Happy Howl-aween!!!

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Here is something interesting I just stumbled across and thought I would share :]

Halloween's Origins

The word Halloween is derived from the term "All Hallows Eve" which occurred on Oct. 31, the end of summer in Northwestern Europe. "All Saints Day," or "All Hallows Day" was the next Day, Nov. 1st. Therefore, Halloween is the eve of All Saints Day.

Apparently, the origins of Halloween can be traced back to ancient Ireland and Scotland around the time of Christ. On Oct. 31st, the Celts celebrated the end of summer. This was important because it was when animal herders would move their animals into barns and pens and prepare to ride out the winter. This was also the time of the crop harvests. This annual change of season and lifestyle was marked by a festival called Samhain -- pronounced 'sow-ane' and means 'end of summer.' Sow rhymes with cow.

There was much superstition associated with this time of change including the belief in fairies, and that the spirits of the dead wandered around looking for bodies to inhabit. Since the living did not want to be possessed by spirits, they dressed up in costumes and paraded around the streets making loud noises to confuse and frighten the spirits away. In addition, the new year began for the Celts on Nov. 1. So, the day of Samhain was believed to be a day that was in neither the year past or the year to come. Since it was in between, chaos ruled on that day. Often, people would pull practical jokes on others as a result.

Later, around the 5th century, as the Catholic Church developed and moved into the area, instead of adding a new day to celebrate, it took over the Samhain celebration. Nov. 1st became "All Hallows Eve" where all the saints of the Catholic church were honored. A later custom developed where people would go door-to-door on Nov. 2, requesting small cakes in exchange for the promise of saying prayers for some of the dead relatives of each house. This arose out of the religious belief that the dead were in a state of limbo before they went to heaven or hell and that the prayers of the living could influence the outcome. This may have been the precursor to Trick-or-Treat.

The Jack-O-Lantern apparently comes from Irish folklore about a man named Jack who tricked the devil into climbing a tree. Once the devil was in the tree, Jack carved a cross on the trunk, preventing the devil from coming down. The devil then made a deal with Jack not to allow Jack into hell after Jack died if only Jack would remove the cross from the tree. After Jack died, he couldn't go to hell, and he couldn't go to heaven. He was forced to wander around the earth with a single candle to light his way. The candle was placed in a turnip to keep it burning longer. When the Irish came to America in the 1800's, they adopted the pumpkin instead of the turnip. Along with these traditions, they brought the idea that the black cat was considered by some to be reincarnated spirits who had prophetic abilities.

So, it appears that the origins of Halloween are a mixture of old Celtic pagan rituals superstition and early Catholic traditions.
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Gosh. It is 1:30 in the morning & Phoenix and Solaris are still awake! They never stay up this late. Bedtime is at 9 and rarely are they up past 10 (Phoenix until 11 on some bad nights).

In part it was my fault because we were watching funny animal videos on YouTube. I couldn't bear to make them stop because their laughs were so adorable and makes me heart smile. Also since we are leaving tomorrow for the weekend I wasn't going to complain about spending some extra time with them.

I am getting really tired now though & I still have a lot to do to prepare for the weekend. I procrastinated way too much today, telling myself I could do everything when the kids go to bed but now I am so exhausted all I want to do is change my sheet and go to bed myself! I'm thinking an alarm clock will definetly be needed for the morning because I have a suspicion two little birdies just might sleep in.

They seem super excited to spend their weekend with Nana and PawPaw and then to stay the night at Grandma and Grandpa's. I'm beginning to think maybe they won't miss us after all! If they don't it's fine with me because I just want them to have a nice weekend and have fun. I don't want them to be sad and miss us. Just smiles, laughs, and fun until we return to our little cuties Monday morning to prepare for Halloween night and Trick or Treating!

