Mid-November Already?

Okay so I am awful about updating you on our life!  On one hand, I want to apologize, but on the other I don't.  I won't say "I'm sorry" because in our house saying those words means I'm going to try to do better.  In my head, I want to do better, but the reality of life is that I can't.  Or I won't sacrifice other things to spend more time sitting here at my computer.

 So, what have we been doing?

 Playing outside a lot - one of the perks of October in Alabama...

Mid to late October is a blur, and my camera remained put away for most of it.  There is lots of activity that creates many schedule changes.  There is also life with six people and six different sets of activities, interests, and needs.

Our outside projects have finally come to a finishing point.  Note, I didn't say completion because there is always something to be done.

Frank and Mary Frances had a special evening together while Stephen had spend the night company.

Our school system has a day off in mid-October for the end of the first nine weeks.  This year that day was an e-day.  Don't get me started! 

The following week we have three half days for Parent-Teacher Conferences.  Don't ask!  Weird?  Crazy?  Inconsiderate to working parents?  Yes!  While I love having my babies and their friends home, we are all exhausted after those three days.  Let's just say they play hard when they are together.  This year Mary Frances had hula hoop practice (another story for another day) from 12:00 - 1:00 so it created three different pick-ups plus scheduling meetings with each teacher.  


4:30 pm - Post Fall Festival

And then the next week is Halloween and everything associated with that!  Why oh why is there so much associated with Halloween?  There is Crestline's Fall Festival and Bake Sale, St. Luke's Trunk or Treat, and the community Halloween Parade.  Oh, and Frank was travelling, and we had parties at the preschool.  Something had to give, and it did!  First, on Wednesday Stephen came home from school sick which meant no Trunk or Treat.  I have to admit, I was relieved and fortunately I didn't get many complaints.  We had breakfast for supper and turned in early.


5:00 am After Fall Festival

Thankfully, Stephen had strep throat.  If you have to be sick, strep is the illness to have because, at least as a child, once on an antibiotic you feel better almost immediately.  He was a trooper.  On Thursdays, Walker goes to school and Betsy and I go to the church for a Discipleship Class that I was asked to join.  Because of the nature of the class, I really didn't want to miss.  At first I was going to stay home, but then I realized that if we went Stephen could take a snack, a blanket, and a backpack full of books.  He could snuggle up on the couch in an alcove of a room where we meet.  It worked!  He was great while quietly reading his books and eating his snack. I almost forgot he was there!

And then, I received another phone call from the nurse at Crestline.  Mary Frances fell on the playground.  Thankfully, it was 1:45 so I was able to collect all of my children and head to the pediatrician's office.  They took x-rays and sent us to an orthopedic!  This is our first experience with a broken bone so I didn't have a strong preference for who we saw.  The pediatrician made us an appointment with someone in close proximity.  Thank goodness!  We were in and out and home by 5:30.  Frank met me at the orthopedic and took everyone else to the parade.  The only picture I have from Halloween is from the pediatrician's office.

Thank goodness for friends!  They took pictures and took my children trick or treating.

On Friday we went back to the doctor and got our first cast. 







Now we are on our third cast for the same break! 

Our favorite neighbor broke her wrist the same day.

Wait - There's More

We had our first ever Friday Family Fun outing ~

Betsy loved chopsticks!

Let's see...what else...Frank ran a 10K!  We went to cheer him on.

I don't know about you, but we need our routine and schedule.  The slightest change can have us off kilter for days to come.  I was glad to see November 1.  Frank was not!  He had been dreading the beginning of November for months because he had four arbitrations set for the first two weeks.  That means he was in town but not in our house.  In times like that, we long for the weekends. 

Betsy in her new favorite place to snuggle - the den sofa!