Happy Halloween

The kids 4 day weekend continued through Monday which they enjoyed. We ended up having a full day. The kids had to clean their rooms and do their chores before anything else could be done. Then they spent a lot of time outside playing with their friends whether it was playing basketball, riding bikes, etc. Jackson also spent a lot of time working on making his teepee. I tried to make sure he did most of the work himself but did help out a bit and offer advice. After he had assembled his frame using sticks and rubber bands, I hot glued it together so he didn’t have to worry about it shifting as he was transporting it. Then I guided him through figuring out how he should cut out some canvas that Lissy had given him to use on the outside. He got it all cut out and then used some fabric markers to decorate it. He wrapped it around the frame and used toothpicks to gather it together along the top while I helped him with adding some leather straps that could be used to keep the flaps open or tie them shut. We had some modeling clay in our craft box that he used to make some weapons, a cooking pot and a fire to put inside the teepee. And then he hand-stitched some brown felt to make sleeping bags. Overall he did a great job and I was excited that we were able to use stuff from around the house or outside for all of it except the fabric that Lissy gave him.

The day went by quickly helping Jackson out here and there while I also designed or ordered our Christmas cards and did some cleaning. I finally got around to getting on the bike for a ride later that afternoon. About the time I was getting ready to get on, Andrew came home and went out for a ride outside. After we were both done, I got started on dinner while Andrew got busy carving pumpkins. Ellie’s pumpkin ended up being rotted so Andrew decided she could have one of the twins and they could share one. Jackson wanted a football, Ellie wanted a minion, Lincoln wanted a scary pumpkin and the twins got whatever Andrew did for them J.

We ended up having a late dinner of a family favorite, lemon linguine. Andrew did baths afterwards while the older kids helped me clean up and then it was time to head to Ellie’s tumbling class. It was Parent Watch week so I got to sit in the studio and watch her practice. Her costume came in so she got to wear it during her lesson and she loved it. She had just started her routine the week before so I got to see some of that. And then she got work on some back handsprings and aerials which she was excited about. I could tell that she was already better at them than last year.

Tuesday it was back to school and it was a dreary day for it. It was cool and misting when we left and then it rained a lot of the day. Miles was excited to see that his whistle was still at school. He was gone for four days and he remembered to ask about it first thing once we got into the classroom. I was hoping he would have forgotten J. After I got them all dropped off, I ran some quick errands-running by Hy-Vee for a few things, then I had to pick up some forms for Jackson’s basketball team that was starting up, followed by running by Home Depot to find a part to fix one of the faucets in our bathroom and lastly getting my driver’s license renewed. I’m sure my hair looked great after running all the errands in the lovely mist. When I got home, I started working on the faucet only to find out that we didn’t have a wrench big enough to loosen one of the nuts. So I ran by Orschelen’s before I pick up the twins and found what I needed. But then none of the replacement parts I got (I got the three Delta ones they had to be safe) worked so I was back to square one. I was able to find what I needed on Amazon though.

That afternoon Lincoln had Alex’s birthday party and it was a ninja party. Leah’s mom, Joyce, stopped by earlier in the day to borrow some decorations. Lincoln decided he wanted to wear his ninja stuff (which is not an actual costume but black spandex long johns and a black compression shirt along with a ninja mask) along with his rain jacket so he could walk down to Alex’s house.

About the time he left, I had to get Ellie on her I’m Third call and then we were out the door to pick up the other girls for gymnastics when Andrew got home. It rained on us the whole way there and back but it set the mood for the movie the girls watched while they were in the car, Hocus Pocus. Even though they don’t get to do too much during their lesson since there are so many girls, I can tell Ellie really likes it and is having fun with it.

Jackson was at basketball practice when we got home. Andrew had left the leftover Lemon Linguine for Ellie and I to share for dinner. I told her we should share it with him too and she was pretty hesitant. I know I have said it before, but if there is something to eat that she likes, she gets pretty territorial with it. And Andrew is left trying to figure out if he should battle for the food too or let her win J. I decided to check out the end of Jackson’s practice. When I got there they were doing some sprints and Jackson was sliding around everywhere. So after talking with Andrew, we decided to make the jump and get him some actual basketball shoes. Ellie really wanted a pair too but I told her Jackson didn’t get a pair until he was in 5^th grade so she would have to wait a couple years. I noticed that Hibbett’s was still open so we went there. I was able to print off a 20% coupon before we left though because it makes me sick thinking about how much all of that stuff cost. On the way there Jackson and I were talking about what kind of shoes to get and he said that if the quality was pretty comparable, he really didn’t care what brand they were. So I asked him to honestly tell me if it bothered him at all when he sees kids walking around school all decked out in Under Armour or the like and he didn’t really have any of that. And he said the truthfully it didn’t bother him at all, he really didn’t care about that stuff. I was relieved to hear that. I never know in my quest to keep my children from feeling entitled and hoping they realize that what they wear and what they have do not make them who they are, that they are suffering in other areas of feeling left out or the like. At the store, I let Jackson pick out a couple pair he liked, we found the right size of one, turned down the offers to buy some socks, or maybe some cool shoelaces, or the spray disinfectant that is really beneficial, paid for just the shoes and made our way home with Jackson saying, “Thank you” several times.

