Reason Number 12,974 That I Love Iowa:

A Conversation with Cameron

Ashley: "Hey Cameron, guess what - we're going to California today!!" 

Cameron:

Ashley: "And you get to meet your aunts and uncles and great-grand-parents for the very first time!"

Cameron:

"But first, we have to go on an airplane, so I need you to be a Superbaby, Ok?"

Cameron:

Ashley: "And while we're there, we're going to have so much fun!"

Cameron:

"Obsessed..."

... doesn't even begin to describe it.

We are head-over-heels...

completely...

undeniably...

irrevocably...

without a doubt...

helplessly...

hopelessly...

shamelessly...

endlessly...

TOTALLY...

in LOVE.

Punkins

 

While my wonderfully incredible mother-in-law was here a few weeks ago (how did I fail to mention this sooner...?), we decided to spend a night carving pumpkins.  

Confession: I don't like pumpkins.  I think they smell weird.  I also don't like the slimy stuff that you have to scrape out of them - it far too closely resembles body entrails to me. 

But nonetheless, we bought them.  We carved them.  We almost lost a few fingers.  We put them out on our front porch steps.  We lit them up.  We named them.  We took pictures.  

We had a grand old time.

Full Hands

Tonight I realized something.  

I realized it while I was standing in my very dirty kitchen wearing the same spit-up covered pajamas I've had on for the past 2 days, holding a 3 week-old crying baby with one hand, trying to make a bottle with the other, while simultaneously burning dinner and spilling an entire gallon of orange juice all over the floor.  

And this is what I realized: 

I am in over my head.

And I really, truly, honestly like it that way. 

 I dropped Luke off at the airport on Saturday for his rotation in Seattle and had a minor break-down as the realization that I was about to be a short-term single parent kicked in. 

So, like any normal person would do, I decided that the best way to beat the blues was head to the zoo.  While there, a older man struck up a conversation with me and made the commonly repeated statement, 

"Wow.  You've got your hands full." 

 

 And I found myself not really knowing what to say.

I mean, I know my hands are full.  

And I know that sometimes it looks like they're so full I'm about to drop everything in them. 

 And I know that not having three children to tote around would make my hands a lot less full.  

(And I'd probably have manicured nails on my less full hands, too.)

And I'm aware (painfully) that my full hands sometimes make it more difficult for me to have the things that I want to have and go to the places that I want to go and do the things that I want to do.

And it's certainly no secret that my full hands can sometimes make me appear completely and totally insane.

 And as I thought about my response to the old man, I realized that he was right.  

My hands are full.  

 And I am so, so thankful that they're not empty.

This Year.

Every year that we've lived in Iowa (except the first year because I was still a snobby Californian who didn't think pumpkins could be fun), we've visited a pumpkin patch.  And every year, I have promptly and elaborately detailed the experience. 

(2009) 

(2010)

And every year, it has just gotten better and better.  

 

This year, it took me more than three weeks to get around to blogging about it, but I did manage to practice my Photoshop skills on all the pictures, so that means I'm forgiven.  

This year, we got to drag Grandma along for the ride.  

(Literally.  We rode on a tractor.  She LOVED it.  Except not really.)

 

 

This year, I once again got beat in the Go-Cart race.  

But honestly; I had a 10 month pregnant belly, Brooklyn was sitting on what was left of  my lap, we once again got the crappy go-cart, and I was attempting to take pictures while laughing so hard I couldn't breath.  

SO not a fair fight.

  

This year we once again graced the Corn Pit with our presence.  

And it graced us with the traditional inch of corn dust.

 

And just when we thought we couldn't get any more filthy, Aubrey found herself like this:

Again this year we had to try out the teeter-totter. 

And again this year, I realized that teeter-totters will only end in tears.

 

(It looks like she's laughing in this picture.  Let me assure you: she is not.)

  This year, the slide was just as big, just as bumpy, just as painful.  

And yet, somehow, so much more fun.

  This year, they actually got to ride a pony.  Not because I finally learned how to not be cheap (it's expensive!), but because the sweet little old man who was in charge of it that day let them ride for free.  

He made all their dreams come true. 

Brooklyn now wants a real pregnant pony for her birthday.

 

 This year, Aubrey reached new heights.

(It is my mission in life to figure out how to keep this kids feet on the ground.)

 

This year, we went on a hunt for the perfect pumpkins.    

 And this year, I realized that I already have the 3 cutest pumpkins in the 

whole

entire

patch.