Good-bye Old Friend

So, after almost 12 years of faithful service (we got this as a wedding gift), I finally had to break down and buy a new one. I could handle the melted knob and scratched lid, they were kinda like battle scars, but when the lid's handle completely popped off, leaving a whole in the top, I knew it was time to retire it. Actually, it really is weird to think that we have been married for so long that everything we got for our wedding is starting to give out, including our griddle, waffle iron, and toaster. Is this a sign we are getting old?

Happy Halloween

Halloween was tricky this year because it fell on a Sunday. But have no fear, a good friend of ours found a neighborhood that was doing trick-or-treating on Saturday, so we dressed up and met some friends and got more than enough candy to last for forever.


Here we have a greek goddess, a dead hippie, and the prince of persia (chosen only for his awesome weaponry).

And of course the dual personality super hero, Batman Robin. Who needs a sidekick when you have yourself right? :)

Last Hurrah!

Here we are at our last ND family tailgate! It was a perfect day and a perfect way to end this season.

Happy Harvest

Can I just say that Parkers field trip to the pumpkin patch was not just cold, it was F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G! It had been raining all week and we had a major drop in temperatures, but luckily the rain stopped just for that morning. And since the cold weather snuck up on us quite quickly I didn't have time to pull out our heavy winter coats. But with that said, Parker loved every minute of the hayride, picking out the perfect pumpkin, playing on the playground, visiting the petting farm (eew!), and the yummy treats in the greenhouse.

Pretty Ballerina

Observation day came once again at Emma and Cait's ballet studio. Cait was sick on this day, so we just got to see Emma. I love to get to see her as a little ballerina, maybe it brings back memories from my childhood and a little wishful thinking. BUT, Emma doesn't share the love. We had a talk about it the other day and she told me that she ballet was ok, it just wasn't her favorite (trying to let me down easy) and it was kind of like being in school, lots of concentrating. SO, if she had her choice she would rather do horseback riding (that darn love of animals). If it has to be horses I guess it is a good thing we are moving to the south.

My Little Zombies

Since we couldn't go to Grandma's annual Halloween party, she sent a party in a box to us. These crazy glasses were some of our favorites. Thanks Grandma!

Back to Basics

This year we had beautiful fall weather. One Sunday afternoon we decided to get out and enjoy some of it before the inevitable gloominess of winter hit. We went to a beautiful little park with perfect little "hiking" (hiking in quotes because no mountains were involved) trails (not too long) through a forest preserve. It was a great way to spend an hour on the sabbath, because it truly is amazing how beautifully our world was created.

ND vs. Pittsburgh

FINALLY it was Parker's turn to get to go to the game. Every time the other kids got to go he would say, "but mom, I want to go in there (pointing at the stadium)." So he was very excited that it was his turn. And he lasted about 20 minutes until he was ready to go. BUT it is partly my fault because that happened to be a busy Saturday for us, so I didn't get his nap in and believe, he needs his beauty rest. So, he wasn't being bad, he just told Matt he was tired and ready to go home. I think he fell asleep before the car even left the parking lot. But the good news is he has nocomprehension of time, so he thinks it was the greatest game ever and has no ideahe was only there 20 minutes.

Fall Ball

Here is Brandon's last game of the season. He had great coaches this year and his team was undefeated (unofficially, they don't really start keeping score till next year, but all the boys know who wins or loses). I think his favorite position is short stop and he has been getting some pretty good hits. So far baseball is his favorite, but he is eagerly awaiting the age when he gets to play football (you have to be 8 around here). Personally, I hope he sticks with baseball....a little bit easier on the nerves.

Fall Ball

Here is Brandon's last game of the season. He had great coaches this year and his team was undefeated (unofficially, they don't really start keeping score till next year, but all the boys know who wins or loses). I think his favorite position is short stop and he has been getting some pretty good hits. So far baseball is his favorite, but he is eagerly awaiting the age when he gets to play football (you have to be 8 around here). Personally, I hope he sticks with baseball....a little bit easier on the nerves.

Homework

After the kids got back into the swing of things like school and homework, Parker would really miss them during the day. So sometimes he does his "homework" when they are at school so he can be just like them. He really believes he is doing his homework and is concentrating soo hard.

Crunchy, Crunchy Apples

So, Parker started preschool this year and LOVES it. He has great teachers, Mrs. O and Mrs. Romey, and has made a cute little friend John. He comes home everyday and tells me what he and his friend John played that day. He also is a little tattle tale and will tell me what kids were not using their listening ears or if they took a toy away from another kid. This is his first field trip and we went to an apple orchard nearby in Michigan. We got to pick lots of yummy apples, have a little picnic in the orchard and try out a tractor. After the field-trip was over, Parker and I stayed behind and picked some green tomatoes so I could make some fried green tomatoes. My grandpa Blaine made them for us over the summer and I had had a craving ever since. Needless to say, mine didn't turn out quite like his. Maybe next year I'll have to practice with him, cuz they seriously were delish!

ND vs. Stanford

Emma's turn! She picked to go to the Stanford game, and again, unfortunately we lost (I know it's not looking like a promising season). She and Matt went tailgating without us because the weather was pretty crummy, it had been raining off an on the entire day and made everything all wet. They made it to the trumpet concert in the dome which was pretty cool and she thought the game was great too, even though it was wet and pretty cold. She learned the cheers and also got to do touchdown push-ups.

ND Baseball Practice

Brandon's fall ball coach set up a practice on the ND baseball field. It was pretty neat to practice on a "real" field, although it was just a "little" bit bigger than the little league diamond so he slept good that night. :)

ND vs. Michigan

Next was Caitlyn's turn. Unfortunately, we lost, but it was a close game and Cait said she had fun. Although, I think she might have been more interested in the cheerleaders than in the game. :) She was a little more shy doing the cheers and the push-ups were not her thing, but the usher by our section made sure she had a great time. He let her come down to the rail to get a better look and called the leprechaun over for a photo op. At the bottom you can see her standing in front of the library, or more commonly know as "touchdown Jesus." You used to be able to see the mosaic from the football stadium at the end of one of the goal posts, hence the nickname, but since they added the upper bowl on to the stadium you can't really see it anymore.