Fall Fun

We had another week of fun Fall activities.  Monday was a pretty normal day at home.  Lincoln, Miles and Bennett always keep me entertained.  Bennett has started saying things like, "Look Mommy," if he has something he wants to show me.  They both like to walk around with the toy cameras and act like they are taking pictures and they say, "Cheese."  They have also been throwing a football back and forth to each other.  They have done it a few times.  It doesn't always last long, but it is really cute.  But they also have their not cute side.  Sometimes I wonder if they need anger management classes.  When they get mad, they both look around for something to pick up and throw.  And if that throw isn't satifying enough, they pick it up and throw it again.  Bennett even pulled a lamp off a table to express anger.  Yeah, we'll definitely have to get that under control.  The weather was nice on Monday so we got outside and played.  Along with my run in the morning, I also took the chance to get out on the bike.  I knew I wouldn't have many more chances before the cold weather set in, so I tried out a 9 mile ride similar to what I will do for the women's triathlon in March.  Except for traffic, it wasn't bad at all.  I imagine it will feel differently in freezing weather :-).  Also on Monday, Molly got some exciting news.  She is going to be working at Walt Disney World next semester as part of their college program.  Such an fun opportunity for her.  But we will miss her around here. 

Tuesday was a busy day.  Lincoln was the first kid up around 6:45, all dressed and even had his dirty clothes to put in our laundry basket.  The other two followed slowly behind :-).  I am in charge of making some centerpieces for Faith Lutheran's Fall Festival that is this Friday.  So after gathering everything over the past few days, I was able to get them assembled for the most part.  Then I had to make sure I had everything ready for the Kanakuk Movie Night.  Jackson and Ellie went to Elevate at church after school, but homework on Tuesdays has made Jackson a little anxious.  It is usually the night he has the most homework along with Elevate and soccer practice.  Since we also had movie night, I picked them up early from Elevate and let him skip soccer.  After a quick dinner, we headed over to the K-Life house to get everything ready.  Kanakuk sent three people including Kay Holiday who has been at kamp for many, many years.  My parents and Molly came by so they could visit with her.  I was kind of disappointed with the turn out but it still went well.  I had a popcorn bar with a big tub of popcorn and different seasonings and candy to add to it.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed the candy and I think walked around with big bags of candy instead of popcorn.  We did have some popcorn left over but hardly any candy.  The lead presenter, Shay, showed a video and talked a bit about kamp and then Jackson and Addi got to do up and talk a little bit about what they liked about kamp.  They both did a great job.  And then I was surprised when Shay called me up.  He had mentioned once before that he may want me to get up a say a few things about kamp, but then he never mentioned it again.  So I was totally not prepared.  I fumbled my way through it though. 

Miles and Bennett wanted to be part of the action too.

After movie night I took Ellie to gymnastics.  And the exciting part for me was that
I was up early on Wednesday to start my house cleaning.  Again, Lincoln is a boy after my own heart when he was trying to make his bed and wanted to make sure everything was done the right way.  The brick layers came in the morning to finish sealing and cleaning the fireplace.  Then it was totally done.  So Andrew and I took the three youngest out to Westlakes and Home Depot over the lunch hour to buy a grate to set the wood on.  Home Depot didn't have any but I was able to pick up the carpet cleaner I like.  We found them at Westlakes though and I also found some different safety latches.  I was excited that I could use them with the hooks that were already up and was also able to use the holes that were already drilled from the other latches that broke off.   When we got home from the store, I noticed that Alex's scooter was out in front of our house.  Sure enough, he was up in Lincoln's room playing.  So I decided to send him home so that hopefully he will learn it is not the best idea to go into people's houses when they are not home :-).  That night we had small group and the Cardinals were playing.  We actually had a decent turn out-you never know who is going to show up during the playoffs.  Our Truman sitters were gone since it was their Fall break and the older girls in our group of kids and an extra friend watched the younger ones for us.  They did a great job.  Part way through our discussion, my dad called.  I decided to call him back since they were supposed to be flying out soon to Florida and I wanted to make sure everything was okay.  Well he was just calling to see if we saw David Freese's home run.  So I was anxious to get the game on after group was over.  And even more excited that they won!

