Games and pumpkins…

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion."
-Henry David Thoreau

Isla and James have a lot of fun at home with Mommy.  Whether it’s coloring on any piece of paper that’s laying around, or simply enjoying a pear, there are a lot of smiles around the house during the day.

It’s always nice when the kids come up with their own games, especially when it doesn’t involve destroying anything around the house.  This week Ashlyn came up with game called Cup Surprise.  Basically she put cups out with various prizes underneath them.  James and Isla had to close their eyes and then see what the prize was.  We’re still missing small items in the backyard, but we’re fairly confident we’ll find them someday.

The annual pumpkin selection process was this weekend and the kids had a great time digging around in the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin.  In between the search they enjoyed kettle corn and a corn maze, which was solved by an excited James as he discovered the exit.

Next week, Halloween!

Spelling, cheering, and fishing…

"Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."
-Henry David Thoreau

James is doing really well with his reading lessons, when he starts Kindergarten he will be well on his way.  While James was mastering the basics, Isla was doing what Isla does best.  She was as proud of her mess as James was of his letters.

Ashlyn’s cheer group got to cheer a real field this weekend.  The girls were excited, unfortunately we weren’t able to go down on the field once the game started but we were able to watch her from the bleachers.  They did great, and the Tigers won yet another game.

The kids wanted to try out their fishing rods at the pond on Saturday.  We didn’t have hooks, but that didn’t stop them from tying bread to their fishing lines and throwing in the water.  Turtles and fish jumped at the line, and the kids decided they had to come back with actual hooks.  While the older two cast their lines, Isla dragged Rusty around (and vice versa).

PePa came over with hooks, bobbers, and weights on Sunday.  Mommy dug up a bunch of worms from the garden.  We weren’t sure if the fish were going to bite, but they did.  A lot.  We basically spent the morning going back and forth taking fish off hooks and putting new worms on.  The kids had a great time, and they’re already asking when they can go back.  Luckily it’s a short walk away.

Some pictures don’t need stories.  This is one of them.

Cupcakes and tutu’s…

Daddy:  "We're going to China Wok."
James:  "We're going to walk to China?"

Ashlyn’s school had a “Goods and Services” event that was designed to teach about the differences between goods, services, selling, and buying.  Ashlyn chose to make cupcakes for the sale and if what she told us is true the cupcakes were a resounding success.  They sold in less than two minutes, which hopefully taught her a valuable lesson about supply and demand.

In sports news, James continues to improve week over week.  He didn’t score a goal this game, but he was getting into the middle of it more and kicked it out of pile ups to help his team score.  Ashlyn’s team decided to wear pink tutus in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Mommy joined the team spirit and wore one of her own.

Life is not all cupcakes and sports.  We also attract butterflies, jump on the trampoline while casting a fishing line with a Thomas the Tank Engine as the hook, and dress up Rusty in every spare towel and blanket on the floor.  Our house is many things, but boring is not one of them.

Ashlyn turns 8…

"In skating over thin ice our safety is in our speed."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

This was a busy week.  Ashlyn turned 8 on Thursday and the girls found a way to make a day of it even though it was a school day.  It started with breakfast pancakes and after school was out they made banana pudding.  Ashlyn wanted steak for dinner, which was followed by the banana pudding covered in candles.

Soccer and cheerleading continued this weekend with visits from Grandma and Pepa.  James once again improved from the previous week and even scored a goal!  Ashlyn was more confident in the cheers and was happy to pose with Grandma and Isla afterwards.

Nina, Papa, Ben, and Sydney came over that evening for BBQ and play.  The kids ran around the house, played outside on the trampoline, and went in circles through the cul-de-sac on their scooters.  It’s always great when the cousins get together, and Ashlyn was happy she got to share her birthday weekend with them.

Pepa came over on Sunday and Mommy put us all to work building some furniture for the loft.  James saw what we were doing and jumped in to help, which was fun.  Isla came by to help as well, but her definition of help wasn’t in line with ours so Mommy took her along for a trip to Target.

Mommy had the idea of doing an ice skating party this year, which was no other kid her class had done before.  Many of the kids who came, and there were close to 30 of them, had never been ice skating before.  Needless today, it was a lot of fun and the few pictures we have below don’t do it justice.  Chasing that many kids around the ice is not an easy task, so Mommy was lucky to get the ones she got.

You only turn eight once, and if you’re going to turn eight you couldn’t do it much better than Ashlyn did this week.  She was surrounded by friends and family who wanted to wish her a happy birthday, and I may be biased but I think she deserves it.  Happy birthday little one, you may not be so little anymore but you’re still our baby girl!