Happy Halloween!

My girl is .....  Spiderella.......  and my boy is a NeoDessert Commando...   (?)  It's our first  year to use make up.... I think it looks ok - it's her first year to not be something 'sweet'.... 

Great Wednesday

Everyone had a great day today - it was just the complete opposite of yesterday.

Everyone was up early,  

Lucy (dog)  was very happy, hungry and feeling better

Rachel had a very good day with class and teacher (no major conflicts and focused most of day)

Patrick completed his homework in good spirits

Music class went super for everyone (of course the fact that I tediously make them practice helps)   

Yummy hot grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.... 

Oh - I forgot the children took their daddy to the Book Fair at school.... they had a blast and each  picked out new books.  After school I couldn't even get them to eat a snack or take the dogs outside - Patrick on the couch - Rachel in the chair - they read for a solid 30 minutes until I forced them to get up and practice music one more time before going out the door!  :)  I love it.  

Tough Tuesday

Well. Lucy our dog threw up on our bed.... (yuk)

and she smells terrible - (lots of gas for a dog....sorta've skunky smelling)

Rachel (on the defense) took a girl out today at PE... both are sore from pushing each other down and ok  (7 year olds?) 

Patrick did very poorly on a math test today and  very upset... 

hmmm......  It's just one of those days where you get through it and sigh and keep moving forward so... laundry continues, dogs walked, and children hugged and kissed goodnight.  

Hope tomorrow is better.  

Boy Scouts Big Time.....

We had so much fun Saturday.... 

He was able to shoot a bb gun for  the first time......

He used a bow & arrow and...... hit the target..   :) 

He did several other achievements towards his Bear Badge..   we are so proud. (the bouncy ball thing was not an achievement - it was just for fun)  LOL

He had such a great day.   I was totally wiped out - we were out at the CUBE with 999 other boy scouts from 9am -2:30pm!  Rachel was a trooper and has been rewarded for her patience at her big brother's big day.  

Speaking of patience.... Patrick spoke not a word about waiting in line for 2 hours to shoot that bb gun.  

Pumpkin Patch This 'way ---->

Once again --- this is our fourth year to visit this pumpkin patch with Patrick, Rachel and Patrick's buddy - they've known each other since they were three! (in Montessori) 

It was a blast and it's really too warm for October!  :)  They love feeding the animals, the hay ride and looking for that perfect pumpkin.  :)   This year they had a 'Ropin' Pen' and the boys loved roping the 'steer' ...  :)   Perfect for 8 & 9 year old boys.  

2 BITs, 4 Bits, 6 Bits a Dollar...

I know -silly - I  enjoy trying to come up with the titles as much as updating the blog!

Rachel went to a cheer leading camp last week and they performed for the local high school game last night!  

She loves it - I of course need a Extra Strength Tylenol after sitting in the little girls cheerleading section.  Oh my goodness it was loud.  

A lot of my family members are 'not' into cheer leading and have told  me so... but you know - it's about Rachel and she loves it.  Granted - I don't see it long term or a career at it - but she's only 7 so I think we have time to just let her enjoy it right now.  

This morning  it was so nice and cool outside she wanted to ride her scooter a bit, but she didn't want to put her book down... so a dedicated reader,,,,, on her scooter.  Isn't she a cutie?  Oh my. 

Excuse me, Monarch's passing through...

This last week has been amazing in our area of the country... 

The Monarch Butterflies are migrating South and have been in our area for a couple of days!

The dogs (well,,, Goldie the puppy) is having  fun jumping around - butterflies are pretty fast when they want to be - 

I had to work to grab these pictures and they are blown up pretty big - but it's so cool.  :) 

Thursday

All is quiet in the  Family..... 

homework is completed, 

gymnastics -- accomplished

Bobcat Badge achievements...... achieved.

Baths taken

Books read

Prayers said

Lights........ out

hmmmmm............

I'm sitting here thinking about cub scouts and all we have to do for badges, and then I received an email from a room mom.  Three moms signed up for Rachel's class.  Rachel's teacher then had her baby 3 days after school started!  Three weeks early!  She returned TODAY.  

So now - we want to put together a baby shower,  a thank you party for the substitute teacher who spent the last 8 weeks teaching and taking care of our 7 year olds. 

And Cub Scouts really take a lot of time and planning and effort.  I  think I'm going to ask the parents of the Den  to volunteer to be Den Leader for a month at a time.... I think we can share that responsibility.. what do you think?   

Then Cub Scouts... we had a den leader for about a day - and he backed out b/c of work.  I had signed up to be the Assistant to the Den Leader.  So - 7 other parents and they don't really want to step up and lead the Den.  Of course everyone has ideas of how "I" can lead the den.... 

I'll keep you posted.  :) 

Weekend Update....

