Happy Halloween!

The kids had a costume parade at school - a first for them and a first for me as a onlooking parent.  There were so many parents there to see the kids, it was kind of amazing!

Laine wore her Indian costume, since clown costumes were not allowed at school this year due to recent (scary) events.

Mead was an adorable cow girl,

and Cole was a handsome pirate.

They all changed costumes for trick-or-treating though: Cole was Batman, with his cape and mask, Mead was the pirate, and Laine put on her clown outfit - she's been waiting a whole year to wear it!

We joined some friends from church and went around their neighborhood.  It was fun, and the kids got lots of (unnecessary) candy!

Happy Birthday Cole!

This week was birthday week - first Penny, then Cole.  We went out to eat as a family earlier in the week, and celebrated at home on Cole's birthday.

Traditional cinnamon roll breakfast, followed by one gift before school.

Cole was super excited about his marble run - he has a smaller set already but loves it so much we got a larger set to join the two together.

After school we had cake and opened more presents.

Of all his gifts, I think Cole was most excited about his new saw.  Who knew a six year old would love a saw so much!?  He's such a fun kid - loves working on things in the yard - and I'm sure he'll put his tools to great use!

The next day Cole had 3 friends over from school for a small party.  They jumped on the trampoline, tromped through the woods, built a fire in the fire pit, and played with all kinds of toys.  Everyone seemed to have a good time, and Cole enjoyed his birthday celebrations!

Pumpkins on the Playground

Tonight we went to the school to participate in "Pumpkins on the Playground."  It was kind of like a fall festival, with hayrides, bounce houses, cotton candy, a petting zoo, and, of course, pumpkins!

The kids had a good time hanging out with some of their new friends.

They got their faces painted as well!  This school is much bigger than our old one, but it's been fun to go to activities and slowly meet some of the other families.

Trampoline game

The kids invited a new game to play on the trampoline.  They're calling it "Tra-feet" (pronounced "tray feet"), but they also keep changing the name, so who knows what it'll be called tomorrow.

You play by kicking the ball and trying to tag someone else with it - whoever gets hit by the ball is then "it."  

It's a fun, fast-paced game (I know from experience), and so far no one has gotten hurt in the process!

Glad for something to keep them entertained and active :-)

This week at our house

Two exciting, though very different, things happened this week at our house...

First, we got a new door installed, due to some cracking on the sides of our old one.  Laine and Cole were enthralled watching the workers do their job.

Second, Laine went on her first camping trip with her American Heritage Girls troop - and first night away from the rest of the family!  This was a big step for her, but she was excited to give it a try.  Can't wait to hear stories of how it went when she gets back!

In our backyard

We don't have a huge back yard, but it is partially shaded and somewhat flat.  The kids enjoy hanging out on the back porch, jumping on the trampoline, and "working" in the yard.

Cole loves his hatchet, and he regularly chops pieces of wood into smaller pieces.

We've seen several deer in our next door neighbor's yard (which doesn't have a fence like ours does).  This one didn't even run away while we jumped on the trampoline - it's becoming familiar with our noises!

Mead and Cole did a photo shoot on the back porch with my camera the other day.  Most of the pictures were pretty goofy, but these turned out fairly cute too.

Scoring goals

Mead has had a few soccer games so far, and she's managed to score several goals.

This rec league is a little different than the ones she played on in St. Louis, primarily because it's less competitive.  Her team is made up of 6 and 7 year olds, and the girls play 4 v. 4 with no goalies.  As a result, Mead is one of the most skilled girls on her team, and she's up to 4 goals so far in the games she's played!  Next year she'll move up to the U10 team, and the rules will be back to normal.  But in the meantime, she's enjoying moving the ball around the field and running up her goal count in the process!