My hero.

You see what he bought? And do you see who is using it? Hooray!! It's a leaf blower, and I don't even have to use it!! What a great day in my little life. Here is what is left to fall on us:

So, he will get a lot of use out of it!

Mikey went on a field trip today to a pumpkin farm, and Chris got to go with the class. Here they are on their adventure.

Oh, funny story. Well, maybe not funny. But a quick story. Chris went out of town last weekend to go to his cousin's wedding in FL. It was the Ohio State game, they are ranked #1, it is a home game, and Chris has to leave. He's bummed.

So, I say to him "Do you mind if I invite Joe to come to the game with me? I'd like to see him, and I haven't seen him in 15 years, and we have your ticket..."

His response? "Go ahead. That's fine with me."

A few days later, I think about it, and just want to clarify that he really IS "fine" with it. I ask him again "Are you SURE you don't mind if Joe comes? You don't know him, and you'll be out of town, and I just wanted to make sure..." His response? "Well, he's not going to be on my side of the BED, is he?" And then he laughed.

I picked up the house after Chris left, but before Joe came to town. I was on the phone to Chris and said "Well, most of the house is pretty good. I threw what was left in our bedroom. After all, he won't see that....well....maybe he WILL!!"

Chris laughed and said "Don't worry about it. He'll just see the ceiling."

See why I love that man?

I am editing the post, because I forgot about this. More proof. He's my hero.

Wifey,

I bought the domain name www.susiesolo.com tonight. We own it for 2 years. (I found a promo code, so it cost less than $15 total for two years.) I will show you how it works. For now, I have it set up so that when you type www.susiesolo.com, your blog shows up (it redirects to your blog page..or wherever you might want it to.) Cool, huh? Indeed, I am the best husband.

Looking ahead: One of these days, you and I are going to write a book based on our experiences, including those documented in your blog. I thought buying www.susiesolo.com would be a good idea.

I love you.

-Christopher

I don't mind getting older. As long as I don't mature.

Yes, I'm getting older. The good part of getting older is you get better presents. Look what I got this year!

It is a watercolor print of Old Main, and is the view I had from my college apartment. The triple-matting and frame are so beautiful - I put it up in the living room immediately!

Fall is officially here. I've tarped some leaves from the backyard and the colors are stunning. Here is one of the first leaves that fell:

And with the fall comes more tailgating. We had 3 home games in a row, and that wore us out!! Luckily we had 2 weeks to recover, then had 2 more at home, and have this weekend off. I know those of you from PSU really don't feel sorry for us at all - having to tailgate and sit through every home game. It's a tough life. Really it is.

The kids are still playing soccer. Molly has a game on Tuesdays, Mikey has a game on Wednesdays, and they both have games on Sundays. We spend a lot of time at these fields.

Chris is one of her coaches and she LOVES it. That is Becca sitting next to her. They are best friends from school and asked to be on the same team. She's a lovely girl.

Mikey plays with a couple of his friends, and they are getting to be pretty good! The big Solo news? They BOTH scored goals this week!!

Oh, we also did a Poker Ride on campus! It was put on by the Campus Police, and the Bike Club, and I think some other group, too. It promoted bicycle safety, so we let Mikey ride it with us and borrowed a bike trailer to pull Molly. She likes being pulled like an infant...Mikey got the best hand in the whole competition, so we won a $50 gift certificate to downtown! It was a yummy Indian dinner for my birthday.

We also had the Homecoming Parade last weekend. Boy, was it a fun parade! There were over 50 floats, people juggling fire, and of course, what parade is complete without the band?

And of course, it wouldn't be October without a jack-o-lantern on the front porch, would it?

So, that has been the Solo household lately. We meet Grandma and Pop-Pop Keller at The Creamery every Wednesday for ice cream, have a play date or two in the afternoons throughout the week, have Bible study on Monday afternoons, soccer Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays, tailgating and football games on Saturdays, and one week starts to look like the last one and the next one. I think it will only get busier as they get older, so I enjoy from 3-4 in the afternoons while they watch PBS and I can check my email and blogs!

