Happy Halloween!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Here are the pictures from our Halloween. Alex got invited to his friends party so he didn't go trick or treating with us :-(. The girls and I hit a few friends houses and then headed to the trunk or treat. We all had a good time!

Miss Viola Swamp!

I went to help in Andrea's class today to help with her halloween party and Andrea had a "subsitute". Her name was Miss Viola Swamp(a character from a book they read). She was really mean and the whole class really missed Mrs. Keepers.

More Fun Fall activities...the corn maze

Our friend Candace won a pass to the corn maze on the radio last week and gave it to the kids and I.
We got there just in time to go on the hayride through the "haunted" corn field and barn. The kids were a little nervous but we went anyways.

Scarecrows were popping out of the corn left and right. They weren't going to leave us alone until someone on the ride gave them a hug....Alex was somehow volunteered!

After the hayride we decided to give the corn maze a try.....and that only lasted a few minutes. The girls were nervous about running into more scarecrows!

So we ended up doing the string maze. We had a really fun time. Thanks Candace!

Carving pumpkins

Yesterday we had a "fall activities" marathon. We went to the pumpkin walk, carved pumpkins and then went to a corn maze. Long day but lots of fun. This year I let everybody do their own pumpkins fun for them, easy for me.

Bizzy was really excited and had fun carving words into her pumpkin!

Andrea did GREAT this year. She was able to clean out her pumpkin without grossing out;-)

Here are all the artists hard at work

I had to get in on the fun too though. This is the only cutting I did that night.....making the lids!

More pumpkin walk

Because it was the last day, they let us take pumpkins home! This was almost as cool as going to a pumpkin patch!

One small step for Alex.......I'm not really sure how the rest of that goes.

Aren't they cute!

Pumpkin Walk

Every year since we have lived in here, we go to the pumpkin walk. Alex was is the play this year and has been rehearsing every or performing every night. I picked the kids up early from school today and took them to the pumpkin walk. This first scene is the Sword in the Stone and Alex is trying to pull the sword out.

Everybody was kung-foo fighting HI-YA! A scene from kung-fu panda

Who doesn't love veggie tales!

Noah's Ark was really cute and here the are the kids posing by the alligators. Unfortunately, it ended last night so most of the scenes were gone but the kids and I still had fun.

Picture Tag

This tag is an easy one.(Thanks Stevi!) All you have to do is go to the 4th picture folder and select the 4th picture and tell the story. VERY EASY! A little history on this picture....I got a new camera awhile ago and so my kids have been my test subjects. Now when I ask me kids if they want to go on a walk with me, they will say, "only if you don't bring the camera!" I guess they aren't having as much fun with it as I am;-).

Ok, I will tag Katie A., Nicole N., Chelsie M., Mindy Y. and Carmen W...oh and anyone else who wants to play!

Alex at the Pumpkin Walk

We have been super busy over the last few weeks and haven't really gotten to enjoy all the fun things that fall brings like the pumkin walk or corn mazes but the other day, Alex's good friend Cavan invited him to the pumkin walk.

I wasn't there but Alex is really smiling in both the pictures and he said he had a blast! Thanks England family for inviting him! We are going to try and go to a corn maze tomorrow and then to the pumkin walk Thursday so watch for pictures.

I've been tagged!

OK so here are the rules.....
1. Link the person who tagged you
2. Post these rules
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them.

1. Hmmmm.......Let's see, I have this thing with cars. I usually only drive a car for about a year before I want to trade it in. I am not really bored with it, I just like the change I think that it is an inherited trait. I have an Aunt that did the same thing.
2. I have a personal space issue..... I grew up in a family that wasn't big on hugging so I am not a hugger or even a "toucher". In class, I have a particular seat that I have to sit in and my book bag goes on the seat next to me so people don't get to close. Don't get me wrong I like people just don't like them in my space. If you wanna see me sweat, stand close to me:-)
3. I have three kids but babies (anything under 1) make me REALLY nervous. I don't know how I survived mine but I did. I will hold them if asked but my body temp immediately shoots through the roof and I tense up.
4. I am a little embarrassed to admit this one but I really like...OK maybe love is the better word, watching reality TV shows. Big Brother, Survivor, Biggest Loser etc. I look forward to the when the new season begins and I am bummed when they end.
5. I am not really a singer or a dancer but when I am in my car, I am the best singer and dancer I have ever seen! The type of music doesn't matter I can do it all!
6. Last but surely not least, I am addicted to shopping sales! Some even say that I have mastered the art. My kids or I don't wear anything that is not a clearence item. I have bins in the closet with clothes and shoes for next season for each of my kids.

I tag...drum roll please..................
Jean M., Lindsay W., Brionne T., Steph J., Melissa M. and Ahren C.

A great audience!