Wednesday was small group day which meant cleaning before taking the kids to school. Jackson had to take his teepee and thankfully it survived the transport and he was excited to take it. When I dropped off the twins, they proceeded to take their jackets off and two boys were standing there watching them. They boys had superhero shirts on and when they saw that Miles and Bennett had Mickey Mouse shirts on, they started laughing at them. Bennett was actually embarrassed and tried to cover his shirt with his arms and it made me sad. It made me sad to see him feel that way and it made me sad that three-year-olds can be made fun of for wearing Mickey Mouse. But they all quickly got over it and were on their way. And I made my way to the pool. I increased my laps a bit again and did a 200 warm-up followed by a 1200 yard swim and a 100 cool-down.

When I picked up the twins they were inside again as it was a cold, overcast morning. They were playing in a box of rice and loving it. I had decided to order some Jimmy Johns for lunch as a surprise for Andrew only to find out he was meeting with someone for lunch. I had placed the order just before I went in to get the kids at school and the delivery guy was already at our door when I pulled into our driveway about 12 minutes later. They really are fast J. After the twins had lunch they played with their tractors and puzzles until it was nap time. Then I got busy cleaning again, finishing laundry and even ordered some Christmas presents. It is hard to believe it is less than 2 months away now.  The kids and I had a funny conversation on our way home from school. That morning when we were going to school and I was telling them about my morning devotional, I said that it talked about how we should realize that when we are serving others or even just doing what we are expected to do, we are also serving Jesus. So on the way home, I told Jackson and Ellie that they needed to go back upstairs and clean their rooms when they got home because they didn’t do a good job earlier. Ellie still had laundry to put away and Jackson said, “Just think Ellie, when you are putting away your laundry, you are doing it for Jesus.” J.

Later that evening we had small group, then time to clean up and get to bed. Andrew was needing to take some pictures for one of his upcoming trials and he was needing to take them of a street while it was dark. So I took the camera outside before bed and figured out the settings for him so he could take it the next morning. So he headed out early the next morning to get those. I did a run and then it was time for everyone to get ready. I got everyone dropped off and then went grocery shopping. I was in a hurry so I moved through Wal-Mart quickly but then couldn’t do much as I still had 15 minutes until Aldi opened since they don’t open until 9. But I was out of there by 9:06 and heading home. I wanted to make this rainbow Halloween bundt cake for my parents’ Halloween party so I came straight into the house to put that together and get it into the oven. The twins had their Halloween party at 10 so I was hoping to get to that. The cake was a chocolate cake that was layered with some purple and orange batter. So I got it all colored, put together and into the oven. Then I brought in the groceries and got them put away. The cake wasn’t cooking as quickly as I hoped so I finally just turned off the oven and left the cake in there while I went to the party just hoping that it worked.  I got to the twins’ party probably 20 minutes late and they were just finishing up eating the sugar cookies they decorated.  They were both really enjoying them.

Next up they got to walk in a circle and when the music stopped they got to grab a piece of candy from the middle. It took some convincing to get them to just pick up one piece. And then Bennett got upset because someone was standing on his blue square. He didn’t understand that you just end up where you are when the music stops and it won’t always be on the same square. And then I had to take out some of Miles’ candy after they were done because he took too much. So I had two crying boys. But they quickly got over it when it was time to walk the circle again and get a treat bag. And then it was time to head home with all of their loot, which they were very excited about. We didn’t waste much time as I was wanting to get back to the house and check on the cake. Thankfully it turned out fine.

After they ate lunch, I took the twins over to my parents’ house. I had to go help Lincoln’s class carve pumpkins which I knew may not be the best time to bring the boys. Plus, I knew they wouldn’t be getting naps the next few days and thought it would be good if they could take on at mhy parents. But then Lissy showed up just as they were getting ready to go down and she brought Briley and Baylor with her. So they ended up staying up and playing.  At the school, I got to help a group of four kids through several activities involving their pumpkin. They had to guess how many seeds were in it, how large round it was, if it would sink or float, how many ridges it had and how they wanted to cut the face of the pumpkin.  They were very surprised to find out that the pumpkin floated. And they were also surprised when we cut open the pumpkin that it had a lot of seeds. They each got to pick out a different feature of the pumpkin and then I carved it out. The other kids were very impressed with how it turned out J. After we were done, Lincoln was excited to have me come sit by him and watch some of Scooby Doo. But then he couldn’t figure out how another boy in his class ended up sitting on my lap. Soon it was time to get to their next classes and I headed home. 