I down loaded some pictures today from my camera... some from a week ago!  Hope everyone is having a nice weekend! 

Goldie was feeling so bad (Monday) - she just laid down to drink her water.. :(   This was after the vet visit and shots...  poor Baby.... 

Good Friday Morning....... 
You never know what you will get with Rachel at breakfast... (that's one of my sweaters) 
Wild Hair Day at school last week.... Patrick's hair is blue, Rachel's of course.. purple...
Lately -there are little lizards....every where... 

Rachel went to a cheer leading camp today for half a day... at a local high school

She loves it - she's 2nd from left in front....  

Another moon shot  - this evening just over the tree tops in the back yard...   Goodnight!

Wednesday

Only big news going on is Goldie is OK, we had a scare Monday where she might have been bit by a snake.  I took her out at 6:30 AM and it's so dark all I saw is her dash after something in the yard.  I couldn't see  it but she kept jumping at it and then immediately backed away and ran back to the house snorting and shaking her head and later covering her nose again and again.  - she had 3 of their big symptoms but maybe it was a scorpion or something - The vet gave her a couple of shots and we just watched her.  We looked and looked for a bite mark but couldn't find anything.  She was panting very hard, very foamy at the mouth and super lethargic - like coming in the house - laying down in her kennel and eyes rolling back in her head! I could hear her panting from across the house! Scared me. She was really quiet for a  day and a half but today is back to being her happy bouncy puppy self again...  I am so glad she's OK. 

This picture was taken during some of her resting time - under my feet at the kitchen island, see my computer wire?  I love how she tucks her front paws in ~ isn't that cute? - 

Music lessons went great tonight - Patrick is enjoying guitar.   I only wish he would pick it up and practice it on his own - and longer than  time requested. But he's only 8 years old and enjoys it so I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth right?!   :) 

Have a super rest of the week!  

Thomas the Train

Nothing new to report....   I've started packing away the Thomas the Train toys...   :( 

It's  sad -a passing of an era,  I loved all the Thomas the Train toys - all the stories that go with each train - James the shiny red engine always consumed with how shiny & clean he was or wasn't,  Thomas and his pretty blue engine always wanting to help, Bulstrode the Cargo Boat, Percy the little green engine, Cranky the Crane, .  We have so many pieces of track and many little cars - not the little die cast metal ones - we have the nice wood ones!   We have books and I think all the VCR movies!   Just last week they came out with a new movie..... I was tempted.... I asked Patrick if he was interested and he quickly reminded me that he was 'done' with Thomas....  I'm still  thinking about it.... b/c I have  a new nephew.. right?   lol

Patrick started playing with them at 18 months and loved them dearly until 7 years old.  Seriously he and his best friend played for hours at play dates - making villages and stories of their own.  But at 7 years old he decided he was 'done' with this set of toys.  We left the train table out b/c they could use it for other sets of toys and they have. The tracks just recently lost their value... to him but they lasted another year.   But now it's become a place to pile everything when I ask the floor to be cleared so now I"m ready for it ALL to be off the floor!    :)  

But with putting the house on the market - I'm going to put it all away because we are just not using it at this time.  

The Thomas the Train toys could probably bring a pretty price at an auction or on Ebay/Craigs List but we decided that we are holding on  to them at this time.  Who knows - down the road it might be fun to share with the newest nephew or grand kids one day.  

Patrick about wore through several smaller pieces (trees, stop signs or crossing guard signs)  But you might be tired too if you had been played with every day for 5-6 years!    Seriously - he lived, eat and breathed Thomas the Train!   I would check on him at night before going to bed and  pull out train after train that he wanted to sleep with that night!  The thought of rolling over on one of those cars pained me....   

Goodnight and have a great week! 

She's Here.....and she's shiny

Alright - I'm so grossed out by what was under my washing machine.......  - after the washing machine man removed  the old machine - I thought I would maybe have to sweep - but no... I had to get down on my hands and knees and actually scrape and scrub the yucky stuff up.  I even made the washing machine guys wait and I worked up a sweat! 

AND I have to tell you - the guys were supposed to be here around 12-5pm today and they showed up at 10 AM!   WOW!  I've never had that happen before!  They were quick, careful and professional and didn't bump anything.  So kudos to Home Depot and their guys. 

The new  washer - I've not  come up with a name for her   yet  - is so pretty and shiny and has been operating straight since 10:10 AM.....  (We've not done laundry for 1 week so it's been piling up!)  

Children are working on homework before leaving for music classes - it's a process - Rachel's Theory class is from  5-6pm and then  piano lesson from 6-6:30pm and Patrick's guitar lesson is from 5:30pm-6pm.  So he does some homework there.  It's unbelievable the amount of homework a Third grader has these days - I don't think I brought any home when I was in third  grade.