Why fall is the best ♥

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I really hope that I did this right. I guess I'll find out soon enough, eh? :]

A Little Getaway

In just two more days Kyle and I will be going on our little getaway for our slightly late anniversary celebration. We are so excited. We will only be 10 minutes away from home but I kind of like it that way. The kids will be staying with his parents one day, and mine the next. We will come home Monday and start getting ready for Trick or Treating which will also be super exciting! We are going to have the cutest little superheroes in the whole neighborhood.

I think this couple day break will be really good for Kyle and I. We never get to do this. Ever. A lot of people get babysitters and date nights. We don't. Barely ever. Once a year if that. I'm not saying anything is wrong with the people who do and can do that, in fact I think it's amazing. We just don't. I think since we don't it's also going to make it harder to leave them for two days. The only time I am away is when I'm at work or need to run to the store. I also have this fear in my head that they'll think we left them and aren't coming back since we'll not just be gone for one day, but two. That would really break my heart for them to think that. I predict they'll get lots of surprise phone calls from Mommy & Daddy showering love to them over the phone this weekend. :]

Aurora Borealis

One of my absolute dreams in life has been able to see the Northern Lights. Living in Ohio doesn't make this very possible all that often. Anytime there is a possibility I drag my husband and sometimes my siblings down to the lake to watch for the beautiful colored curtains dancing in the sky. I always leave disappointed. One time last year it did seem like a candle flickering though and that was really neat.

Tonight while on Facebook I saw a post about being able to see them in Ohio tonight, I ran outside to look expecting to see nothing, and at first I didn't. Upon closer examination I saw the most beautiful shades of red. I yelled for Kyle and literally started jumping up and down in the front yard like a little girl. I was so excited, I STILL am! I can't believe it.

I went back out a little later, camera in hand but by that time they had gone away. I would have really loved to have pictures to show, but hopefully there will be a next time and that I will be able to capture this beauty to post here.

Seriously. So. Freaking. Happy. I finally saw them!

Three Magical Years ♥

Yesterday marked 3 years of marriage for Kyle & I. Three years doesn't seem like long at all and it feels like we've been married for a lifetime.

I am so thankful that God gave me such an amazing husband, with such a sweet & kind heart. I'm so thankful for our history as well. It's really a good story, a story I'll tell one day.

We had a nice time just enjoying each other's company last night after the kids went to bed for the night. We also changed our names to "matching names" in the online game we both play. It was something we planned on doing but since we did it on our anniversary I thought it was extra cute. ;]

We are going to "officially" celebrate in a couple of weeks with two nights away courtesy of my lovely in-laws. The thought of one night away is weird enough, but two?! Are you kidding me? As hectic as it can get, and as much and they drive me crazy at times, I'm going to miss them like crazy!

So, I guess I should start out by telling you who I am right? I am Amanda. I live in the Midwest and in a few weeks I'll be 24 years old.

My husband's name is Kyle. I am so thankful for him & I thank God for him everyday. We originally started dating in Junior High. I never stopped loving him. We started talking again in the Summer of 2006 and made our relationship official again right after the new year of 2007.

Kyle is so sweet, caring, and hilarious. He makes me laugh everyday, who couldn't love that?

(picture is almost a year old but the best I have of them together- trying to get two toddler boys to sit for a nice picture is an almost impossible feat!)

Together we have twins! They came into this world on January 27th, 2008- making them three!

This is Phoenix. He is the "older" brother by 2 minutes! He loves Batman, cuddles, and anything to do with outer space. He can seriously tell you what all the planets are and point them out to you on a map. He is so smart.

This is Solaris. He has the most beautiful smile you'll ever see. He loves Spiderman [so much so he thinks he IS Spiderman - that gets borderline dangerous at times!], drawing and cutting out paper ghosts, and having Momma push him on the swing.

This is Kadence [not her real hair, haha]. She is my gorgeous step-daughter. She is a complete girly girl, loves cute clothes & hair. She also loves to get dirty outside and hunt for bugs and frogs. Love her to pieces!

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Just making a test to take a peek :)