Greg's on Daddy Duty

I am really looking forward to the rest of the week. Tomorrow morning I get to help in Kari's class, and then in the afternoon I head over to the Harvest Moon Bazaar where I'm selling nursing covers again like I did last year, which means... I get to sit, relax, and chat with friends for the better part of the next three days! Sort of a mom vacation, if you will.

So, if you're around here, come visit me.

Season's End

Saturday was Kari's last soccer game, and Sunday we celebrated at the team pizza party. Kari is very disappointed soccer is over, which is a far cry from August when she sobbed because she didn't want to do it (glad to know we did the right thing this time in "pushing" her to try something). She learned and grew a lot throughout the season, became much more confident and aggressive on the field, and scored 5 goals in her last game! She's already talking about next year. I also have to add that Greg and Mike did an excellent job coaching. Never having done this before, we didn't really know what to expect, but the guys got a ton of positive feedback from the other parents, many of whom have been doing soccer with their kids for years. They're both great dads, so I knew they'd be good at coaching this level, but I didn't know they'd be great! They taught the kids the basics of soccer but made it a lot of fun and did a lot of encouraging. We'll see if they're up for it again next year, because we've got a couple younger brothers who sat on the sidelines for two months and are anxious to play.
These are all photos from Saturday's game. As you can see, Kari was constantly in on the action. The middle row shows one of the goals she scored and then running back to Coach Mike for a big "ten." Rain or shine, Kari always had a large cheering section at her games. Thanks so much to all of you who came and cheered her on! And thanks to the Millers for doing it with us! We had a fantastic first soccer experience.

Bonding time

These two have been interacting a lot more lately and having fun together, a combination of Aubrey getting older and Kari being at school in the mornings, I think. Aubrey loves her "Gawboo" and asks for him as soon as I get her out of her crib. We took a walk earlier this week(before it got all windy and rainy) to gather leaves and other bits of nature. I love taking morning walks with the kids in the fall--beautiful leaves on the trees, cool crisp air, and happy-to be-outside kids. I had an "I'm thankful to be home with my kids" kind of day.

Trains can be very serious business, and sometimes little 20 month old sisters, even cute, fun ones, get in the way and mess up the tracks. Mommy must be vigilant during train play.

Joel was pulling Aubrey around on the trike, and she LOVED it. (Do you like that she's still in her pjs? Sometimes she just doesn't make it into clothes before we have to get in the car to take Kari to school. She's warm at least.)

Do we need a dog?

The answer to that question is no, by the way. However, listening to my children might make one think a pet would be in order. Yesterday the kids were playing in the hallway, and I heard Kari say, "Fetch, Aubrey!" And Aubrey fetched.

Halloween 2009

Just before heading out for trick-or-treating. Aubrey had just woken up from her nap and wasn't quite in a festive mood yet (milk cures all in her book--hence the sippy cup).

My new favorite picture of Joel. Such a sweet face inside that ferocious looking T-rex.

With the crowds

We met with up with all kinds of friends and family while we were out. It's always fun to see the kids dressed up. And it didn't rain on us!
Here's the latest cousin photo:
Miles (lion), Sam (Spiderman), Kari (Alice), Joel (T-Rex), Ashlynn (Lucy from Narnia), Maggie (Jellyfish), Lorelai (Aurora, of course), and Aubrey (Frog, or "Soggie," as she says it)

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.