I just had less than an hour before I needed to head out to pick up everyone from school, so I ran home and did my quick slice and bake sugar cookies. I was able to get them all in and out of the oven before I had to leave.  After I picked up the kids, we ran home so they could put away all of their school stuff, put away laundry and Jackson and Ellie got all their gear for their practices. Then we went back over to my parents’ house.  Ellie was excited to see Briley and they got to play for a bit before it was time to head to Ellie’s dance class. Again, it was Parent Watch Week so I went to watch and Briley joined me. I thought she may be bored since it was 1 ½ hours but she said she wasn’t. Ellie has already learned part of her jazz routine to “Celebration” and they finished up their tap routine while we were there. They are performing it for a party in about a month so I guess they needed to finish it. It is actually Christmas themed which is fun now but may seem a little odd at the Spring recital. Next up was ballet class. They haven’t started their dance with that yet but I did enjoy watching her do her barre work.

While we were gone, Andrew picked up Jackson and took him to basketball practice. And I think the shoes actually worked. Instead of finishing last during the sprints he was up in the front this time since he wasn’t sliding around everywhere. After dance, we went by my parents’ house to pick up the other kids, then we dropped Briley off at Julie’s house and came home. Andrew and Jackson got there just a bit after we did and Andrew did baths while I iced the sugar cookies. After the kids went to bed, I decided to try and fix Andrew’s faucet again since the new part has just come in. I thought it would be a pretty simple repair but it turned out a little different. The part didn’t look quite like the one I was replacing and it didn’t come with any instructions. I eventually figured out there was a spare part in the packaging that I needed for the type of faucet handle we had. But that was after I thought I had it repaired and I decided to turn on the water before I put it all back together just to make sure. I just set the handle on top of it instead of tightening everything down and that wasn’t a good idea. As soon as I turned on the water, the handle, new part and water shot up in the air. So I quickly turned it off and went back to work. The pressure messed up the part just a little but I eventually fixed it and then remembered that I forgot to put the nut back on the base of the faucet. So I got that back in place and put the handle back on and it was good to. Then it was time for bed.

Andrew took the three older kids to school on Friday all ready for their Halloween parties. I did a quick bike ride and then the twins and I headed out to Lincoln’s class party. They got to join the group I was in charge of and we went around to several different stations for about an hour. The twins weren’t the most cooperative but Lincoln was excited to have his “buddies” there. They got to color a foam pumpkin, play bingo, wrap kids up like mummies, read Halloween stories, eat some snacks and play Pass the Spider.

After Lincoln’s party, we went home to change up the laundry and pack up everything to go to my parents for the Halloween party. Then we picked up some Sonic and went to my parents. The twins played and I helped my mom with a few things for the party before we left for Jackson’s party. Jackson’s party was fun because the kids did everything. They had three committees-activities, food and decorations. Jackson was on the activities committee and brought in our game where you throw the hoops over the witches hat. So the kids spent part of the day decorating and set up all of their games and then they just got to go around and do everything and take turns working their games. Jackson’s teacher let the twins get out a big tub of Legos which they were very excited about. And Jackson helped them play his game so they could win some candy. His party was done around 2:30 so then we went by Ellie’s room and she got to go with us. Next we went to Lincoln’s school and pulled into the pick-up line. But we still had at least 20 minutes before he would come out so we decided to just all get out and go to the office and pull him out a little early. I’m glad we didn’t wait around because we were out of there and over at my parents by 3.

Soon it was time to start getting ready for the Halloween party. Sara and her kids got into town just before it started and the kids were excited to get their costumes on. Jackson even decided to wear his Jedi costume from last year. Andrew had gone out to the ranch and got back into town in time to swing by my parents and pick up Lincoln so he could go to Ty’s birthday party for a little bit and then he brought him back to my parents’ party. My parents put so much work into making sure everything was ready to go. My mom had some really cute decorations and lots of food. They had a good turnout and it was fun to see everyone. Even the rain didn’t bother people too much. The kids still ran around and had a good time while the adults visited. I sadly didn’t get many pictures though.

