Happy Halloween!

"If human beings had genuine courage, they'd wear their costumes every day of the year, not just on Halloween."
-Douglas Coupland

Halloween at my work is a pretty big deal.  The entire campus shuts down and all the common areas in the building are decorated in various themes and games.  James was able to go last year, and Isla joined this year.  They had a blast, and left with bags of candy and toys.  All in all, it was a good warmup for the big night.

The neighborhood did well this year for Halloween.  Houses up and down the streets were decorated and candy ready for the bands of kids going up and down yelling “Trick or Treat!” to anyone brave enough to open their door.  Isla got a lot of the “aww’s” of course in her giraffe costume, while the older two got bags full of candy.

In an effort to eat healthier, we’re cutting back on meat and eating more vegetables.  James and Isla have taken to it really well, Ashlyn has been a little more reluctant.  All of them seem to be excited when you put the vegetables in an ice cube tray for some reason.

The Fall sports season is coming to an end.  James wrapped up his last weekend of soccer and Ashlyn’s football team is in the playoffs so any game can be the last.  It will be interesting to see if they want to continue the same sports again in the Spring, and life is going to get even more hectic as Isla enters the wonderful world of sports as well.

Happy Halloween everyone!

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.