A Cold Halloween

We actually had our first snow of the season on Halloween, which didn't make it much fun to trick-or-treat.  Drew had basketball practice till 7pm, so by the time we got started it was already late.  We met up with the Boldt's and let the kids walk around the neighborhood for about 45 minutes before we were all freezing cold.  The kids got plenty of candy because there weren't many people out.  I'm not sure why, but both kids went for Star Wars characters this year.  Here is Rey and Chewbacca!  Drew stayed warm, but was a little frustrated as he kept getting hair in his mouth. Ha!

Museum Field Trip

I was able to chaperone Alivia's field trip to the Children's Museum today.  It was fun to meet some of her new friends since entering the Middle School.  We had a great day!

Halle's Wedding

Alivia, Aunt Leslie and I made the drive to Ft. Wayne for Halle's wedding day.  Brad and Drew went to the Purdue football game instead.  Unfortunately for all, it rained all day long!  The boys left the game at the half and headed to Mad Mushroom instead.  We were thankful to only be in the rain a little bit and enjoyed one more visit with Grandma Karen and Papaw before they head to Florida.

Always a bonus to see these three!

She's looking so grown up!

Gary, Halle and Blaine

Halle and Ian

A Few Extras

So much fun with this crew! :)

Cousins

It wasn't easy but we convinced these four to wear coordinating outfits for Mamaw's Christmas card.  Trying to get four to all look at the camera happily is quite the task.  I hate to think how many pictures we took!  This was by far our favorite and made for the best Christmas card Mamaw has sent yet.

The kids went on a hike with Brad one afternoon, too.  We were all quite impressed he managed to get this pic on his own!

Oh, Hudson! :)

US National Whitewater Center

We've all been here before, but it's been a few years, so we wanted to take the kids back.  The weather was beautiful and because it was a weekday, we really didn't have much of a crowd.  We spent some time on the ziplines, ropes courses and walked off the ledge for a 100 ft drop!  By the time we were done, we were all exhausted!

Fall Break Week 2: Visiting the Crockett's

It was long overdue, but we finally made a trip to SC.  As the kids get older, it's so hard to find a few days to leave their activities.  We were thankful Mamaw could join us, too.  The first two days the boys were still in school, so we had a little time to do our own thing during the day.  So much fun!

The girls went to get their nails done.

We met Cam at the bus stop while Lane and Keith were at Parent Teacher Conferences.

Walking home :)

This one is a character!

Fall Break Week 1: TIme in Galveston

The kids spent a few days over fall break with Papaw and Grandma Karen while Brad and I worked.  They love being on the farm and helped with lots of chores around the house and spent time in the field too.  If we lived closer, I'm confident they would be farming daily.

Grandma always takes them to Hobby Lobby and Dollar General to get supplies for crafting.  These are the cutest ornaments!

Alivia loves finger-knitting.  She's making a blanket.

This snowman will hang on our front door at Christmas time.  It is adorable with the lights on!

Cleaning up the landscaping before Papaw and Grandma leave for FL.

They got to meet Ace. (Mark's new puppy)

1st Choir Concert

Alivia's 6th grade choir concert was this week.  This is a first for us as neither of the kids have joined choir up to this point.  She decided to give it a try this year, but I think it will probably be her last.  She loves music, but the teacher is not one of her favorites. :)  The kids sang in the high school auditorium, but it's so small they had to split the middle school into two choirs.  So the 6th grade sang four songs starting at 6pm and it seriously took less than 15 minutes (my kind of concert!).  They asked everyone to leave promptly so the 7th and 8th grade choir could come in for their concert next.  Short and sweet is just how we like it!  She may not love it, but she did great!