Pumpkin patch (one month late)

Well, better late than never. This seems so long ago! I'll state the facts I can remember. My in-laws were in town for M's birthday and we decided to show them some pumpkin fun. The day was cool and breezy but we managed (helped eating lunch in the van and out of the wind). The person holding the kid is me and the kid is M. There were multiple types of slides and I think the kids tried them all several times. By far, the favorite activity was the hay ride. The line was too long to repeat.

The face paint was out and it was up to you to do the painting. New concept for me but we went with it. No close ups to show our talents. The kids are always playing "slug bug" so thought it was cute there was an orange one just waiting to be photographed.

The fall colors here was wonderful!!! Now there are hardly any leaves left at all.

Kids are pictured in front of the prize winning pumpkin. Yes, it is real.

Family shot. I guess I should have been in black or orange but I feel that purple is a Halloween color too. Not much of a post but at least there are cute pics of the kiddos.

85 and counting

My grandfather turned 85 on Nov 2ND. We had a family gathering of his kids, grand kids and great grand kids. There were 19 of us- everyone was present. We all stayed in one cabin in Pigeon Forge, TN. The company and weather were both great! It was a short visit but worth the 8 hr drive. R and me on self timer mode.

Me and my grandfather. He was all decked out for Halloween!

Anakin Skywalker and a glam pirate. The kids got to trick-or-treat in our cabin with different family members behind each door. Great way to go - not too cold and the candy is safe. Plus they had mummy dogs, create your own spider web pizza and hot chocolate with shaped marshmallows. There were also decorations hanging. My family did a wonderful job of celebrating Halloween cabin style.

Don't think we fit all 85 candles.

Group shot. I'm sure I drove them all crazy about taking a group shot but hey it was about 17 yrs ago that we were in the same place at the same time. Too bad I'm not alittle better with self timer but no one else even knew how to work theirs!

I'm slowly catching up. Soon to come- M's birthday and pumpkin patch.

Wrestler Boobs

No pic to go with this post. Just the one in your head. The other morning, A got into bed with us (like they do every weekend morning) and asked R why his boobs were so big. R did have a shirt on. A said "they look like wrestler boobs." He wanted to know if R had been working out and if he was wearing a bra. Where does he come up with these things?!

Billy Goat Trail

Saturday I decided that since the weather was so wonderful , we were going to do something outside. My kids did not want to go but I made them anyway. We went hiking at Great Falls. The trees are beautiful but starting to fade and drop many, many leaves.

Well, we turned onto the first trail we saw without reading the info. The beginning was not too bad but then it got real rocky. The kids LOVED it and were jumping from rock to rock which made my heart skip a few beats. In this pic you can see M jumping.

After we returned and read the flyer, we realized it read "Strenuous. It is a very physically demanding trail. Scrambling over angled rocks, boulders and climbing are required." Good thing we didn't read it first. No wonder people passing us would say "Your kids are doing a great job." The kids would go back today if we let them. It will take R and I a few days to recover!

Looking down onto the Potomac .

We were having a contest to see whom could find the largest leaf. I won! That is my leaf the kids are holding. Looks like we have more hiking in our future.

Gymnastics Fun

M with Justin
M with Joey

I know it has been way too long since the last post and I have lots to update. Today is a quick post about M's exciting gymnastics class last night. She got to hear a talk and question/ answer time with Justin Spring from the Men's Olympic Gymnastics Team. The gym where she does her class is where he started many years ago. Two of his same coaches are at the gym still. The kids were so thrilled that he was there. There were also 2 of the other team members, Jonathon and Joey. They didn't talk much since it was Justin's "home" gym. She did get all three of there signatures. He really inspired all the kids, so looks like we will continue to have lots of money going to the gym. She is currently in a developmental class that is 2 hours once a week- one hour of gymnastics and one hour of conditioning. This class should lead to pre-team which leads to team (those are the one that go to competitions). This for us is no time soon, if ever. We just want her to have fun.

These were the best shots I could get. It was very crowded and no time for individual shots with each guy.