Susie's Birthday

Hey everyone...don't forget to wish Susie a Happy Birthday!!! (Oct 14th.) I know she'll be mad that I hacked into her blog account, so I'd better say some nice stuff. Honestly, Susie is the most wonderful, loving, involved, loyal, caring, funny, off-color, tell-it-like-it-is, loves-the-simple-things-in-life, gets-grumpy-when-she's-hungry, doesn't-hear-me-when-she's-reading, doesn't-know-where-the-mop-is, once-put-a-cat-terd-in-my-shoe-'cause-she-was-mad-at-me, best-Mommy-in-the-world person I've ever been in love with. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETHEART! Love, Chris

The power of prayer.

We have had some unusually warm weather here - like, in the upper 80's this weekend. Chris and I were taking the kids to the football game. So, we buy them each a ticket outside of the gate and in we go. Since it was so hot, I asked Chris to stop to get us each a water. He stopped, pulled out his wallet, and had ONE DOLLAR in there. Now, there is NO ATM in the stadium. I didn't have my purse, since I didn't want to stand in the "bagcheck line", and if you go outside of the stadium to use the ATM, you can't get back in the stadium. What to do, what to do...?

I immediately thought of our next door neighbor, Rebecca. She is a PSU police officer, and works in command control underneath the stadium. So, I tell Chris to take the kids to the seats, I'll find us money for water. I go to track down Rebecca, only to be told she is out of the stadium at that time. I proceed to leave her a note that went something like this:
"We brought Mikey and Molly to the game, but are out of $. It is hot and they need water.
Section SH, Row 46, Seat 8. Thanks! Susie"

As I leave command control, all I could think of was my responsibility as a parent was to take care of my children. I was failing. I said aloud to the thousands of people entering the stadium "God, what do I do now...??" I walked about 20 yards, if that, and entering the stadium was Pastor Lynn from my school!! I said a quick prayer of thanks, explained the situation, and borrowed $10 until Monday at school. I felt much better as a mom.

I go all the way to our seats, and flash the money to Chris. I told him I had borrowed it from Pastor Lynn! He said "You borrowed MONEY from a PASTOR?!" I said "Yup, sure did." Chris asked me where the waters were, but I was so excited, I had forgotten to get them! So, I went to the bathroom and stood in line for waters. There wasn't really a line, just one dude in front of me buying 6 waters. He turned around, and it was my neighbor! As I bought the kids each a water, I was laughing, telling him the story of how I was buying the water. He insisted I take a $20 to last the game, since I had "two kids and four quarters". So, I took the change, his $20, and the waters back to the seats. Chris said "Where did you get THAT money??" I told him I ran into Greg, and he laughed, saying only I could go to Beaver Stadium, and in 109,000 people find two that I know well enough to borrow money.

Later, Mikey said "Hey! There's Miss Rebecca!" She had come to the rescue with a water, and offered us money, too, but by then, we were fine.

See, one deliberate prayer, and the kids were fine for the whole game. God is indeed good.

Mikey has received speech therapy since he was 18 months old. We are used to his speech. Molly is now starting to say things a little differently, but not as he says them. It started this summer....

"poach" is porch
"cone" is corn
The funniest? Over the weekend she threw a ball into a tub. She shouted "SKWO!"

At the game, she always wanted to know what the "skwo" was. I wonder when she'll realize it is score.....

A Bad Influence

Sometimes I think the kids spend TOO much time with Chris. He is such a hands-on daddy. I love him all the more for it. However, the kids are now old enough to pick up on his cues.

Lately when I get out of the shower, or Mikey walks in on me in my underwear I hear one of two comments from him.

a.) THAT'S what I'M talkin' about!

or

b.) Just in Time....

I don't want him to think that is what all men say to all women when they are scantily clad. But I laugh every time, which probably only encourages him further. Honestly, how can I NOT laugh??

They USED to be babies.

Sometimes I miss them being babies. No, not the waking up in the middle of the night, not the changing diapers, not the crying, colic, acid reflux or lactose intolerance. Just the baby. Feeding them at 4 am, knowing that we were the only ones awake on our street. The cuddles and the clutch of their hand on my shirt. The gummy grins.

I've come to the realization that we as a family have moved past that stage. We no longer need strollers, swings, exersaucers, bottles, wipes, diapers, sippy cups, or changing tables. And we never will again. In some respects, it is a little bit sad. Not that I WANT it again, and to be honest, not that I really remember much of it the first time...they were just so close in age.

But now, we have two soccer players. Two kids that are line leaders and snack providers this week. Two kids that can play in the backyard if I keep an ear on them. One that can ride without training wheels, and one that isn't too far behind. We have two best friends who are exploring the world together.

I still like looking at their baby pictures.