Carving Pumpkins!

On Monday night we all carved our pumpkins. (except for B, he was sick) After an early dinner we got everything ready to carve, pull out "guts" and give our pumpkins a face. The kids had a great time carving them how they imagined. Sis, who picked out a green pumpkin, had hers planned for Frankenstein since she saw hers in the patch! The boys had fangs and scary features, while mine was a smilin' Jack-O-Lantern! It was fun to carve and then roast the pumpkin seeds. Yum! It's so great now that the kids are old enough to do their own pumpkin carving! What amazing results! (Oh, and Sis won the pumpkin contest at school with hers!)

Next stop...the Pumpkin Patch

On Sunday after the party (and ballet and football) we went with our friends to the Pumpkin Patch. We went out to the patch in Blue Lake, and it was the best year ever! We always go there because we love the hay maze, corn maze and riding the tractor out to the patch, but this year the pumpkins were amazing! They were all huge and bright orange. It was a great afternoon and we had a hard time finding which one was the most perfect! I love the pumpkin patch!

Halloween party

The Boys- Kyle, J & Ky Biggie Bigs bobbin' for apples The cutest monkey!

We had a great turn out to our 3rd annual Halloween party! We actually had the party a week before Halloween, because I didn't want to have one on the real day, too many halloween family traditions to compete with. We had quite the turn out, over 50 people dressed up and crowded into our house. We always decorate the garage with black tableclothes, so it is known as "the cave." We were lucky this year, because it didn't rain. The kids ran all around the house, inside and out! It was a blast. Everyone dressed up and everyone had fun. We had dinner, fun and lots of games. The kids bobbed for apples, ate donuts off a string, searched for missing parts of the witches brew and tried to open candy bars with oven mitts on. It was lots of fun and laughs. I have lots of photos (thanks to all my friends) and can't wait for next year....well, maybe I can wait, it's a lot of work! Happy Halloween!

Pippi & Mr. Nelson The kids (minus B and his friends)

Ky's 8th Birthday!

Ky turned 8 when were down at Kris & Dave's wedding, so we had to celebrate his birthday when we returned home. The family all came over for dinner, hamburgers and sundae bar, on Monday night. Ky had a great time. He got everything he asked for! Basically lots of Nerf guns and a fun new DS game. He was very happy with all his gifts. I can't believe the kids are getting so old, so fast! Wow!

Wedding Weekend

Kristin & Dave were married mid October in the Bay Area and we went down for the wedding. The kids were all in the wedding and it was absolutley perfect. I don't have any pictures of the big day, but I did get some photos of the kids in the pool before the wedding. I'll have to update later with the wedding photos! We stayed in a house that had a pool and slide in the backyard. Of course it was absolutely freezing, but any chance those kids have to swim and they aren't going to pass it by!

Football

B is playing football for the 2nd year. This year he is one of the best players on his team. He has scored several touchdowns and helped to win many games. He loves playing and is really good! He plays both defense and offense and is a force to be reckoned with! He is quick and fast on his feet. He can tackle and take down most players and can run with the ball and get the touchdown! We are all so proud of him! Here are a few photos, it is hard to take pictures though. Whenever he is running with the ball I'm cheering and not taking the "prize-winning" photos that I should be snapping!

The Gator!

One day Biggie Bigs and Daddy were home by themselves. When I came home they had a new trick. Daddy could let Biggie Bigs drive the Gator all by himself. Daddy just used the broom to push on the gas and Biggie Bigs was off and driving! He absolutely loved driving the big car. He is obsessed with cars! Too cute!

His other new obsession is the The Wiggles. He loves singing and dancing so the Wiggles fit the bill perfectly. We borrowed a friends video and he was loving the show! How cute is that!

...I'm back!

So, on the 23rd of September I started working a long-term sub. position in J's class (his teacher had a baby) so I have been working and the poor blog was the first thing to falter! Sorry. Anyway, I am going to try and catch you up on all the life that has happened since then. There has been a lot with soccer, football, weddings, vacations, halloween parties, pumpkin patch, and of course the Biggie Bigs. I suppose a month isn't that bad, right?

Splish Splash I was taking a bath!

Biggie Bigs loves to feed himself and now takes many a bath in the sink after dinner. What we have learned from this is to splash! He loves, and I mean LOVES to splash! The other night he was splashing in the sink and washing the floor at the same time. The boy is amazing! The kids really enjoy playing with him in the sink too. I'm sure they are thinking to themselves..."wow, mom would never let us make a mess like this!"

Who's my big boy?

Biggie Bigs is my big boy! He is starting to walk! Over the past week or so he has decided it would be ok to try and take a step not holding onto anything. This weekend he is really getting more and more brave. He'll stand up in the middle of the floor and try his very best to walk. He is getting pretty good too, he'll take about 7-10 steps before completely losing his balance and plopping down onto the floor. I have to be quick with the camera, but I did manage to get a few good shots of him in action!

Don't eat spaghetti at my house...

This is just a simple warning...don't eat anything at my house that needed to be strained. As you can see from the photos a collander can be used for more than draining noodles. You can wear it as a hat, so you are ready for battle; you can use it as a shield to hide from others; it can be used to rest your tired, dirty feet; and last but not least, it can be a very comfortable seat!

Zuchinni Anyone?!?

So we planted a garden this year and I love it. I never thought I would be the kind of person that got satisfaction from wedding and growing my own veggies. But I am and I do! We grew potatoes, zuchinni, summer squash, cucumbers, bush beans, carrots, snap peas, lettuce and a failed attempt at tomatoes. All are doing well, especially our zuchinni. I know, surprise, surprise. Well, today we found some big 'ol squash hiding in the patch! Now I'm really making some bread and muffins. I've already made 8 loaves of bread and 5 batches of muffins in the last month, now we have these monsters! Zuchinni bread anyone?

Stack 'O Books!

Well, I decided to take a class for teachers called TAH (teaching American history) It is a 3 year class, meeting one Fri evening and one Sat. a month during the school year. During the course of 3 years you can earn up to 21 units (which is needed to move up the salary ladder...whenever I get a job) and learn about teaching history from colonization to current. At the end of the 3 years we go on a 2 week trip back East to visit all the historical sites....FREE! Students just need to pay for food and drink! I'm really excited to learn all about history, as I know very little. And the trip should be amazing, when we actually get to go. Well, then I picked up the books for this year! I've attached a photo. I'm sure you will have the same thought I did when I saw it. WHAT?!? Looks like I have some reading in my future!

I can do it...

Tonight at dinner Biggie Bigs was pointing and fussing over the cup of bananas on the table. When I went to feed them to him he would turn his head. Finally I realized he wanted them. I put them in front of him, he grabbed his spoon, and away he went...feeding himself! It was so cute..and messy! He had the spoon upside down the entire time, but the smile on his face and the sounds of happiness were too cute! I didn't even mind the mess at the end. He really is growing up! Who knows what will be next!

Another First day of School

Yesterday was the first day of school for the kids. Biggie Bigs went back to daycare, Sis and Ky started the 3rd grade, J started 4th and B started the 6th grade! WOW! I can't believe how much they have all grown up! After the first day of school everyone loves their teachers and want to go back! That is a good sign. I am excited because I am doing a long-term sub for J's teacher, she is having a baby at the end of this month. So it is fun to be his teacher. He is a great kid in class (and out of class too). I think all the kids are going to do great this year!