School Days

School has started and we are all excited!!! M got the teacher she was hoping for and A got the only Kindergarten teacher the school has. First day of school and backpacks are loaded with all the supplies to start the year. A really was excited but he is in that stage of the forced smile. Here is a great shot of his hair. Yes, it is still growing. The last cut was in March before pre-K class pictures and before the desire to look like a Jonas brother. I told him as long as it does not pass M's, we'll let him keep the style he pleases. He is picky about his hair and only likes the way he brushes it. Not long ago, he was brushing it after a bath and when he finished said "now I look good". He is also a fan of hair gel and will apply it independently.
R and the kids right before walking to school. They were glad he was able to walk them on their first day. It is nice to start the school year and know that you are not going to move in 2 months.



I love being able to walk to and from school. M loves everything about school! A's favorite part so far has been riding the bus home and P.E. Here when you are in Kinder, you are allowed to ride the bus one way regardless of the distance your house is from school. We are close so A is the 2nd stop once it leaves schoool. He is probably on the bus 5 minutes or less but loving it anyway. It drops him off at the end of our street which is nice since later each day he has to walk with me to get M at the end of her day. Half day Kinder is a good way to ease me into both kids in school. I have found plenty to do with my time. Monday I help in the copy room the entire time he is in class and Fri I will be in helping out with other school projects. Plus, I am the Membership Committee for PTA and will help with lots of other PTA projects.

Where did August go?

I can't believe August is over! It seemed to fly by. We stayed busy with lots of activities. Most exciting of all was that R was home for 3 of those weeks and still has one more before he leaves for his next trip! The kids and I have all loved having him home. My pics are out of order time wise but didn't want to start over. We have found a new golf and putt putt place not far from our house. The balls have micro-chips in them and can tell you how far you hit the ball. Plus, it is a covered area with individual bays (so the kids aren't in other people's way). R and the kids really enjoy going.
This is our yearly anniversary picture. We usually hold up the number of fingers but since this was number 11 we had to revise the plan. M designed the 11 sign with eleven written in both ones and we are trying to each do 11. So far we have only missed last year since R was in Cuba. We had a "kid-sitter" (A will not let it be referred to as baby sitter) and went to dinner then to Dave and Buster's. We had a great time!
My sister-in-law inspired me with the curtains she did for M's room. Here is my version in the kid's bathroom. All the rooms but 2 have new no sew curtains hanging. They aren't the best but way better than the ones from the late 70's that had been hanging. Besides the curtains, we have rearranged the furniture in almost every room. R wanted to do ours but then it just keep going. So if you have been here already, you'll have to come back to see the new room designs and curtains.

We spent one weekend in Williamsburg. They really enjoyed Busch Gardens.
R and A on the boat that goes back and forth higher and higher. I got to skip this one since M didn't want to ride. A will pretty much ride anything he is tall enough for. The second day, it was too cool to do the water park so we ended up at a Go Kart place. We made a day of putt putt, bumper boats and cars and mini stock cars. For the mini stock cars, you had to be 60 inches to drive and I am 62 but it hurt to stretch far enough to push the gas pedal so R took the kids after that. R had the best time of all but was way to serious about trying to win. He is now wanting to try those race car driving experience places. We got drenched on the water bumper boats and have not laughed that hard in a really long time. After 3 turns, we all looked like we had been standing in a shower.
We spent time "fishing". If you can call it that when they never had a hook or bait. They enjoying casting and reeling back in and this way it is safe and I don't have to worry so much.
M still managed to lose her bobber and weights somehow. This type of fishing works great too because none of us want to handle the fish or eat it.
Here is M admiring her shot. Note we all like to golf in our bare feet.

We also spent a week doing Vacation Bible School. I told the kids I don't know who likes it better, them or me. I taught A's class this year and love to sing and dance to all the songs. Next year, he wants to be like M and not have Mom as a teacher. I guess I'll have the pre-school age again.

I have also started the PTA hours. You can very quickly get very involved. It will keep me busy while the kids are in school and R is on trips. I am excited to help since they do so many great things for the school, staff and kids.

I hope to do a better job of posting over the next few weeks.