Thursday morning, the twins and I did our grocery shopping, stopped by the bank and the accountants then ran by my parents house to check on stuff and gather some acorns for the centerpieces.  TH&N came by during the day and ran the electrical line out to the arbor and installed an outlet and switch so we could plug the lights in there.  I had to rehang the lights since the outlet ended up being on the opposite side since it was an easier spot for them to run the line.  My curtain wire also came in so I got that installed on the arbor and hung the shade curtains.  They are actually the fabric I used for our homemade canopies that hung under our arbor the first few years we had it.  I am glad I held onto the fabric because I think it will work really well for the curtains.  I already had hems sewn in them from hanging on curtain rods, so I made that part the bottom of the curtain and filled small bags with sand and put them in the hem to weigh down the curtain.  I'm not sure how well it will work, so we'll see.  And then I just used some twine to tie them off when we aren't using them.  Andrew ended up working late that night but the kids and I enjoyed dinner outside.  We have eaten outside quite a bit this fall and it is so nice.  But this night I just had to flip the switch to get our lights :-).  When Andrew got home later that night, he started up a small fire to "prime" the fireplace a bit.  I just loved the ambiance :-)

Friday morning Andrew and I took turns going for a run similar to what the course will be for our race this Saturday.  It was a little cooler than what a was used to and I forgot to put on some gloves.  I guess I also kept my arms tense while I was running because of the cold.  When I got back, it was about time for the kids to go to school and I needed to quickly do Ellie's hair.  She wanted it up in a pony tail since she was cheering later that day.  I had the worst time trying to do her hair because I had trouble gripping and using my arms.  My hands were stiff from the cold and my arms felt like I had been lifting weights.  It was pretty humorous and my first attempt looked horrible.  Andrew was just laughing at me :-).  So I sent Ellie to get her shoes on and get everything else ready and then I tried it again with a little bit more success.  Thank goodness for the bow to cover up some of the mess. 

The rest of our day was pretty busy.  Andrew was really busy at work and wasn't sure if he would be able to make it to the parade.  So I put Miles and Bennett down for an early nap since I had to pick up the kids from school.  That didn't really work though-I'm not sure if they slept at all.  They didn't really cry though, they just talked and did some singing.  I think they were also jumping in their cribs-one of the favorite things lately.  Lincoln and I worked on getting stuff together for the parade and Ellie's performance.  I also prepped stuff for our cook out that night.  Then it was time to pick up the kids.  I got to Jackson school around 2:45 and the line was already going down Normal Street...and they don't even get out of school until 3.  It is always so crazy around there on Homecoming day.  So by the time we got him picked up and got to the Primary School to pick up Ellie, there was no line there.  That was great but it was already 3:15 by that point and we had to have both of them at the fire station to line up for the parade at 3:30.  Andrew called me and said that he would be able to make it to the parade so we met him there and he took Jackson to the football players and I checked Ellie in with the cheerleaders.  Then we found out spot to watch the parade.  Lincoln is still learning this parade stuff.  He enjoyed seeing the firetruck, ambulance, and all that but then when the candy started he hardly paid attention at all.  I eventually started picking up a few pieces, but I knew his siblings would be disappointed in his haul since they were hoping to share some of it :-). And some people just sat candy in Miles and Bennett's laps.  As I was getting Miles out of the stroller afterwards, he was gripping his candy tightly and didn't want me taking a bit of it.  It was fun to see Ellie walking by with a big smile and cheering.  And Jackson didn't hide from us this time and was actually cheering too.  I don't know how many times we hear Katy Perry's "Roar" as it was playing from about every car that was in the parade.

 

 

Towards the end of the parade, Andrew went to pick up Jackson and Ellie and I took Lincoln and the twins home.  We got to regroup for a bit and then headed to watch Ellie cheer before the football game.  We were supposed to have them there at 6 but then they didn't perform until a little after 6:30.  It seemed like a long time to get Miles and Bennett entertained in the bleachers especially since they just wanted to climb around everywhere.  At one point Miles threw himself onto the floor of the bleachers and had a little fit.

I thought Ellie was so excited to do Rah Rah Rookies, at least she was at the clinic and when we dropped her off before the game.  But when she walked out on the track to perform she looked scared.  She didn't really smile and barely did the motions for the cheers and dance.  At one point it looked like she was going to cry.  This was very unlike Ellie.  She started crying when I picked her up afterwards and said that she was really embarrassed out there in front of everyone.  I have no idea what happened. 

