life in october

Our lives have been busy with softball and baseball added to the mix, but we're never too busy to visit Papa in the hospital.  He was suffering from pericarditis, and actually was hospitalized in Indiana when they went to pick up the 5th wheel trailer they bought. We were thankful for Uncle Larry, who flew out to help them get the trailer back home. And we were glad to have him back in Texas where we could visit!

We went between baseball and softball games, so Colby was still in his uniform. 

After a late Friday night at the batting cages, ball games, a visit to the hospital, and General Conference, we had a tired out little boy...

I should've known something was up when he fell asleep on me that evening, but he woke up at 4 AM feeling sick.  He threw up a few times, then spent most of the day sleeping.  He had no appetite, but did manage to eat a few popsicles and drink lots of ice water.  Thankfully, it was short lived!

We took an after-school trip over to the ponds where there were SO many big turtles.  Thankfully, nobody had their finger bitten off when they touched one of the shells. 

This cutie pulled out his own tooth!! Now he has symmetrical gaps on the bottom :)

I usually "sittervise" (supervise while in a seated position) at the park, but one day the kids talked me into playing lava monster.  Brooke kept trying to get me to "come closer to take her picture" in hopes of tagging me, but the joke was on her because I got some really cute pics of her in the process. 

I was loving my Costco mums, and the fall weather that lasted about 3 hours each morning.  

You know you haven't spent enough time together lately when your brunch date lasts nearly hour hours!!  I love these friends and am so grateful for their friendship.  But it's still sad that Tracy isn't in Texas to join us :(

I attended Parent-Teacher conferences and I loved getting great feedback about the kids. It's always nice to hear about how helpful and kind your kids are!  I especially loved seeing their work hanging on the walls.  Colby was SO proud of his Johnny Appleseed...

Brooke saw me writing school lunchbox notes (which I do occasionally) and asked to write one for Kevin's lunchbox...

No school on Columbus Day meant plenty of time to pack for our camping trip and decorate the driveway for October!  Colby drew a scary zombie and asked Brooke to write, "I will eat you for dinner!" and "P.S. Zombies don't like veggies!"  He also insisted on doing creepy eyes since this was NOT supposed to be a cute picture.  Brooke's designs were definitely less creepy. 

We had afternoon plans to visit the pumpkin patch (separate post), but we first needed to grocery shop for our trip.  Brooke really wanted to wear her boots to the patch, but since I assured her that she couldn't climb in them, she opted to wear them to the store instead.  As we shopped, Brooke heard a little girl tell her mom, "Look, there's JoJo Siwa." Brooke was equal parts embarrassed and excited that someone thought she was JoJo (a singer/dancer/YouTuber).  So naturally, I needed to take her picture! 

I didn't buy the school pics, but I did snap a picture of the proof :)

National Walk/Bike to School day was a success!  The kids loved it and commented that we should do it every day.  We live 1.5 miles from the school, so it's not something we typically do, and it made the day sort of crazy.  After dropping them off, I had to ride my bike to my friend's house to workout, then had to ride all the way home after my workout.  Then rode back to the school to get Colby, but since Brooke stays for choir, we rode home just the two of us and made it home JUST in time to have to go back to the school for Brooke, haha.  This time with the bike rack on my car so we could just load her giant bike and bring her and a friend home.  I did get some good exercise though, so there's that. 

Quick picture with the Daulton Dragon before heading into school....

I volunteered for lunch/recess duty for my littles!  I love that they ask for volunteers because it's super fun to see my kids with all their friends and to have a hundred kids ask, "Whose mom are you?"  I also love that they both want to give me lots of hugs while I'm out there at recess.  Colby even asked if I could take him home.  Nice try, buddy :)

Claire, Brooke, and Zalaya

 Brooke entered a district, "Draw Your Principal" competition and won!!  She was less than excited about me taking her picture as we walked into school, but since I wasn't sure if we'd ever see the drawing again, I wanted it to be documented. 

Coach Kassie coordinated a team party to celebrate a great season with the Smashing Sweethearts.  She still had the softball field reserved during our practice time, so we ate pizza and played a fun kids vs parents kickball game.

Brooke and Kaylynn (the girl that might be moving over to the Diamonds with her)

I just had to document the fact that Colby survived in jeans at school.  Our weather has been nuts, like 95 degrees one day and 39 a few days later, so we weren't quite equipped with enough pairs or sweatpants.  It was a rough morning getting out the door, but he survived and I will remind him of that the next time he has to wear real pants.

All fourth graders in our district were invited to a special presentation by the Fort Worth Symphony at the Center for the Performing Arts.  Students were asked to wear their "fancy attire", and we all know that Brooke was thrilled!  This dress/sweater/heels combo is her absolute favorite and she looked beautiful.

We invited the family over to our house and celebrated Grandma's birthday one Sunday afternoon!  I made a carrot cake since I know that's her favorite, but I later learned that she has the recipe her mom used to make for her, so I will definitely be using that next year :)

The highlight of the night might have been the fashion show that Colby emceed...

The kids rocked "Mismatch Day" for Red Ribbon week, but they were a little embarrassed at their after-school dentist appointments, haha. 

The PTA hosted a really cute Halloween craft one evening...

Colby and Nathan (or Jackson), I can never keep the twins straight!

Red Ribbon Week continued with "Say BOO to drugs and bullies."

My hair stylist (Katie) moved to Portugal over the summer, but before moving, she referred me to another stylist at the same salon.  I really liked the new girl, but I definitely missed Katie and the years of friendship we've had.

They cancelled Activity Days ones night (I can't remember why), so Rachel Smith coordinated hockey instead. We were JUST saying that the weather was perfect for evening hockey, so it was impeccable timing.

Brooke enjoyed an after-school bread making session at Claire's house.  The school librarian, Mrs. Blanton,  had coordinated for the school to be involved in the King Arthur Bake for Good program.  After the presentation, each student was given a bag containing two kinds of flour, yeast, a dough scraper, and a plastic bag for keeping the finished loaves. 

A few random pictures Colby's teacher posted to their Class Dojo app...

I tried to get creative for a Halloween party we were attending, but it was a total disaster.  I recruited Kevin to help cut the sticky strands, but first he thought he needed to take a picture...

We went for a chilly boat ride over afternoon, and Kevin was still crazy enough to get in.

I especially loved the purple life jacket he used since we left his at the dock, haha!

We hadn't been on the boat in at least 6 weeks, so to say that it needed some cleaning would be an understatement. But, we've trained the kids well and they did an amazing job helping out.

Towards the end of the month, we headed up to Grandma and Papa's house after church.  Brooke was feeling a little off, hence her expression in the picture, but by bedtime was feeling miserable. 

Brooke didn't go to school on Monday, but since it was Halloween, I told her that most likely she would have to skip trick-or-treating.  She rested a bit, took the longest bubble bath of her life, and by that afternoon tried to convince me that she felt fine.  

She seemed fine, and since she never ran a fever, I decided to let her go after all :) But that's in a post of its own!