A festival and a birthday…

"Daddy is too silly."
-Isla

Grandma celebrated a birthday recently and we had plans for them to come over for dinner.  The kids went into card creation mode so each of them could give a special birthday card to Grandma.

The annual Fall Festival was this weekend at the school and we definitely needed to go now that we have two kids attending.  The weather turned out great for it and the kids had a lot of fun playing games, collecting tickets, saying hi to their friends, and getting prizes at the end.  It was fun to watch them keep disappearing as they ran off to various friends and games. 

When dinner came around the kids insisted on wearing matching ice cream shirts.  Don’t ask me why.  Dinner itself was fun, the kids ran around playing, drawing, and generally causing mischief as only three children with distracted parents can do.  Happy birthday Grandma, we love you!

A new belt, a pumpkin patch, and a homecoming…

"The dog was created specially for children. He is the god of frolic."
-Henry Ward

I’m happy to report that Sadie pulled through.  It was a close one, but after taking a barely moving puppy to an animal hospital for 4 nights, a happy and energetic puppy returned home.  The kids welcomed her with love and excitement and Sadie has been doing great adjusting to her new family.  Welcome home little puppy. 

James tested for his orange belt last weekend and passed with little difficulty.  This was expected given the two gold medals he received at the tournament, but it was still fun to watch him perform.  He looks great out there, with good form and accuracy.  With this new orange belt comes sparring gear, which James was very excited about.

The rainy weather finally took a break so we took the opportunity to visit a pumpkin patch we hadn’t been to before.  The kids had fun picking out pumpkins, petting animals, and even watching a pig race.  It was muddy, but worth the trip.

Puppies and random fun…

"She's so cute!"
-Isla

With Isla home alone during the day, she’s forced to find ways to entertain herself that don’t involve her older siblings.  Sometimes this means playing with Magna-Tiles and ponies, other times it could mean hanging upside down or playing on the floor dressed up as a panda.  No matter what she’s doing she seems to have a good time of it.

There’s not much to this, just three kids having fun making whatever they’re making out of household goods and non-washable acrylic paint that we didn’t know they would find.

Nina came over this weekend to see the kids and give Ashlyn some birthday presents.  Based on Ashlyn’s face, I think she’s excited about it.  The kids did their best to wear out Nina while she was here.

We never knew how much Rusty meant to the kids until after we lost him.  As previously mentioned, I suspected we would eventually cave in and get another dog.  Everyone, meet Sadie.  Sadie is a rescue dog, and the first few days at our house were fun for Sadie and the kids as they got to know each other.  Sadly, as I type this Sadie is at an animal hospital being treated for a possible parvo infection.  We’re not sure how the kids will handle it if things don’t go well, but for now we’re going to think positive and hope that Sadie comes back a happy and healthy puppy.

Here’s hoping next week’s blog is a happy one.

Ashlyn turns 9!!

"Let us never know what old age is. Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years."
-Ausonius

With the weather finally cooling off it was time to drain our little swimming pool.  Not letting the moment go to waste, Isla jumped right in and proceeded to help drain the pool faster by splashing water all over the porch.

Friday was Ashlyn’s birthday, she turned nine!  To celebrate her last year in single digits, Ashlyn chose to go horse riding with a few close friends instead of having a big party.  They went to a ranch where they traveled the trails through the trees.  Afterwards they brushed down and fed the horses.  When they got back to the house, they were all smiles so I think it was a successful trip.

Some family came over on Saturday for dinner, cake, and presents.  The kids went crazy running around the house and playing on Ashlyn’s new gymnastics bar.  Based on all the laughter and craziness, I think the kids had a good time.

On Sunday the kids insisted on getting out the Halloween decorations.  This also included putting on costumes and playing “trick or treat”.  They claimed they were just playing a game but I suspect it was an excuse so sneak candy away.  Isla was especially guilty of this.