Scavenger Hunt for Mom and Babz

They even pulled out the professional date stamp (they have yet to put it back). And I found the office desk strewn with flower and bear cut-outs

Sunday Morning

This is what Sunday morning was comprised of.

Kids and I still love pomegranates. They were sold out at Costco! So we bought two flats yesterday when they restocked. 

This panel flew off on I-182 yesterday in high gusts. You may recall its partner on the opposite side flew off in Weed, California 3 years ago. I told Dae my new Toyota cannot come soon enough. I've been up to my eyeballs in various car troubles.

I hope Leelee sticks with violin but I'm ok if he doesn't. It's amazing to me how quickly kids pick up on musical instruments, though. Two months ago he could barely hold his violin and bow and now he can play a little.

On the way home from church Olin and I had a small altercation involving me "being so rude" (big surprise). This lasted for about 8 minutes until I told him he can have a bad attitude and I can drop him off at a parking lot and wait for him to hang out in the wind outside until his bad attitude subsides. He said that would be dangerous. Christian and I told him he would be on a sidewalk or safe place. He ignored that piece of information and asked "well....which would you rather have? A bad attitude....or kid dead?" I actually had a hard time containing my laughter and couldn't respond for a few seconds. Luckily I was in the front seat and he couldn't see me laughing. The nerve of that guy.

Patch Pictures - Round 2

These are much better pictures taken with a real camera by my friend Heather.

Lower Elementary class

Entire school

Kids instructed us to do Mean Halloween Face and obviously these pics were taken by kids as the top row is cut off.

Mid-October and More Patches

Morning photo out our window. Photo credit Dae

A broken up leaf heart outside the gas pump at 7-11. 

Tuesday afternoon Chess Club held through the school, at All Saints church on Kimball.

Olin wrote this 'thank you' post-it and placed it on my pillow. I guess they are trained to make thank you notes.

Christian's patch at Middleton Farms, with Royal and AJ

His new teeth are coming in fairly straight on the lowers, from what I can tell. I think his upper incisors are going to be large, just like mine, from the little incisal edge that I can see peeking through gums.

Fun & fast slide.

His class (called "Lower Elementary") consists of grades 1 through 3

Adult chaperones and teachers. The teachers are both holding pumpkins. Teacher Samantha (lower elementary) on left and teacher Tessa (upper elementary) on right

Christian disappeared for about an hour and came back with this intricately cut and 3-D card for me and baba. He has been  quite happy since we told him ASE soccer is done after this month.

Both print and cursive options. I think it's funny he made his own lines to write on. That's something I would have done.

Early October and first PP

Tis the season for Pumpkin Patches and my kids still love them...

First up: This cup. I'm not sure whether child or adult left this in here...

Olin's patch

He has been talking about Liam quite a bit these days. After his group of girls (Claira, Aditi, Areen) left for elementary last year, I was curious as to whom he'd gravitate toward. He says "Liam always wants to play during recess" so I guess by default Liam it is. Adrian in the back. BTW Liam looks huge in this photo but it's an optical illusion. haha.

Made a beeline for the goats. He wasn't interested in the cows.

And then he realized how much he loved the pigs. He put up two hands and the pigs would snout them.

Leelee on monkey bars at Leslie Groves.

Big 'ol Jansport pack while strolling Seattle.

Taken in the evening

Same night, about 15 minutes later

30th

Today in the car Olin says, "Mom, I'm the only one in my class who knows how to say thirtieth, thirty-oneth, thirty-tooth.....I'm the only one". I had to correct him.

He puts on these musical shows with this small keyboard my mom got him for Christmas a couple years ago. He puts up a post-it on the living room wall that either says "Open" or "Closed" and he actually updates it to accurately to reflect whether there is a live show or not.

You can tell the housecleaners came today. This isn't a normal everyday state of affairs.

Flip the post it over and it says "open"

Christian has been a good speller since he started his spelling tests last year. He rarely misses a word, and he just told me that teacher Samantha told all the 3rd graders if anybody gets all their September spelling correct that person will be able to do 4th grade spelling. He is awaiting the results of his last test but he thinks he got it right, and if so he says he's the only one to have gotten a perfect September. :)

In not so great news, I have been battling MAJOR complaining and resistance. The two topics of complaint are: 1) practicing piano and 2) ASE soccer. Christian won't let up on the complaints and I am not about to give in, yet. We signed up for this season of soccer so we are at least going to see it through. And as far as piano, that's non-negotiable. I have officially turned in to my parents, and maybe even amplified/worse!

Soccer & End of September

Because we have soccer Tuesday through Thursdays, the kids and I have been eating Costa Vida 3 days in a row every week. I am not sick of it yet (because it is absolutely delicious) but I bet the kids will be sick of it soon.

Tooth #Q, Christian pulled out himself at school last week. Lower right incisor.

Humongous zucchini at the CSA vegetable pick-up. We didn't take this guy home.

Thank you card from two kids at school (5th and 6th grader) whom I chaperoned on a "Going out" to Fred Meyer. We walked so far!

"Even though we walked there and back". :)

Leelee's first out-of-town game in Wenatchee. We tied 4-4 (although I think the actual score was 4-5 but the boys are telling everyone it was 4-4). On the car ride up, Leelee was reading this joke book to Olin. One of them was "what do you call a criminal alligator?" and the answer was "crook-o-dile". Olin didn't get it until I explained that a crook was a bad guy. Then I hear him in the back talking to him self "oh....bad-guy-o-dile"

My kids are like 80 year olds. They pretty much can't live without a shoe horn. They use this shoe horn every time they put on their soccer cleats, and Olin uses it for his normal Adidas shoes as well. Anything to not have to lean over or sit down....