A Frozen Halloween

When we looked at the forecast for today and saw little snowflakes on my phone, Audrey exclaimed, “That’s perfect!  Because I’m going go be Elsa, the snow queen!”  Perfectly thematic, right?

The forecast was correct.  All day we have had rain, hail, sleet, high winds, and snow.  The snow queen would feel right at home.

Amidst 35-degree weather and 20-30 mph winds (and plenty of layers under the costumes), Luke and my dad took the kids out trick-or-treating.  They went to about 20 neighbors before returning home to warm up their little cheeks and start eating their candy.

Happy Halloween from Anna, Elsa, and Rocky!

Hello, Yellow!

Logan earned his first belt in Karate – his yellow belt!  It was a proud day.  In front of a small audience, he had to demonstrate to his sensei (teacher) that he knows the moves and has good form, balance, and focus.  Every aspect is graded.  The test took about 30 minutes. 

Logan passed with flying colors!  We are so proud of him.  He has worked hard to earn that yellow belt!

Pumpkin patch

Our fall break included Monday this year, so Luke’s parents came out to spend a morning at a local pumpkin patch with us.  My brother-in-law, sister-in-law and niece, Riley, joined us too.

Audrey and Riley loved feeding the goats.

Everyone loved the baby chicks and bunnies.

The kids rode a barrel train pulled by a tractor…

… and loved getting lost in the corn maze.

I love this time of year and all the fall traditions!

Fall Break

Hello, hello!  Aren’t fall breaks the best?  I feel rejuvenated after a few days away at this cozy log cabin all weekend. 

We discovered a fabulous nearby park,

enjoyed an outdoor lunch,

spent time with family (my brother and sister-in-law and their four girls came out to the cabin Friday evening),

hosted a cousin sleepover in the loft,

swam in my brother’s pool (it was a warm weekend!),

and played in the leaves after church.

Other highlights: the fire-breathing dragon in Vandalia, shopping in historic St. Charles, Audrey’s hula program on the cabin deck, viewing Disney pictures, Meredith’s soccer game, and eating at Chuck E. Cheeses (although Emily was terrified of the big mouse).

It’s almost November…

…but I still need to blog about September birthdays.  Life keeps getting in the way of blogging, but I want to reflect on our milestones and memories through this blog.  Better late than never is my motto.

Emily’s birthday was first in September.  She turned four this year.

She requested a fairy birthday party, so we ate fairy cupcakes, set up a fairy scavenger hunt for little treasures, and celebrated fairy style!

 

I can hardly believe Emily is four already.  Shouldn’t she still be in a crib, wearing diapers and onesies?  She’s still our tow-headed baby girl, no matter how old she turns or how much she objects (“I’m not your baby!”). 

Then Luke and I celebrated our birthdays.  We both turned… well, another year older.  :)

To round out the month of September, we celebrated Luke’s mom’s 60th birthday.  We enjoyed a meal together in a reserved room at Islamorada Fish Company Restaurant (attached to Bass Pro Shop) while watching the fish swim in the fish tank adjoining our room.

Luke and his brothers made her a scrapbook of memories from family vacations they took through the years. 

A month of celebrations!  I think birthdays are wonderful because they provide an opportunity to reflect on the blessings of life. 

“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created ...”  Psalm 148:5