Trick Or Treat, Smell My Feet!

Tell me this is not THE cutest picture you have ever seen? Yes, I had to set my camera on the ground :-X *gasp* But it was soooo worth it. The girls and I took an afternoon trip to The Hitchcock nature center!

Well I heard my dad made his way to this blog. Read it and even printed a picture off! Way to go dad! This is big news :) So, in honor of that, I decided I needed a new blog post!!

First things first is Emmy Belle got a hair cut!! Major changes for her :) It was hard to see her hair go, as she's been growing it for some time, but the amount of snarls and whining we lost in the mornings has been WELL worth it!

A local hair salon, here in town, had a cut-a-thon for Domestic Abuse support/awareness/shelters. 100% of proceeds AND tips went to a local shelter. As many of you know this is an issue that is near and dear to our heart. Shannon was supposed to come down, but other things came up. And Suzie was great enough to send along her donation as she had out-of-town company in. While there we learned they were a little over $600! That is phenominal for small town. Hair cuts were $15. So I figure most people gave $20.

If this is what we're in for in the future, Lord help me! A hair cut. Simple, right? NOT when you have a girl involved! NEVER simple with a woman, right? Come on, ladies, admit it!

First is was ALL off. Go ahead, shave it. Emmy has a friend in her grade with luekemia who is bald. Kayla doesn't get down about it. NO! She's happy to not have to have her hair combed or washed! Ha! The innocence of a child :) No Emmy, we CANNOT shave your head! Next? "To my ears". That's a TAD be short, huh? I HAD that hair cut when I was little. It was not cute! Ok, to my chin! As long as it can go behind your ears, GREAT! That was it. Sold!

But nooooooooo..... She wants bangs. We remind her how we had been there, done that. The growing out phase sucks!! But she really really really really really really wants them. FINE! Sh can have them! We had printed out two pictures of hair cuts she wanted. One little girl with bagns (actually a friend of ours!!) and one without. We get down there, she sits in the chair "I don't want bangs.

Decisions when you are 5 are hard. But she looks adorable! Great end result!

Here is Emmy Before....

And after.......

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Emmy Belle..... er Emmy..... er Emilia. Yea Emilia it is. That is what she wants to be called today. I can never remember. Again with the deicisions. If her school hadn't put everything as Emilia (granted it IS her given name, but it was more for sentimental/family memory reasons), she probably wouldn't know it was her name. She surely didn't know how to spell it.

Anyway, Emilia.... but I think she was Emmy that day! Emmy celebrated her first field trip! Off to the famous Vala's Pumkin Patch we went. The place where we would never go without the free-kids/$3 parent discount, because it's over $10 a head to get in! PLUS you have to pay for everything. They picked the most horrible day to have it. It was cold. It POURED. No sprinkled. Literally, poured. We did get one good, misting hour out of the whole thing. So we took a 40 minute bus ride (2 buses full) there, spent 1 1/2 hours there (cut short due to weather HA!) and another 40 minutes back to school! Was it worth it? Eh! :-/ Somehow sinking knee deep in mud with every step is ONLY cool if you are 5 and wearing white shoes! The bus ride was totally worth it though!!

This is Emmy and her friends Kayla and Allison (who was our 'buddy' for the day!)
Emmy and her teacher :)

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So candy day is coming up! Trick or Treat! Happy Halloween! Yay! Of course, in this house, we dress up everyday. But it's still fun coming up with ideas! This year I have made the costumes 98% by myself.

You know how when you envision something? (think..... a rainbow) And it doesn't come out ANYTHING like you thought (think..... the mirage of a rainbow reflection in an oil puddle). Yea... that is the costumes. But the girls are THRILLED with them! Juile's came out FANTASTIC. And I'm even dressing up. Mine is cute. But involves a dress. I still don't like dresses. Never have. The things we do for kids, right? Like spray paint a pair of shoes red and add sparkles!! Yes, you guess it. There IS no place like home! I will be Dorothy from Wizard of Oz! Along with my side kicks Julie the Scarecrow(ess), Emmy the Tin(wo)man, and Jackie the Lion(ess). We will certanily be adorable. No doubt in my mind! Thankfully we live in Iowa. You know, where you spend SO much time (or money) on a costume that gets covered up with winter coast, ear muffs, mittens and pants!

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I have found something that brings me the greatest joy I have experienced in a long time. I have started volunteering at the girls school. Neither of their classes needed help, so I opted for a new class they invented. Jr Kindergarten. Basically it's a maturity thing (so the teachers tell me!). The kids that aren't quiet read for classroomness. So picture 14 energy ridden 5 year old.

There is never a dull moment.

Never.

From picking boogers, to talking about being drunk to talking about how Ms. Killpack's name is like when you 'stab someone in the brain'. Or there was the girl who brought a fried chicken breast (think KFC) amoungst other things in her old crayon box for lunch. Sometimes it seems sad, but really I smile every second I am there. It is the best mood boosting thing ever.

I feel get way more praise than I deserve. I have been called a 'savior'. I even got to plan out their next weeks of letters. But really, it is just something I do because I love it. I am not paid in dollars. I am paid in the feeling that is left deep in my heart from the impact these wonderful kids have on me.

And every week I look forward to every surprising word that comes out of their mouth. I only look forward to when Julie is in school full time and I can spend more time there!