Pumpkin Carving 101

We carved pumpkins tonight for FHE. Well, Jon and Olivia did, anyway, I don't think Max and Molly are quite old enough for knives, and when I cut the top off of mine, it was green and moldy inside! I don't think the farm sold me a very fresh pumpkin! It was fun, and messy, and I can smell the seeds roasting in the oven right now...........

Soccer star

Here are just a few pics from soccer season, which ends this Saturday. It has been a great season, and Olivia improves every week. I am most proud of the fact that she gets out there and plays really hard, even though she is the only girl on her team. She is a go-getter, that's for sure!

My first call from the principal...........

I got an interesting voice message last week...........it was the principal, at Olivia's school, and Olivia, letting me know that there was a little problem on the playground at recess, but it was being resolved, and would I please call and talk to the principal at my convenience. I immediately panicked! My first thought.......Olivia in the Principal's office.........uh oh, what did she do? I am ashamed to say, she did not get the benefit of the doubt! I called Jon, who calmed me down enough to tell me I needed to call the principal and get the scoop. He was so nice, and on his daughter's side! So, I called her back, and got the whole story, which went something like this:

Olivia and her friend have been getting chased at recess. They don't like this chasing game, and it's against school rules. They have told the boy, Nicolas, to stop chasing them, and he would not relent. So, after enough attempts of "using her words" Olivia pushed Nicolas to the ground. He hopped up and punched her in the arm. The playground aid got involved, and they both wound up in the Principal's office. At this point in the story, I am secretly championing my daughter. Way to stand up for yourself, kiddo! The principal very kindly explained to me that while Olivia was justified in her frustration, and had taken many good steps in resolving the conflict, and asserting herself, she ultimately landed in the office for flattening this boy. She continued to say that Olivia was very honest in explaining her story and she appreciated that. To resolve things, Olivia and Nicolas were invited back to the Principal's office during lunch recess to play checkers, which they did.

When I later asked Olivia if they were friends now, she said, "I think so."

I can't tell her this, but I secretly LOVE that she is confident enough to stand up for herself no matter what! I am proud of my seven year old playground tough girl!

Another farm..........

We can't get enough of these fun farms. We visited this one close to our home with Kristen, Bella, and Moses. We each picked a unique pumpkin, and stayed until it got dark! The weather was beautiful, and what more can I say about that fresh farm air??? It's good for the soul!

Halloween Trail

We had a fun family night on Monday! We took a little drive out into the country where a local farm turns their wooded property into a fun trail for Halloween. We saw lots of scary witches, ghosts and goblins! It was pretty dark, so we didn't get too many pictures, but it was a fun evening with great friends and perfect weather!

Leaves are falling all around!

We have had some beautiful weather this week, and we were outside every chance we got playing in the leaves, visiting pumpkin patches and breathing that fall air. Here are some cute shots we got of our indian summer..........

Our favorite rainy day activity!

Saturday was WET! But, we didn't let that get us down. I made some of our favorite fall treats, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, and we had one.........or maybe two!

Bubbos!

Molly is so into bubbles (bubbos, as she calls them!). We went to Target the other night and I bought her this little no-spill bubble toy and she will not put it down. It has gone everywhere with us, and she even falls asleep with it in her little hand! The best part about it is that she can really blow bubbles! She is really good at it! Max got one too, but, try as he does, he only blows his bangs up!

Thanks for our spooky shirts, Grandma Bonnie!

Our sweet Grandma Bonnie and Papa sent these shirts to get us in the Halloween mood! They are too cute to be spooky, though! We are so excited for Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jog-a-thon

Yesterday Olivia's school did a Jog-a-thon, where the kids collected pledges for their school (just the first of many fundraisers that, annoying though they may be, make her school district the best in the area) and then ran, jogged, or skipped as many times as they could around the field in thirty minutes. I worked the water station, and it was so fun to watch these first and second graders' determination. They were all tired by the end, but you could tell they all felt good about themselves for finishing and having fun running together as friends, parents, and classmates. Olivia started with such a bang, running her hardest, that she developed a stitch in her side that she couldn't get rid of until the end, but I am proud to report that she ran 10 laps, and never quit moving, despite her pain! Good job, Olivia!

Life on the farm is kinda laid back!

We took a trip to a local farm to see the new baby goats! The kids had so much fun feeding the goats and having a picnic on a very beautiful autumn day! Fun friends, warm weather, and farm animals: a winning combination. And, we got some yummy produce for dinner.

A little friend party.........

Olivia finally got to celebrate her birthday with her friends. She had three who couldn't make it at the last minute, but she had so much fun with those who came. We have decided that bigger is definately not better. We took these four little girls bowling, and then headed next door to the pizza place. Someone should have warned me about the energy that six and seven year old girls have!