Ok let me start by apologizing for the blurred picture but I got a new camera and I am still trying to figure it out:-) This is the only picture that I got of our friends so I had to post it. Anyways, Alex was really excited to see our friends from Austria in the audience at his Weds performance. From left to right-Kurt, Natalie, Connie, Jared and Nicole. We obviously don't get to see them very often and when they are able to come visit they have a lot of people to visit so we were excited that they came to see the play!

I love Fall!

The kids have been watching this tree change colors for awhile. Bizzy calls it "OUR FALL TREE" Fall is my favorite time of the year. All the pretty colors and cool air.
Alex and Bizzy burried Andrea in the leaves and she loved every minute of it!
This picture says it all for Bizzy. The kids had made a mini pile of leaves and of course Miss "have no fear" Bizzy jumped right into it. Nevermind the pile of leaves was tiny or the fact that she could crash her face into the curb she was going for it FULL FORCE!
Alex and Andrea were trying to shake all the leaves out of the tree. It was really cute.

Hot off the press

Alexanders 5th grade picture. He has never really liked to smile for pictures but now it just is not cool for a guy to smile so I will take what I can get! He is still a self proclaimed "chic magnet"!
Andrea is in 1st grade and LOVING it! We are happy that this years picture day came before all of her teeth started to fall out!
Last but not least my big kindergartner Bizzy. It was a rough transition to kindergarten for her. The last two year her preschool emphasized learning through play and creativity now it's all business! She does LOVE recess and her friends though

Thriller!!

Alexander has been working really hard over the last month on the play so I thought him and I would go see Odyssey Dance Companies production of Thriller.
Before the show starts, they have zombies wandering around the auditorium. If you don't look at them, they try to scare you. If you DO look at them they get even closer(like right in your face!) so you really can't win either way. Alex was gracious enough to give me the outside seat so I got a few good pictures.

I think this one had to be my FAVORITE zombie of them all! We had a really fun time. Alex says he wants to go again next year!

MUSIC MAN 2008

Make a Smilebox photobook

PICTURES FROM DRESS REHEARSAL

This is the main costume that Alex wears in the play. The girls and I spent the majority helping organize the lunch and do some work on the set. It was fun to be able to watch them run through the whole thing.

Here they are singing Iowa Stubborn. There are a lot of really fun songs in the show.
Of course my son would be the one to BUCKLE HIS NICKER-BOCKERS BELOW THE KNEE!
Here is a shot of him in his boy band uniform. He has made some really good friends and had tons of fun doing this but said he will be glad next week when it is over. In the last two days he has put in like 12 hours at rehearsal.

LAST WEEK OF REHEARSAL

Alex has been working reallyhard on the Music Man and they are in their final week of rehearsal. He didn't get home last night until almost 11 and was up and gone by 7:30 this morning. Just wanted to remind anybody who is here that the show times are as follows:

Thursday, Friday and Saturday 7:30 pm and it's FREE! It's gonna be good so we hope to see you there!!

CLOTHES LINE PROJECT

October is domestic violence awareness month so the Womens Center does the clothes line project.
They hang shirts up that were designed by people who have been affected by domestic violence or sexual assault.
This year we had more than 250 shirts to hang. Each of these shirts were designed by someone locally. This project is one that I am very passionate about. November 4 will mark the three year anniversary that I packed whatever I could fit into a suitecase and my children who were 2, 3 and 7 boarded a plane and left our abuser. I was so emotionally and physically empty, I felt lost. I was so unsure of everything. The only thing that I knew at that point was that we needed to leave him. I had attempted to leave him several times before but each time, returned. I felt trapped and helpless. He had very succesfull isolated me from friends and family who loved me and I felt as is I had no life lines with in reach. Each day just getting out of bed was almost all that I could do. I walked around in a fog for several months after leaving him trying to help myself and my children work through the trauma and changes we were facing. I fortunate and found the help I needed at CAPSA, our local shelter and found the strength I needed to move forward. I am grateful for the people who conitnued to love me when I was in a very dark and lonely place. My dad who took me to the airport and my aunt who gave me and my babies a place to stay and a God who gave me strength when I had none. Almost 3 years later, I am a junior in college and I have three HAPPY children and a safe home. I know that there is hope and happiness.......I found it!

What happened to Pumpkin patches?

I have been looking for a pumpkin patch to take the kids to and get pumpkins but have been unable to find one! I finally broke down and just bought a couple at the grocery store.
The girls wanted to "strike a few poses" with their new pumpkins!

Here comes the snow....

Like it or not, here comes the snow! My kids and I moved here from Oregon almost 3 years ago so we absolutley LOVE snow and can't wait for the ground to be covered.
I tried to get a picture of the falling snow for my sister in Florida but didn't do such a great job. If you look really closely at my kids head, you can see snowflakes!