Halloween Costumes, 2013

This year's Halloween costumes were great- they required very little from me!  There seemed to be more kids out this year, and we met some new neighbors while out walking.  It was a pretty fun evening.

Jack in full camo

Sammy as Spiderman.  He LOVED having muscles on his costume.

Lucy wanted to be Superman.  Nothing girly for this one!

Kayla as one of her favorite book characters, Hermione Granger

Aaaahhh....

I (usually) love that ending of the day when Lucy and Sammy snuggle up with me on our bed with some books.  Especially now that they are in warm, cozy jammies.  Last night while we were waiting for Sam, this is what I heard:

"Today I told my preschool that you are thinking about having another baby."

Jaw drop.  

"Really?  What made you say that?"
"I just raised my hand in circle time and told them."

Aaahhh...

I'd say I don't know where she got that idea but I think I do.  For some reason, it seems to be a big topic of conversation among the children in this house lately.  Someone wants to know if we can have more kids or if I can ask the doctor to give us twins or something along those lines.  

It's funny how their minds work. 

And really, it makes me smile to know that they enjoy their lives enough in a semi-big family to want a little more of it.

Learning to Sew

 My mom can sew.  She doesn't much anymore but I know if she set her mind to it, she'd whip up something great.  She made her own wedding dress among other things! 
I, for one reason or another, did not pick up that sewing gene.
Kayla might have.
And lucky for us, a super sweet friend of mine offered- yes, it was her idea!- to help Kayla learn more about sewing.  To me, it's much more than sewing "class" once a week.  It is a Titus 2 kind of thing, my friend pouring into my little girl.
So, on Monday afternoons Kayla and Rebekah work on projects from this book, Sewing School: 21 Sewing Projects Kids Will Love to Make. This book has fun ideas and tips on how to do them. 

This is a t-shirt pillow.  Kayla picked a favorite t-shirt (that had a hole in the back) and made it into a pillow. She learned the whip stitch for this one.   So cute!

 You can see some of Rebekah's own projects here, at Homemade Engineer.

From the Week

"I just absolutely love fall."
That was from Kayla not too long ago.  I am with her- partly.  I'm thinking I'll be cold from now until May- which I don't necessarily love. But I do like the things that come with fall (and winter):  warm drinks, blankets, snow, little kids in foot-jammies, baking a little more, holidays, etc...
For now, here are some pictures from the week:

My friend Kayla posted this on Pinterest.  Isn't it cute?   Little tea lights in mini-pumpkins!  Brian was a good sport and cut the middles out for me before home group the other night.

We don't have many trees in the back yard but these guys gathered up as many leaves as they could and had a great time- even though it was pretty chilly outside.

A house divided- at least when it comes to the World Series.  Sam's t-ball team was the Red Sox; Jack's (way back when) was the Cardinals.  They've enjoyed watching a little of the games together.  Sam usually falls asleep just a few minutes in.

Linking Up to Read Aloud Thursdays

The Mother/Daughter book club that Kayla and I are a part of read Masterpiece by Elise Broach as this month's selection.
This has been one that all the kids have listened in on and have really enjoyed.  I love to find a good chapter book that appeals across ages.
Meet Marvin- a beetle.  Marvin lives in James's family's apartment and is pretty tenacious and skillful as beetles go!  A sweet friendship forms between James and Marvin which ends up in a wild adventure.  Art, theft, and the Met in New York City.  Fun! 
Overall, I have liked this book.  There's been a good bit of suspense and some pretty humorous parts.  Some good vocabulary, too!  Also, we learn a bit about the artist Durer.
Depending on your family, you may want to consider a few things that pop up in the story:  divorce and remarriage, some lying, and a couple instances of "Oh my God!" (One good thing about read alouds is skipping words I'd rather not have my children repeat!)  While they aren't deal breakers for us in this book, it's good to be aware. 

Pumpkin Patch Trip with the Preschoolers

Lucy's first preschool field trip was this morning.  Families were welcome to come along so all the kids and I went to the pumpkin patch.  I can't say that our eldest was too excited about going with a "bunch of preschoolers" but when it was all said and done, he decided it wasn't so bad.

I think the one thing we will all remember is that it was COLD and windy!  

Sticking close to Jack.

Lucy has a wooly worm on her sleeve.

Smiling despite the wind, the sprinkles, and the cold,

So proud of her pumpkin.

For My Memory

Some quotes from the past week or so:

Sam:  "I'm starting to understand why people wear long pants in the fall."  Finally.
And Sam again:  "I'm thinking about getting one of my ears pierced."  What??!!??
One more:  "Mom, you are pretty old, even if you do look like a college student."  I'll take it.
From Lucy:  "Do you know why I'm smiling at you Mom?  It's because I love you!"  Pure sweetness.

And last:  "Do I look awesome?" 

 Notice the tie, vest, helmet, boots, and shin guards.

Yep, looking pretty awesome, Lucy!