Catch Up Time!

So I've been neglecting this poor blog but I'm determined to catch up & give a few highlights of what we've all been up to! Prepare for the longest post of your life.

Me, Claira, and Dylan were all very sick for about a week in October, but we're all better and feeling great!

I'm the primary (kids) music leader in our church & consequently I missed the primary program because, wouldn't ya know it, I woke up with a raging fever the day of the program! Luckily I have the most fabulous friend on the planet! Teresa stepped in for me with a moments notice and lead the kids wonderfully!!! Thanks Teresa! You're the best, I seriously owe you big time!


I had a birthday! the big 2-7!!!! It feels the same as 26 so far, but I'll let ya know how that goes. I really don't mind getting older, birthdays are fun!!! Plus, half the time I don't even remember how old I am so it's cool. Well, on the day of my birth Ben took the day off work and school to take care of me & the kids (still sicklings), he ran to the store and bought some soup, didn't stress about homework (in front of me:) ) and gave me lots of love, blankets, and a sweet birthday card...with money inside Eeeee! When I got to feeling better I was spoiled with a cake, a delicious dinner, and a birthday lunch with my friends. It was so awesome & thoughtful! Thanks to all who made my birthday so nice:)

Most Friday nights I let the kids have a "pajama party"! Claira is usually pretty worn out & ready to relax by the end of the week...and so am I! Whew! Kindergarten is busy but we all have loved our new busy-ness, there's really never a dull moment! So I let them pick a movie and we get some treats and popcorn goin', bring out all the blankets and pillows and snuggle up for a nice evening at home. The kids REALLY look forward to it every week, and Daddy is a little sad he can't join us but somebody's gotta be the bacon-bringer-homer;) You'll have friday nights off someday daddy...someday!

The aerial view of our killer party

Claira, do an "I'm excited" pose for mommy...that's it, got it!

The guilt and the sneakiness....we can have one more piece of candy right?!

Fully engaged in 'movie watching position'

Next came Halloween! It was fun to get out of the house after being cooped up all week, the kids had a blast and got lots of loot!

We carved pumpkins,
Tadaaaa!
Ben's is the top mummy guy, Claira's is the middle skull guy, and mine & Dyl's is the classic pumpkin face guy

went trick-or-treating,

and came home to snuggle up together and watch It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown...a classic.

Then we got some GREAT news! Ben was invited to interview at 2 medical schools! We're crossing our fingers and toes that he gets accepted somewhere...anywhere! He really deserves it, he's worked sooooo hard and sacrificed so much of himself to get to this point. I'm really proud of him and I hope that all his wildest dreams come true! There will be a lot of nail biting in the weeks to come. Please pray for us!

Claira is doing so well in school! She just loves it! She's even been on a few field trips alread...way cool! She is loving reading, writing, counting, coloring, and she even learned how to tie her shoes recently, an accomplishment she's very proud of:) We have a Blue's Clue's dvd where Joe doesn't know how to tie his shoes and he learns how to by the end of the episode. Claira now thinks it's so cool that she can tie her shoes better than Joe. She says "I can tie my shoes, Joe's a grown up and he's still learning!" it's cute:) She says she helps out other kids in her class with their shoe laces sometimes, what a good helper:)

Dylan & I also went to a farm with the playgroup here and rode on another hayride, found some pumpkins, went through a maze, sat on some tractors, and ate some free ice cream from their creamery!

Save me a piece of that corn for later! (Nacho Libre...oh I love that movie)

Hayride time!

pumpkin pickin'

hay sittin' (and snackin')

Mommy/Dylan time! I do love me some black and white photography:)

Our friends, the Greens, babysat the kids so Ben & I could go on a much needed date last weekend!!! Woo Hoo!!! We ate some Japanese food and wandered around the mall for a few hours drooling over fun things. It was such a good time. Sometimes I forget how fun Ben is when he gets caught up in school, but when we're together he reminds me why I married him. He's fun, hilarious, HOT:), caring, and he's my very best friend. I just love him, he's perfect for me!

Feeling nostalgic... so here's to love!

Junior Homecoming 2000

That pretty much catches you up...Next stop, Thanksgiving!!! FOOD!!!!