More Halloween Fun!!

Here are the kids all dressed up ready to hand out treats this evening!

Don't worry, they went trick or treating at a church function and this morning at the library. They have PLENTY of candy!

Here are our pumpkins all ready, unfortunately Dan's is really mushy and I keep peeking outside to see if it is on fire yet!Here is a better picture of the costumes from the church activity. Fern is of course a princess, we got lucky with a dress from a friend who's girls are all older then I made the crown, Jake is a cheetah in a costume my mom made when I was little, and Riley is a wizard wearing my witch costume with a cloak I made and a wand Dan made!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

BOO!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

4X4

Well I was tagged by Trina to put up the 4th picture in my 4th file, so this is from August 2007. Miss Fern was standing in the front window and just looked so cute that I had to snap a load of pictures. Here are a few more from then! :)

I am bad and tag whoever reads this! :) Leave a comment so we can all see your picture! :)

Warm & Slimy!

First the warm! A sweet Miss Fern in her new coat before going out on our very chilly day! I bought this fabric in Utah and started the coat and then left it for my mom to finish, Thanks mom! Fern LOVES it!! I put the buttons on and gave it to her yesterday for our Mass. field trip. (Pictures on our school blog tomorrow!) :) * It's up!

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Now the slimy!

Pumpkin carving!

Dan got to start with us but then jetted off for a Europe trip!

What a silly girl posing!


Look at that concentration!

Hard work!!

And the finished product, from left to right: Dan's, Fern's, Riley's, Jake's, & Mine.

I think Fern's came out the cutest! How do you like them Dan?

The Goings On!

Just a short update as my nerves are shot. Today was a fun Enrichment day at church, an all day event. So when I did get home this afternoon I was greeted by a head injury, want to guess whose head? Yep Jake! He fell onto the back of his head on a rock and was bleeding. (Still bleeding when I got home 3 hours after the injury). So thank goodness St. Mary's Hospital has a little walk-in clinic here in town so we headed over there, the Dr. was going to STAPLE Jake's head but I asked about dura-bond and thankfully the Dr. saw things my way! :) Remember you always attract more bees with honey than with vinegar! :) Jake is fine, more than fine he is quite happy the Dr. said he can not wash his hair for a couple weeks. (Yea tonight is bath night too)! That boy will be the one to give me the grey hair! On Tuesday we went to Riley's pack meeting (they could wear their costumes but Riley would not!), Riley received a patch for recruiting a new boy into our pack, (actually the kid in orange) so now Riley has a "recruiter" patch.
Fern had a fun birthday party with a couple friends, we had her favorite dinner (lentil soup), and lots of fun. Here is the gang after completing the obstacle course and finding the treasure!

Fern was so excited about the cake and candles but then got a little shy when we started singing! She kept shrinking!

We went out to a local farm this last week and ran through the pumpkin patch, Fern rode the wagon until Dan dumped her on accident! :)

HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO!

Dan and his friend Rob (who is also the mechanic on the airplane) fixed our van yesterday!!! Now I am praying it will stay fixed for a while!

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And that is it with us! Blood, pumpkins, & cake, what an October!

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY FERN!

3 years ago, so happy to hold her!
2 years ago, in between "homes" she was the one who comforted me!

1 year ago, our ever increasing joy!Last night before my princess was officially so big!
And today when my baby is 3!! How can it be!!

The princess costume was the first priority this morning, then Abby Cadaby stole the show!
Princesses have to learn all they can!
And what princess does not want to go shopping! :)

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Happy Birthday Baby!!

Our Library!

Our Library was designed by renowned architect Stanford White, was given by John Howard Whittemore in memory of his son, Howard, in 1894. Our town has 11 buildings by the renowned New York architecture firm of McKim, Mead and (Stanford) White. I wish I could have seen it back before making it more "updated", phooey on progress! :)
What my kids do when I say I want to take a few pictures, they just sit down knowing I may be awhile! :)
All around the top of the building is engraved the names of great authors, Shakespeare, Dante... all around the building (at least the original part).

Then when you go in those doors...

It is the Rotunda. I could stand and stare for a long time! Our library is trying to raise funds to restore the Rotunda, I hope they do it right!

There are 4 of those lights, one in each corner, and then the words underneath say...

He danced along the dingy days and this bequest of wings was but a book what liberty a loosened spirit brings he ate and drank the precious words his spirit grew robust he knew no more that he was poor nor that his frame was dust.

Isn't that beautiful!

I LOVE BOOKS!

(And libraries!!)

* Check out my schooling blog, I found the poem!

Fall on the Green!

Running in the raining leaves!
More running!
The colored leaves, farmers market, and one of the churches on the green.
Collecting leaves!
Me and the pretty colors! :)

You may wonder...

How in the world we get all of our millions of leaves picked up in the fall, well.... We buy really cute trash bags and all the neighborhood kids ask to fill them! :) This afternoon Riley and Jake asked for the rakes so they could work on a leaf pile to jump into, as soon as they started a couple of the neighborhood kids showed up. I told Dan to go give them the pumpkin bags, and then another kid showed up. By the end another showed so we had 5 extra kids rake leaves and put them into bags! :)
By the time they made it to the front, they filled the bags and then had a tremendous amount of fun jumping in the leaf pile and covering each other in it, and then jumping out when a car passed by! :)

Who knew something that falls freely from our back yard could entertain kids from age (almost) 3 to 11 for a couple hours (probably longer if the mamas had not come out to call!! :)
They even hung my tree ghosts for me! :)
HAPPY FALL!!

Cuties!

Last night they had a primary talent show at church, both of the boys signed up to show collections, and I got to gab with some friends! :) Here is sweet Fern and her new hair cut (ala mama), she was a little "off" as she fell asleep in the car on the way there. Never good at 6:30pm!
Isn't she just too cute! :)
Here is Jake with his collection, he displayed his dinosaurs. He panted a grass/lake scene and then segregated them on a "meat eaters" and "plant eaters" sides, then I wrote their names. He was quite pleased! :)

Riley displayed one of his drawings, and also his rock collection. Look at those dimples!!

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I had noticed that our BEAUTIFUL play kitchen was not getting as much use lately, it has been in the boy's room but I thought it needed a More central location! So I moved it to the kitchen, and put some of the play kitchen things away. I was thinking maybe the plethora (of a cornucopia) of kitchen things was bogging down their creativity and so I fluffed their imaginations and put a few away! :)

And so Miss Fern enjoyed it today! She found my grandma's apron and thought she should do a little cooking! :)
If only I could look so cute while cooking! :)
She was in a "snappy" mood and enjoyed me taking her picture! :)
And here is my new haircut, in other words don't expect to see me in front of the camera for a while! How long does it take to grow out a really BAD haircut??

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How was your Saturday?

Kent State Park!

We found it!
Ready to go!


At the bottom!
Going up!
1/2 way there!
At the VERY top, the falls start just to the right of Dan in this picture! And then they cascade for 1/4 of a mile! This is where we had lunch, warm minestrone soup!
What we could see from the top!
We then walked across a bridge and then down the wooded side of the falls.
Fern got a bit cold and needed a little mama warmth!

Here we are out on the ledge of the falls exactly opposite from the family picture. It was quite ledgy and a little freaky! :)
This little mushroom was growing in part of a hollow tree!
After the hike we saw a sign for a covered bridge and went to go find it!

Then we drove thru it! :)

Then we saw a sign for a sight on the Freedom Trail and thought we'd go check that out too! :)
And we found John Brown's birth place.
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And then we made it home and chilled.
The End.
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And now Fern has fallen asleep under the couch and I must fish her out and go to bed!! :)