Some video for those far-away

Just so you know, the knives are pumpkin carving knives that are NOT sharp. :)


This is the sort of thing we do around here on raining evenings. We've got to get their energy out somehow.

Fall Fun

Aubrey loved her first pumpkin carving experience. The messy goo didn't bother her at all. Joel, on the other hand, did not enjoy the messy goo part (still doesn't like to get his hands dirty) but thought the cutting part was pretty great. Kari was all business and worked hard trying to do it all herself. In the top right photo the kids are all trying to make faces like their jack-o-lanterns.

Harvest Party

Ok, so it was a Halloween party without the witches and scary stuff, and it was REALLY fun! The older kids from church (and their parents) hosted the party for the younger ones. We had great weather, great food, and the kids had such a great time with all the activities planned for them. They were excited they got to wear their costumes before Halloween, and it was good to have a trial run, too, because I discovered that the underskirt I made for Kari's dress needs to be cinched in so it doesn't fall off when she walks (no, I did not make the dress--that's beyond my sewing capabilities), and I now know it takes over a half hour to straighten Kari's hair to be "just like Alice."

The fam

Our host,Spock, and a bunch of kids gathered to watch the chickens. Aubrey was quite enthralled with those chickens.

The mini-hayride (pulled by the riding lawn mower--ingenious!) with T-Rex Joel, Jellyfish Maggie (Isn't Maggie's jellyfish costume great? You can see it in the photo above, too.), and Alice in Wonderland Kari

Froggie Aubrey and her friend Flower child Abigail.

Pumpkin Patch Time

We took advantage of our only fall Saturday morning without a soccer game to go to Liepold's. It was a bright, sunny morning, and we had a great time, as usual! Only Aubrey and I fell in the mud. :)

Time at home

Aubrey's fever is gone as of this morning, and she is feeling much better. We're still hanging out at home, though, just in case someone else decides to get sick and because I'm tired! Today we did some coloring, made some construction paper jack-o-lanterns and also some grapes, apples, and oranges (the pumpkins were my idea--the other fruit was Joel's). Joel's been asking for a while now if we could make a new batch of "slime," so we did that, too.

The animals tromping through the treacherous terrain (gotta love alliteration).

Poor lizard

Brave kitty and brave Aubrey. Can you see her battered lip? Her face had a run-in with the table yesterday. Yesterday was filled with lots of crying--Aubrey, not me, but I was close by the end of the day. Glad yesterday is over. Today has been much more fun.

The unsuspecting panda just before being swallowed by a big wave of slime.

It's here

Every six hours Aubrey's temp creeps up to 104 degrees, and every six hours we administer the motrin to bring it back down a couple degrees. Yes, the flu has arrived in our household, but so far Aubrey's the only one down. She's doing pretty well, all things considered. She saw the dr today (just because she's under two and considered "high risk" for complications), and he put her on Tamiflu. Hopefully that will help her get over it quickly and make her feel better. Kari and Joel both got the first of two doses of H1N1 flu mist 10 days ago--not much time to build up those antibodies. We'll see what the rest of our week holds!

Brought a smile to my face

Children really are a blessing. It's true. I was feeling kinda crummy (cold/sinus--not swine flu--and the kids all have colds), weary, nervous about about our family getting the flu, and just a little down in the dumps this afternoon. I decided before I took a nap, I'd look and see what was on my camera that I might be able to blog about later. I found these photos of Aubrey taken within the last week or so, and they brightened my day.

Helping me with dinner ("helping"=washing potatoes, playing with the potato scrubber, and getting herself and the surrounding area soaking wet)

swinging...

...just like big brother "Goal" or sometimes "Gawboo" (Joel-boy)

disheveled toddler collecting rocks and various muddy treasures in her bucket

Double header

Had a full morning of soccer (and no rain!). Go here to see a fun little video Grandpa made and watch Kari score two goals. She had a great time playing today.

Coming out of his sister's shadow--yea, Joel!

I discovered in the last two weeks that I have been mistaken when it came to Joel's academic abilities. I took his unwillingness to try and lack of motivation as inability when really he was just frustrated by Kari's more advanced skills (she's had two more years to learn these things, you know). Since Kari's been at school in the mornings, I started working more intentionally with him on his letters and helping him learn the memory verse for the week, and I was shocked (although I probably shouldn't have been) to see that he knew way more than I thought he knew, and that he's just as good at memorization as she is, just not quite as driven. I've been trying to make it fun for him, and it's working. He learned the first verse (which was a pretty long one) within two days, and then he did it again this last week with the memory verse from the Sunday school lesson on Noah and the ark. Here's the evidence:


Genesis 6:9 "This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God."

(Don't you think the toy ark in the background is a nice touch? It was not intentional. The ark lives there on that shelf these days, and Joel just happened to be in the right spot when he was willing to be videoed. Kind of funny, though.)

Book worm

Last week I walked down the hallway and this caught my eye. She was all alone in her room, reading a book in the rocking chair with her blanket. She's done it a few times since, too. I love it, love it.