October

October is one of my favorite months. I love the fall! It is an exciting time of year. I met David in the fall, school starts in the fall, the weather cools down and I can wear sweaters, scarves and boots, the colors are gorgeous and it is right in the peak of holiday season!

This was my view from my front porch the other day. Holy Moley, check out those trees!



We have been bombarded with acorns again. The squirrels throw them at us! They wake us up in the middle of the night when they hit our bedroom window. (The acorns, not the squirrels.) I love them though. (Again, the acorns, not the squirrels.)  The kids and I like finding "hats" for each acorn and Em likes to throw them on the floor. David does not like them on the lawn.Ü



We have been busy this month with lots of fun activities. Honestly, it's been a bit crazy for my liking, but a good crazy. At the beginning of the month, Caleb participated in the much anticipated, annual Valley Park Hawk Run. We were all sick for most of September, so he did not feel his best physically but he improved from last year and rocked it, finishing in 5th place!! This kid is a runner! I was sad that I didn't get to watch him again this year,(Emmy always seems to nap during race time) but David was able to volunteer again and I received lots of exciting texts from the other moms.

 

Emmy and I went to a playgroup at Stuckmeyer's farm. It was insanely crowded, as we showed up at the same time as 5 bus loads of kids, but Emmy didn't mind. She jumped right in to the festivities and had a great time. I really liked the pumpkin patch and the little petting zoo with chickens.

 

Jake took his first test to advance in belt rank. It was a BIG deal and he had his game face on the whole day. I was so impressed with his skills and determination. He did a great job and enjoyed his time with his new buddies at the ATA school.

 

He had to wait an agonizing 5 days to receive his new belt, but it was worth it! He received his new white belt, with one orange stripe (he is a Tiny Tiger, so they earn stripes).



Halloween was fun this year. I am still not a huge fan of the holiday but it's growing on me. The kids enjoyed using power tools to help carve their pumpkins this year and I did too! We carved our pumpkins, then set them out on the porch to see the final effect.
 

The kids had some fun costumes this year. Caleb was a soldier and trick-or-treated with his friends for the first time. We estimated that he got around ten pounds of candy this year. His poor friend's dad carried around a sack that they kept dumping their candy into when their buckets got full. Sheesh! He had a great time and enjoyed being with his friends Cole and Sean.
 

Jacob was a ninja again. I loved that I didn't have to get him a new costume and he was still happy. I found some ninja stars at the dollar store and called it good. We trick-or-treated with his new friend, Jon, and his family. Jon lives down the street and is also in his class at school. It has been so nice to have a little friend for him to play with. We went house to house for about an hour and a half, which is a lot longer than I would have gone, but they were having so much fun that we kept on going.



Emeline was a witch this year. She can even laugh like one now, but refuses to do it for anyone. It's hilarious. She was so excited to go get candy and had a blast with the "big kids". I love that she wears her shoes on the wrong feet. She played the part quite well and we are all enjoying her candy!