 

We didn't stick around from any of the game but I think they did win.  We headed home and got things ready for our cookout.  Andrew and Jackson got the fire going and I got all of the food set out.  The LaBeths and Vincents came over along with a couple more neighborhood kids, Faith and Bryce.  It was a nice, low-key end to the day.  The weather was great and I love our backyard now.  The kids had fun just running around playing tag and other games.  Ellie did get kicked in the hand at one point and ended up with a swollen finger.  The kids also plowed through the s'mores.  Joe got us set up to listen to the ball game-the sound of a Cardinals game playing on the radio is comforting to me because it reminds me of home and especially my dad.  Overall it was a great night.  Jackson ended up staying the night with Zach and actually spent some time trying to catch a mouse that was loose in their basement.  I don't think they were successful though. I tried to stay up to watch the game that went into 13 innings but kept falling asleep. The last time I woke back up around 12:45, saw the game was over and the score (Cardinals won!), turned off the tv and went to bed. 

Andrew was out early the next morning.  He had a full day of stacking hay ahead of him.  I went out in the morning and finished cleaning up from the night before.  We have decided scooping the ashes out of the fireplace would be a good job for the kids, but I went ahead and did it the first time.  Jackson had his last soccer game at 10.  I was able to keep the twins in their stroller for the whole game but they weren't always happy.  Jackson scored two goals and had a great game but he isn't really interested in soccer anymore and may not play next year.  While we were at the game, Ellie started complaining about her lip hurting.  She didn't do anything to it but by the time we got home, her top lip was completely swollen (plus her finger was still swollen from the night before).  I was trying to quickly get everyone lunch because we had her game at noon.  But she freaked out about her lip and didn't want to go to her game because she thought people would make fun of her.  I really wanted to give in and not go either since I knew the twins were going to be hassle.  But I wanted her to realize that it wasn't a big deal and she would be fine.  So we ate a quick lunch, restocked the snacks, and headed out again.  It took her a little bit, but she finally got in there and started going after the ball.  I was very proud of her and it was a good end to her soccer season. 

 

I have no idea what caused her lip to swell but it got better throughout the day.  The kids spent a majority of the afternoon at the "hide out" that is in a wooded aread behind Bryce's house.  And they have spent a lot of time there in the last few days too.  I need to go take pictures of it because I think they have made some modifications to it :-).  The Cardinals had an afternoon game and pulled off another win.  I made sand bags to go in the bottom of our shade curtains for our patio and put up our Halloween decorations.  The month has flown by and Halloween will be here before we know it.

 

Then that night we headed across the street to the LaBeths for an outdoor movie night.  They showed The Smurfs on the side of their house.  We brought out glow sticks for them and they also started a fire to roast s'mores.  So us adults sat around the fire and chatted while the kids kind of watched the  movie and played.  Another great night.  Andrew got home just as we were getting started and got to join us.  Mike became Miles and Bennett's best friend because he kept feeding them cheese puffs.  They loved them. 

 

After an early morning run on Sunday, Andrew took the older three out to the ranch.  They were going to put out mineral for his cows but ended up visiting with Andrew's parents and helping them with some chores.  When they got home I did my grocery shopping as fast as I could.  I left around 10 and church starts at 10:45.  I was quick, but we were still a little late for church.  After church we ate lunch quickly and then headed to Jackson Country Connection, a little corn maze/activity center a little south of Kirksville.  They had a new attraction this year, a big slide that the kids enjoyed.  We met several families from our small group out there.  Miles and Bennett's favorite part were the battery-powered vehicles that they just liked to sit in.  But the kids had fun shooting the corn cannon, playing in the hay pile, going down the slide, going on a hay ride, and going through they maze. 

By the time we got home, it was way past the twins' nap time, so down they went.  The other kids went to the hide out and Andrew went to the office.  He was there late, so we ended up having a late dinner.  He ended up having to turn on our new lights outside to grill our steaks.  That night we also got a knock at the door and when the kids opened it up, there was a basket of Halloween treats there and a sign that said, "You've Been Booed."  We spent the rest of the night trying to figure out who it was.  The LaBeths got one too and Tiffany texted me thanking me for the basket-I had to laugh because she thought it was us.  We are suppose to boo someone else, so I ended up going to Wal-Mart around 9:30 to pick up some stuff to make some treats.  I worked on those on Monday and we also made some banana muffins for Lincoln to take to school on Tuesday for his snack day.  He has been requesting banana muffins for a few weeks and was excited to finally have them this time.  Monday evening I went with some of the girls from our small group to a seminar for the TriFAHL.  A couple of guys presented about training for a triathlon and nutrition.  Afterwards we got to enjoy dinner together.  I thought the presentation was very informative, but I think it intimidated some of the girls that weren't too sure about actually doing the triathlon.  I really hope everyone sticks with it because it would be fun to do together.