The Things That Howl In The Night

This morning, I almost walked into this GIANT pumpkin spider

in my front yard while taking Minnie for a walk

to check whether cow #26 was in heat. (No, she is not.)

Tons of these spooky spiders are in webs all over Stillestead right now.

Perfect for Halloween and cool from a far distance, not

in my front yard where Minnie and I walk around.

THEN

Some nights, when it's really late, I hear the spookiest sounds

 I've ever heard—and I hate it during those late-night feedings.

Have you ever seen World War Z?

These sounds are just like the zombies in the movie.

It’s our not-friendly local pack of coyotes running past Stillestead, 

howling on their nightly jamboree hunt.

It only lasts for a minute or two, and then the howling dies down,

 and they are gone, but oh my goodness, it's so eerie, and Angus hates it.
I'm sure Kitty, Carmel, and Otis hate it too.  

I'm sure they hide and run for cover—I bet these creepy coyotes would eat them.

Oh, the things we see and hear at Stillestead!

Fries & DP

 This afternoon, Christian came home early from work

to take me to the dentist. It was just a quick stop to pick 

up retainers I had my dentist make for me to keep my teeth from

getting wonky.  It's amazing how I've noticed my teeth 

shifting as I've gotten older.

Getting older is just kind of the worst in some ways.

On the way home, we got a drink and fries at Sonic

(not a lot of options in our little town).

Right away, we weren't happy with the fries, and I drank all of my

DP in probably 3 seconds because the cup was all ice and had

seriously probably 1/3 cup of drink.

So we turned into McDonald's, which was like 1/2 mile from Sonic

on the way home, and got fries and a small DP without ice so I could

pour it into the Sonic cup because they have superior ice.

It was an ordeal, and by then Minnie was getting super restless

in her car seat, so Christian zoomed home. As we pulled into our

gravel road, I took Minnie out of her seat,

and she rode up our driveway on Christian's lap. 

This is our future with Minnie, and I'm loving it.

Heat Update:

Cow #26 is NOT in heat...still!

Just What I Needed

 Heat watch day two.
Same as yesterday, and again, no orange sticker,
So Minnie and I walked home, and then I pushed her

around the garden to check our pumpkins.
I got them planted late, so they are still pretty small,
which is too bad since they will most likely be ready for

Thanksgiving, not Halloween.

Minnie is obsessed with pumpkins.  She does the backward wave

every time she sees one.  It's seriously the cutest thing I've ever seen.

And then this afternoon, Minnie took one of the best naps

 she's ever taken in my arms while I was on the couch.  I was nap-trapped.

But it actually was really nice.

Last night, Christian and I started a movie around 11:00 pm. for some reason.

We didn't go to bed until after 1:00.

Sometimes we do this.

I don't know why, but I don't regret it.

I was just super tired today, so this excuse to sit down and hold

Minnie as she napped while I sat with her was just what I needed.

I admired my cute little house and the gorgeous view outside my

window. This October may be hot, but it's so beautiful out.

I feel so lucky to be living here!

Heat Watch

We have a cow who is expected to go into heat in the next few days. 

It is important to catch it so we can breed her, as we are actively growing our herd.

So Minnie and I are on "heat watch". 

Right when we woke up, I put her in the stroller

and we walked down our lane to the pastures where the cows are

to check cow #26 and see if the heat

detection sticker on her booty is orange.

If it is, we have to call cowboy Christian to come home and

breed her because he only has about a 12-hour window.

But this morning, she was not in heat.

So we watched the cows for a few minutes, not long

because Minnie doesn't really like it when they moo.

We walked home where Minnie had a tub and a nap,

then we left to do our weekly shopping at the grocery store.

October has been a little hot.

I don't love that, but I hear colder weather is coming.

Fingers crossed!

The New Wave

 This year, I decorated Stillestead porch for Halloween with pumpkin lanterns.  

They are pretty cute and light up adorably at night, 

but I never imagined Minnie would love them as much as she does.

Every morning, when she wakes up, she points to them

outside, blowing in the wind, and wants to go outside and touch them.

She stares at them and makes cute noises.

Recently, she started waving at them. 

It's the cutest wave I've ever seen. She turns her chubby little hand

around and waves her fingers toward her face.  

I don't think my other Nies did this. 

It's uniquely Minnie, and I love it.

Speaking of pumpkins, check out this cute green one growing

in my garden! Minnie and I have been checking on it for

weeks. It literally grows overnight and looks

different every morning.

Straight To Jail

 Someone has decided to bite while nursing.  

With three teeth, one of which is ginormous, I think it's hard not to.
I'm going to let it slide a little longer, but if she keeps it up, 

we're going to have to put Minnie on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) 

or an LCA- Last Chance Agreement. 

These are all real things; I looked them up.

For now, I put her straight to jail.

Crib jail.

But she only stays three seconds because I can't get mad

at her.  I mean, look at her, could you?