Ellie and Lincoln got to have a sleepover with their cousins that night at my parents. Andrew took the twins and Jackson home after the party and I stayed behind to help clean up. Then Andrew and Jackson were up early the next day for youth hunting. It was still raining in the morning so they didn’t head out quite as early as the normally would have. I had planned on running but my leg was hurting so I figured I shouldn’t push myself. I actually took a break from working out the whole weekend hoping that things would feel better. I did as much laundry as I could and cleaned up the aftermath of Andrew and Jackson getting ready to hunt and then we headed to my parents and let the kids play a bit. Sara and her kids left a little after lunch to head back to St. Louis. And I took the twins back to our house a little later when Andrew got home so he could watch them while they napped. They were in need of one since it had been a couple days without one and there was a lot going on. Andrew and Jackson said they saw several deer. Jackson shot at a couple and missed but also let a decent-sized buck pass him by in hopes that it will be even bigger next year.

Jackson went with me back over to my parents. Kaitlin and their crew got there soon after we did. Andrew brought the twins back over after their nap and it was time to start getting ready to go trick-or-treating. I had to get their “muscles” on them-I just used quilt batting and masking tape. Lincoln was pretty easy to get ready-just a t-shirt and jeans along with a couple layers to keep him warm. Then he just had his Steve head but he ended up not wearing it too much because he said it gave him a headache. Ellie was pretty self-sufficient with her Minion costume except we had to fix her goggles a couple times. Jackson decided to dress up at the last minute, right before we headed out to trick-or-treat, so I didn’t get any pictures of him. Our attempt at a group picture of the grandkids was pretty typical-maybe someone got a good one J.

After we got some pictures and the sun went down, we headed out. The twins were so excited and worked hard to keep up with everyone else. Miles bit it soon after we just started but recovered after a few tears. We made our way around most of my parents’ neighborhood. It is definitely quieter than it used to be and not as many houses with their lights on. Jackson started out with us but decided to head back to the house pretty quickly. I totally left it up to him on what he wanted to do. Even though he didn’t go out this year, I’m still not sure if he is completely done with it. He got in on an intense game of Disney Monopoly with Lissy, Molly and Kaitlin (Lola quit pretty early on). Then when we got back to the house, Ellie, Briley and Lincoln were all ready to head over to our neighborhood. So I loaded them all up and headed that way. Getting into our neighborhood was crazy-there were cars and people everywhere. Andrew got stuck for a while because a car was just parked in the middle of the street. Andrew gave the twins a bath while I got everything out of the car and started putting stuff away. We sent the kids out on their own and they came back quickly claiming they were scared. They had been so excited to go out on their own so I told them to get some flashlights and head back out. They listened and hit a few houses before they came back and called it quits. Lincoln and the twins stayed with Andrew while Ellie and I took Briley back to my parents and picked up Jackson.

The next morning Andrew took Jackson and Ellie out hunting. This time Jackson got a doe so they could have some meat.  It was his first time hunting with his own gun, so I think it was pretty exciting for him. They also had fun taking this picture to send to me.

I started on the mounds of laundry that we had and went through picture from the weekend. The twins and Lincoln ransacked their candy. I let them eat it for a little while and then I quietly confiscated it and got rid of some. I decided to go ahead and take down our Halloween decorations which really didn’t take that long at all. I was in my bedroom when the twins came in excited to show me that they had tried on the witches hats.

About the time we were heading out to my parents, Andrew and the hunters came home. So they showered and we headed over to my parents while Andrew stayed behind and made his deer steak which he brought to my parents later. Andy and his crew left just a little before we got there but the rest of them were still there. The Taylors tried Andrew’s deer meat and Jackson, Ellie and Lincoln were excited he brought it over. The rest of us steered clear J. Andrew headed home after getting some lunch and went out for a bike ride. I brought the kids home a little later after everyone else started heading home. The twins went down for a nap while I tried to get things organized around the house, cleaned and did laundry. It was a beautiful day so Ellie and Lincoln played outside with their friends. I decided it was a great day to put up Christmas lights, so Jackson helped me go through the lights and replace burnt out bulbs. I started bringing everything and set outside and Andrew was finishing up cleaning his bike. He said that it pained him to say it, but he asked if I wanted any help. I gladly accepted it as I knew things would move along quickly with his help. And it seriously took less than 15 minutes to get them put up since we only do our front porch and the peak over the dining room. I took the Halloween lights off our little tree and put the white lights on and we were done!

After the Christmas lights, Andrew and Jackson worked on some basketball until I had dinner ready. And it is always hard to adjust to it getting darker earlier. So it was dark by the time we ate dinner. After we got dinner cleaned up, Ellie wanted to go through some books to figure out her next few books. I think Matilda will be up after Pippi Longstocking. Then I was off to do some grocery shopping. I got my Aldi run just before they closed. I took longer than usual at Wal-Mart and actually picked up a few Christmas gifts and also got some Christmas items that would work great for some of Ellie’s birthday decorations that I haven’t finished yet. Andrew was out when I got home so I quietly hid away the presents and put the groceries away. Then I made the mistake of staying up past midnight working through some ideas for Ellie’s birthday and Christmas.