Aaaaargh!

 Happy Halloween 2013! The kids surprised me and didn't abandon ship with the pirate theme! They all agreed yesterday to be pirates-- but with stipulations. Claire got to wear my gold hoop earrings. Asher would not wear his coat. Avery would be allowed to eat 10 pieces of candy after trick or treating. And Jude could carry his glow sticks and not wear them.

This boy likes to eat!

15 month check up today. 33.75" (off the charts) in height and 26 lbs. (85th percentile) in weight. He's a growing boy!

NDMOTC Fall Picnic- phew!

My second socials event to run and host as a board member! It worked out well, but I am relieved it's over. Between the threat of weather and the unruly crowd that would not lave the pavilions we rented, it proved to be a stressful start. Once that was done though, we had a great time. The bounce houses were fun, the face painter was terrific, and the weather turned out to be gorgeous and allowed for lots of park time.

Claire's 1st Book Character Parade

What a perfect character for Claire! Sister Bear, from the Berestain Bears! She has grown to love the books, (my old collection-- thanks Gran!), and displayed her choice in the school's Book Character Parade this morning.

I ❤️ a2& j

Texan, born and raised!

Western day at school yesterday!

Red ribbon week at school

Each day is a different theme. Yesterday was wear red. Today is team up against drugs. And tomorrow is western day. 

In all fairness, I did try the twins gator shirt on her but it did not fit. 

I guess this is just meant to be. 

Look kids, a cat!

Those are Scott's famous last words. As he left the house Friday morning at 7:10am, he alerted our children to a cat who was out front. No biggie, there have been strays before. But oh no. Not this time. This stray was LOVING on my children! I took a sobbing Claire to kindergarten ("I want to keep her!!!"), and hoped she would return to the home she accidentally escaped from. No luck. No microchip and the possibility of being a nursing mommy, Cindy has been quickly ingratiated by 3/4 of our family. (Scott and Reese are the hold outs.) She is a beautiful young girl with the most incredible eyes...

The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out...

Avery is such a boy. He had the best time pulling worms out of the ground this afternoon while Asher was napping. He would move all of the bricks, dig 'em out with his pointer finger and throw them in the bug box. This morning, he brought the whole container inside and wanted to make them pets. While I don't mind earthworms, I do mind the dirt...

Long Weekend Getaway

We rented a lil cabin down in the Hill Country of Texas to get away for the long Columbus Day/Fall Break weekend. The weather didn't cooperate so much, but we still had a wonderful time. We enjoyed the creek which turned into a rushing torrent with all the rain and ventured out to some of the local towns. Wildlife was neat--odd, but it gave me a chance to work with the camera.

Enjoying this weather!

All summer long, we watched one of our little hiking spots undergo construction. With the great weather we're having, we ventured out for a walk in the woods. Well, it was a paved trail, but the kids manage to find tons of natural wonders-- sticks, bugs, etc.

A Visit from Shannon!

My dear friend, Shannon, whom I met 16 years ago (!!!) at Philmont, came to Dallas for a visit. It was wonderful to catch up, but man, was it fast and furious. :)  We had almost 24 hrs together, so we made the most of it, conquering another season at the arboretum with her. It was a lovely, hot and humid morning, only to be blown away with temps in the 60s by lunch. 

 

Fall at the Arboretum

So after dropping Claire off at school this morning for her first field trip, the boys and I headed to the arboretum to enjoy the fall pumpkins and a morning out. Unfortunately, it is still very warm here, but it was overcast and bearable. Jude loved the pumpkins and even tried to bite into one. Avery took a bad spill right at the entrance, so that really changed his mood throughout the whole morning. It was nice to have the place to ourselves-- and the twins had no interest in visiting the brand new children's gardens... Sigh...

I love my Husby!