumpstart our team, no such luck. 

A huge thank you to my father-in-law for staying home with my hubby and daughters to watch the game from the couch so I could take in the game day atmosphere again.  I love you guys...and not just for your season tickets.  :)

The Year Was 1997

I am refering to the last time I shopped for apartments, until today.  The girls and I hit the road looking for new living arrangements for my dear aunt who will be moving to Omaha in the next few months.  Believe it or not, the ammenities I looked for in 1997 were much different from what my aunt needs in 2010.

Even though the girls were not overly excited to listen to the leasing agent and me chat about square footage, monthly rent, garages, bathrooms and mailboxes but they did enjoy discussing our findings at the end of the day. 

I'm not sure that I will be making the final decision about where or when Aunt Delma moves to Nebraska but it is a pleasure to do some of the foot work to get her here. 

Middle School Dance

Need I say more?

Reagan and the Ripstick

Ever since Reagan spent some time in GI with her friend K, she has wanted a Ripstick.  Here she is showing off her brand new toy that she purchased with birthday money.  This is 3 minutes after the thing was taken out of the box.  Way to go Reagan!!

As you can see she is dressed and ready to go to soccer. 

This weekend they are playing in the Toyota Cup. 

So proud of our girls, they played hard and scored lots of goals. 

The Rat is Wearing Down

Back in the day I was a sprinter, never did I pretend to run long distance, I simply do not have the staying power for distance.  I remember running the mile relay and wondering why on earth anyone would really want to sprint ALL the way around the track.  Well it was early this August when I heard the gun go off that started this race.  You could call it a "rat race!"  School started August 11th but before that day Chris had meetings and if I remember correctly softball started early as well.  Shortly after school started, Reagan was knee deep in soccer and softball.  Olivia started preschool.  By early September, Chris' team was playing games, Reagan was practicing and playing games on two teams.  Emma and Olivia were dancing.  I was running kids here and there, volunteering, scrapping for clients, starting up bible study and wondering what I had forgotten to do for the day. 

It is now October 3rd and I can smell the cheese at the end of the maze.  As it turns out, I can run the distance races as well.  This week won't be any less chaotic but I know soon we will be eating family dinners together every night.  There's something about all five of us coming together at mealtime.  No matter what has happened during the day, we first thank God for His blessings and know that together we can work anything out.

Emotionally and physically I have broken down but spiritually I have remained strong.  The poem "Footprints" really hits home.  In my weakness God was right there beside me and when I couldn't run the race any longer He carried me until I was strong again.  I will finish this race!

Enjoy your first week of October.  Take the time to notice the changing leaves and cooler temps.  Don't forget to water and dead head your mums...that's a reminder for me mostly.  Until next time, I may see you at the ball field, soccer field, grocery store, between here and school or the dance studio just don't peek in my windows...that will really freak me out.

Smores Galore

I love this picture!

  Fall...everything about it warms my heart.  The colors are breath-taking, the cooler temps are so welcome after months of heat and humidity and breaking out the fire pit for smores is a great family activity.

Really Chris, do they need to be on fire?

No you won't find of picture of me eating a smore...don't like them.  I enjoy sitting around the fire and watching the kids get covered in melted marshmallow and chocolate but that's where it ends for me.  Tonight however, I did eat a couple apple slices with a piece of dark chocolate.  Now that was yummy and in my mind somewhat healthy.  Really I can justify about anything.