All of October

Will try to stay more current on our family blog I am posting October and will get back to playing catch up with Aug/Sep later.

Lunches!

Packing lunch for school is always a challenge.  One might think “How hard could it possibly be, toss in some food and you’re good to go.” Well it’s not that easy as the kids get tired of the same old thing every day and many times I work hard at being creative and different only to find they bring it home and it ends up in the garbage.

So this is Jo’s idea of a good sandwich for lunch!

When Jo got home from school she added marshmallow cream to the shopping list, however I find it much more fun with the mini marshmallows on the bread.

River Walk

I joined the kids on the whole school on the river walk field trip where they walk the bike/walking path around a six mile loop.

Payton, Jo, Ian and Cole

They stayed goofy and fun the whole way and when they got back to school all tuckered out the school held a picnic followed by a school dance. I went home and put my feet up and even took a nap.

Science Class

The teacher for science is quite a character and LOVES science.  In the classroom she has snakes, lizards, hamsters and the live groceries to feed these animals.  She also has every area from the floor to the ceiling (not a joke) covered in “science” of some sort. It could be overwhelming to walk into this classroom, but the kids love science because of her!

Forgotten Binder?

Cole forgot his binder at home and called home asking if I could bring it to school for him.

Being the supportive mom that I am, I slid this note in the front of his binder and dropped it off at school for him. He hasn't forgotten it since.

Baseball – Still?

Yes, Oma has been working with Willamette Valley Select baseball this fall.  Cole is only able to make scrimmage games here and there while he plays football but Oma is at most practices and games.

It’s nice to see this group play as they try to give all the kids a chance to develop not only their hitting but a chance to play other defensive positions they don’t get a chance to play during the regular season.

Jo’s Foot

During the River Walk it was easy to see that Jo’s feet were really hurting again.  Thinking she only needed some adjustments on her orthotics I took her back to the podiatrist.

(pink circles is the tarsal coalition)

We were sent to get a CT scan and Jo has what’s called “tarsal coalition” in both feet which means that two of her bones did not separate as she has grown.  Jo will be scheduled for surgery soon on the first foot and in time have both done to correct this.  We are trying to keep the mood light by telling Jo that we will purchase crutches for her to “bling” out before surgery.

Pumpkin Patch

We stopped at a smaller farm this year, less crowded and of course less activities, but none the less fun for us.

They still had a small corn maze and we had fun walking / running through it.

And here are our prize pumpkins

We never did carve these as life was busy and well, I guess we were a lame family this year.

Haunted Corn Maze

Both kids walked through the haunted corn maze at night for the first time.  Cole had a blast with his friend and said he laughed all the way through.  I took Jo with a friend of hers to meet up with Cousin Derian and her friends, hoping this might be helpful.  Jo’s friend got so scared that they didn’t last long at all, choosing to exit as soon as they could.  Thankful Derian was there to make sure the girls were ok.  Jo is looking forward to next year and laughing her way through too.

Football

Cole’s team rocked this season!  With a roster of 16 they regularly played with 13 or 14 players each game due to illness or injuries.  Cole worked his way from being rotated on/off the field to playing full games.

On offence he played tackle and on defense he was a cornerback.  He really enjoyed cornerback as he got better each week and knocking the balls away from his opponents wide receivers and he even made a couple of interceptions.

His team went 4 – 2 for the season.

He is looking forward to next season and hopes to play with the same coaches next year.

HALLOWEEN

And here we are, Pirate Girl and Steve from Multiplicity (movie)

The kids had a very good time this year at school in full costume all day.  Jo stated that many teachers and classmates thought her sword cut was real.  Cole informed me that girls were coming up to him that he didn't even know and saying how “cute” he looked.  He also stated that he is planning on the same costume next year. (nothing hidden on why, sheesh)

A.M Bus Stop

Jo, (Ian) Scout from Team Fortress 2 (video game); (Shane) Doctor Who (tv series) & Cole

What goofballs.

Jo planned on a red wig but it came out of the package curly and she wanted it straight.  So I did research and found pouring boiling water poured over the wig will take the curl out.

So this is how the wig turned out. As soon as I finished straighten the wig I apparently forgot about this set up in the shower because it caught me off guard as I headed into the bathroom to use the facility.  I actually yelled “Aahh” as I thought someone was in the tub and then started laughing at myself as I almost didn't make it to the toilet then!  Short term memory sure has kicked in!

Football Over – Darn

Cole potentially fractured a growth plate in his thumb during one of his last football practices.  It’s unclear at this time but he was/is in so much pain that they put a cast on.

He missed out on his last football game and it was an emotional one as the team only had 11 players without him.  He did a great job being the ball boy and yelling encouraging words to his teammates.  Not the way he wanted to end football this year but he still says “great season, Mom”.

Trick or Treat!

The kids walked the neighborhood with quite a few of their friends this year which made it a lot of fun.

And this is what our living room looked like after. 

The kids exchanged candy with each other before everyone headed home and to bed for the night as school would start before they know it.

Happy October FB Peeps!