The Universe I Live In

 This morning, Jane and I took Minnie on the most lovely October walk

around Stillestead and along the gravel road that connects

our houses with the neighbors.

I snapped a colored branch off one of the trees to bring home,

and at home we repotted a plant from the studio that needed more room.

Jane and I have the best conversations about everything

while we are walking, working, cooking, or resting,

on work, boys, Jesus, and her bright future. 

Jane is so grounded and sure of what she wants

(especially in a man). I want for all of her dreams to come true.

And you should see her at the studio. 

She is our best instructor and manages the studio beautifully.

  I am so excited for her life ahead,

but also feel a lump in my throat when I think about her leaving.

I especially feel for Minnie, who has fallen in love

with her curly red-headed sister.

For now, we will take walks together and stay up late talking

about everything while I nurse Minnie.

What is this universe I live in??

Happy 20th Birthday, Elder Gigs!

 

Today Gigs turns 20!

I can't believe that Nicholas Jones was born 20 years ago.

He weighed nearly 10 pounds and was as docile as could be.

He's been making me laugh for 20 years, and I miss him.

I couldn't be prouder of him as he serves a mission in the Czech Republic,

teaching people about Jesus. Watching him develop and grow into a

loving, caring man who loves Jesus has been one of the most rewarding

moments in my mothering career.

We celebrated him and went out to get dinner at one of

his favorite restaurants.

We went around the table, and each shared what we loved about him.

Next year, he'll be HOME!

I'm so excited for him to meet Minnie!

Pumpkin Smile

I put up pumpkin lanterns on my front porch, 

and Minnie loves them so much.

She is starting to point and make such expressive faces. 

Eight months is such a cute age!

ALERT:

Minnie is getting a top tooth.

That makes three teeth in her little mouth.

She looks like a little pumpkin!

GC Day Two

Day two of the conference was amazing, as usual.

Jane's amazing mission president, Ronald M. Barcellos, gave the 

opening prayer.  He is a legend around our house.

After conference, we visited some friends and took a drive.

Since it's October, everything is becoming more colorful, especially

today because it rained all day.

Then, I, for the 600th time, stood unbeknownst to me in an ant pile and 

fed an entire ant colony my foot.  It was horrible.

I may not understand everything, but I absolutely believe God

 sees you, loves you, and knows your story—a story 

that is both personal and purposeful!

Your story is personal. So you don’t need to look sideways and ask, 

“How come my life doesn’t look like theirs?”

And it’s purposeful in that it has meaning. Our suffering means something. 

It’s not a detour from the path; it gives purpose to our path.

God is intimately aware of your experience and has a

 plan for all of it—for each one of us, even if we can’t see it right now.

 -Tamara W. Runia

Sweet Rolls

 Today marks day one of the General Conference.

This is one of the Nielson family's favorite weekends of the whole year.

We parked it on the couch and listened to inspired words, counsel,

and wisdom from our church leaders.

Minnie was such a good girl!

I made cinnamon rolls, or "sweet rolls" if you will.

I grew up calling them sweet rolls, but when I met Christian,

he made fun of me for calling them that.

Either way, making these delicious treats really shows my

religious culture this time of year.

If you were to ask another LDS family watching conference, 

there is a really good chance they made them, too.

After dinner, Jane had a date come over and pick her up.

Of course, we were all there to greet him and send them off.

Then I put Minnie to bed, and we stayed up and watched a movie

until Jane came home, and we got the scoop.

TBC

My Velcro Child

Tonight, Christian and I were excited to get all jazzed up

and attend a dinner that celebrated and fundraised

 for our community and its programs.

We left Minnie with Jane and Lottie and slipped away while they were

making dinner in the kitchen, with Minnie in her high chair, happy as can be. 

The whole time I was there, I kept thinking about Minnie.

I wondered what she was doing and whether she missed me.

Sure enough, around 9:00 I got a text from Lottie with a photo of

a sad Minnie.  The text read:

"Mommy, please come home!  I miss you!"

That was my cue.

I showed Christian, and we hopped up and left.

The dinner was delicious, and the ambiance was incredible,

and being just with Christian was amazing, and 

you'd think I'd want a night out, but the truth is, I don't.

I don't need to leave her, and 

I love when she naps on me; I love when she sleeps with me,

and I love taking her everywhere with me.

Maybe a younger Stephanie would have felt different back when 

I was in the thick of raising my babies.

This baby is different, and I'm really happy having a Velcro child.

It's October, Again!

 Happy October!

My FAVORITE MONTH!

As usual on October first, we celebrate the month with donuts and cider,

and we watch The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Disney version).

This is a 25-year tradition and is going strong, especially since we have Minnie.

October is such a magical, gorgeous month.

I have enjoyed it so much more having Minnie around.

Everything is so much more fun with a baby.

Of course Adele is ready for Halloween!

We said goodbye to her back to school frock,

and hello to Adele the ghost.