Halloween's Coming!

They were sad that Ava was sick, but Harper and Rielee came to play.  It was so nice that they played a game on the deck.  They are a pretty competitive bunch.  Tor had his own dinosaur game to entertain him.

 After Harper and Rielee left they all made mummies from paper towel rolls.  They turned out very spooky.  Then they got to roll out and make spider cookies.  It was hard for them to keep from eating them while working. 

 They each got to make 8 spiders and I had to separate them on the cookie sheet.  There are a few missing that got eaten.

They were outside playing earlier when I saw what Bridget was doing.  She helped push Tor to the top of the hill and then turned him around and saw him speed down the hill.  I'm not sure that was her plan but that's what Tor did, so I sprinted out to have him turn to avoid going over the bank.  We then parked the dune buggy.

Giant Leaf Pile

So many leaves had fallen on the ground over at the RA Long softball field, that we decided today was a good one to jump into leaf piles. We brought a rake, and the kids worked on making a huge pile. Then they jumped in it, rolled around in it, and hid underneath it. They all took a shower when we got home.

End of Soccer Season

Bridget played her last soccer game of the season for the Mini Conquerers today. She had some nice ball control and passes, as usual. It was a fun and successful start to her soccer career.

Family Math Night

We went to the annual Family Math Night at Olympic Elementary, something the kids look forward to each year. They got to see their teachers, play some math games, and see some friends, too.

Here's Bridget talking with her 1st grade teacher, Mr. Wells. He told us how Bridget was finishing 1st grade math super fast, and then finishing all the 2nd grade math, too.

We also got to see the girls' pictures in the hallways.


Finally, the kids wanted their silly picture.

Jack-o-lanterns

The family carved jack-o-lanterns after school tonight, using pumpkins we got at Fred Meyer (it was terrible weather on the day we were supposed to go to the pumpkin patch). The kids were pretty happy with their creations.

Preschool Pumpkin Patch

Tor's preschool class went to Mrs. Cathcart's pumpkin patch last week, and Mommy got to join in the fun.

School Pictures

Here's the school pictures for Jillian (4th Grade) and Bridget (1st Grade).

Lindsey's 18th Birthday

We celebrated Lindsey's 18th birthday with pizza, cake and ice cream. The kids helped lick frosting off all of the candles.

Soccer Soaking



 Bridget played first in the rain and she did a good job hustling all over.  She was fortunate that they had enough players so she only had to be in the rain half the time.  But now Jillian was a different story as she ended up playing almost the whole game in the pouring rain and wind.  Here she is soaking wet with muddy socks and shorts.

Jillian played goalie for a long time in the first half and did great.  We didn't think she would want to pick up the muddy ball and throw it but she went for it and kept the other team from scoring. She even did some fake directional kicks while in goal.  Then the second half she played defense and offense at the same time so by the end of the game she was out of gas and ready to go home to a warm shower.
 Also the parents were cold and soaking after watching two games.

Cousin Fun Continues

Jillian, Bridget, and Tor got some great playing time with Ava, Harper, and Rielee.  It was a little chilly out but notice no coats, as they ran all over to the woods, pond, and play fort.  They were out there a long time before they left to go to Aunt's house to do it all again.  Jillian and Bridget were very tired after spending the day at basketball camp and then all this running.

Train Time

After a long time, Tor wanted the train sets out.  It didn't take long for Jillian to jump in and help him build all the sets, and with few squabbles between them.  They forgot about Star Wars for awhile.

Fire Station Field Trip

Tor went on the annual Fire Station Field Trip with his 4's preschool class today. One of the firemen was Jillian's soccer coach (Dan) in the second picture.

Autumn Blaze

Last Spring, a bunch of plum trees on Lilac Street fell over after a big windstorm. The city replaced ours with an Autumn Blaze Maple, that turns bright red in the Fall.

An Apple Ran

Here's Tor in a session of Grannie's School of Torture, learning to read the cousins' favorite book "An Apple Ran".

Rielee Volleyball

Jillian went to see Rielee play on her 7th grade volleyball team.  Rielee's team won thanks to her outstanding play.  It was fun to watch.  Also there to watch were cousins Parker and Auna, plus Aunt Dianne and Uncle Steve, Aunt Laury, and Aunt Des.  This helped fuel some excitement for Jillian as she is anxious to play.